ETHIOPIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

School of Graduate Studies

Guide to Research/ Project Proposal Writing

October, 2016

Addis Ababa

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1. Introduction

Writing project/research proposal is an important step in project/research work immediately

following problem identification. Research/project proposal is the most important document
that must be submitted as part of the application process. For a project/ research to be done the
first activity is preparing a proposal. The proposal is a primary work of the research that
indicates the direction to carry out the research project development. It facilitates the project
work and provides a foundation for the evaluation of the project in the proceeding of it.
Various components (elements) included in the proposal writing. Thus, this guide contains the
proposal writing elements for post graduate students of TVET institute.

1.1 Rational

The overall objective of the National TVET Strategy is to create a competent, motivated,
adaptable and innovative workforce in Ethiopia contributing to poverty reduction and social
and economic development through facilitating demand-driven, high quality technical and
vocational education and training, relevant to all sectors of the economy, at all levels and to
all people.

In view of that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institute runs post
graduate programs in different fields (specializations), in which the aim is to produce TVET
teachers, leaders and industry professionals at a higher professional level. Any graduate
student at any higher institutes/universities is expected to develop/write a senior research or
project report related to his specialization. To do so, well organized, standardized project
report writing is a vital. To carry out this task, a guide which is standard for TVETI and (is)
equivalent to other higher institutes/universities is an important element .Thus, the school of
graduate studies has developed this guide to help graduate students to write the
research/project proposal /report in a well organized manner following the standard
formatting procedure of the TVETI.

Project work as being one of the graduation requirements, the graduate students must be able
to organize themselves and should be ready to analyse, think critically, do project/research
work, make technical drawing and develop prototype that ensure capacity enhancement in line
with quality and productivity increment. Hence, this project proposal writing guideline is

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prepared to enable the graduate students to think and develop technology research /project
that should be initiated from demand of the development program and priority sectors, aiming
at fostering value chain competitiveness of product/service as well as focusing on filling the
available technological gap in their research/project in the appropriate format.. Following the
format is mandatory while submitting the proposal.

1.3. Overview of Project / Research Proposal

A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of the proposed research. It sets out
the central issues or questions, which are intend to address. A research /project proposal is a
an outline of the proposed research/ project that is designed for further research .It outlines the
general area of study within which research falls, referring to the current state of knowledge,
skill and any recent debates on the topic. It also indicates the priority and significance of the
research to the country in bringing up economic growth It also demonstrates the originality of
the proposed project/research.

A research/project proposal is intended to convince others that the researcher student has a
valuable research /project idea with the competence and the work-plan to complete it. It
provides the researcher with an opportunity of demonstrating the competence for performing
the project/ research for the graduate level and communicating the complex ideas clearly,
concisely and critically. Generally, a project/ research proposal should contain all the key
elements involved in the research process to deliver sufficient information for the readers to
evaluate the proposed study. It helps to match the research interest with an appropriate
supervisor

Regardless of a particular project/research area and the methodology chosen, all research
proposals must address the following questions: What does the researcher project developer
plan to accomplish? Why does the researcher project developer want to do it? And how he/is
going to do it?

The proposal should have sufficient information to convince the reviewer in that the
researcher project developer has an important research/ project idea, a good conception of the
relevant literature and the major issues, as well as appropriately selected sound methodology.

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1.4 Purpose of the Project Proposal

The quality of research proposal depends not only on the quality of the proposed project, but
also on the quality of proposal writing. A good research/ project may run the risk of rejection
if the proposal is poorly written. Therefore, writing it in coherent, clear and convincing way
pays much. The research/project proposal enables the researcher to conceptualize and prepare
a research/project by informing the process, structure and a timetable to develop

In general, the project/research proposal would ensure the following purpose in that
researcher has:

 done sufficient preliminary reading, observation/research in the area of interest

 thought about the issues involved and is able to provide more than a broad description
of the topic which is planned to research/develop
 identified a scientific and technological problem
 had theoretical and practical background and a methodical approach to solve the
problem within accurate time frame and at reasonable expenses;

 engaged in genuine enquiry, adapting/copying new technology, reengineering,

modifying and innovating, finding out about something useful in a particular context.

