Research Proposals 3

RESEARCH PROPOSALS
September 19, 2020
RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 1 / 41

Definition of RESEARCH PROPOSALS
Once a researcher identifies a research topic, reviewing the literature on

the topic and decide to conduct the research, the next step is to write a
proposal for the research.
A research proposal is exactly what the term says, it is a proposal to
conduct a research.
It is the basic design of what you will do if you are going to conduct a
research.
It does not involve the collection of data and it is written before the
study is actually conducted.

Definition of RESEARCH PROPOSALS...
Writing a research proposal is the first step in conducting researches

and publishing research results.
While you write a research proposal you can get advices from experts,
but once you write a research proposal and start conducting the
research, you have to follow your proposal.
A well written research proposal can be judged by:

Is it adequate to answer the research questions and achieve the study
objectives?
Is is feasible in the particular setup for the study?
Does it provide enough detail that can allow another researcher to
conduct the study and arrive at a comparable result?
Purpose of a research proposal
Research proposals describe the processes and procedures that will be used
by the researcher while conducting the research. Therefore writing
research proposal before conducting the research has its own advantages.
Writing a research proposal gives an opportunity to obtain feedback
from experts/colleagues before implementation of the study and the
feedback can be used to improve the proposed study.
Sharing research proposals for research can also lead to collaboration
among colleagues. It helps to form professional development, since
each colleague bring to the discussion different expertise, experience
and knowledge.

Purpose of a research proposal....
Researchers need research grants to carry out their research, since

research grants will help to pay for research officies/assistants,
research equipments, accessories, attend conferences. So research
proposals are also submitted for funding agencies and good research
proposals will lead to successful research grants.
For students (Masters and Doctoral students) their study
plan(proposal) are required to get approval from a committee of
supervisors.
In some researches proposals may be required for approval for ethical
issues.
In some researches research proposals are required to be submitted for
publication of the results.
Components of a Research Proposal
Most research proposal have formats, but the basic components of a

research proposal are more or less the same in many fields, but how
they are phrased and staged may vary by discipline.
The following can be considered as the basic components of a
research proposal

1. Title Page
This is the page number one of the research proposal and it includes:
Title It summarizes the main focus or idea of the proposal as
simple as possible. It should be clear, concise and identify
the major variables or theoretical issues to be considered in
the study.
Author’s Name: Your name and the name of any coauthor are included
here. If coauthors are included, you may choose to
alphabetize by the last name or prioritize the names in terms
of of authors’ contribution.
Affiliation: The name of your institution (if any) is included.
Date: Date of delivery is included here.
2. Abstract/Summary
An abstract is a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that

highlights the major points covered, concisely describes the content and
scope of the writing, and reviews the writing’s contents in abbreviated
form. Abstracts are typically 100 to 250 words and follow set patterns.
Purposes: An abstract is important since it:
helps readers decide if they should read an entire article;

helps readers and researchers remember key findings on a topic;
helps readers understand the text by outlining key points prior to
reading the full document,
Indexes articles for quick recovery and cross-referencing.

Abstract/Summary...
The key elements that should be included in an abstract are:
Background: A simple opening sentence or two placing the work in

context.
Aims: One or two sentences giving the purpose of the work.
Method(s): One or two sentences explaining what was (or will) be done.
Results: One or two sentences indicating the main findings (or what
you hope to accomplish with the project).
Conclusions: One sentence giving the most important consequence of the
work what do the results mean? How will they be used?

Abstract/Summary....
Therefore, an abstract should answer the following Questions:

Why did you do this study or project? (Or why are you undertaking
the project/study?)
What did you do, and how? (What will you do? How?)
What did you find? (What do you expect to find?)
What do the findings mean?

3. Introduction/Background
Introduction is the mini version of the much larger review of the

literature and can be thought of as highlighting certain segments of
the research.
The purpose of the introduction is to establish a framework for the
research to provide the reader with a broad perspective of the
literature and to establish a need for purpose for the particular study
being proposed.
In the introduction, you should then go on to explain why more work
is necessary (your work, of course.)

