Selecting a Path: A Research Proposal in RM6031

Dissertation vs Project

Previously, I wrote a research proposal for a dissertation that involved interviewing participants and using their responses to draw conclusions. That experience gave me valuable practice and highlighted the foundational elements of creating a proposal. It also helped me recognise early on that I wanted to pursue a dissertation rather than a project. I wanted the freedom to explore language and writing in depth, and the dissertation route offered the best pathway.

Ethics and Research

As I moved forward, I gained a deeper understanding of the ethics approval process. The process is understandably thorough when research involves human participants. If I had continued with my original proposal, I would have needed to seek ethical approval to conduct interviews and gather qualitative data.

The more I learned about these requirements, the more I decided to shift direction. Human participants can provide unique insights, but I realised I wanted to engage directly with technical communication theories and examine existing material rather than collect new human-subject data.

Drawing from Pop Culture

The most significant stage of my process involved writing the proposal that would shape my summer dissertation. I followed the module’s advice and chose a topic I knew would sustain my enthusiasm for technical communication. While watching an episode of The X-Files, I had an idea: government communication about UAPs has appeared in countless television shows, films, and books, yet there is still a gap.

As of date, few discussions examine UAP communication through the lens of a technical communicator: not to analyse UAPs themselves, but to explore how government institutions have presented the topic over time. This would not be the first, nor the last time, that UFO pop culture has impacted academia, as one of the characters from The X-Files would go on to inspire a generation of young women to pursue STEM fields.

The character of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully portrayed by Gillian Anderson became a role model for a generation of young girls, who later pursued academic study in the sciences. The results became famously known as the “Scully effect.” Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/i-want-believe-science-x-files-180958249/

This realisation allowed me to design a project that intersects several of my interests: pop culture, government communication, and the broader field of technical communication.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I no longer view academia as rigid or confined to narrow subjects. After seeing example dissertations and projects, from bee identification guides to language-learning applications, I recognised that the field offers endless possibilities. My proposal reflects that openness, combining my personal interests with the analytical tools of technical communication.