Chapter 1 - Session 3 - Writing A Research Proposal

A guideline for writing a research proposal 1
1
Writing a research proposal
A. What is a research proposal?
❖A research proposal is a key ‘gateway’ document to your

thesis
❖It sets out the main details of how research will be

conducted
❖Thus, a research proposal is your ‘thinking’ document

and provides the foundation of all the work that follows
2
Writing a Research Proposal …
A research proposal deals with a detailed planning,
structuring and writing up on:
• what to be studied;
• why it is an important topic; and
• how you as a researcher will go about doing it
❖Researchers need to plan all the detail of the
proposal carefully as it will provide the outline of
the intended research
3
B. The purpose of a research proposal is to:
❖show that the problem you propose to investigate

is significant enough to warrant the investigation,
the method you plan to use is suitable and
feasible, and the results are likely to prove
fruitful and will make an original contribution
❖help you to focus and define your research plans.

These plans are not binding, in that they may well
change substantially as you progress in the
research
4
❖However, they are an indication to your School of
your direction and discipline as a researcher.
❖They also help you to prepare your application to
the Ethics Committee (will be discussed later in
the semester)
❖The research proposal ensures that you:
- have done sufficient preliminary reading
in the area of your interest; and
- have thought about the issues involved and are
able to provide more than a broad description of
the topic which you are planning to research
5
C. The contents of a research proposal
❖Research proposals can take many forms and can

look very different, but a good starting point is
to follow the main outline headings given below
(i) Title
❖Good titles are: short, interesting and

informative
6
❖The emphasis is on simple, clear and
straightforward title which requires no
explanation and allows the reader to anticipate
what the research is about without having to hunt
through the entire the proposal
❖So, your title should answer the question: what is

your research about?
❖The normal way to proceed with titles is give your

proposal a ‘working title’ and return to the title as
the last act before submitting your proposal
7
Example 1: Research title
NO (too much detail)

A three-year study of population decline in the spotted salamander
(Ambystoma maculata) following logging, road building and wetland
mitigation near vernal pools in a hardwood forest of northeastern
Connecticut.
YES
A study of population decline in the spotted salamander (Ambystoma
maculata) following logging in north-eastern Connecticut.
Example 2: Research title
NO (not enough detail)

Habitat models for use in rivers.
YES
Validation of in-stream habitat models for the Fenton River, Storrs,
Connecticut.
ECON7950-1-2019-Research Proposal 8
(ii) Abstract should:
❖include the research problems, aims, objectives,
methods and procedures, data and anticipated
research outcome
❖demonstrate to the reader the most important
parts of each of the sections of the research
proposal in around 200-250 words
It is often useful to write the abstract last, after

the rest of the research proposal has been written.
However, you could start with a working abstract as
well
9
(iii) Background/introduction
❖In some proposals, the introduction and
background are separate; in others they serve
the same purpose and can be combined
❖Both an introduction and background section
outlines why you chose your topic. The section
should include:
- what prompted your interest in the topic
- relevance to previous research (literature,
briefly)
- what your research will contribute to the
research and the field
10
❖Generally, the introduction covers the following
elements:
- state the research problem (i.e. purpose of

the study)
- provide the context and set the stage for
your research question in such a way as to
show its necessity and significance
- provide the rationale of your proposed
study and clearly show why it is worth doing
- briefly explain the major issues and sub-
problems to be addressed by your research
11
- identify the key independent and dependent
- variables of your experiment (alternatively,
specify the phenomenon you want to study)
- state your hypotheses or theory, if any
- set the boundaries of your proposed research in
order to provide a clear focus
- describe key concepts where appropriate
12
(iv) Literature review
❖The literature review needs to demonstrate that

you have read broadly on the topic and its wider
context
❖It should highlight trends in the literature

relating to your research topic, including
research areas, methodology, theoretical
approaches and findings
13
❖Your review should outline some of the
limitations and/or gaps in the literature that you
have identified. You need to draw on your
literature review to justify your own research
❖In your literature review indicate the gaps your

