CONCEPT PAPERS 3.

A demonstration of why it is
important to answer this research
What: question. What good comes of this
 summaries of projects or issues that answer? Why is this project worth
reflect the interests, experience and anybody's time?
expertise of the writer or organization
 provide in-depth discussion of a 4. A description of how the
topic that the writer has a strong researcher plans to answer the
position on, usually with the intent of research question.
obtaining funding for that project
from donors This includes:
 concept paper" and "proposal" are a. a description of the data that the
often used interchangeably as they researcher plans to gather or use;
can be used for the same function b. a description of how the
 may also be used as an instructional researcher will analyze these data;
tool that may have developed as a c. a demonstration of how these
result of extensive research, data and this analytic method will
committee input and/or as a result answer
of the outcome of a current project. the research question; and
 could also discuss best practices, d. a summary of any ethical issues
philosophies and other related issues that may arise in the research
that the writer believes action should process.
be taken on in the near future.
5. A statement of the limitations of
Why: this research, specifically the things
 All research projects need a that it cannot discover (and why).
concept paper: a short summary
that tells the reader what 6. Longer projects -- term papers,
the project is, why it is important, and masters' theses, dissertations, and
how it will be carried out. professional research -- also typically
 Helps a researcher spot holes in her include a selected bibliography.
or his project that might
later prove fatal. Elements:
 Title page- provides a tentative title
How: for the dissertation.
1. A clear description of the research  Statement of the Problem- provides
topic, including a summary of what is the purpose for the research.
already known about that topic.  Preliminary Literature Review-
provides identification of major
2. A one-sentence statement of the literature that supports and validates
research question that the project the topic
will seek to answer. (This is almost  Goal statement- provides a broad or
always something that is not known.) abstract intention, including the
The concept paper should connect research goals and objectives.
this question to the existing literature  An Abridged Methodology- provides
-- something that almost always the student's best idea on how to
takes more than one sentence to conduct the research and analyze
accomplish. the data.
  Timeline- provides a range of time for  essential properties (verbal
completion of the project, descriptions) the researcher intends
highlighting key elements for each to be included within the concepts
stage of the project. meaning
 References- provides references to Operational definitions
the material cited in the literature  procedures by which the concept
review and elsewhere in the is to be observed, measured, or
Concept Paper. manipulated
Dimensions
Concept paper vs. Reaction paper
 specifiable aspects of a concept
 Concept paper- is all about
Indicators
concept or idea regards on your
 concrete observable
topic that you read; written with
manifestations of a concept or
technical precision and accuracy.
dimension
 Reaction paper- is all about
comments, reactions or feeling that Theory
you get from that topic; a formal  an organized explanation of some
paper which indicates the author’s recurrent phenomena of research
particular feelings or critique over a interest; a collection of statements
particular topic or issue that needs to asserting a relationship between
be resolved. two or more concepts as they vary
among a class of objects
Concept Explication Singular concepts
 the process by which abstract  denotes particular objects
concepts are systematically linked to e.x. obama, charleston, cofc
observed variations in those Class concepts
concepts in the real world  collections of singular concepts-
How concept explication is defines the population from which
completed our sample is drawn
1. analyze a meaning of a concept e.x. politicians, cities, colleges
label (term or phrase) Variable concepts
2. describe the essential qualities of  possess some differentiating
a concept dimension- describes important
3. identify the key dimensions of a ways in which our units of analysis
concept (optional) differ
4. identify ways in which the e.x. honesty, size, tuition level,
concept and dimensions may be frequency
connected to the real world Relational concepts
Meaning analysis  make connections between
 logical procedures used to clearly concepts
connect conceptual with e.x. decreasing, negatively
operational definitions associated, greater than
Empirical analysis Mega-concept
 process of evaluating definitions on  complex concept with numerous
the basis of empirical evidence dimensions
(observations) e.x. democracy, globalization,
Conceptual definitions capitalism, communication
 7 different ways of defining a concept  Explicit concept may encode
 -example statistical and causal information,
-exclusion but more significantly, they may
-comparing and contrasting encode syntactic information,
subsets of units definitional information, and no
-procedures matter what is needed for the
-drawing analogies language faculty to process them.
-identifying functions Explicit concepts are essential for
-identifying antecedents explicit cognition – the distinctively
human ability to use language,
How do you test a theory?
represent unobservable, nonexistent,
 concept explication makes
abstract, and ad hoc aspects of the
theories testable; first form a
world, and conduct linguistic
hypothesis that links operational
inferences. Explicit concept explains
and conceptual definitions and
a separate range of phenomena.
then you can test the theory

Concept Clarification
 An analysis of an abstract concept
through investigation of examples
and the identification of critical and
less critical attributes
 To analyze an abstract idea to
develop a deeper understanding of
its meaning and implication.
Abstract ideas and concepts might
include, but are not be limited to,
heroism, courage, freedom, and
patriotism. Identification of critical
and less critical attributes will aid in
discerning the boundaries or
fuzziness of the concepts.

2 Types of Concepts
Implicit and Explicit

 Implicit concept is related to what