Introduction/Background....
The introduction also should address the following points:

Sufficient background information to allow the reader to understand
the context and significance of the question you are trying to address.
Proper acknowledgement of the previous work on which you are
building your work.
Sufficient references such that a reader could, by going to the library,
achieve a sophisticated understanding of the context and significance
of the question.
The introduction should be focused on the research question(s).

All cited work should be directly relevant to the goals of the research.
Explain the scope of your work, what will and will not be included.
A verbal ”road map” or verbal ”table of contents” guiding the reader
to what lies ahead.
Is it obvious where introductory material (”old stuff”) ends and your
planned contribution (”new stuff”) begins?

Introduction includes mainly:

Background information
Definition of variables and terms.
Statistics or contextual information that may apply to the topic.
Statement of the problem (Purpose):
Statement of the problem should answer the question ”Why does this
research need to be conducted?” It can be identified easily from its
wordings ” The purpose of this study is ...”

4. Review of the Literature
Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature

review lets you gain and demonstrate skills in two areas:
1. information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently,
using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful
articles and books
2. critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to
identify unbiased and valid studies.

Review of the Literature....
A literature review should do the following things.

1. be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research
question you are developing;
2. synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known;
3. identify areas of controversy in the literature;
4. formulate questions that need further research.

Ask yourself questions like these:

1. What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my
literature review helps to define?
2. What type of literature review am I conducting? Am I looking at
issues of theory? methodology? policy? quantitative research (e.g. on
the effectiveness of a new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g.,
studies )?
3. What is the scope of my literature review? What types of
publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government
documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g.,
mathematics, nursing, psychology, sociology, medicine)?
4. How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide

enough to ensure I’ve found all the relevant material? Has it been
narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of
sources I’ve used appropriate for the length of my paper?
5. Have I critically analyzed the literature I use? Do I follow through a
set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the
ways they deal with them? Instead of just listing and summarizing
items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses?
6. Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective?
7. Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and
useful?
5. Questions and/or Hypotheses
The literature review ends with either a research hypothesis or

research questions.
Hypotheses and questions are linked to the speculative proposition of
the problem statement, can be inferred from the overall conceptual
framework of a study, and are of critical importance to data analysis
and interpretation.
The hypothesis is subject to test, i.e., to confirmation or rejection on
empirical grounds.
The term question implies an interrogative statement that can be
answered by data, which is logically related to the same conceptual
framework, but which does not necessarily stem from that framework
through logical deduction.
Questions and/or Hypotheses...
Hypotheses are tentative statements that should either be acknowledged

or rejected by means of research.
Because hypotheses give structure and direction to research, the following
aspects should be kept in mind when formulating a hypothesis:
Hypotheses can only be formulated after the researcher has gained
enough knowledge regarding the nature, extent and intensity of the
problem.
Hypotheses should figure throughout the research process in order to
give structure to the research.

Questions and/or Hypotheses...
Hypotheses are tentative statements/solutions or explanations of the

formulated problem.
Care should be taken not to over-simplify and generalize the
formulation of hypotheses.
The research problem does not have to consist of one hypothesis only.
The type of problem area investigated, the scope of the research field
are the determinate factors on how many hypotheses will be included
in the research proposal.

6. Research Methods
The first half of the proposal deals with the discussion of past research
on the topic and with establishing a need for the proposed study;
the second part of the proposal (or the method section) is specifically
focused on the proposed study and especially describing how the
research plans to carry out the study.
Since the method describes what you will do, it must be written in
the future tense. It is divided into subsections.

6.1. Participants
A description of the participants, often referred to as the sample, is

the first section found in the method section of the proposal.
Methods used to select the participants (otherwise known as sampling
techniques) are discussed here, as well as the characteristics of the
proposed sample.
In such cases, the participant section can be written up with more
detail and inserted later, after the study has been completed.

