Proposal & Outline

Research Proposal Summary

     The site I found about research proposals and how to write them is written by Paul T. P. Wong, who has a Ph. D. and his article was published on the International Network on Personal Meaning website. Wong mentions that one’s research is only as good as their proposal. A proposal gives evidence to others that the research project is worth completing. Wong mentions that it doesn’t matter what one is writing about, but a proposal should address, what is going to be accomplished, why and how one will do the project. Wong also mentions the parts of the proposal and what it should contain. The parts are: title, abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results, ands discussion. Important points Wong makes about the proposals are: the title should be catchy and descriptive, the abstract should be a short summary of the project, the introduction provides background about the topic (he gives more details about what the introduction should include), the literature review gives credit to the people used in the research (he also lists problems many people have with this section), the methods section explains how the research is going to be done, the results at this stage should be expected results, and discussion is where one will explain the impact of the research done and how it might function in the future.  This is a great site that is full of useful information about proposals and problems that might occur as a writer is writing one. Go check it out!!!

Summary Content Provided By: Wong, Paul. “Articles.” International Network on Personal Meaning and Meaning of Life. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm.

Research Outline Summary

     The site I found about research outlines and how to write them is owned by OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. and the author is not cited. This site however gives great information about research papers and what needs to go into them, along with an outline format and information about it. The example outline states that there should be three main sections: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion (these are labeled with roman numerals). Within the introduction there should be something relating to the subject, like a thesis. Other things that should be included in the introduction are: the reason for the paper, how it will be approached, and why a reader would be interested in the topic being researched. In the body, this is where one should list the key points the research paper is going to hit upon. Each new point is labeled with a number and if there are other points that pertain within that original position, they are labeled with lower case letters. For example:

1. Family
     a. father
     b. mother

This will continue until all key points are introduced. The last part is conclusion and it should include a restate of the thesis, a summary of key points, and an explanation of how one came to the final results of the research paper. Again this is another great site and it not only provides outline information, but general research information that can be very helpful as we make our journey into this project!!

Summary Content Provided By: “A Research Guide for Students.” A Research Guide for Students. Web. 7 Feb. 2010. http://www.aresearchguide.com/.

Proposal

Title:
     Sweaty Anxiety: An inside look into anxiety related stress in social situations of a female Hyperhidrosis suffer

Abstract:
     The body of the research was supported by the following research question: How does living with Hyperhidrosis affect social gatherings and everyday social activities of the person with Hyperhidrosis with important emphasis on how is anxiety developed with a condition like Hyperhidrosis in females? The motivation behind this study comes from my own self account of living with Hyperhidrosis and how it has affected my life. By suffering with hand, foot, and underarm Hyperhidrosis, it became apparent to me that stress and anxiety was a big part of my life. Could all of these components be correlated? The method used to explore these questions and findings was an auto-ethnographic style research. By using my own firsthand accounts of anxiety, stress, and everyday activities, I compiled them into categories to find possible correlations among them. Hyperhidrosis is a condition that is visible and is shown through appearance. Activities of a Hyperhidrosis suffer are difficult and hard to accomplish. Social situations from shaking hands to speaking in public raise huge concerns to Hyperhidrosis suffers. It might be hard to think about sweating all day and all year round. This research will walk a mile in a Hyperhidrosis suffer’s shoes and address the main points to a condition like this and how it affects a person’s life. Additional research from others has supported my findings. My hypothesis for this research is that stress and anxiety will play a big part in a Hyperhidrosis suffer’s life whether it be related to social situations or to everyday activities.

Introduction:
      The purpose of this study is to examine anxiety and stress related to social situations, in particular a female, Hyperhidrosis suffer. Krogstad, Mork, and Piechniks (2006) associate the definition of focal hyperhidrosis as a “disorder defined as excessive sweating, particularly in response to psychological stimuli, and can often have a significantly negative impact on patient quality of life (p.1118).” Although this definition can vary, and it does, Lear(2007) indicates the definition for hyperhidrosis as “a disorder characterized as perspiration in excess of the body’s physiologic need and can  significantly impact one’s occupational, physical, emotional, and social life (p.69).” These definitions may disagree in format and arrangement, but one thing is certain the effect this condition can have on a person’s life as indicated and implied by Krogstad et al. and Lear. 

