Research Proposal

What is Research Proposal?
Importance of Research Proposal.
Essential Elements of Research Proposal.
How to write a Research Proposal.
Important Contents of Research Proposal.

Research Proposal

A research proposal is a document proposing a research project, generally in the sciences or academia,

and generally constitutes a request for sponsorship of that research. Proposals are evaluated on the cost and potential impact of the proposed research, and on the soundness of the proposed plan for carrying it out. Research proposals generally address several key points.

Research proposal is a specific kind of document written for a specific purpose. Research involves a series of actions and therefore it presents all actions in a systematic and scientific way. In this way, Research proposal is a blue print of the study which simply outlines the steps that researcher will undertake during the conduct of his/her study.Proposal is a tentative plan so the researcher has every right to modify his proposal on the basis of his reading, discussion and experiences gathered in the process of research.Even with this relaxation available to the researcher, writing of research proposal is a must for the research

Importance of Research Proposal 

Writing the research proposal is very important before actual conducting of any research. Because research is a team work and you have opinion of others if it is in written form. Research Proposal is used for finalization of a research plan after presentation and discussion before research committee or board. It is also necessary to submit for applying grants to any agency. Once developed, it serves as a plan for conducting the research.

In reality, as Best (1983) puts it, no worthwhile research can result in the absence of a well designed proposal.

By formulating a research proposal, researcher wants to show that the problem propose to investigate is significant enough, the method plan to use is suitable and feasible, and the results are likely to prove fruitful and will make an original contribution. In short, through research proposal researcher wants to convince the other peoples (reader or audience) regarding selected problem.

 

Essential Elements of Good Research Proposal

How to Write a Research Proposal

Important Contents of Good Research Proposal

1. A cover page

This is essential –it identifies:

- your research area via a tentative or proposed title- your name, contact details, and qualifications

- the institutional or university name, as well as the specific department

- supervisor’s and co-supervisor’s names

- the degree level being attempted

2. Table of contents

A table of contents should:

- list the research proposal sections in a hierarchical way, using titles and subtitles

- give accurate page references for each section

3. Introduction

An introduction should:

- Follow a general-to-specific writing pattern

- Start by providing background information that orientates the reader to the research’s general socio-political, historical, scientific, and educational contexts (whichever is most relevant)

- Perhaps include a theoretical, personal, or policy-based motivation for the research as a starting point

- Attempt to persuade, inform or indicate to the reader of the need for the research. This is an attempt to convince the reader that the research will be useful, interesting, or significant for the academic community, and may be suggestive of the research ‘gap’ which arises from the following literature review

4. Purpose and aims

This section should:

- state unambiguously and concisely the purpose of the research (and situating it in the broader context)

- outline the aims and key research questions (make sure thatyou relate the aims to the purpose above and to the research questions which follow on from this)

5. Literature review

The purpose of this is to:

- demonstrate to your readers that you have read enough to show that you are aware of who the most significant writers or researchers are in your area of research

- specify which issues or concepts you will concentrate on in your review (this may well change as you read more widely and deeply)

- show that you can exercise critical judgement in selecting which issues to focus on and which to ignore

- show that you can take a critical approach to your area of research

- argue for the validity of your area of research in terms of its need to address a ‘gap’

- establish the theoretical orientation you are planning to take

6. Research design (or methodological approach)

The purpose of this is to describe your research plans and approach by:

- indicating the rationale and theoretical source for your choice of research approach

- describing your rationale for the selection of participants, methods of data collection and analysis, and the steps you will take to ensure that ethical practices are followed

- suggesting the limits, restrictions or boundaries of your research

- providing a timetable or research action plan which explains each of the tasks to be carried out and the anticipated times for completion (the format of this should be clear and concise)

7. Thesis structure

This section should provide:

- a description of each proposed chapter via a small paragraph which shows how it links to any previous chapters, and how links to any chapters which may follow

- a proposed table of contents (following the same rules as given above)

8. Significance/expected outcomes

This section should provide:

- the anticipated outcomes

- a series of paragraphs predicting of the significance of the research

9. Glossary of terms

This section should provide:

- a list of specialized terms, words, or concepts, and their meanings (e.g. foreign borrowings, acronyms, specialized concepts etc.)

10. Appendices

This section should provides relevant documents which are best not seen in the main proposal text (because they affect readability). These may be source documents, pilot study data, interview questions, surveys questionnaires instruments, etc.

11. References

This section should provide:

- a list of the sources or academic works that have been found and consulted up to the present

- use the Harvard UTS referencing conventions, as adopted by most faculties in UTS, or use one recommended by your supervisor.