RESEARCH PROPOSAL – template – example

Research proposal is a very important academic task that demonstrates whether or not to you have skills
and understanding for planning a research of your own. Your proposal should be a maximum of 500
words long (excluding the list of references). There is no specific minimum but generally it should be at
least 1 page or 500 words. You are strongly advised to cover all of the points listed below.

1. Background
Why is this topic interesting? Include references to key items of literature, and make sure that you have
references to the field.

The findings of recent cancer metaphor research have shown that people related to oncological diseases
(patients, caregivers) tend to reflect on cancer by systematically using the source domains of journey and
war (Reisfield & Wilson, 2004; Teucher, 2004; Semino, 2014). Nonetheless, it has been determined that
the same source domain can be differently highlighted by different people. In Lithuania it can be observed
that the main characters emotionally and openly involved into the social narrative of this disease are
mainly women and children. Men are generally not represented in the discourse of this social experience.
There are might be a few reasons for that: social perception based on the stereotype that men are stronger
and not expected to openly talk about their problems or ‘weaknesses’, while women tend to be more
emotionally open and can discuss their illnesses without any fear of social constraint. To fill this gap, this
study aims at identifying and analysing the gendered use of metaphors in the narratives produced by
cancer patients, as related to their emotional state during or caused by cancer therapy. The metaphors in
the produced texts and talk are expected to reveal a person’s general orientation towards the body and self,
illness, life and death.

2. Research questions
What will be the focus of your research? Give details of two or three questions which you want to
answer. Make it clear what the focus of your research is. Your research questions should be: clear,
original, interesting, sensible, focused, and researchable. It is usually best to frame these questions as
interrogatives (i.e. they should have the form of questions, so that they can have answers!)

In order to analyse the narrative structures of cancer patients the following research questions will be
raised:

1) How do men and women (cancer patients) use metaphor to talk about their experiences, attitudes
and expectations as related to cancer?
2) What does the gendered use of metaphor suggest about the experiences and needs of male and
female patients?

3. Data collection
What form of data will be taken or collected? Will you be using tried and tested methods of data
collection or will you have to design new ones? Explain if there are any special ethical considerations
involved. Give an indication of how much data you will need and over what time span it will be collected.

The research data will consist of (1) direct interviews (talk) with male and female cancer patients
undergoing cancer therapy at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of Lithuania. Considering the fact that
there might be both men and women, who are generally more detached and reserved during the interview,
all the participants will be asked to keep (2) a diary (text) during the research time. Thus, the analysis of
collected samples of both direct interviews and diaries will provide with a more accurate reflection of
participants’ emotions as related to body, self, illness, life and death (the content of interview questions
will be decided together with psychologists working at the NCI). The direct interviews will be recorded
and transcribed, while diaries will be computer typed and archived as word documents. The data of at least
100 interviews and 100 diary entries will be collected in the period of two years in collaboration with the
National Cancer Institute.
 4. Methods of analysis
What methods will you use to analyse your data? Explain how you will deal with your data and obtain
the information you want from it.

Linguistic metaphors will be identified by procedurally applying MIPVU (2010). For more systematic
quantitative and qualitative reporting, NVIVO software will be used as a supplementary research tool for
organising the data, as based on gender distinction. The research findings will be shared with both
patients and medical staff, especially the latter group will be informed in detail how their patients
conceptualise cancer and whether their perceptions correspond to medical staff’s communication.

5. Original contribution
Explain how your research will be original and how it will contribute to the development of theory. Also
mention any other original aspects (for example, methodology).

This study will contribute to the gendered use of cancer metaphors, by reconstructing men and women’s
text and talk representations of their emotions related to their body, self, illness, life and death in the
Lithuanian context. It is expected that this kind of research will provide medical practitioners with the
appropriate patient-oriented narrative and their transformative effects on patients’ long-term recovery.

Total 25 points

o Pragmatic competence 10 points

o Linguistic competence 10 points
o Structure and cohesion 5 points
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
FULL NAME________________
FACULTY__________________
Date_____________________

Research proposal is a very important academic task that demonstrates whether or not to you have skills
and understanding for planning a research of your own. Your proposal should be a maximum of 500
words long (excluding the list of references). There is no specific minimum but generally it should be at
least 1 page or up to 500 words. You are strongly advised to cover all of the points listed below.

1. Background
Why is this topic interesting? Include references to key items of literature, and make sure that you have
references to the field.

2. Research questions
What will be the focus of your research? Give details of two or three questions which you want to
answer. Make it clear what the focus of your research is. Your research questions should be: clear,
original, interesting, sensible, focused, and researchable. It is usually best to frame these questions as
interrogatives (i.e. they should have the form of questions, so that they can have answers!)

3. Data collection
What form of data will be taken or collected? Will you be using tried and tested methods of data
collection or will you have to design new ones? Explain if there are any special ethical considerations
involved. Give an indication of how much data you will need and over what time span it will be collected.
 4. Methods of analysis
What methods will you use to analyse your data? Explain how you will deal with your data and obtain
the information you want from it.

5. Original contribution
Explain how your research will be original and how it will contribute to the development of theory. Also
mention any other original aspects (for example, methodology).

Total 25 points

o Pragmatic competence 10 points

o Linguistic competence 10 points
o Structure and cohesion 5 points