NursingResearch paperQuantitative methods

NURS 7700 quantitative research proposal guide

The NURS 7700 proposal is written in bullets to a ten-page ceiling, and the rubric — not the outline — is where the forensic nursing topic constraint and the fifteen-point article table appear. This guide covers the format instruction, the two rubric rows the outline never mentions, and the sample-size and psychometrics requirements.

Aug 6, 2026Updated Aug 10, 2026

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 6, 2026

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

On this page

Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

What NURS 7700 is marking in a proposal

Read the format instruction before you read the outline, because it changes what you are producing. The brief says to use bullet format and not full essay format, that phrases are acceptable in place of complete sentences, that the point is to show the idea rather than develop it into a full document, and that ten pages is the ceiling with many students finishing in around eight. No abstract is required and no complete literature review is required. What is being marked is whether you can specify a study, not whether you can write about one. Students who default to graduate prose spend their page budget on connective sentences and then compress the methods — which is where almost all the marks live — into half a page. Draft it as a specification from the first line.

The topic constraint is not in the outline; it is in the rubric. The proposal instructions say a quantitative nursing research study on a topic of your choice, and two rubric rows then ask what area of forensic nursing the proposal addresses and why it is significant to forensic nursing specifically. Those two rows are ten points, and a proposal on a general medical-surgical topic cannot earn either of them however good the methods are. Pick inside the forensic nursing domains — sexual assault examination, intimate partner violence, medicolegal death investigation, correctional and psychiatric-forensic settings — and say which one in your broad area statement. If your clinical interest sits outside those, find the forensic angle on it rather than hoping the rubric is aspirational. Say which domain in one clause and the row is earned; leave it implied and it is not.

The three-article research table is worth fifteen points, three times almost every other row, and it is the item most often treated as an appendix. Look at the columns it asks for: reference, hypothesis and variables, sample with how it was chosen and the justification of its size, data collection methods and instruments used, and overall outcomes. That is a structured extraction, not a summary — each cell has to be pulled from a specific part of the paper, and the sample-justification column is often blank in the source, which is itself a finding worth stating. Fill these three tables first. They will tell you what design is feasible, which instruments already have published psychometrics, and where the gap you claim actually sits. Doing them last, after the design is already chosen, is how students end up defending a method their own three sources give them no support for.

Rubric row	Points	What it actually wants
Research table (3 articles)	15	A structured extraction per article, not a summary
Population	10	Recruitment, inclusion/exclusion, size AND its justification
Broad area + significance to forensic nursing	10	The forensic domain named explicitly, twice
Instruments	5	Psychometrics referenced from prior research, not asserted
Analysis	5	Named statistical procedures tied to the data types

Two methods requirements are stated in a way that is easy to skim past and expensive to miss. The sample size needs a specific rationale, which means a power calculation with its assumptions stated — effect size, alpha, power, and where the effect size estimate came from — not a sentence saying the number is achievable in the time available. And each instrument must be briefly described with accompanying psychometrics specified and referenced from past research, which means citing the validation study rather than the instrument itself. Naming a scale and asserting it is reliable and valid is the single most common way this section is marked down. If you cannot find published reliability and validity evidence for a measure, that is a reason to choose a different measure, not a gap to write around.

One thing in the brief has aged and you should notice it rather than follow it blindly. It instructs you to use the latest APA guidelines and identifies those as the sixth edition of 2010. The seventh edition has been current since 2019, and the differences are not cosmetic: the student title page, running heads, the treatment of three-or-more-author citations and the reference format all changed. Follow whichever edition your programme is actually marking against, and ask if it is unclear, because the rubric reserves up to ten points of deduction for APA, grammar and formatting errors. That deduction is large enough that guessing the edition is not a rounding error, and it is the cheapest question you will ask all term. Whichever answer you get, apply it consistently across the title page, the citations and the reference list.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

01
Specify a study rather than write about one, in the format the brief requires.
02
Read a grading rubric for constraints the assignment instructions do not state.
03
Extract comparable methodological detail from three studies into a structured table.
04
Justify a sample size and an instrument choice from published evidence rather than by assertion.

Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Quantitative Research Proposal Research Proposal Research Proposal Outline and Guide A research proposal must outline the purpose, specific research questions and methods (i.e., sampling, data collection and proposed data analysis) for a quantitative nursing research study on a topic of your choice. Although your proposal may not have a completely developed literature review / background, it should contain a theoretical framework / theoretical rationale, a table of research relevant to the problem under study, and a summary of the research base including what gaps in the knowledge base the proposed study will fill. The latest APA guidelines (6th edition, 2010) should be used when writing the proposal. Use bullet format not full essay format. Phrases are okay in place of complete sentences. This is to show your idea not develop into a full document. This idea can be used to help plan your final project for the program. Maximum 10 pages in length excluding title page, references and literature tables. No abstract required. (Many students complete this in 8 or so pages). PROPOSAL OUTLINE I. Statement of the Problem, Research Questions, Hypotheses, Definitions, Assumptions & Limitations 1. State the broad focal area the proposal addresses. 2. Describe concisely and realistically: a. Provide a PICO question (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) b. Definitions: theoretical and operational. This can be completed as a table. c. Assumptions d. Limitations II. Significance 1. State concisely the importance of the proposed project by clearly and succinctly explaining what impact the results of this project (i.e., the answer to the specific research questions) will have on knowledge in the field, other relevant research and on the scientific base of nursing practice; and 2. Specifically identify the gaps this research is intended to fill. III Background (Relevant Review of Literature) No complete literature review is required for this proposal. 1. Theoretical framework if one exists 2. Databases used to search; search terms used 3. Inclusion/exclusion criteria for the articles 4. Complete the table provided for 3 articles IV. Research Methods 1. Specify the research design and procedures to be used to answer the research question(s) and/or test study hypotheses. 2. Describe the study population and describe procedures for selecting study participants (sample). Include an estimate of the proposed sample size with a specific rationale for the size, the characteristics of the sample, and inclusion and/or exclusion criteria. 3. Name the instruments that will be used to measure each study variable. How will each variable be operationalized? Each instrument must be briefly described and accompanying psychometrics must be specified and referenced from past research. Provide appropriate citations and references as needed. 4. Clearly describe the methods for data collection, including the method(s) for gaining access to the setting, what participants will be told and/or asked to do, and how attrition or non-participation will be handled. 5. Briefly specify how you will assure protection of human subjects in the proposed study. 6. Describe how data analysis will proceed to answer the research questions / test the study hypotheses. Include the specific statistical procedures and the reasons for their use in relation to the types of data anticipated. 7. Include a time frame for carrying out the data collection, data entry, analysis and interpretation, including preparation of the final research report. V. References Research Table (you will fill one of these out for each of the 3 articles chosen for your proposal) Reference Hypothesis/variables Sample/how chosen/ justification of size Data collection methods/ Instruments used Overall outcomes/findings Research Proposal Grading Rubric Please note: the what to include section is not inclusive. Refer to the guidelines to insure you have included everything needed. Section What to Include Points Earned Broad area statement What area of forensic nursing does this address? 5 PICO Population, intervention, comparison, outcome Provide the variables and/or concepts being investigated 5 Definitions Both theoretical and operational for any variables or concepts within your proposal 5 Assumptions Anything assumed about the subject that affects the research 5 Limitations Any limitations for this project (time, finances, sample size, etc) 5 Significance Why is this significant to nursing? To forensic nursing? 5 Gaps Are there gaps in our knowledge that this could address? How? 5 Framework Is there a theoretical framework? If so, what is it? Provide a model if available 5 Search info Databases, search terms, inclusion/exclusion criteria for articles 5 Table Provide 3 article charts (see provided sheet) 15 Design What design will you use to design your project? Why? 5 Population Who is the population? How will you recruit? Inclusion/exclusion criteria? Sample size and justification? 10 Instruments What instruments will you use to collect your data? How do you know they are reliable? Reference any prior research that utilized them 5 Data collection How will you collect the data? Who will? How often? What type of data? 5 Human rights How will you protect the rights of the subjects of your study? 5 Analysis How will you analyze your data? Will you use any stats software? 5 Time frame What is your time frame? When will you start getting your sample, move to data collection, go to analysis, determine findings? 5 References Faculty reserve the right to deduct up to 10 pts for APA, grammar and formatting errors Attachments area

