medical anthropology research proposal example

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Tips for Writing a Research Proposal for Anthropology Departmental Honors

Every research project needs to begin with an original research proposal. Any good proposal does at least two things: it articulates an interesting question or goal, and it lays out a plan for answering that question or achieving that goal.

A good proposal will tell a varied reviewer audience why your project is novel, describe its significance to your discipline, present a detailed methodology or course of action, detail the preparation and resources that you have lined up to date, and commit to a final product that will contribute to the academic community’s understanding of your topic.

The ideal format and language for such a proposal will vary with the audience at hand and the project in question. Different departments, programs and agencies have different requirements in terms of the size and scope of the proposal. Regardless of format, length, or organization, a good proposal will address the following topics.

Aim and Scope

What is the goal of your project? What question do you want to answer? What hypothesis do you wish to test? What themes do you want to explore?

Background & Context

Provide the reader with enough information to understand the nature of the project.

Significance

Why are your questions intellectually important? What does the academic community in your chosen field (as represented in peer-reviewed literature) already understand about your topic? How will your project contribute to this literature? How will your objectives and methods challenge the discipline? What form will your final product take, and how will it be evaluated?

Methodology

What, precisely, will you do to answer the question you are posing? How is the data, analysis, or interpretation provided by your methodology logically linked to your stated goal? When and how will you take each of the steps towards achieving these goals? What logistical hurdles will you encounter? A timeline can give reviewers a clear picture of how you project will unfurl. When will you start your project, and when will you finish it? What milestones will help you gauge your progress? How will you coordinate your core research activities with your preliminary work (such as directed reading) and your post-project analysis (such as writing)?

How will you draw on the expertise of your faculty mentor? Are there other contact people who will be instrumental in your project? Are you seeking, or have you received, any other sources of funding? Are there additional datasets or pieces of equipment that you will rely on?

Preparation & Qualifications

What specific steps have you taken to prepare for this project? Have you taken courses in the methods or statistics that directly relate to the project design you described above? If you will conduct research off campus, how do you plan to train (in the classroom or otherwise) for the cultural, ethical, and safety challenges associated with research travel? Have you initiated contact with people (at field sites or other institutions) who will be critical to your project’s success?

Include a table specifying a timeline for project design, data collection, data analysis, and write up.

You may find that you need to present a separate budget — a line-item description of the funding that you need to cover your expenses. How much money do you need, and what will it be used for? How do each of these expenses contribute to the logistical demands of your methodology? A well-conceived budget provides reviewers with insight into the state of your logistical planning.

A Good Research Proposal

A good research proposal is not written at the last minute! A compelling account of the project you wish to pursue will take shape only with repeated revision, drawing on feedback from your faculty mentor, other advisers, and your fellow researchers. By involving your mentor in your proposal from the start, you stand to benefit even more from his or her expertise in your field. Similarly, faculty members who have seen early drafts of your proposal can direct you to the most appropriate grant programs, offer you the best advice on project design, and refer your to other useful resources on campus.

A good research proposal is concise! Reviewers are often faced with hundreds of proposals at a time, and a clear writing style will help move your proposal to the "short stack." You should give your proposal a descriptive title and make your main objectives and motives explicit in an opening summary that is easily understood by non-specialists. Long proposals are rarely read thoroughly, and short proposals that are well written will contain as much information.

Medical Anthropology

Medical anthropology is the study of how health and illness are shaped, experienced, and understood in the context of cultural, historical, and political forces. It is one of the most exciting subfields of anthropology and has increasingly clear relevance for students and professionals interested in the complexity of disease states, diagnostic categories, and what comes to count as pathology or health.

At Stanford some of our principal areas of inquiry include cultures of medicine, the social nature of emergent biotechnology, the economics of bodily injury, psychic expressions of disorder, the formation of social networks on health, the lived experience of disability and inequality, caregiving, and ever-changing concepts of human biological difference and race. We work in Africa, Asia, and Latin America in addition to the United States and its borderlands. We engage with patients, health scientists, and larger publics at home and abroad in order to contribute to a more robust understanding of the way poverty, social status, war, racism, and nationalism produce illness and disease. We look both at the broad forces of structural violence and the microphenomenology of pain and suffering. Our program seeks students who creatively imagine interdisciplinary approaches to health questions, wish to increase dialogue with medical professionals, and aim to rethink operative principles within science and medicine.

Our core group of faculty includes:

Angela Garcia: Professor Garcia’s work explores political, economic and psychic processes through which illness and suffering is produced and lived. Through long-term ethnographic research with poor families and communities struggling with multigenerational experiences of addiction, depression, and incarceration, she draws attention to emerging forms of care and kinship, accounts of cultural history and subjectivities, and relations of affect and intimacy, that are essential to understanding health and life. Working in the United States and Mexico, her work also demonstrates the urgent need for drug law reform and new approaches to ethics and therapeutics as they concern suffering in shared and transgressive formations.

Duana Fullwiley: Professor Fullwiley explores how global and historical notions of health, disease, race, and power yield biological consequences that bear on scientific definitions of human difference. Through an ethnographic engagement with geneticists and the populations they study, she underscores the importance of expanding the conceptual terrain of genetic causation to include poverty and on-going racial stratification. She explicitly writes in the long histories of inequality and dispossession suffered by global minorities that often go missing from medical narratives of genetic disease and ideas of “population-based” severity. Working in France, West Africa and the United States, she details the legacy effects of postcolonial, post-Reconstruction, and Progressive Era science policies on present-day health outcomes. She also chronicles the remnants of racial thinking in new population genetic research and works with scientists to redress them.

Lochlann Jain: Professor Jain's research is primarily concerned with the ways in which stories get told about injuries, how they are thought to be caused, and how that matters. Figuring out the political and social significance of these stories has led to the study of law, product design, medical error, and histories of engineering, regulation, corporations, and advertising.

Matthew Kohrman: Professor Kohrman’s research and writing bring anthropological methods to bear on the ways health, culture, and politics are interrelated. Focusing on the People's Republic of China, he engages various intellectual terrains such as governmentality, gender theory, political economy, critical science studies, narrativity, and embodiment. His first monograph, Bodies of Difference: Experiences of Disability and Institutional Advocacy in the Making of Modern China, raises questions about how embodied aspects of human existence, such as our gender, such as our ability to propel ourselves through space as walkers, cyclists and workers, become founts for the building of new state apparatuses of social provision, in particular, disability-advocacy organizations. Over the last decade, Prof. Kohrman has been involved in research aimed at analyzing and intervening in the biopolitics of cigarette smoking among Chinese citizens. This work, as seen in his recently edited volume--Poisonous Pandas: Chinese Cigarette Manufacturing in Critical Historical Perspectives--expands upon heuristic themes of his earlier disability research and engages in novel ways techniques of public health, political philosophy, and spatial history. More recently, he has begun projects linking ongoing interests at the intersection of phenomenology and political economy with questions regarding environmental attunement and the arts.

Tanya Luhrmann: Professor Luhrmann has long standing interests in schizophrenia, with work on homeless, poverty, and social defeat. Her work focuses on the edge of experience: on voices, visions, the world of the supernatural and the world of psychosis. She has done ethnography on the streets of Chicago with homeless and psychotic women, and worked with people with psychosis who hear voices in Chennai, Accra and the South Bay. She has also done fieldwork with evangelical Christians who seek to hear God speak back, with Zoroastrians who set out to create a more mystical faith, and with people who practice magic. She uses a combination of ethnographic and experimental methods to understand the phenomenology of unusual sensory experiences, the way they are shaped by ideas about minds and persons, the relationship between the voices of madness and the voices of spirit, and what we can learn from this social shaping that can help us to help those whose voices are distressing.

What sets this program apart?

An engaged orientation

Our group at Stanford believes that anthropological analysis is not just for anthropologists and not just for the classroom. It matters elsewhere. Whether it is cancer, psychiatric disease, drug addiction, injury and disability, racialized health disparities, genetic disorders or the leading cause of premature death, tobacco, we tackle issues of great importance for people the world over. In addressing the societal and bodily aspects of these problems, we encourage our students to work with affected communities, medical professionals, basic scientists, patient advocates, and health NGOs while aiming to reach even larger publics.

The goal of our work is to advance the field of anthropology, which is the disciplinary home of medical anthropology, but to do so in ways that also advance thinking within broader intellectual communities. The field of medical anthropology addresses afflictions of increasing importance that are seldom sufficiently understood by biomedicine alone. Much of our work focuses on how health problems arise from larger social issues, which must also be addressed. As we strive to dissolve the stark divides between the life and the social sciences, we work in the spirit that cross-disciplinary conversations are possible and necessary to achieve effective medicine, humane healing, and ethical science. In this vein, we encourage our students to publish in the flagship journals of anthropology but also in relevant health science and more popular mainstream venues.

Theory and Methods

We are steadfast in our commitment to ethnography, affirming its empirical merits and value for theory building. We also realize that some research questions benefit from other methods, including statistical reporting, demographic observations, and survey techniques. In its specifics, training in our program includes courses in anthropological theory, the anthropology of science and technology, psychiatric anthropology, and various area foci where specific health problems are more prevalent for geo-political reasons. We expose students to these diverse approaches to allow them to contribute innovatively to anthropology as well as to a broader set of audiences. To facilitate this work, we also collaborate with Stanford’s Center for Comparative Studies on Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), the Center for International Studies (FSI), the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, the Department of Psychology, and the program on Science and Technology Studies (STS).

