Peer Review of Adrienne Yap’s Research Proposal

To:             Adrienne Yap
From:        Joyce Wu
Date:         October 16, 2019
Subject:    Peer review of the proposal for “Creating a Social Media Following for the AMS Vice Program”

Hi Adrienne, 

I have reviewed your research proposal for “Creating a Social Media Following for the AMS Vice Program”. The following are some comments and suggestions I have for you to consider. 

First impression of content: The research topic is interesting and is relatable to all UBC students. I have heard of other AMS programs like Speakeasy and SASC, but I was not aware of the existence of the Vice program until now. 

Overall document lay-out and design: The proposal is concise with a clear purpose. The proposal is well organized in meaningful subheadings and the material is easy to understand. 

Introduction: The introduction is well composed; it is concise and to the point. The purpose of the Vice program and its relation to other similar AMS programs are clearly described in this section.

Statement of problem: I like your word choice for the first sentence, “The AMS Vice program is extremely underrated and overlooked.” This sentence had immediately grabbed my attention and piqued my curiosity. As a UBC student who is not aware of the Vice program until now, I can clearly understand the issue described.

Proposed solution: Great idea! The proposed solution is relevant and specific. The result is measurable and can be used to compare for effectiveness. 

Scope: Questions proposed in this section are relevant and excellent leading questions. Here are some additional questions that may be useful for your research: 

1. Of all the students that came to Vice for support, what were their major concerns? 
2. How can Vice differentiate itself from similar services on campus such as Speakeasy and Counselling Services?
3. Who can Vice liaise with to gain media exposure? 

Methods: Well done. The described methods are achievable within the given time-frame, and will help answer questions stated in the Scope section. 

Qualifications: This section clearly stated your qualification and reason for conducting this research. Well done. 

Comments:

• Grammar: Excellent! I had to re-read a couple times to nitpick something to write about. For the last sentence in the Conclusion section, I would suggest adding “and” to connect the two phrases. Here is my suggested edit:
• • We all know someone who struggles with a vice, and this program can help if only more people knew it existed.
•  Acronyms: UBC has a lot of acronyms. I would suggest writing the full name of SASC where it is initially mentioned. This will help readers who may not be aware of what SASC stands for to better understand the context.

Overall Impression: This is an excellent start to a meaningful research. The proposal is well composed and the goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-limited. I hope my suggestions are helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I look forward to reading your research report. 

Link to Adrienne’s research proposal: Proposal for creating a social media following for the AMS Vice Program