For the paper, you are going to design, analyze, and report on your own unique research project. As such, you will be required to find/create a dataset (at least 30 observations) with a Dependent Variable of interest, and at least 3 Independent Variables in order to conduct a multiple linear regression in order to develop a prediction model designed to predict future levels of your Dependent Variable. The Final Research Project for the course, and all supporting assignments, will be executed using the unique data set you find and MS Excel.
As preparation for the final research paper, formulate a theory about the correlation between a measurable dependent variable (the effect) and measurable independent variables (the causes).
Please select a topic of interest from you and go find your data set for this week’s assignment. There are several places you can find data: US Department of Commerce, Federal Reserve Bank, Department of Justice, Department of Education, as well as commercial sites like Zillow. I recommend you build a dataset with approximately 50 observations, each with a Dependent Variable and at least 5 Indpendent Variables to start with (some of the independent variable will likely have to be eliminated from your model…we will discuss why in the upcoming weeks).
Once you have found your dataset, you are also going to need to find at least 3 peer-reviewed academic journal articles on your topic. For instance, if you are studying crime rates, you might look for academic articles that corroborate your suspicion about the relationship between factors such as education, income, and marital status.
Once you have found your data and your 3 articles, summarize this information in a Research Proposal that is formatted like the outline below.
1) Purpose Statement
In one paragraph, state the correlation and identify the primary independent variables.
State the correlation as in the following:
The dependent variable _______ is determined by independent variables ________, _________, ________, and ________.
Identify and defend the primary independent variable, or the variable believed to have the strongest impact on the dependent variable:
The most important independent variable in this relationship is ________ because _________.
2) Definition of Variables
For each variable, write a single definition paragraph talking about the variable. Paragraphs should be in this order: dependent variable, primary independent variable, and three independent variables.
In addition to defining the independent variables, defend why each determines the dependent variable.
For your independent variables, at least three research sources that discuss the variable also must be cited. These sources need not be technical documents but should contain evidence to justify the relationship between the primary independent variable and the dependent variable. List these sources in the Works Cited (reference) page.
**Note: Citations from encyclopedias, Wikipedia, blogs, abstracts, or non-governmental websites are not acceptable research sources.
3) Data Description
For each of the variables, at least 30 observations (recommend at least 50) of cross-sectional or time-series data must be obtained. Thus for the final research paper, a data matrix that is at least 30 rows by numbers of variables must be presented.
In one paragraph, identify the data sources and describe the data (e.g., which government agencies supply the data, which methods are used to compile them, when they were collected, etc.)
4) Works Cited Page
The final page of the proposal should be a Works Cited page listing the two research sources for the primary independent variable and the data sources, with a separate citation for each table of data, including specific table numbers for each of the sources.
APA format
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