Duana Fullwiley

Angela Garcia

Lochlann Jain

Matthew Kohrman

Tanya Marie Luhrmann

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ANTHRO 3626 - Research Design/Proposal Writing

Semester: , offered: .

Prof. Gabriella Coleman W 3:00 PM - 5:45 PM

This course is part seminar, part practicum. Its purpose is to help students conceptualize and design a research project, to craft effective research and grant proposals, and to prepare for ethnographic and archival work. The first and longest part of the course will focus on formulating a researchable project, in all its various elements; how to write a statement of problem, to frame arguments/theses, to situate work in the appropriate anthropological literature/s, to develop a methodological approach, and techniques, commensurate with the objectives and claims of the study, and to make a case for its significance and contribution to the discipline. To the extent time permits, the class will also pursue a secondary objective: imparting professional skills, primarily in the area of writing and publishing, but also in oral presentation, that will be useful to students throughout their professional lives.

By permission only. The class is open to third year social anthropology students who have done most of the background reading for their PhD dissertation research and are actively working on a formal research proposal, of which they have a draft in hand.

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WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL in ANTHROPOLOGY

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How to prepare a Research Proposal

Health research, medical education and clinical practice form the three pillars of modern day medical practice. As one authority rightly put it: ‘Health research is not a luxury, but an essential need that no nation can afford to ignore’. Health research can and should be pursued by a broad range of people. Even if they do not conduct research themselves, they need to grasp the principles of the scientific method to understand the value and limitations of science and to be able to assess and evaluate results of research before applying them. This review paper aims to highlight the essential concepts to the students and beginning researchers and sensitize and motivate the readers to access the vast literature available on research methodologies.

Most students and beginning researchers do not fully understand what a research proposal means, nor do they understand its importance. 1 A research proposal is a detailed description of a proposed study designed to investigate a given problem. 2

A research proposal is intended to convince others that you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the work-plan to complete it. Broadly the research proposal must address the following questions regardless of your research area and the methodology you choose: What you plan to accomplish, why do you want to do it and how are you going to do it. 1 The aim of this article is to highlight the essential concepts and not to provide extensive details about this topic.

The elements of a research proposal are highlighted below:

1. Title: It should be concise and descriptive. It must be informative and catchy. An effective title not only prick’s the readers interest, but also predisposes him/her favorably towards the proposal. Often titles are stated in terms of a functional relationship, because such titles clearly indicate the independent and dependent variables. 1 The title may need to be revised after completion of writing of the protocol to reflect more closely the sense of the study. 3

2. Abstract: It is a brief summary of approximately 300 words. It should include the main research question, the rationale for the study, the hypothesis (if any) and the method. Descriptions of the method may include the design, procedures, the sample and any instruments that will be used. 1 It should stand on its own, and not refer the reader to points in the project description. 3

3. Introduction: The introduction provides the readers with the background information. Its purpose is to establish a framework for the research, so that readers can understand how it relates to other research. 4 It should answer the question of why the research needs to be done and what will be its relevance. It puts the proposal in context. 3

The introduction typically begins with a statement of the research problem in precise and clear terms. 1

The importance of the statement of the research problem 5 : The statement of the problem is the essential basis for the construction of a research proposal (research objectives, hypotheses, methodology, work plan and budget etc). It is an integral part of selecting a research topic. It will guide and put into sharper focus the research design being considered for solving the problem. It allows the investigator to describe the problem systematically, to reflect on its importance, its priority in the country and region and to point out why the proposed research on the problem should be undertaken. It also facilitates peer review of the research proposal by the funding agencies.

Then it is necessary to provide the context and set the stage for the research question in such a way as to show its necessity and importance. 1 This step is necessary for the investigators to familiarize themselves with existing knowledge about the research problem and to find out whether or not others have investigated the same or similar problems. This step is accomplished by a thorough and critical review of the literature and by personal communication with experts. 5 It helps further understanding of the problem proposed for research and may lead to refining the statement of the problem, to identify the study variables and conceptualize their relationships, and in formulation and selection of a research hypothesis. 5 It ensures that you are not "re-inventing the wheel" and demonstrates your understanding of the research problem. It gives due credit to those who have laid the groundwork for your proposed research. 1 In a proposal, the literature review is generally brief and to the point. The literature selected should be pertinent and relevant. 6

Against this background, you then present the rationale of the proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing.

4. Objectives: Research objectives are the goals to be achieved by conducting the research. 5 They may be stated as ‘general’ and ‘specific’.

The general objective of the research is what is to be accomplished by the research project, for example, to determine whether or not a new vaccine should be incorporated in a public health program.

The specific objectives relate to the specific research questions the investigator wants to answer through the proposed study and may be presented as primary and secondary objectives, for example, primary: To determine the degree of protection that is attributable to the new vaccine in a study population by comparing the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. 5 Secondary: To study the cost-effectiveness of this programme.

Young investigators are advised to resist the temptation to put too many objectives or over-ambitious objectives that cannot be adequately achieved by the implementation of the protocol. 3

5. Variables: During the planning stage, it is necessary to identify the key variables of the study and their method of measurement and unit of measurement must be clearly indicated. Four types of variables are important in research 5 :

a. Independent variables: variables that are manipulated or treated in a study in order to see what effect differences in them will have on those variables proposed as being dependent on them. The different synonyms for the term ‘independent variable’ which are used in literature are: cause, input, predisposing factor, risk factor, determinant, antecedent, characteristic and attribute.

b. Dependent variables: variables in which changes are results of the level or amount of the independent variable or variables.

Synonyms: effect, outcome, consequence, result, condition, disease.

c. Confounding or intervening variables: variables that should be studied because they may influence or ‘mix’ the effect of the independent variables. For instance, in a study of the effect of measles (independent variable) on child mortality (dependent variable), the nutritional status of the child may play an intervening (confounding) role.

d. Background variables: variables that are so often of relevance in investigations of groups or populations that they should be considered for possible inclusion in the study. For example sex, age, ethnic origin, education, marital status, social status etc.

The objective of research is usually to determine the effect of changes in one or more independent variables on one or more dependent variables. For example, a study may ask "Will alcohol intake (independent variable) have an effect on development of gastric ulcer (dependent variable)?"

Certain variables may not be easy to identify. The characteristics that define these variables must be clearly identified for the purpose of the study.

6. Questions and/ or hypotheses: If you as a researcher know enough to make prediction concerning what you are studying, then the hypothesis may be formulated. A hypothesis can be defined as a tentative prediction or explanation of the relationship between two or more variables. In other words, the hypothesis translates the problem statement into a precise, unambiguous prediction of expected outcomes. Hypotheses are not meant to be haphazard guesses, but should reflect the depth of knowledge, imagination and experience of the investigator. 5 In the process of formulating the hypotheses, all variables relevant to the study must be identified. For example: "Health education involving active participation by mothers will produce more positive changes in child feeding than health education based on lectures". Here the independent variable is types of health education and the dependent variable is changes in child feeding.

A research question poses a relationship between two or more variables but phrases the relationship as a question; a hypothesis represents a declarative statement of the relations between two or more variables. 7

For exploratory or phenomenological research, you may not have any hypothesis (please do not confuse the hypothesis with the statistical null hypothesis). 1 Questions are relevant to normative or census type research (How many of them are there? Is there a relationship between them?). Deciding whether to use questions or hypotheses depends on factors such as the purpose of the study, the nature of the design and methodology, and the audience of the research (at times even the outlook and preference of the committee members, particularly the Chair). 6

7. Methodology: The method section is very important because it tells your research Committee how you plan to tackle your research problem. The guiding principle for writing the Methods section is that it should contain sufficient information for the reader to determine whether the methodology is sound. Some even argue that a good proposal should contain sufficient details for another qualified researcher to implement the study. 1 Indicate the methodological steps you will take to answer every question or to test every hypothesis illustrated in the Questions/hypotheses section. 6 It is vital that you consult a biostatistician during the planning stage of your study, 8 to resolve the methodological issues before submitting the proposal.

This section should include:

Research design: The selection of the research strategy is the core of research design and is probably the single most important decision the investigator has to make. The choice of the strategy, whether descriptive, analytical, experimental, operational or a combination of these depend on a number of considerations, 5 but this choice must be explained in relation to the study objectives. 3

Research subjects or participants: Depending on the type of your study, the following questions should be answered 3 , 5

- What are the criteria for inclusion or selection?
- What are the criteria for exclusion?
- What is the sampling procedure you will use so as to ensure representativeness and reliability of the sample and to minimize sampling errors? The key reason for being concerned with sampling is the issue of validity-both internal and external of the study results. 9
- Will there be use of controls in your study? Controls or comparison groups are used in scientific research in order to increase the validity of the conclusions. Control groups are necessary in all analytical epidemiological studies, in experimental studies of drug trials, in research on effects of intervention programmes and disease control measures and in many other investigations. Some descriptive studies (studies of existing data, surveys) may not require control groups.
- What are the criteria for discontinuation?