1.5. Criteria required in developing Project/Research

In the first place the project should focus on relevancy, usability, workmanship, functionality,
effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and scientific thought.

i. Relevancy of the project/research involves an issue of fulfilling an important

function from the development perspectives focusing on priority areas. It also
concerns /relies on its validity whether the design is basically suited to achieve the
objectives associated with project/research taking the strategic requirements of TVETI
into consideration.
ii. Usability is the creation of an opportunity for business man or the community in that
it has meaning full value and is marketable.

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 iii. Workmanship is concerned with the quality of the project/research that could be
reflected in following all the techniques and procedures in adherence to the standard of
the industrial or real workplace.
iv. Functionality means that the project research result can work without problem and
will serve its purpose needed by customers and market.
v. Effectiveness of the project is concerned with its usability in assessing whether it can
achieve its purpose by giving an opportunity of setting out quantifiable levels of
production or supply. It is expected to show major factors influencing the
project/research both negatively and positively.
vi. Efficiency is concerned in assessing the cost-effectiveness of the project, service life,
ease of operation, etc. compared to the value it has. Moreover it involves taking into
account other methods, which is cost effective that can achieve similar result.
vii. Sustainability involves how much the researcher/project developer check the
continuity of the result in his/her workplace, in industry, micro enterprise, in the
community where the result is required after completing the graduate studies.
viii. A scientific thought involves the correctness of all the activities and procedure that
are planned d to be followed. It concerns from clear objectives relevancy to the value
chain in the concerned sector, workability, clear procedure usability of the result,
standardized as of the project/research area to its capacity of bringing up significant
improvement over other or exiting alternatives.

Secondly the proposal is also expected to interpret, inter-relate, and connect the present
project work with previous one in the direction of filling the existing technological and
knowledge gap as well as to come up with new ideas and alternatives. In brief the project
proposal is expected to

i. link the proposed work with the work of others, while proving the researcher is
acquainted with major schools of thought relevant to the topic;
ii. establish a particular theoretical orientation;
iii. establish methodological approach;
iv. show that the researcher/project developer has thought about the ethical issues;

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 v. technology projects/researches must incorporate value chain analysis of the chosen
project/ research.

2. Structural Elements of Project Proposal Writing

The layout, length and the outline of the proposal document should not necessarily be rigid.
The decision or the application mainly depends on the type of project and methodology of the
researcher and the interest of the project funding agency. Hence, it may vary according to the
performance of each researcher/project developer. However, as practice witnesses ,the project
/research proposal structure consists of the following : cover
page ,acknowledgement(optional) ,acronyms and abbreviations ,table of contents ,list of
tables (if any) list of figures (if any) executives summery (optional) ,introduction ,literature
review, methodology ,plan of activities, budget plan , appendix and approval sheet .

2.1 Cover Page

The cover page needs to be informative and consisting of the following elements listed here
under:

i. Name of the institute

ii. Name of the department
iii. Title of the project. If the project selected is a case study it should be inserted
in bracket/parenthesis
iv. Name and personal information of the researcher
v. Advisor
vi. Co-advisor( if any)
vii. Address of the institute and academic year, when the project proposal is
submitted.

Title of the project /research: Title of the project/research or dissertation proposal should be
clear, specific and concise as well as descriptive. It should make the central objective and
variables of the project clear to the reader (reviewer). Here are examples: 1.Production of
Block Crusher for Recycling of Defected Blocks 2, Optimization of 40 mm Diameter Truck
Shaft Manufacturing Process Parameters .Indeed, the title is tentative for intended research at

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the proposal level. It may be revised during the course of the research process, even after it
has been accepted. Often title is stated in terms of a functional relationship, because such title
clearly indicates the independent and dependent variables, the expected outcomes and
possible objectives. It needs to be informative and attractive to the readers to go through the
whole topic. Title should be placed on the cover page and the next page.

