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Research on Individuals, Politics and Society

Research on Individuals, Politics and Society
  2. RIPS Proposal Process

RIPS Proposal Process

RIPS welcomes proposals from Political Science faculty members and graduate students who would like to include an experimental module on an omnibus study conducted during the academic year.

Faculty Proposals:

Faculty who are interested in placing an experimental module on an omnibus study should contact Cindy Kam to discuss their proposals.

Graduate Student Proposals:

Graduate students should submit a formal proposal that include a thorough description of the study design and an appendix with actual questions and stimuli.

The description of the study design must include the following sections:

  1. The rationale for the project and its contribution to the literature
  2. The research question and specific hypotheses to be tested
  3. A description of the experimental stimulus
  4. A description of the analytical strategy (Method of data analysis; dependent variable; independent variable(s); specific links between hypotheses and analysis to be conducted)

Proposals are limited to two pages of text (single spaced and 12 point font) plus references. The actual study questions and stimuli must be appended as an appendix to the proposal.

Please note that number of survey items is typically limited to what can be administered in 5 minutes (estimating 3-4 questions per minute). Longer modules are subject to stricter scrutiny than shorter modules.

In order to be considered, proposals must be submitted at least four weeks before the start of classes of the proposed semester during which the study would run.

Please submit proposals electronically to Cindy Kam  for review. 

If the proposal is accepted, the student is expected to attend all organizational meetings pertaining to the omnibus study on which the student is placing content. The student is also responsible for ensuring that the study has IRB approval prior to its implementation. The student is also expected to program the proposed survey items. Finally, participating students are required to assist in the implementation of the omnibus study.