Sample size: The proposal should provide information and justification (basis on which the sample size is calculated) about sample size in the methodology section. 3 A larger sample size than needed to test the research hypothesis increases the cost and duration of the study and will be unethical if it exposes human subjects to any potential unnecessary risk without additional benefit. A smaller sample size than needed can also be unethical as it exposes human subjects to risk with no benefit to scientific knowledge. Calculation of sample size has been made easy by computer software programmes, but the principles underlying the estimation should be well understood.

Interventions: If an intervention is introduced, a description must be given of the drugs or devices (proprietary names, manufacturer, chemical composition, dose, frequency of administration) if they are already commercially available. If they are in phases of experimentation or are already commercially available but used for other indications, information must be provided on available pre-clinical investigations in animals and/or results of studies already conducted in humans (in such cases, approval of the drug regulatory agency in the country is needed before the study). 3

Ethical issues 3 : Ethical considerations apply to all types of health research. Before the proposal is submitted to the Ethics Committee for approval, two important documents mentioned below (where appropriate) must be appended to the proposal. In additions, there is another vital issue of Conflict of Interest, wherein the researchers should furnish a statement regarding the same.

The Informed consent form (informed decision-making): A consent form, where appropriate, must be developed and attached to the proposal. It should be written in the prospective subjects’ mother tongue and in simple language which can be easily understood by the subject. The use of medical terminology should be avoided as far as possible. Special care is needed when subjects are illiterate. It should explain why the study is being done and why the subject has been asked to participate. It should describe, in sequence, what will happen in the course of the study, giving enough detail for the subject to gain a clear idea of what to expect. It should clarify whether or not the study procedures offer any benefits to the subject or to others, and explain the nature, likelihood and treatment of anticipated discomfort or adverse effects, including psychological and social risks, if any. Where relevant, a comparison with risks posed by standard drugs or treatment must be included. If the risks are unknown or a comparative risk cannot be given it should be so stated. It should indicate that the subject has the right to withdraw from the study at any time without, in any way, affecting his/her further medical care. It should assure the participant of confidentiality of the findings.

Ethics checklist: The proposal must describe the measures that will be undertaken to ensure that the proposed research is carried out in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical research involving Human Subjects. 10 It must answer the following questions:

• Is the research design adequate to provide answers to the research question? It is unethical to expose subjects to research that will have no value.
• Is the method of selection of research subjects justified? The use of vulnerable subjects as research participants needs special justification. Vulnerable subjects include those in prison, minors and persons with mental disability. In international research it is important to mention that the population in which the study is conducted will benefit from any potential outcome of the research and the research is not being conducted solely for the benefit of some other population. Justification is needed for any inducement, financial or otherwise, for the participants to be enrolled in the study.
• Are the interventions justified, in terms of risk/benefit ratio? Risks are not limited to physical harm. Psychological and social risks must also be considered.
• For observations made, have measures been taken to ensure confidentiality?

Research setting 5 : The research setting includes all the pertinent facets of the study, such as the population to be studied (sampling frame), the place and time of study.

Study instruments 3 , 5 : Instruments are the tools by which the data are collected. For validated questionnaires/interview schedules, reference to published work should be given and the instrument appended to the proposal. For new a questionnaire which is being designed specifically for your study the details about preparing, precoding and pretesting of questionnaire should be furnished and the document appended to the proposal. Descriptions of other methods of observations like medical examination, laboratory tests and screening procedures is necessary- for established procedures, reference of published work cited but for new or modified procedure, an adequate description is necessary with justification for the same.

Collection of data: A short description of the protocol of data collection. For example, in a study on blood pressure measurement: time of participant arrival, rest for 5p. 10 minutes, which apparatus (standard calibrated) to be used, in which room to take measurement, measurement in sitting or lying down position, how many measurements, measurement in which arm first (whether this is going to be randomized), details of cuff and its placement, who will take the measurement. This minimizes the possibility of confusion, delays and errors.

Data analysis: The description should include the design of the analysis form, plans for processing and coding the data and the choice of the statistical method to be applied to each data. What will be the procedures for accounting for missing, unused or spurious data?

Monitoring, supervision and quality control: Detailed statement about the all logistical issues to satisfy the requirements of Good Clinical Practices (GCP), protocol procedures, responsibilities of each member of the research team, training of study investigators, steps taken to assure quality control (laboratory procedures, equipment calibration etc)

Gantt chart: A Gantt chart is an overview of tasks/proposed activities and a time frame for the same. You put weeks, days or months at one side, and the tasks at the other. You draw fat lines to indicate the period the task will be performed to give a timeline for your research study (take help of tutorial on youtube). 11

Significance of the study: Indicate how your research will refine, revise or extend existing knowledge in the area under investigation. How will it benefit the concerned stakeholders? What could be the larger implications of your research study?

Dissemination of the study results: How do you propose to share the findings of your study with professional peers, practitioners, participants and the funding agency?

Budget: A proposal budget with item wise/activity wise breakdown and justification for the same. Indicate how will the study be financed.

References: The proposal should end with relevant references on the subject. For web based search include the date of access for the cited website, for example: add the sentence "accessed on June 10, 2008".

Appendixes: Include the appropriate appendixes in the proposal. For example: Interview protocols, sample of informed consent forms, cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders, official letters for permission to conduct research. Regarding original scales or questionnaires, if the instrument is copyrighted then permission in writing to reproduce the instrument from the copyright holder or proof of purchase of the instrument must be submitted.

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DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Program Overview

Research Papers and Proposals

Read past papers.

Log in to the Second-Year Paper Archive to find recent research papers.
Review past dissertations .

Students are required to complete a Second Year Qualifying Paper, a Dissertation Proposal, and a Dissertation. Evaluation of the papers and the dissertation proposal is determined by a committee composed of the student’s advisor and two or more additional faculty members. Students will be evaluated for continuation in the graduate program, for Graduate (Teaching) Assistantships, and for summer fieldwork using grades in course work, faculty evaluations and a specific evaluation of the second and third year paper/proposal requirements.

Second Year

Second-year students will prepare a Research Paper to be completed in the Spring Quarter of the second year.

Paper subject: The paper should be based on original fieldwork, laboratory or library research and should be suitable for publication.
Paper format: Conform to the study style required by a major journal in the field of the student's interest (e.g., American Anthropologist, American Ethnologist, American Antiquity, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, etc.). Each paper must be accompanied by a one-page abstract in a style appropriate to the format of the relevant professional journal. Although usually not required, a table of contents is a useful addition to better organize material.
Associated courses: Each second-year student registers for Anthro 590 "Research" with the faculty member who will serve as adviser for the Research Paper. Students should work closely with their adviser and utilize all resources that are available through the expertise of their readers and other faculty.

Exception: Second-year students who entered the program with M.A. transfer credit will be expected to meet the requirements of third-year students by submitting a Dissertation Proposal .

Third-year students prepare a formal Dissertation Proposal that will be presented before the student's dissertation research committee at a formal dissertation proposal defense. Each student should work closely with his/ her adviser on the preparation of the dissertation proposal.

Proposal format: Students should be prepared to adapt the form of the proposal to the differing requirements of various funding agencies, and should bear in mind that preparation of an acceptable proposal is time-consuming for both students and faculty.
Proposal deadline: The proposal should be started during the second year and completed early in the third year of graduate work because of funding agency deadlines, which cluster in October to early January. Special care should be taken with this requirement since the funding of fieldwork depends almost entirely on the quality of the proposal.

Paper and Proposal Evaluation

Papers will be evaluated according to the degree to which they:

Demonstrate graduate level writing skills, including structural coherence
Have a clear analytic argument that is well‐substantiated
Demonstrate command of a body of literature related to the proposed dissertation project
Evidence an accurate understanding of scholarly arguments
Contain rigorous treatment of scholarly sources, data, their connections, and their implications
Show promise of theoretical/ethnographic innovation or intervention

Your advisor and/or your committee will give you comments on the very first draft of your paper. This phase will focus on the broader issues and your professors will provide you with feedback on the research you need to do to complete your paper. Your entire committee will give you comments on the next‐to‐final draft. This phase focuses on remaining issues that are often smaller in scope and significance. Your committee expects a complete draft, properly formatted, referenced, and proofread, for this next‐to‐final draft.

It is reasonable to expect members of your committee to:

Read through both drafts carefully
Give you comments, either orally or in writing
Make suggestions for improving the paper in terms of structure, content etc.
Make suggestions for further reading

It is not reasonable to expect members of your Committee to:

Read and comment at short notice (less than a week)
Give you a detailed check‐list of everything you must do
Give you a complete list of everything you need to read
Copy‐edit and/or proof‐read the paper

Your papers will be evaluated by your committee at the June faculty meeting and will be given one of the following assessments: pass, no pass, pass after acceptable rewrite, acceptable for terminal M.A.

“Pass” : This evaluation permits a student to continue in the Ph.D. program. The student is eligible, but not guaranteed, financial aid.