2.2. Acknowledgment

The acknowledgement is section where the researcher extends his grants and credit for the
individual and organization that have made significant contribution to the project /research.
The length depends up on the individual but not exceeding 1 page. This is the interest of the
researcher to acknowledge what he wants to acknowledge. However the proper placement is
before the abstract

2.3. Abbreviation

It lists, in alphabetical order the, items first written in the abbreviation or acronyms followed
by the full name. Standard International (SI) units of measurement should be used in the
proposal in the narratives, each abbreviation other than SI units and each acronym should be
defined in full when it is first used and then followed by its abbreviation or acronym in the
parenthesis. Standards units and internationally known abbreviations do not need to be listed.

2.4. Abstract:

It is a brief informative summary of the project/research with not more than 300 words. It
should include the research question, the rationale for the research, the general objective, the
hypothesis (if any), the methods and materials, the possible main findings and purpose.
Descriptions of the method may include the design, procedures, the sample and any
instruments that will be used.

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Model cover page

ETHIOPIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

School of Graduate Studies

Faculty of Electrical/Electronics Technology and Information and

Communication Technology
Department of Electrical and Electronic Technology

Manufacturing of Block Crusher for Recycling of the Block

(Case at Akaki basic metals industry)

MSc Thesis Proposal for the Partial Fulfillment of

Master of Science in Electrical Automation and Control Technology Management
By.
Begizew Cherent (MTR/XX/YYY)
Model cover page
Advisor,
Technical and Vocational Education
Desyalew Ameshe and Training Institute
(rank)
School of Graduate Studies
Co-Advisor.
Belete Desibelew (rank)

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2.5. Table of Contents

All of the headings and entries in the table of contents should correspond exactly in wording,
font and case with headings or entries as they appear in the text of the proposal. Contents of
the proposal have to be written properly and topics and sub topics should be numbered and
aligned with the corresponding page numbers. It worth mentioning that the page numbers for
acknowledgement, abstracts, abbreviation, tables and figures, references and appendixes have
to be given in roman numbers. Using the built-in style of Microsoft word or other word
processing is also possible for the preparation of table of contents.

2.6 List of Tables (if any)

Illustrating sample of tables that indicate how it would be prepared in the project/research is
possible if any. However list of tables is rarely happen at proposal stage.

2.7. List of Figures

The list of figures also seldom appears in the project /research proposal. If happen to be
included in the list it should be considered that it shows how the list of figures for the project
proposal shall be presented.

2.2 Typing and Length Consideration

i) The proposal must be typed on A4 size paper with Times New Roman
ii) The margin of the paper must be 1.2” on the left hand for ease of binding and minimum
margin 1" inch on the right as well as 1" both on the top and bottom of the page.
iii) The type must be 1.5 spaced for print in high quality
iv) The title of the preliminary and the chapters of the narratives should be written in bold and
upper case letters and be centered.
v) Pages should be numbered consecutively by putting the page number at the center of the
lower margin.
vi) The main topic /title of the chapters should be written in 14 font size with bold faced at
double spacing at the center of the margin. Other subtitle also needs to be written in bold
faced with 12 font size by keeping it 1.5 spacing from the title and the rest of the text.

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 vii) Length of the proposal should be around 4000 words (almost around 20 pages).

3. Introduction

The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the necessary background or context for
the designed project/research problem. The introduction typically begins with a general
statement of the problem area, with a focus on a specific project/research problem
concentrated on technological, material, quality, cost(economic aspect),service life and other
related concerns to be followed by the rational or justification for the proposed
research/project.

In the first place, introduction generally involves clarifying statement of the problem of its
nature symptoms, and the extent of the problem and variables influencing it, thus leading to a
clear set of objectives. Secondly it includes project objectives that specify the goals of the
research, research information to be gathered, question to be answered or the research
hypothesis to be developed.