Everything the ten pages have to carry

01
A broad focal area statement and a PICO question (population, intervention, comparison, outcome).
02
Theoretical and operational definitions, which may be presented as a table.
03
Assumptions and limitations.
04
The significance of the project and the specific gaps the research is intended to fill.
05
A theoretical framework if one exists, plus databases, search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria.
06
A completed research table for each of three chosen articles.
07
Research design, study population and sampling with a sample size rationale, named instruments with psychometrics, data collection methods, human subjects protection, data analysis with specific statistical procedures, and a time frame.
08
References, in bullet format throughout, maximum ten pages excluding title page, references and literature tables, no abstract.

Working the proposal outline section by section

I. Problem, PICO, definitions, assumptions, limitations

State the broad focal area and reduce it to a PICO question with defined variables.

II. Significance and the gap

Say what answering the question changes, and identify the specific gaps it fills.

III. Background: framework, search, and the three tables

Give the theoretical framework, the search strategy, and one completed table per article.

IV. Methods: design, sample, instruments

Name the design, the population and recruitment, the size with rationale, and the measures.

IV. Methods: collection, protection, analysis, time frame

Set out access, participant burden, attrition handling, human subjects protection, statistics and schedule.

V. References

Reference in the edition the programme marks against.

Where forensic nursing gaps and instrument psychometrics are published

Recommended databases

CINAHL
MEDLINE / PubMed
Journal of Forensic Nursing
PsycINFO
COSMIN database of systematic reviews

Search sequence

1.
Start from the forensic nursing domain you have chosen and search within it, so the topic constraint is satisfied before any methods work.
2.
Read a state-of-the-science review first to locate a gap that is documented rather than assumed.
3.
Find three quantitative studies close enough in design that their tables are comparable.
4.
For each candidate instrument, search separately for its validation study and record the reliability and validity figures.
5.
Check the human subjects requirements against the current Common Rule rather than a textbook summary.

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

01
Forensic Nursing State of the Science: Research and Practice Opportunities
Journal of Forensic Nursing, via PubMed · 2017
A documented map of where forensic nursing evidence is thin. Use it to source the gap the proposal claims to fill, rather than asserting a gap from the absence of search results.
02
SANE Program Development and Operation Guide
Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center, US Department of Justice · 2025
The federal guide to sexual assault nurse examiner programmes, including the scope and standards section. Use it to place your topic inside a recognised forensic nursing domain before writing the broad area statement.
03
COSMIN — Improving the selection of outcome measurement instruments
COSMIN Initiative, Amsterdam UMC · 2026
The standard for judging measurement properties across nine domains including reliability, structural validity and responsiveness. Use it to decide whether an instrument's published psychometrics are actually adequate.
04
45 CFR 46
Office for Human Research Protections, US Department of Health and Human Services · 2024
The regulation the human subjects section has to satisfy. Note Subpart C — additional protections for research with prisoners — which applies directly if the proposal recruits in correctional settings.
05
APA Style
American Psychological Association · 2026
The current seventh edition and its title page, headings and reference formats. Check this against the sixth edition the brief names before formatting anything, given the ten-point formatting deduction.

Before the proposal is uploaded

Common mistakes

Writing the proposal as continuous prose when the brief specifically asks for bullets and phrases.
Choosing a topic outside forensic nursing, which forfeits both rubric rows that ask for the forensic domain.
Treating the three-article table as an appendix rather than as the largest single scoring item.
Stating a sample size with a feasibility rationale instead of a power calculation.
Naming an instrument and asserting reliability and validity without citing the validation study.
Writing a full literature review the brief explicitly says is not required, at the cost of the methods section.
Following the stated APA edition without checking which one the programme currently marks against.

Submission checklist

The document is in bullets and phrases, not essay prose.
Ten pages or fewer, excluding title page, references and literature tables. No abstract.
The forensic nursing domain is named in the broad area statement and again under significance.
All three article tables are complete, including the sample-size justification column.
The sample size has a power calculation with its assumptions stated.
Every instrument cites published psychometrics from prior research.
Statistical procedures are named and matched to the data types anticipated.
The time frame covers collection, entry, analysis, interpretation and report preparation.

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.