“Pass after acceptable rewrite” : This evaluation permits a student to continue course work in the Ph.D. program, but the student will not be eligible for advancement to candidacy until the paper is rewritten and accepted by the student’s committee. After the committee accepts the paper/proposal, the student will be eligible for financial aid.

“Acceptable for terminal M.A.” : (Second‐year Research Paper): This evaluation means that the quality of the student’s work meets the Department’s standards for the Master’s Degree, but is not sufficiently high quality to permit the student to continue in the Ph.D. program. The student may be eligible for a Master’s Degree if all other requirements are met.

“No pass” : This evaluation means that the quality of the student’s work meets neither the standards required of students continuing in the Ph.D. program, nor the standards required for the Master’s Degree. The student will not be permitted to continue in the Department, nor will he/she receive a Master’s Degree, regardless of the student’s grade‐point average.

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87Chapter 4 Writing your research proposal

Published: November 2011
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In many ways it’s a reflection of yourself as a researcher and an insight into your proposed work. A poorly written proposal has the ability to wreck a project and embarrass the researcher before it has even begun. Similarly, a well-constructed proposal bodes well for the success of the project and displays the researcher in a good light amongst their peers and supervisors. The research proposal identifies: • What the topic is, both in terms of background and the individual area of interest. • What you plan to accomplish and why it needs doing. • What in particular you are trying to find out, i.e. the research question. • How you will get the answer to your question, i.e. your methodology. • What others will learn from it and why it is worth learning. • How long it will take. • How much money it will cost. Through your research proposal you are attempting to convince potential supporters that your project is worth doing, you are scientifically competent to run it, and are in possession of the necessary management skills to ensure its completion. The proposal concisely describes the key elements of the study process, although in sufficient depth to permit evaluation. It is a stand-alone document that must contain evidence of an answerable question, demonstrate your grasp of the literature, and also clearly show that your methodology is sound. A research time-table is required to demonstrate a realistic appreciation of how the study will progress through time. The research proposal serves many purposes to many different parties. Amongst these purposes, some of the key ones are: • Acting as a route map and timetable for all involved in your project. • Giving a clear overview of your planned work to ensure favourable decision at ethical review. • Gaining funding to carry out your proposed study. • Securing a place to undertake a higher scientific degree. • Being an opportunity to ‘blow your own trumpet’ on paper. Although there are several bodies who will be obliged to see your proposal, there is a reasonable chance it will end up being wider read than this, so a coherent piece of work will reflect well on you.

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REPRESENT: Community Engagement Roadmap to Improve Participant Representation in Cancer Research Early Detection
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Undergraduate: Part IIA
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MPhil in Social Anthropological Research

The fieldwork proposal distills your research training to date and is at the core of your own plans. It sets out the problem you intend to investigate and how you propose to go about it. Your description of the research problem should include a discussion of relevant literature in the field, and explain why your own research will be a contribution to the discipline. You should then explain why it makes sense to address your research questions through fieldwork in the specific place(s) in which you plan to work.

After submitting your fieldwork proposal and accompanying risk assessment form, you will attend a fieldwork clearance interview with the PhD Committee.

On this page:

Fieldwork proposal

Research ethics and integrity approval 

Risk assessment 

Timetable  

Budget and checklist 

Bibliography  

Submission arrangements

Registration

Fieldwork proposal .

The fieldwork proposal enables the Department to assess your progress in the acquisition of generic research skills, and to satisfy itself that you are adequately prepared for the research you plan to undertake.

The proposal should be a single continuous and complete prose document of up to 7,000 words. This word count includes footnotes but does not include the bibliography. Do not attach separate documents to the proposal. It should contain the following components:

A review of the literature, both theoretical and ethnographic, with discussion of selected themes/ issues in the ethnography, and of relevant aspects of the history, economy, and languages of the region/ field where the study will be conducted
An outline of the questions to be addressed and the expected contribution of the study to anthropological understanding
A methodological discussion, in which theoretical questions and general issues are translated into researchable empirical questions and the methods to be employed are justified and described
A discussion of the practical, political, and ethical issues affecting conduct of the research
A detailed timetable for the research
A detailed estimated budget

Bibliography

The fieldwork proposal should also include:

Evidence of any local permissions/ visas required for fieldwork
Contact address/ telephone/ email for the period before you leave; and/or in the field, as known

Your fieldwork proposal should address, briefly or in detail as appropriate, all of the following five issues:

History: Consider the sources and historiographical issues relating to the area, people and/or institutions you intend to work on. How much is known of the history? How much is contested, by whom, and in what ways?
Language: Specify the languages with which you will have to work. Are different languages used by different people or for different purposes? How and why might an attention to language be relevant to your research? How will you negotiate the use of different languages in your research?
Global relations: Set out how you would locate the people or problem you are working on in terms of global political economy, trans-national institutions, national and regional governments, etc. What other large-scale frameworks are relevant, eg cultural areas, traditions, movements, processes, or trends?
Theory: Discuss the relations between the theory/theories you wish to work with and concrete research topics you will have to address in fieldwork or archival research.
Methods, techniques and ethics: Discuss the principle methods and techniques you expect to use in your research, together with practical and ethical issues relating to these.

The proposal should not contain substantial ‘recycled’ portions of your RTPs.

For those doing the MRes prior to the PhD, it is assumed that extended attention will be paid to issues germane to your proposal (in your dissertation), and that topics similar to those specified for the RTPs will have been considered.

A number of sample fieldwork proposals produced by previous PhD and MRes students are available for reference on your Moodle Course. It is important to read these with care for illustrations of effectively drafted research statements, budgets and other key elements of the proposal. Every proposal will be different, of course, but careful drafting in close consultation with your supervisor is essential for all students.

Research ethics and integrity approval

In terms of formal approval procedures, the PhD Committee, consisting of three or four UTOs in the Department, acts as Ethics Committee for doctoral students, and ethical clearance is an intrinsic part of the Fieldwork Clearance procedure all PhD students must clear before they begin fieldwork.

The University of Cambridge Research Integrity website provides extensive ethics and integrity guidelines to support staff and students. The Association of Social Anthropologists also provides extensive ASA ethics guidelines . Please consult these carefully in advance of applying for research clearance from the Department. Also see ESRC framework for research ethics and AAA ethical guidelines . As the statement from the ASA Chair usefully points out, the guidelines are not intended to provide ready-made answers or to absolve researchers from ethical responsibilities, but should be a starting point for a concrete reflection on the specific ethical issues which may have to be borne in mind in the case of your specific research:

“Codes of practice and guidelines are of necessity succinct documents, couched in abstract and general terms. They serve as a baseline for starting to think about ethical issues, but cannot of their nature encompass the complexities of concrete situations and the dilemmas of choice and positioning that anthropologists routinely face as they navigate through a variety of intersecting fields of power and responsibility and start to consider how their own work both reflects and affects power relations. If ethics is seen simply as a question of avoiding a lawsuit and our codes are simply a list of restrictions on conduct designed to protect us from interference, our ethical purpose will simply be a matter of self-serving professional interest.” (Statement from the Chair, ASA)

Researchers should also be aware of data protection issues that arise as a result of conducting research. In particular, you should keep in mind that when using cloud-based storage, or programmes such as Evernote, data will be crossing international borders even if your research does not. This means you should be aware of any issues raised concerning not only the security of your own research data, but also the legal issues surrounding data protection of all personal data. Further information on data protection can be found at the following places: The University of Cambridge Staff and Student Information Research data Q&A from Jisc Legal SOAS information on personal data in research which covers some issues of particular interest to anthropologists in more depth.

If, having read these guidelines, you have any questions or would like any advice relating to research ethics, please consult the Department’s research ethics officer.

Risk assessment

Students should research the area(s) they are going to and complete a risk assessment form, spelling out all anticipated risks to health and safety. Specify what steps have been agreed between you and your supervisor for minimising risk and dealing with contingencies. Seek advice, where appropriate, from bodies such as the Occupational Health Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The completed Fieldwork Risk Assessment and Ethical Statement Form should be submitted separately from the fieldwork proposal. When submitting electronic copies to Moodle, please upload the Risk Assessment form as a separate document. A High Risk Areas Additional Section form should completed by those traveling to high risk areas. Blank forms can be found on your Moodle Course.

Indicate, month by month, when you anticipate undertaking the main tasks described in your proposal. The timetable may be subject to revision, of course, during fieldwork, as agreed with your supervisor, but this is a first step to imagining the concrete situation.

Your budget, as complete and detailed as possible, should be in clear tabular form. You will need a budget to apply for funding and the Department can only support applications that are accompanied by a credible budget. The Department also needs to be kept informed of the sources of fieldwork funding you obtain.

Circumstances (and exchange rates) change and some expenses are unpredictable. The more detailed and accurate your budget, the easier it will be to make a specific case for additional funds if you find you incur unexpected expenses in the field.

Ideally, your budget should include both a detailed classified list of anticipated expenditure and a month-by-month time-chart showing what you expect to spend when. For some items, you will have a fairly accurate idea of what the cost will be. Others will necessarily be estimates. Indicate clearly which is which and, where appropriate, what the information about costing is based on. If you can, it is a good idea to list items in the first instance in the currency in which you expect the money to be spent, and then to convert these figures to pounds sterling at the current exchange rate. This may be difficult but it lends credibility to your figures and helps strengthen your case if exchange rates move against you.