For further clarification and justification, introduction in one or other way cover the following
in that :

 states the project/ research problem, which is often referred to as the purpose of the
study and state the hypothesis or theory( if any) together with the significance of the
research/ project and beneficiaries
 briefly describes the major issues and sub-problems to be addressed by the
project/research;

 provides the context and sets the stage for project research question in such a way as to
show its necessity and importance;

 presents the rationale of the proposed project/ research and clearly indicate why it is
worth doing;

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  sets both general and specific objectives as well as the delimitation/scope of the
proposed project/research in order to provide a clear focus

 identifies the key independent and dependent variables of the experiment;

 develops value chain analysis

 states possible limitations of the research/ project.

The introduction should also show the entire work inside the paper and should stress also on
the economic, environmental, and technology transfer contexts of the project/ research. The
publications used should be cited in appropriate way per the standard formatting system given
here.

Setting the project/research problem is perhaps the biggest problem in proposal writing. If the
project/ research problem is ill-tuned or consists of irrelevant literature review, then the
research question may appear insignificant worthless. So, formulating much focused question
according to the in line with the current project/research area, it will be significantly evident.
Structuring or setting out a project /research problem basically depends on the individual
researcher’s creativity, critical thinking and competency of understating the issues in depth.

Project /research question should be rested on:

 assessing the context of either a current or "hot" area, or an older area that remains
viable
 the provision of a brief but appropriate historical backdrop when possible;
 providing the contemporary context in which the proposed project/research question
occupies the central stage;
 considering the context of design, quality of the project, function of value chain
analysis, cost effectiveness and service life of the prototype or real product developed
in project /research;
 Identifying “key players" and referring to the most relevant and representative
publications. In short, painting the project/ research question in broad brushes and at
the same time bring out its significance is important.

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4. Literature Review:

Some literature information can be included in the introduction part relevant to the direction
of the research. Research/ project proposal substantiated by literature review provides the
functions in that it

 ensures that the researcher is in the proper track

 gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for the designed research project
knowledge of the research project problem
 demonstrates researcher’s understanding of the theoretical and research project issues
related to the research question
 indicates the researcher’s ability in critically evaluating relevant literature information
to integrate and synthesize the existing literature
 provides new theoretical and practical insights or develops a new model as the
conceptual framework for the designed research
 convinces readers that the proposed research project will make a significant and
substantial contribution to the literature (i.e., resolving an important theoretical and
experimental issue or filling a major gap related to the designed project in the
literature)
 helps to reevaluate the proposed research project and redesign the objectives, methods
and problem solving methodologies.

Literature review should be well organized, cited, structured and unified in a coherent
manner. It also should contain recent developments and show critically evaluated cited paper.
In citing the literature using[x] system formatting is essential, where x- represents serial
number of the selected reference. It is possible to put the source at the middle, at the end of
the sentence while citing. Literatures information must be paraphrased ideas. If more than one
literature is cited, it is possible to place the citation number as [x, y, z et al.].Putting the
citation number at the end of the sentence after full top is not a proper way.

Example: Manufacturing technology project/ researches [1] developed previously enhanced

the strength of this profession and helped paving the way for industrial advancement [1,

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2].Therefore as it has underlined in the works of [1,2],it is the main economic sector of the
country..

Note that citation numbers should be placed according to the order, i.e. from the small to the
greater number. Figures, tables, mathematical models and technology and material standards
should be incorporated in the literature review parts. It is advisable to use journals articles,
patents, and scientific conference papers of recent publications.

At the end of the literature review short summary of the research project and main findings
should be drawn.

5. Methods

The method section is very important because it tells to the readers and beneficiaries of the
project /researches how it was planned to tackle the research /project problem. It will provide
work plan and describe the activities necessary for the completion of the project.

The guiding principle for writing the method section is that it should contain sufficient
information for the reader to determine whether methodology is sound. The part helps the
researcher to demonstrate knowledge and skill of alternative methods and make the case that
the approach is the most appropriate and most valid way to address the research question.