research is addressing and note the original
contribution it will make to the field in general
14
A literature review need to address the following main
issues:
▪ What is already known about the research problem?
▪ What are the gaps in the present body of knowledge?
▪ Where and how does the proposed research fit into this
picture?
▪ What contribution will the proposed research make the

existing knowledge base and how will it enrich current
practices?
15
❖The literature review serves several important
functions. It:
- ensures that you are not wasting your time

doing something that has already been done
by other people;
- gives credit to those who have laid the
groundwork for your research;
- shows your understanding of the research
problem;
- shows your knowledge of the issues linked
to your research question;
16
- shows your capacity to critically evaluate
important literature information;
- reveals your ability to integrate and synthesise
the existing literature;
- gives new theoretical insights or develops a new
model as the conceptual framework for your
research; and
- persuades readers that your proposed research
will make a significant contribution to the
literature (by either resolving an important
theoretical issue or filling a major gap in the
literature) or applying a particular theory in a
new context
17
❖Most literature reviews written by students
suffer from the following problems:
- lacking structure: lacking focus, coherence and
logic;
- being repetitive and longwinded;
- failing to cite influential papers;
- failing to keep up with recent developments;
- failing to critically evaluate cited papers;
- citing irrelevant or unimportant references; and
- depending too much on secondary sources
- Failing to cite quality research in the field
18
(v) Research question and objectives
❖The research question can also be termed as the

aim or purpose of the research
❖Aims are broad statements of desired outcomes

or the general intentions of the research, which
'paint the picture' of your research proposal
❖ Aims emphasise on what is to be accomplished,

not how it is to be accomplished - more specific
19
❖Aims address the long-term project outcomes,
i.e. they should reflect the aspirations and
expectations of the research topic
❖Whereas Objectives are the steps you are going

to take to answer your research questions or a
specific list of tasks needed to accomplish the
goals of the project
❖Objectives emphasise on how aims are to be

accomplished
20
Objectives
❖must be highly focused and feasible
❖address the more immediate project outcomes
❖make accurate use of concepts and precisely

described
❖are usually numbered so that each objective

reads as an 'individual' statement to convey your
research intention
21
Example of aims and objectives
Aims:
-to develop an effective response to the challenges currently faced

by schools and other agencies in meeting the requirements of the
principles underpinning the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda
-to explore how schools and external agencies are currently working
together to deliver this agenda and to highlight areas of good
practice as well as potential areas of conflict
Objectives:
-to identify aspects of ECM agenda that schools are currently

finding challenging via an audit process (questionnaire)
-to evaluate current practice within schools and other agencies
-to propose ways in which these specific aspects may be addressed
-to support schools in piloting approaches to meeting these aspects
ECON7950-1-2019-Research Proposal 22
(vi) Method
❖Here, you need to demonstrate that you have

read other studies in your area of research
❖ You should also be able to address the

strengths and limitations of the methods in
similar research and justify why you have chosen
the method that you have
23
❖In your method, you should discuss the following
aspects
- participants: describe the people who participate
in your study
- research design:
- are you doing qualitative or quantitative
research; is it exploratory, descriptive or
explanatory?
- Explain why you are using this type of study and
what you plan to explore, describe, or explain.
- Do you plan to use interventions, interviews,
behaviour observation, questionnaires, etc.?
24
• What subtype of each do you plan to employ (e.g.,
structured vs. unstructured interviews or closed vs.
open-ended questions)? State your rationale for your
approach. List all of your variables - independent or
dependent? What level of measurement do you plan
to use for each variable?
• data collection procedure: describe how participants
were recruited, whether they participated alone or in
groups, how informed consent or assent was obtained,
what they were asked to do, how they were
compensated for their participation, etc.
25
- data analysis: include any tools you will use to
assist you with analysis (e.g. programmes, odels).
Indicate how analysing the data in this way will
answer your research question
- limitations: look at your methodology and

consider any weaknesses or limitations that may
occur as a result of your research design.
Address the limitations by indicating how you will
minimise them
26
(vii) Timescale
❖A timeline that estimates how long each task will

take helps determine the scope of your research
and if it is feasible within a given timeframe
❖ Your research proposal timeline should contain