6.2. Instruments or Methods of Data Collection:
For this subsection, quantitative researchers use the term instruments, and
qualitative researchers use the phrase methods of data collection. The
approach you select for your proposal (e.g., quantitative or qualitative)
plays a key role in the instruments you will propose to use.

6.3. Design
The design section of the proposal is traditionally linked to

experimental research.
In this subsection, the researcher discusses the model or design that
he or she has chosen and how threats to the studys validity are
controlled by the design.
Usually, a short narrative accompanied by a table or figure that
visually supports the narrative is included.
The figure alone should provide a clear sense of the design the
research intends to use.
In proposals where a non-experimental research design is planned, the
procedure section immediately follows the instrumentation section,
and the type of research proposed.
6.5. Procedure
This section is often referred to as the how-to section.

A narrative description of the process and practices that the researcher
plans to use to collect the data using methods that are appropriate
for answering the research questions. In this section, the researcher
describes how the instrument(s) or data collection tools will be used.
Keep in mind that not everything always works out as planned,
particularly in qualitative studies.
Researchers often go back after they have conducted the study and
modify their procedure section to accurately reflect the process that
actually occurred.

6.6. Benefits, Limitations, Reflections:
In this subsection, the researcher discusses both the benefits and the
limitations of the research that he or she is proposing.
Benefits typically are twofold, one aimed at the benefits of the
research study for advancing knowledge represented by the research
literature and the other targeting the benefits for practice.
Specifically, the researcher wants to describe how the study will help
support and extend understanding of the topic.

Benefits, Limitations, Reflections:
Typically, this might involve examination of how your research will add to
or answer unanswered questions from the last few studies in the literature
review (with citations) because these, by their very nature, should be the
most closely related pieces of work.
This section also includes a short paragraph summarizing some of the
possible implications of the hypothesized findings, focusing on potential
benefits to teaching and learning.
The final paragraph of this section should focus on limitations of the
proposed research.

Work plan (Gantt Chart)
A GANTT chart is a planning tool that depicts graphically the order in

which various tasks must be completed and the duration of each activity.
The GANTT chart indicates:
the tasks to be performed;
who is responsible for each task; and
the time each task is expected to take.
The length of each task is shown by a bar that extends over the number of
days, weeks or months the task is expected to take.

Budget
In conducting research you will require to secure funds from a funding

organization to cover the cost of conducting your research project.It is
important to remember that the funding agency will invariably read
through the whole proposal (not just the budget requirement). Therefore,
it is critical that the entire proposal document is well thought out and
written to effectively communicate the aim of the research and how you
plan to achieve it, as one of the purposes of writing a research proposal is
for funding.

Budget...
The items to consider when drawing up a budget requirement are outlined

below.
Budget items need to be explicitly stated.
Cost for every budget item should be quantitatively shown.
There might be a need for budget justification of certain costs whose
requirement is not obvious.
Typically, a proposal budget reflects direct and indirect costs.

Budget: Direct costs:
Personnel: Salaries and wages of all participants of the study

Principal investigator; supervisor; data collector; drivers; guards; data
entry clerks, etc.
Consumable supplies: office supplies (stationery), computers,
chemicals, software and educational materials
Equipments: properties which are expensive and durable

Travel: cost of project-related travel
Communications: postage, telephone, telegram, fax, e-mail charges
associated with a project
Publication: the cost incurred for preparing and publishing the results
of the research. It includes: technical reports, manuscripts,
illustrations, graphics, photography, slides, and overheads
Other direct costs: costs of all items that do not fit into any of the
above direct costs

Budget: Indirect costs:
These are costs incurred in support and management of the proposed

activities that can not be readily determined by direct measurement.
Examples include; Overhead costs for institutions or associations, General
administrative cost Operational and maintenance, Depreciation and use
allowance

Budget: Budget justification
It is not sufficient to present a budget without explanation. The budget

justification follows the budget as an explanatory note justifying briefly, in
the context of the proposal, why the various items in the budget are
required.