The method section needs to be more elaborative than what is required for traditional research
project. The project/research may be quantitative and qualitative .In technology projects
applied research, supporting it with experiment and quantitative analysis is advisable.

For quantitative project/researches, the method section typically consists of the following
sections:

1. Design -Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment? What kind of design is

chosen?
2. What type of materials will be used? Why?
3. How materials will be selected?

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 4. Subjects or participants: Who is going to participate in the research? Where will the
research or project work will be conducted?
5. What kind of sampling procedure will be used? And what amount, size, characteristics
of samples will be selected?
6. Instruments - What kind of devices, equipment machines, instruments or
questionnaires will be used? Why these are chosen? Are they valid and reliable?
7. Procedure - How is the plan to carry out research or project work? What activities are
involved? How long does it take?
8. What amount of budget will be required for the project to be accomplished?

The method may be supported with relevant literature information. Figures, tables,
mathematical models can be included as required.

6. Formatting Figures Tables, and Equations

Figures that represent any physical phenomena or object should be placed at the center of the
paper. It should be numbered in a sequential manner .Under any figure ,the caption should be
written as Fig. z., where z represents number given to the particular figure. Between the figure
and the text there must be a 1.5 point space gap both at the top and at the bottom of figures.
This condition works for tables and equations too.

Example: The stress – strain relationship is displayed in Fig.1.

Fig.1. Stress-Strain Relationship

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 Tables are placed at the center. The caption should be written at the top part of the
table with its sequential number.

Example table 1 gives the properties of the plain matrix and fibers.

Table 1. Properties of T300 carbon fibers and 914 epoxy resin

Equations or mathematical models are presented by numbering each equation enclosing the
number in brackets and the equation should be centered.

Example: The velocity, v, of a compression pulse travelling through a solid is given by:

(1)

7. Data and Experimental Analysis

Obviously there is no any analysis at the proposal stage. But there may be some idea about
what kind of data will be collected and what statistical and technological procedures will be
used in order to achieve the designed goal of the research/project. Thus showing some
possible directions towards data collection and analysis, which will lead to the expected
result, is vital.

Discussion: It is important to convince the users of the research/project on the potential

impact of the proposed project /research. It is also needed to communicate a sense of
enthusiasm and confidence without exaggerating the merits of the proposal. That is why it is
required to mention the limitations and weaknesses of the proposed project research, which
may be justified by time and financial constraints as well as by the early developmental stage
of the project/research area. Hence the proposal should consider this idea as well.

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8. Work Plan and Budget

The work plan is a tentative time table that gives information about the estimated time table
in table from, indicating the sequence of research phases and the time that will be probably
needed for each phase. It is required to take into account that at this stage, it can only be
estimated, but make clear that the researcher has an idea about the time span that will be
needed for each step. Time required should be estimated for each part of work based on the
volume and complexity of the work.

To accomplish the work, an estimated budget for purchasing materials, stationary items, and
for machinery service payment, communication and transportation expenses has to be
planned. The estimated budget must stress on the requirements for each division of work.

9. References

Here the researcher/ project developer should list those academic works which have
mentioned in the research outline as well as a number of other important works to which the
researcher will refer during the research period. Formatting of the references should follow
the sequence as author /authors name, title of the work, edition and volume (if books),
volume (if scientific articles), Patent number if patent, publisher, place of publisher, year of
publishing, page number (p for books),pp. for journals and patents. Webs may be used as a
source also. If the number of authors exceeding to 3 then only two authors are written and
then et al. will follow. Authors name should be in bold.

Example of reference formatting

1. H. R. Rao, A. V. Rajulu, etal., “Flexural and Compressive Properties of Bamboo and

Glass Fiber-reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composites”, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and
Composites, 2010, pp, 1446-1450.
2. William D. Callister and David G. Rethwisch, “Materials Science and Engineering, An
Introduction” Eighth edition, 2009, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. p. 1000.
3.www.akzonobel-polymerchemicals.com

10. Attachments (appendixes)

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Possible to give a list of other documents related to the topic area attached to the proposal if
any.

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