Budget checklist

Note: not all funding bodies will support all kinds of expenses. If you apply for funds for any purpose that is explicitly excluded by the funding body this may prejudice your chances of obtaining any funding at all.

International flight 
Travel to/ from airport 
Internal travel (plane, train, bus, car etc) – itemise/ justify in relation to time schedule 
Local transport (specify as appropriate per diem cost/ monthly rental/ cost of purchase/ resale) 
Luggage costs
Vaccinations

Living costs 

Accommodation in major centres 
Accommodation in fieldwork site(s) (per calendar month)
Subsistence (per diem) 
Consider also ‘start-up costs’, the cost of setting up a household, for each major field location (lodging for the first few days, agent’s fees, non-refundable deposits, extra supplies, etc)

Research costs 

Research assistance (justify) 
Language tuition in field 
Communications (post, email access, etc – justify) 
Books, maps, etc (justify) 
Photocopying (justify)
Stationery 
Audio-visual equipment (itemise and justify) 
Other research equipment (itemise and justify) 
Consumables (film and processing, tape, batteries etc (itemise and justify) 
Specialist clothing (itemise and justify)

Other costs 

Itemise and justify

Income (funding)

Set against expenses, you should give details of projected income: grants obtained and grants applied for to show how you propose to fund the fieldwork. See the Funding Fieldwork page for more information.

Your fieldwork proposal must include references giving details of all works referred to. It is also good practice to include a working bibliography covering all the important published work in your field, with notes on content, interest and importance. Your supplementary annotated bibliography should distinguish between works you have/ have not yet read and should indicate briefly the ways in which the works listed relate to your research.

All first-year PhD students are admitted on a probationary basis. Successful completion of your fieldwork proposal and clearance to proceed to fieldwork from the PhD Committee are necessary for the Degree Committee to consider recommending to the Board that you be registered for the PhD degree. Alternatively, students are sometimes registered for the MLitt degree, the requirements for which are less exacting than those for the PhD. In either event the date of registration will be backdated to the date on which you started your pre-fieldwork training. You cannot initiate the registration procedure yourself.

Course Resources

For additional teaching materials and assignment upload please see the MRes/PhD1 Moodle Course .

Please note teaching staff and students enrolled on the PhD First Year will automatically be enrolled on the MRes/PhD1 Moodle course and you will find a link to the course in the ‘My Home’ section of Moodle.

Department of Social Anthropology Free School Lane Cambridge CB2 3RF Tel: 01223 334 599

Contact: [email protected]

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Anthropology

Thesis Proposals

Students wishing to write a thesis (fieldwork- or library-based) must submit a proposal to the department, due on the Friday before spring break of their junior year. Essay writers do not need to submit a research proposal.

Your proposal should include all of the following elements. Be sure to include your name, and save the file as a word document titled "YourName.ThesisProposal." Proposals should be no more than 5 double-spaced pages, excluding the bibliography. The thesis proposal is due the Friday before Spring Break . All documents should be uploaded to the Thesis (and Ethics) Proposal Moodle .

How to write a thesis proposal

A proposal should set out what you want to do, how you hope to do it, and why it’s worth doing. It should also make clear that you have done the necessary preliminary research (literature review, understanding of the topic, and, where relevant, the history of your particular geographical area) to embark on a successful independent research project. Thus, consider how your project builds on and contributes to anthropological knowledge in your chosen area. Your proposal should also include an estimation of expenses, in time and money. This will allow you to compete for departmental funding, and also demonstrate that you have thought through the practicality and feasibility of your project plan.

Anthropologists often deviate from what we initially plan to do. Fieldwork is an interactive process that depends on other people and is largely aimed at understanding what is important to others. So, a proposal is read only in part as a statement of what you will do; in part it is read as evidence of how well you can formulate a problem, think of ways to investigate it, and link it to other issues.

Your proposal should include all of the following elements:

1. Introduction

In one paragraph, explain what do you want to do, how, and why. Why does this research matter?

2. Background

A. Research Location(s) : Identify the research site and describe the historical and contemporary factors relating to this site that are relevant to your research. What will your research add to our knowledge of this part of the world?

B. Literature Review: What have others (especially anthropologists!) written about your topic and/or area? Given what has already been written on the topic, why is your research important? What will it contribute to our knowledge, within the discipline of anthropology or within another field of scholarly interest? Are there debates in the literature to which your research will contribute? Does your research test out old assumptions and/or take ideas in a new direction? Discuss comparable studies and explain how your research is similar to or different from them. If there is limited work in your chosen area, consider whether there are similar processes going on in other parts of the world. How will your research scale up from a local site/problem to broader analytical or theoretical questions or problems? In short, explain how your research will expand on existing anthropological ideas and how it promises to advance our understanding of the world or a particular problematic. This is also the place to state the main research questions guiding your work.

A. What methods will you use? To get what sort of information? How will your methodology produce information that you can link into an argument or description? Will your methods provide cross-checks on one another, or multiple ways to understand your research site or topic? If your methods are a signal improvement on existing ones in the field, offering the promise of more precise, more reliable, more abundant or more complete results, say so, and say why.

B. Analysis: Be sure you indicate not only what you want to find out and how you will go about it, but also how you plan to make sense of what you discover. How are you going to organize the material you learn? What tools will you use to analyze the information gathered in participant observation, or interview (for example)? Also, make sure to explain how you will gather the contextual information (background, regional history, other necessary social or political context) needed to support the more specific argument you hope to make.

4. Timetable and budget

Include key dates and all estimated expenses, as well as a budget for what you want the department to support.

5. Significance and Style

What contribution do you hope your project will make to anthropological literature and ideas? What kind of ethnography do you plan to produce: a life history, a problem-oriented ethnography, a comparative survey, a personal narrative, etc.? Is the style of the ethnography important for the work you hope to do?

6. Preliminary Bibliography

Make sure to provide a thorough list of sources you have consulted for your project: this will demonstrate that you have undertaken the necessary preparation for a project of this scale and magnitude.

Other guides to writing research proposals that might be helpful to explore:

* Sydel Silverman, “Writing Grant Proposals for Anthropological Research” for Wenner-Gren available here

* Michael Watts, "The Holy Grail: In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal" at UC Berkeley available here

The Anthropology Department's Ethics and Thesis Proposal Review Committee, composed of all faculty members in residence in any given spring semester, will review the Ethics Questionnaire and Thesis Research Proposals. Details regarding the review process can be found here .

--> see the Guidelines for the Ethics Questionnaire

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Sample Thesis Proposal

Research proposal: visual determination of sex from the human scapula, introduction.

The goal of this project is to test a method for visual determination of sex from the human scapula discovered by Skelton (1978). A large sample of scapulas of known sex will be scored using the Skelton method and the accuracy of the method will be evaluated. The working hypothesis is that the Skelton method is able to identify the correct sex of scapulas with a rate of success that is significantly higher than chance alone. This hypothesis may be accepted if we can reject the null hypothesis that accuracy of the Skelton method is equal to the accuracy expected by chance alone.

The determination of sex from the skeleton is an important concern for osteologists and forensic anthropologists who base their analyses on data obtained from examination of skeletal material. The pelvis is thought to be the best part of the skeleton from which to determine sex, and the skull the second best (Bass, 1971), but in many cases the skull and/or the pelvis are missing from a skeleton and the ability to determine sex from an alternative anatomical region would be useful. The ability to determine sex from the scapula may also be useful in situations where the sex determined from the pelvis or skull is uncertain. In 1978 I undertook a study of metrical and visual methods for sex determination of the scapula (Skelton, 1978). I am, therefore, familiar with the existing methods of sex determination for this bone and with the bone's anatomy. During the 1978 study I proposed a set of visual criteria which seemed to be useful for determining sex, and subsequent informal observations have convinced me that this method is worth pursuing further. I have an earned doctorate in physical anthropology and have worked as a staff osteologist or consulting osteologist on several archaeological projects during the past twelve years.

Materials and Methods

I plan to test the Skelton method for visual determination of sex from the scapula using a sample of at least 50 male and 50 female scapulas. A suitable skeletal collection is housed at the Lowie Museum of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley. Permission to use the skeletal collection will have to be obtained from Frank Norrick, Curator of the museum. The following information will be recorded for each scapula:

Specimen identification number.
Sex as determined from the pelvis using the method of Phenice (1969).
The angle that the axis of scapular breadth makes with the axis of maximum scapular length. This angle should approach 90 degrees in females, but be closer to 60 degrees in males. [Note: I should have included a diagram or illustration of this and the following characteristics. I didn't, in order to save space. Do include illustrations in your proposal].
Sub-glenoid concavity. The axillary border of the scapula should be concave in females, but straight in males.
Relationship between the tip of the coracoid process and the superior angle. When the scapula is placed in anatomical position the tip of the coracoid process should be inferior to the superior angle in females, but superior to the superior angle in males.
Shape of the glenoid fossa in cross section. The glenoid fossa should be deep when viewed in cross section in females, but shallow in males.