Budget: Obtaining funding for research projects
To conduct research, it is usually necessary to obtain funding for the

research project. Such funding may be available from local, national or
international agencies. In addition, to preparing a good research proposal,
the following strategies are useful for researchers to increase the chances of
securing adequate funds:

Familiarize yourself with the policies and priorities of funding
agencies. Such policies and priorities may be:
Implicit, i.e. known to officials in the agency and to other local
researchers who have previously been funded by that agency. Obtain
the names of such persons and make direct contact with them.
Explicit, i.e. available from policy documents issued by the agency.
The funding policies of many agencies may emphasize:

a priority given to research aimed at strengthening a particular
program
institution building (i.e. building the capacity of an institution to do
research)
targeted to a specific thematic area of research (for example, health,
family planning, livelihoods, natural products, energy, etc.)

Identify the procedures, deadlines and formats that are relevant to
each agency.
Obtain written approval and support from relevant local and national
authorities and submit together with the proposal.
If you are a beginning researcher, associate yourself with an
established researcher/advisor. Host agencies scrutinize the
’credibility’ of the researcher to whom funds are allocated. Such
credibility is based on previous projects that were successfully
completed.
Build up your own list of successfully completed projects (i.e. your
own reports, publications, etc.)

References:
The references section contains all the references for citations used in the
proposal where as a bibliography lists all the references encountered during
the research process (but may not have actually cited), but the reference
page of a proposal includes only those actual references that were used
(cited) somewhere in the paper.
Most of the citations from the references appear in the review of literature,
but citations may be used to support ideas or define variables at any part
of the proposal. Reference sections must be in APA/AMS style.

Appendixes:
All researcher-developed tools are included in the appendix section of the

proposal (e.g., the final form of any survey, interview protocol,
observational protocol, or materials). If multiple instruments are
developed, each instrument is to be included in a separate appendix, and
each appendix is given a letter label (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B).
These labels are used when referencing the item in the body of the
proposal. Note that all appendixes should be referred to in the text.

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RESEARCH PROPOSALS

September 19, 2020

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 1 / 41

Once a researcher identifies a research topic, reviewing the literature on

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 2 / 41

Writing a research proposal is the first step in conducting researches

A well written research proposal can be judged by:

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 4 / 41

Researchers need research grants to carry out their research, since

Most research proposal have formats, but the basic components of a

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 6 / 41

An abstract is a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that

helps readers decide if they should read an entire article;

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 8 / 41

The key elements that should be included in an abstract are:

Background: A simple opening sentence or two placing the work in

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 9 / 41

Therefore, an abstract should answer the following Questions:

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 10 / 41

Introduction is the mini version of the much larger review of the

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 11 / 41

The introduction also should address the following points:

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 12 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 13 / 41

Introduction includes mainly:

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 14 / 41

Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 15 / 41

A literature review should do the following things.

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 16 / 41

Ask yourself questions like these:

4. How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide

The literature review ends with either a research hypothesis or

Hypotheses are tentative statements that should either be acknowledged

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 20 / 41

Hypotheses are tentative statements/solutions or explanations of the

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 21 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 22 / 41

A description of the participants, often referred to as the sample, is

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 23 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 24 / 41

The design section of the proposal is traditionally linked to

This section is often referred to as the how-to section.

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 26 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 27 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 28 / 41

A GANTT chart is a planning tool that depicts graphically the order in

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 29 / 41

In conducting research you will require to secure funds from a funding

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 30 / 41

The items to consider when drawing up a budget requirement are outlined

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 31 / 41

Personnel: Salaries and wages of all participants of the study

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 32 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 33 / 41

These are costs incurred in support and management of the proposed

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 34 / 41

It is not sufficient to present a budget without explanation. The budget

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 35 / 41

To conduct research, it is usually necessary to obtain funding for the

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 36 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 37 / 41

RESEARCH PROPOSALS September 19, 2020 38 / 41