     Medical research has been done on this condition but not as much as there should be, because without knowledge from a patient a doctor cannot diagnose Hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is known for one specific symptom, excessive sweating. The sweating can be from the hands, feet, underarms, or even the face. These symptoms however can be also a cause from a thyroid problem or inconsistency and proper doctor evaluation is needed to diagnose Hyperhidrosis. This condition is more common than people might think. According to Lear (2007) it affects about three percent of the population (p. 69). There are different degrees of sweating ranging from a nuisance to severe impairment of daily activities. I rate my Hyperhidrosis sweating as a sever impairment. It stopped me from doing things I loved to do, from wearing colored clothing, to even holding a pencil and taking a test.

     Along with this condition will come public embarrassment, because one cannot hide this condition very well. I tried, I know. Embarrassment can lead to all kinds of emotions and disorders if suffered long enough. Anxiety, stress, and depression are the main side effects of Hyperhidrosis. Anxiety in and that someone will ask you why you are so sweaty when it is ten degrees below Fahrenheit outside, stress from hiding the condition everyday and in everything a person has to do during the day, and depression from feeling alone and not wanted. As one can see this can cause some major mental impairments for a person who suffers with Hyperhidrosis. This study will take a look at how certain situations agitate this condition before and after surgery.

Krogstad, A., Mork, C., & Piechniks, S. (2006). Daily pattern of sweating and response to stress and exercise in patients with palmar hyperhidrosis. British Journal of Dermatology, 154, 1118-1122.

Lear, W., Kessler, E., Solish, N., & Glaser, D. (2007). An epidemiological study of hyperhidrosis. Dermatologic Surgery, 33, S69-S75. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2006.32334.x.

Methods:
      I will be conducting my research mainly from my personal experience in the form of an auto-ethnography in social situations. I believe this will give a different perspective to my research allowing emotions to be captured and rewrote to catch the reader’s attention. Categorizing social experiences will help organize my research and information and allow me to branch off of them with stress levels, anxiety feelings, etc. How others relate to Hyperhidrosis is also an important aspect to this research. I have firsthand reactions from friends, family, and other people I have met in my lifetime that will help address this concern. I have been treated for Hyperhidrosis, so with this in mind I can conduct previous research before surgery and research after surgery and compare anxiety, stress, feelings, and emotions from both time periods.

Results:
     My results can be anticipated to the following. Stress and anxiety can cause sweating to occur, but is not necessarily a form of Hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is significant sweating without provoked situations. Situations like shaking hands can become embarrassing for a Hyperhidrosis suffer leading to anxiety and stress about these situations. Changing lifestyles can become stressful as well and lead to unfulfilled goals because of this condition’s limitations. More results to follow.

Discussion:
     My research will be something new to the medical world. It will not be medically based; it will be personally based with medical research development. Many people are struck with this condition and cannot find help for it. This research will help others find a voice for themselves and answer the questions they have been dreading to ask. My research is limited to no medical background or training in this area of dermatology. My accounts are all my firsthand knowledge of this condition supplemented from additional research.

Outline

I. Introduction
     a. General information about Hyperhidrosis
     b. Background information about my condition personally
     c. Thesis of research question

II. Body
     a. Definitions of stress, anxiety, social situations, and Hyperhidrosis
     b. General information about sweat to include:
          i.       why one sweats
         ii.       vibes that are sent about sweat to others
        iii.       opinions about sweat
        iv.       sweat and it’s relation to embarrassment and other emotional characteristics

     c. Health characteristics associated with Hyperhidrosis suffers
           i.      Genetic components and family history
          ii.      Emotional health: depression, anxiety, stress
         iii.      If not managed, can Hyperhidrosis be a killer?

III METHODS:
    a. Autoethnography
    b. explanation of my experience with Hyperhidrosis including before & after treatment

     c. Statistical information
          i.      Number of people affected by Hyperhidrosis
         ii.      Relationship to how many people I personally know of as a suffer
        iii.      Number of people who undergo treatment
        iv.      Number of people with different types of Hyperhidrosis and their characteristics (female, male, etc)

     d. Treatments
          i.      Types of treatments
         ii.      Success rates of treatments
        iii.      Side effects
        iv.      Being treated vs. non treatment
         v.      Depress, stress, and anxiety related to after treatment vs. before treatment
        vi.      Insurance

     IV. Conclusion
     a. Review and summarize information presented
     b. Reexamine and restate research thesis
     c. Present conclusions based upon research found and personal experience