The condition of the scapula for characteristics 3 through 6 above will be recorded as hypermasculine (2), masculine (1), ambiguous (0), feminine (-1), and hyperfeminine (-2). A contingency table will then be constructed for each characteristic that compares sex and score for that characteristic. These contingency tables will have the form shown in figure 1. For each characteristic, a chi-square test will reveal whether there is a non-random distribution of scores by sex. An overall score will be obtained for each specimen by adding the scores for each of the 4 characteristics that are shown to have a non-random distribution by sex from the chi-square test. If the overall score is greater than zero, then the specimen will be diagnosed as male. If the overall score is less than zero, then the specimen will be diagnosed as female. These diagnoses will be compared to the known sex of the specimen and each diagnosis will be recorded as correct or incorrect. The null hypothesis that the frequency of correct diagnoses is equal to 50% will be tested.

Data collection should take one week at the Lowie Museum of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA.

Implications of this Research

If the Skelton method for visual sex determination from the scapula is more accurate than expected by chance, then this method would be a useful addition to list of sex determination methods available to an osteologist. If the method is no more accurate than chance, then the human scapula can be considered uninformative for sex using visual methods.

References Cited

Bass, William M., 1971. Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual of the Human Skeleton. Missouri Archaeological Society, Columbia, MO.

Skelton, Randall R., 1978. Sexing the scapula: Various methods. Paper prepared in satisfaction of the "Substantive Research Paper Requirement" for the M.A. degree in Anthropology, University of California, Davis.

Phenice, T. W., 1969. A newly developed visual method of sexing the Os Pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 30: 297-302.

Other References

Bainbridge, Douglass. and Santiago Genoves Tarazaga, 1956. A study of sex differences in the scapula. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 86:109-134. Hrdlicka, Ales, 1942a, The scapula: Visual observations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 29:73-94.

Hrdlicka, Ales, 1942b, The adult scapula: Additional observations and measurements. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 29:262-415.

Stewart, T. D., 1954. Sex determination of the skeleton by guess and by measurement. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 12:385-392.

Equipment : Digital Calipers $142.95
Travel : Air fare: Missoula to San Francisco $378.32
Bus fare : Daily, 5 days (@$2/day) $10.00
Lodging : 5 days at Motel 6 Berkeley (@32.95/day + 8.25% tax) $164.75
Food : 5 days at $16 per diem $80.00

Total : $776.02

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Anthropology Research Topics And Writing Ideas For Students

Writing an anthropology research paper is in a lot of ways similar to writing an argumentative essay in other disciplines. Usually, the significant difference between these essays is how you support your idea. While you may use only literature to prove your point in an argumentative essay, you may need to employ textual proofs from artifacts, ethnographies, etc., in an anthropology essay.

Research in anthropology could be thrilling, particularly if you have many anthropology project ideas. Anthropology studies the evolution of human culture and therefore provides a wide range of anthropology essay topics that spill into history, biology, sociology, etc. Many anthropological research projects borrow from other social sciences. It is easy to feel that overwhelming grip on your chest if you’re unable to choose an anthropology research topic.

How to Write an Anthropology Research Paper

Guide how to write an anthropology research paper, the excellent list of 110 anthropology research paper topics, physical anthropology research paper topics, medical anthropology research paper topics, cultural anthropology research paper ideas, best cultural anthropology essay topics, biological anthropology research paper topics.

Forensic Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Are you worried because you don’t know how to write an anthropology paper? Writing an anthropology paper could be so much fun if you can nail the basics. It is not as bad as people paint it to be, especially if you get writing help from our professional writers . With the right anthropology paper format, anthropology research topics, and anthropology research paper examples, you’re set to go!

If you’re a big fan of doing lots of things in a short time and with fewer efforts, then you’re in the right place. This guide is full of the tips and skills you need to arrange your ideas properly. It also contains anthropology paper examples, anthropology paper topics, and other life-saving tips you may need. Ready to know how to start an anthropology research paper? Let’s delve right in!

How do you get started on an anthropology research paper? Below is the most comprehensive list on the internet to get you home and dry in record time!

Review the Assignment Guidelines
Develop a Topic
Outline your Paper
Do some Library Research
Write a Rough Draft
Write the Paper
Edit the Paper

We shall shortly expound on this list to help you better understand them.

Review the Assignment Guidelines: your professor may give you some guidelines to follow. To avoid deviating from the instructor’s expectations, spend some time reviewing your assignment guidelines so that you know the exact things you need to accomplish. For example, confirm if there are any stated anthropology research methods and the likes. It is beneficial to have a writing schedule. If you have a lot of time in your hands before the submission time, spreading out the workload will help to ease some of the stress. If you’re naturally a binge writer, sit at your computer early and bleed!
Develop a Topic: search for some anthropology research paper ideas and choose from the vast array of anthropology research topics available. Select a topic that revolves around a guiding question. This topic should connect on a deeper level to the theme of the course. The length requirement for the paper will help you know if your topic is too big, too small, or just good enough. For a short paper, you may want to focus on a particular culture or event in the context of a broader topic. Ensure that your thesis focuses on anthropology and that it draws from anthropological theories or ideas. Now, do a quick search to confirm if there are scholarly materials available for this topic. It is easier to write a paper with some available references.
Introduction/Abstract
Library Research: now, start the research on your topic, preferably from course materials. A bibliography at the end of a relevant course reading is also a great way to get other related materials. Depending on the requirement of the assignment, feel free to search for other books or articles.
Write a Rough Draft: during your research, endeavor to make proper jottings and references, which will form the rough draft of your essay. A rough draft will help you create dots that you will be able to connect later on.
Title: Usually on a separate page and contains the abstract.
Introduction/Abstract : A short paragraph showing the road map of your thesis.
Body: Leverages your thesis and presenting your research in a detailed and logical structure.
Conclusion: The conclusion is a short paragraph that summarizes your fundamental theme and substantiates your thesis.
References: A citation of the resources you used in your paper. Follow the referencing style which your instructor chooses.
Edit the Paper: you may engage any of your friends to help you go through your essay. Make some final checks such as the length requirement, the format and citation style, spelling and grammatical errors, logical flow of ideas and clarity, substantial support of the claim, etc. Once you edit your paper, turn it in and accept an A+!

Without further ado, here are 110 anthropology research paper topics for free! With 18 topics each from the six main subcategories of anthropology, you can’t get it wrong!

Eugenics — its merits and demerits in the 21st-century world.
Human Origin: Comparing the creationist versus evolutionist views on the origin of man.
Ancient Egypt: The preservation of their dead and underlying beliefs.
Homo habilis: Investigating Contemporary facts supporting their past existence.
Drowning: Clarifying the cause of drowning by examining the physical and anatomical evidence.
Smoking and its effects on the physical appearance of humans over decades of indulgence.
Physical labor: Exploring its long-term impact on the physical appearance of humans.
The relationship of Kyphosis with human senescence.
Aging in Western Culture.
Skin color: Exploring the influence of the environment on human skin color across continents.
Species and language: Focus on ways species evolve across the world and ways language acquisition affects and influences culture.
Abiogenesis: Research about abiogenesis and how it affects human development
Animal stability: How captive animals are different from those that live in the wild.
Henry Walter: The ways Henry Walter contributed to the field of physical anthropology.
Cephalization: The process of cephalization and what it entails.
Genotype: The environment correlation study.
Genetics: What does genetic hijacking mean?
Altruism: Do people learn altruism or it is an acquired state.
Applying the Concepts of Ethnozoology in medicine.
Critically Assessing the fundamental posits of critical medical anthropology (CMA).
The 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in Africa: Evaluating the success of control interventions.
Exploring the applications of Ethnobotany in medicine.
Nuclear disaster: A research into the life of survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.
HIV/AIDS: The reasons for prevalent societal infamy and the way forward.
HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe: Exploring the roles of commercial sex workers in the spread of the disease.
Alternative medicine in China: A comparative review of its weaknesses and possible strengths in the light of Orthodox medicine.
HIV/AIDS in Africa: A critical assessment of extensively troubled nations and populations.
Depression in South-East Asia: Sheer social noise or severe threat?
Adult’s onset diabetes: Research on how diabetes is a major health issue in aboriginal populations in The U.S and Canada.
ARV rollout: The role of the ARV rollout and campaigns in Africa.
Sexual diversity in Africa: Research on whether sexual diversity in Africa is being taken into account to help fight against AIDS.
Chemicals and radiation waste: How the radiation waste and chemicals in the air are affecting people.
Mercury poisoning: The effects of Mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan, and the measures to help put the situation under control.
Health: The health ramifications of adapting to ecology and maladaptation.
Health: Domestic healthcare and health culture practices
Clinic: Clinical interactions in social organizations.
Growth: Difference between growth and development.
Engineering: Genetic engineering and what it entails.
Marriage: Marriage rituals in different cultures.
Magic: Belief in magic and the supernatural.
Mythologies: The effects it has on modern culture.
Anthropology: How to use anthropology as forensic science.
Heroes: Studies of heroes in different societies.
Education: How education differs around the world.