time allocation for a detailed literature review,
time for approval from ethics committee,
reviewing or testing of research design, data
collection and analysis and writing up of findings
27
❖It is crucial to be realistic with the timeframe,

consider if you are able to dedicate full time
work to the research, or if it is to be conducted
while you are studying other courses, working
part or full time or have family commitments
❖It is good to set up a Gantt chart for your

research proposal (see a hypothetical Gantt
chart in the next slide)
28
29
(viii) Resources
❖The type of resources required depends on the

nature of the thesis. For instance, if you plan a
quantitative study that involves mailing, or
telephoning participants then resources are
likely to be needed
❖The research proposal should include an

estimate of the resources required to the
extent that this is possible
30
(ix) References
❖Crucial to include all references you have used

when writing your proposal.
❖Emphasis is on quality not quantity.
❖Recent references to demonstrate your
awareness of the latest developments in the
field.
❖Consistency in referencing style – Harvard or
APA not a mixture of the two
31
(x) Appendices
❖The function of appendices is to display

documents that are important to main text but
whose inclusion in the text would disturb rather
than improve the flow of the writing
❖This may include copies of letters seeking

participants, consent forms and draft
surveys/questionnaires
32
Common mistakes when writing a research
proposal
- failure to provide the proper context to

frame the research question
- failure to delimit the boundary conditions
for your research
- failure to quote significant studies
- failure to precisely state the theoretical
and empirical contributions by other
researchers
- failure to stay focused on the research
question 33
- failure to develop a sound and convincing
argument for the proposed research
- too much detail on minor issues, but not
enough detail on major issues
- too much rambling — going "all over the
map" without a clear sense of direction
- too many citation errors and inaccurate
references
- failure to keep to the word limit
- poor writing style
34
Reasons why research proposal fail
- aims and objectives are unclear and vague
- mismatch between the approach being
adopted and the issues to be addressed
- too ambitious overall plan
- failure to conduct enough in-depth
background research
- problem is insufficient importance
- insufficiently detailed information on data
collection and method of analysis
- unrealistic timescale
- topic has been done many times before
35
The main purposes of a research proposal are
set out in:
(i) organising and developing your topic ideas;

(ii) testing the scope of the research;
(iii) identifying an appropriate supervisor;
(iv) convincing your supervisor of the merit in your
ideas;
(v) initiating progress on the research;
(vi) foundation for developing your research
36

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A guideline for writing a research proposal 1

❖A research proposal is a key ‘gateway’ document to your

❖It sets out the main details of how research will be

❖Thus, a research proposal is your ‘thinking’ document

❖show that the problem you propose to investigate

❖help you to focus and define your research plans.

❖Research proposals can take many forms and can

❖Good titles are: short, interesting and

❖So, your title should answer the question: what is

❖The normal way to proceed with titles is give your

NO (too much detail)

Example 2: Research title

NO (not enough detail)

It is often useful to write the abstract last, after

- state the research problem (i.e. purpose of

❖The literature review needs to demonstrate that

❖It should highlight trends in the literature

❖In your literature review indicate the gaps your

▪ What is already known about the research problem?

▪ What are the gaps in the present body of knowledge?

▪ What contribution will the proposed research make the

- ensures that you are not wasting your time

❖The research question can also be termed as the

❖Aims are broad statements of desired outcomes

❖ Aims emphasise on what is to be accomplished,

❖Whereas Objectives are the steps you are going

❖Objectives emphasise on how aims are to be

❖address the more immediate project outcomes

❖make accurate use of concepts and precisely

❖are usually numbered so that each objective

-to develop an effective response to the challenges currently faced

-to identify aspects of ECM agenda that schools are currently

❖Here, you need to demonstrate that you have

❖ You should also be able to address the

- limitations: look at your methodology and

❖A timeline that estimates how long each task will

❖ Your research proposal timeline should contain

❖It is crucial to be realistic with the timeframe,

❖It is good to set up a Gantt chart for your

❖The type of resources required depends on the

❖The research proposal should include an

❖Crucial to include all references you have used

❖The function of appendices is to display

❖This may include copies of letters seeking

- failure to provide the proper context to

(i) organising and developing your topic ideas;

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