MA Major Research Paper (MRP)
Assessments and Stages in the MRP Process
Your progress towards the MRP is assessed at three stages:
Proposal
Every proposal consists of:
- A document about 1000-1500 words long that outlines the research question, scope, theoretical frameworks, and methods that will inform the MRP.
- A timeline that identifies five benchmark dates for project work.
- A tentative bibliography for the project.
If your proposal is for a Knowledge in Action Project, then it must also include:
- a written agreement with the community organization, indicating the organization’s willingness to accommodate the student’s project, specifying the person(s) in the organization who will directly supervise and mentor the work, and outlining what the terms of the project will be.
If you propose to conduct research with human participants, then your proposal must also include:
- a draft of the protocol you intend to submit to the relevant Research Ethics Board (either MREB or HIREB)
If your proposal does not include a draft ethics protocol, then you are not permitted to conduct research with human participants.
Submit your proposal as a Word .docx to the program office by the due date. The program logs your submission and sends it to the faculty members on the MA committee for assessment (Pass/Fail) and feedback.
The primary purpose of the proposal is for you to receive feedback from faculty other than your Supervisor. If the MA Committee’s assessment of the proposal is a Fail, you’ll have the opportunity to revise and resubmit it for a re-assessment.
Workshop
During the second or third week of May, the program will schedule a series of MRP Workshops. Each workshop session will include three or four MA students and two or three GSJ faculty members. You’ll have 30 minutes to:
- Make a brief presentation (10-12 minutes) about your project’s questions and methods. At this stage, your project is still very much a work in progress!
- Receive advice, feedback and support from the other students and faculty at the workshop. It’s a good idea if your presentation includes specific questions that you’d like advice on.
You may invite your MRP supervisor if you like, but it’s not necessary — the goal is to have the benefit of learning from colleagues besides your supervisor.
Students who are not presenting at a given workshop are are very welcome to attend and offer questions and feedback but are not required to attend.
The assessment of the Workshop is simply Complete or Incomplete. If you need accommodations or an alternative means to participate in the Workshop, please contact the Director to make arrangements.
Second Draft
To produce the Second Draft, you will have revised your First Draft in response to the feedback from your Supervisor. Submit your second draft as a Word .docx to the program office by the due date. If your project has components that are not readily submittable as text documents (for example, artwork), arrange some way to make these components available for assessment.
The program will log your submission and send it to the Supervisor and Second Reader. The Supervisor and Reader will both assess the MRP on a Pass/Fail basis and report this assessment to the Program within ten days.
If the Supervisor and Second Reader disagree on the Pass/Fail assessment, the Director will meet with both to aim for a collective decision. If necessary, the Director will seek an additional assessment from a Third Reader.