Cultural anthropology discusses human societies and their cultural origin, vacation, history, and development. Here is a look at cultural Anthropology topics:

Women in Africa: The various challenging roles that women in Modern Africa play and how they handle it.
Homelessness: How homelessness affects and influences the culture and social landscapes.
India: Methods and measures that India is taking to deal with the issue of homelessness and measures they have put in place to deal with social landscapers.
Political science: Highlight and discuss the link between cultural anthropology and political science.
Superstition: Research ways that superstition affects the way of life.
Sexual discrimination: The evolution of sexual discrimination and its effects in modern times.
African cultures: Investigating how different religions and beliefs impact African culture.
Northern Nigeria: How the basic religious beliefs that influence forced nuptials among the children in North Nigeria.
Gay marriage: The background on gay marriage and how it influences the cultural and social backgrounds.
Racism: Explain racism and its existence in modern times.
Religious practices: Ways how religious practices and beliefs affect culture.
Culture shock: What it is and ways that people can work through it.
Ethnocentrism: Ways that you can use to minimize it.
Ancestors: A view of ancestors in African culture.
Religion: Religious practices in a particular society.
Culture: About the Rabari culture in India
Definition of culture
How culture anthropology links to political science
Alcoholism: Looking into the socio-economic and cultural history in Eastern Europe.
Assessing the effects of radioactivity on populations affected by the nuclear disaster of 2011 in Fukushima Daiichi.
Gay marriage: Exploring the biological aspects of same-sex weddings in North America.
Minamata disease: A critical look into the origin, populations affected, and transgenerational impact of this disease on Japan.
Asthma disease in Yokkaichi: A critical look into the cause, people affected, and transgenerational effect on Japan.
Itai-Itai disease: A critical look into the cause, populations affected, and transgenerational effect on Japan.
Nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: An investigation of the transgenerational effects on the health of affected victims to this present time.
Cocaine use in America: A critical look into the health impact on American cocaine users.
Making Marijuana use legal in America: Possible woes and beneficial outcomes.
Cystic fibrosis: Justifications for its preponderance in white populations in America.
Biological Anthropology: Research on the meaning and definition of biological Anthropology and how it influences different fields.
Paleoanthropology: Explore ways Paleoanthropology uses fossil records to draw biological anthropology compassion and conclusions regarding human evolution.
Human social structures: Explain the development of human social structures using biological anthropology.
Biological anthropologies: Research on some primary geographical locations where biological anthropologies used to research their work.
Human language: Research how biological anthropology helped in the development of human language and communication.
Body projects: The changes and the valued attributes.
Political ecology: The Vector-borne and infectious disease.
Clinical Interactions: What are clinical interaction and social organization?

Forensic Anthropology Research Paper Ideas

Radioactive Carbon dating: A critical assessment of the accuracy of this dating technique.
Human Origin: Pieces of evidential support for Creationist and Evolutionist views on the origin of man.
Assessing the accuracy of DNA evidence testing and matching on criminology.
Neanderthals: Exploring environmental influences and migratory paths on their survival and appearance.
Dating Techniques: A critical review of current archaeological dating techniques.
Ancient Egypt Mummification: A critical look at the effectiveness of the methods used.
Nuclear disaster: A research into the impact of radioactivity on life forms due to the atomic catastrophe Chernobyl in 1986.
A critical look into recent evidence supporting the existence of Homo habilis in the past.
Crime Scene Forensics: Recent advances in the detection of crime.
Postmortem Changes: Investigating the primary agents responsible for biological changes in humans.
Criminal procedure: Research a case with a confession scenario and highlight unique features of the case.
Criminal procedure: Do your research on the criminal proceedings in a given area and what makes them effective.
Computer forensic: Ways that the computer forensic help in preserving electronic evidence.
Digital forensic: Research about the history and features of digital forensic.
History: Ways that Israel presents itself as a leader in computer forensics.
Oncology: The latest archaeological dating methods.
DNA: How accurate is DNA evidence in the matching and testing criminology?
Crime detention: The recent improvements of crime detection.

So here we are! Fifty juicy topics that are all eager to wear some flesh! Ready to have an A+? Let’s do it!

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Example SOPs: Medical Anthropologist

We’ve made it easy for you to build your Medical Anthropologist SOPs. Add the example SOPs to our SOPs template and then customise them to suit your specific systems & processes.

Need help setting up your Medical Anthropologist SOPs library? Speak to our team about our SOP starter templates that are tailored to your specific industry.

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Medical Anthropologist SOPs

Medical anthropologist sop examples, medical anthropologist sop templates.

Creating Standard Operating Procedures for your Medical Anthropologist work can be difficult and take time. That’s why we’ve created these example Medical Anthropologist SOPs so you can jumpstart your SOP creation process. We want to help you set up your Research systems and processes by taking these sample SOPs and building out your own SOPs template library. By having all your Research procedures in one place, your team will have the information they need at all times. Let’s look at some Medical Anthropologist SOP examples.

1. Research Proposal Development SOP: The purpose of this SOP is to outline the process for developing research proposals in the field of medical anthropology. It includes steps such as identifying research questions, conducting literature reviews, and designing research methodologies. The scope of this SOP covers all research projects undertaken by the medical anthropologist. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist themselves. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Data Collection and Analysis SOP.

2. Data Collection and Analysis SOP: This SOP provides guidelines for the collection and analysis of data in medical anthropology research. It includes procedures for selecting appropriate data collection methods, ensuring data quality, and analyzing data using appropriate statistical or qualitative techniques. The scope of this SOP covers all data collection and analysis activities conducted by the medical anthropologist. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist themselves. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Informed Consent SOP and the Ethical Guidelines SOP.

3. Informed Consent SOP: The purpose of this SOP is to establish a standardized process for obtaining informed consent from research participants in medical anthropology studies. It outlines the necessary information to be provided to participants, the consent form format, and the procedures for obtaining and documenting consent. The scope of this SOP covers all research projects involving human participants. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist, with support from research assistants or coordinators. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Data Collection and Analysis SOP and the Ethical Guidelines SOP.

4. Ethical Guidelines SOP: This SOP outlines the ethical principles and guidelines that medical anthropologists must adhere to in their research. It covers topics such as confidentiality, privacy, participant welfare, and conflicts of interest. The purpose of this SOP is to ensure that research conducted by medical anthropologists is ethically sound and respects the rights and well-being of participants. The scope of this SOP applies to all research projects undertaken by the medical anthropologist. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist themselves. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Informed Consent SOP and the Data Collection and Analysis SOP.

5. Data Management and Storage SOP: This SOP provides guidelines for the management and storage of research data in medical anthropology. It includes procedures for data organization, backup, and security to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. The scope of this SOP covers all research projects conducted by the medical anthropologist. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist, with support from research assistants or data managers. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Data Collection and Analysis SOP and the Ethical Guidelines SOP.

6. Publication and Dissemination SOP: The purpose of this SOP is to establish a standardized process for the publication and dissemination of research findings in medical anthropology. It includes procedures for manuscript preparation, peer review, and selecting appropriate dissemination channels such as academic journals, conferences, or public presentations. The scope of this SOP covers all research projects undertaken by the medical anthropologist. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist themselves. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Research Proposal Development SOP and the Data Collection and Analysis SOP.

7. Collaboration and Teamwork SOP: This SOP outlines the guidelines for effective collaboration and teamwork in medical anthropology research. It includes procedures for communication, task allocation, and conflict resolution among team members. The purpose of this SOP is to ensure smooth coordination and cooperation within research teams. The scope of this SOP applies to all research projects involving multiple team members. The person responsible for this SOP is the medical anthropologist, with support from project managers or team leaders. This SOP may reference other SOPs such as the Research Proposal Development SOP and the Data Collection and Analysis SOP

Looking for SOP templates for your Medical Anthropologist work? We’ve got you covered. You can build out your company SOPs using the sample SOP information above (added to our template) or our team can put together a starter SOPs template based on your Medical Anthropologist work. Get in touch if you’ve got questions about the quickest way to build out your Research SOPs library.

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Limited Submission Opportunity: 2024 Keck Foundation Research Program

URL: https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/

OBJECTIVES: The W. M. Keck Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting Medical Research and Science & Engineering projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field. Abstracts from recent successful proposals can be found at: https://www.wmkeck.org/our-focus-research/#focus-abstracts-research .

Past grants have supported pioneering biological and physical science research and engineering, including the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation and methodologies.

FUNDING INFORMATION: Requests can be $1 to 1.5 million over 3 years, but larger grants will require stronger justification from applicants.

ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS: Research universities, medical colleges and major private independent scientific and medical research institutes are eligible to apply to the Research Program.

Funding is awarded to universities and institutions nationwide for projects that:

Focus on important and emerging areas of research;
Have the potential to develop breakthrough technologies, instrumentation or methodologies;
Are innovative, distinctive, and interdisciplinary;
Demonstrate a high level of risk due to unconventional approaches, or by challenging the prevailing paradigm;
Have the potential for transformative impact, such as the founding of a new field of research, the enabling of observations not previously possible, or the altered perception of a previously intractable problem;
Fall outside the mission of public funding agencies;
Have been recently denied funding by a federal funding agency expressly because the project was judged too high risk or early stage. The foundation prefers to see the rejection in writing.

Keck does not fund clinical or translational research, treatment trials or research for the sole purpose of drug development; They also do not fund disease-specific research , environmental conservation or monitoring, purely theoretical projects, follow-on funding, device development, or Public Health.

INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS: A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review internal proposals and select nominees.

Keck requests one university liaison; therefore, please do not contact the Foundation directly. For any questions, please contact Joe Loftus, Director of Foundation Relations at [email protected] .

Interested candidates should submit the following materials through InfoReady Review by Wednesday , May 15, 2024 :

Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application (one paragraph each);
Up-to-date CV;
An overview of the proposed project emphasizing any unique aspects and pilot studies (indicate area of emphasis for project) and background to put the research into perspective
A description of the methodologies – please be specific about how the project will be conducted and how the PI will achieve their goals. Focus on the What and the How . For example, highlight project challenges and innovative ways the PI will overcome them.
Key personnel
Impact – how will this project be a scientific leap forward ? How is this project transformational? What makes this project distinctive?
Brief justification of the need for Keck support (demonstrate a federal rejection of the project on the grounds that it is too high risk or early stage and that Keck is the funder of last resort)
Funding amount request along with breakdown – personnel, supplies, etc.

For more information on drafting a compelling application, refer also to the foundation’s guidelines: https://www.wmkeck.org/research-application-process/#concept and https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/ . BU’s Proposal Library contains sample materials from a previous successful application, https://bushare.sharepoint.com/sites/Proposal-Library .

*Please avoid illustrations.

DEADLINES: Internal Materials Due: Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Concept Counseling (optional): July 15 – August 15, 2024 Sponsor’s Phase I Application Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024 4:30 pm PT

In requesting to be considered by the Vice President and Associate Provost for Research for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to the sponsor in a timely manner and to Sponsored Programs in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy .

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Sample Proposals
The Migrant Trail - Volunteer Voices on the US-Mexico Border The Migrant Trail-Volunteer Voices on the U.S.-Mexico Border Research at Gotland Field School Research at Gotland Field School Forensics Field School Forensics Field School-Summer 2019 The Community of Silence The Community of Silence Ethnographic Field School in Isla Mujers Ethnographic Field School in Isla Mujeres […]
PDF MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Students defend their dissertation, typically sometime in the fall semester. After that they take a clinical warm up course, and then resume clinical clerkships and electives. MS4. More clinical course work, Boards part 2, applying and interviewing for residency (usually), and sometimes conducting additional research.
PDF Outline Proposal
1. The research question, hypothesis or objective should be narrowly focused and ask "why," "how," or "what" about an issue of significance to anthropology. Do not present a vast research topic as the object of investigation; instead develop answerable questions (or testable hypotheses) in the context of the larger research topic. 2.
PDF WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL in CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
are minimal. In the "Ethical Considerations" section of your proposal, point out that you have read and signed the Department of Anthropology's Ethics contract that outlines proper ethical procedures for undergraduate students in anthropology. *no longer relevant since you will be submitting a form to the IRB (Institutional Review Board) that
Tips for Writing a Research Proposal for Anthropology Departmental
A Good Research Proposal. A good research proposal is not written at the last minute! A compelling account of the project you wish to pursue will take shape only with repeated revision, drawing on feedback from your faculty mentor, other advisers, and your fellow researchers. By involving your mentor in your proposal from the start, you stand ...
Research Design and Methods in Medical Anthropology
Methods of data collection in medical anthropology fall into three broad categories: participant observation, systematic observation, and interview methods. Medical anthropology, like the social sciences generally, is often described in terms of a dichotomy between "qualitative" and "quantitative" methods of social research.
Research Design and Methods in Medical Anthropology
Medical anthropology is the study of health and healing in cross‐cultural and evolutionary perspective. This chapter reviews the basic elements of research design and provides a framework for ...
Medical Anthropology
Medical Anthropology. Medical anthropology is the study of how health and illness are shaped, experienced, and understood in the context of cultural, historical, and political forces. It is one of the most exciting subfields of anthropology and has increasingly clear relevance for students and professionals interested in the complexity of ...
Medical Anthropology
Abstract. Medical anthropology is an interdisciplinary subfield of anthropology with a long history of research on environmental health-related issues, especially those pertaining to human health within environments of risk, consequences of ecological degradation, and the way patterns of development and globalization impact environmental (and ...
ANTHRO 3626
Offered: 2023. Prof. Gabriella Coleman. W 3:00 PM - 5:45 PM. This course is part seminar, part practicum. Its purpose is to help students conceptualize and design a research project, to craft effective research and grant proposals, and to prepare for ethnographic and archival work. The first and longest part of the course will focus on ...
Sociology and Anthropology
In introducing your problem in a research proposal, you should provide a succinct statement which will help you to remain focused on the issue that you are addressing and how the information you will be discussing is related to that issue. 2. BACKGROUND: create a common ground of understanding. In order for the reader to understand the issue ...
WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL in ANTHROPOLOGY
Download Free PDF. View PDF. Research Methods in Anthropology. Gwen Kelly. This course is designed to teach the methods and theories of anthropology primarily through the examination of ethnography. The course proceeds as a history of the discipline, illustrating the ways in which anthropological thought, and method, changed over time.
How to prepare a Research Proposal
It puts the proposal in context. 3. The introduction typically begins with a statement of the research problem in precise and clear terms. 1. The importance of the statement of the research problem 5: The statement of the problem is the essential basis for the construction of a research proposal (research objectives, hypotheses, methodology ...
(PDF) How to write a research proposal? A guide for medical
steps. It begins with selecting a study topic, reviewing. the literature, setting goals, choosing a study design and. appropriate statistical tools, and formulating a research proposal. to obtain ...
Research Papers and Proposals: Department of Anthropology
Paper and Proposal Evaluation. Papers will be evaluated according to the degree to which they: Demonstrate graduate level writing skills, including structural coherence. Have a clear analytic argument that is well‐substantiated. Demonstrate command of a body of literature related to the proposed dissertation project.
Writing your research proposal
With the advent of the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) system (see Chapter 6), the potential for multiple, subtly different versions of the proposal is reduced as one copy is submitted and then disseminated to both ethical and R&D committees. However, you should aim to work entirely from one version, to ensure that commitments to sponsors are not made without receiving ethical opinion.
Fieldwork Proposal
Fieldwork proposal. The fieldwork proposal enables the Department to assess your progress in the acquisition of generic research skills, and to satisfy itself that you are adequately prepared for the research you plan to undertake. The proposal should be a single continuous and complete prose document of up to 7,000 words.
Guidelines for Writing Proposals, Anthropology
Essay writers do not need to submit a research proposal. Your proposal should include all of the following elements. Be sure to include your name, and save the file as a word document titled "YourName.ThesisProposal." Proposals should be no more than 5 double-spaced pages, excluding the bibliography. The thesis proposal is due the Friday before ...
Sample Thesis Proposal
Skelton, Randall R., 1978. Sexing the scapula: Various methods. Paper prepared in satisfaction of the "Substantive Research Paper Requirement" for the M.A. degree in Anthropology, University of California, Davis. Phenice, T. W., 1969. A newly developed visual method of sexing the Os Pubis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 30: 297-302.
PDF PhD proposal guidelines
Importantly, the proposal needs to strike a balance in order to allow all the relevant topics to be covered in about 20 pages; students should avoid emphasizing any one aspect of the proposed research to the extent that other aspects are not covered in enough detail. Students should read, and cite, a significant body of the most relevant ...
List Of 110 Research Paper Topics & Ideas On Anthropology
The Excellent List Of 110 Anthropology Research Paper Topics. Without further ado, here are 110 anthropology research paper topics for free! With 18 topics each from the six main subcategories of anthropology, you can't get it wrong! Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics. Eugenics — its merits and demerits in the 21st-century world.
PDF Social Anthropology-Sample Research Proposal 2
The development of consumption as a central social activity is part of a broader project implemented by the Party State to both sustain economic growth and create a privileged middle class that can guarantee a certain degree of social stability (Tomba, 2004; Anagnost, 2008). However, although consumption may not be immediately conducive to ...
Example SOPs: Medical Anthropologist
Medical Anthropologist SOP Examples. 1. Research Proposal Development SOP: The purpose of this SOP is to outline the process for developing research proposals in the field of medical anthropology. It includes steps such as identifying research questions, conducting literature reviews, and designing research methodologies.
Limited Submission Opportunity: 2024 Keck Foundation Research Program
Concept Counseling (optional): July 15 - August 15, 2024 Sponsor's Phase I Application Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024 4:30 pm PT. In requesting to be considered by the Vice President and Associate Provost for Research for this limited submission funding opportunity, you are making a commitment, if selected, to submit your proposal to ...

Sample Proposals

Forensics Field School

Ethnographic Field School in Isla Mujers

Shinto Religion in New York

Policy Research on Minority Issues & Disability

Tips for Writing a Research Proposal for Anthropology Departmental Honors

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Medical Anthropology

Duana Fullwiley

Angela Garcia

Lochlann Jain

Matthew Kohrman

Tanya Marie Luhrmann

ANTHRO 3626 - Research Design/Proposal Writing

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Example SOPs: Medical Anthropologist

Medical Anthropologist SOPs

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Limited Submission Opportunity: 2024 Keck Foundation Research Program

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