CH-5.

Components of a Complete Proposal

1. Problem identification, research priority setting, research and policy
linkages

What is research priority setting?

Research priority setting aims to maximise the benefits of research investment, providing
valuable direction for the allocation of public and private research funds into areas of
strategic importance.

What is research setting?

The setting of a research study refers to the physical, social, or experimental context in
which the research is conducted. This includes the location, time period, population, and
environmental factors. Most of these details need to be reported in the Methods section and
sometimes in the study abstract too
 2. Proposal preparation, methodology and content, activity listing
The research methodology section of any academic research paper gives you the opportunity
to convince your readers that your research is useful and will contribute to your field of
study. An effective research methodology is grounded in your overall approach – whether
qualitative or quantitative – and adequately describes the methods you used. Justify why you
chose those methods over others, then explain how those methods will provide answers to
your research questions.

PART-1 Describing Your Methods

1.Restate your research problem. Begin your research methodology section by listing the
problems or questions you intend to study. Include your hypotheses, if applicable, or what
you are setting out to prove through your research.
 In your restatement, include any underlying assumptions that you're making
or conditions that you're taking for granted. These assumptions will also
inform the research methods you've chosen.
 Generally, state the variables you'll test and the other conditions you're
controlling or assuming are equal.

2.Establish your overall methodological approach. Your overall approach will be either
qualitative or quantitative. Occasionally, you may also use a mix of both approaches. Briefly
explain why you chose your approach.
 If you want to research and document measurable social trends, or evaluate
the impact of a particular policy on various variables, use a quantitative
approach focused on data collection and statistical analysis.
 If you want to evaluate people's views or understanding of a particular issue,
choose a more qualitative approach.
 You can also combine the two. For example, you might look primarily at a
measurable social trend, but also interview people and get their opinions on
how that trend is affecting their lives.
3.Define how you collected or generated data. This portion of your methodology section
tells your readers when and where you conducted your research, and what basic parameters
were put into place to ensure the relative objectivity of your results.
 For example, if you conducted a survey, you would describe the questions
included in the survey, where and how the survey was conducted (such as in
person, online, over the phone), how many surveys were distributed, and how
long your respondents had to complete the survey.
 Include enough detail that your study can be replicated by others in your
field, even if they may not get the same results you did.

4Provide background for uncommon methods. Particularly in the social sciences, you may
be using methods that aren't typically used, or that don't seem to fit with your research
problem. These methods may require additional explanation.
 Qualitative research methods typically require more detailed explanation than
quantitative methods.
 Basic investigative procedures don't need to be explained in detail. Generally,
you can assume that your readers have a general understanding of common
research methods that social scientists use, such as surveys or focus groups.

5.Cite any sources that contributed to your choice of methodology. If you used anyone
else's work to help you craft or apply your methodology, discuss those works and how they
contributed to your own work, or how your work is building on theirs.
  For example, suppose you conducted a survey and used a couple of other
research papers to help construct the questions on your survey. You would
mention those as contributing sources.

PART-2 . Justifying Your Choice of Methods

1.Explain your selection criteria for data collection. If you're collecting primary data, you
likely set eligibility parameters. State those parameters clearly and let your readers know why
you set those parameters and how they are important to your research.
 Describe study participants specifically, and list any inclusion or exclusion
criteria you used when forming your group of participants.
 Justify the size of your sample, if applicable, and describe how this affects
whether your study can be generalized to larger populations. For example, if
you conducted a survey of 30 percent of the student population of a
university, you could potentially apply those results to the student body as a
whole, but maybe not to students at other universities.

2.Distinguish your research from any weaknesses in your methods. Every research
method has strengths and weaknesses. Briefly discuss the weaknesses or criticisms of the
methods you've chosen, then explain how those are irrelevant or inapplicable to your
particular research.
  Reading other research papers is a good way to identify potential problems
that commonly arise with various methods. State whether you actually
encountered any of these common problems during your research.

3.Describe how you overcame obstacles. Overcoming obstacles in your research can be one
of the most important parts of your methodology. Your problem-solving abilities can enhance
your readers' confidence in the results of your study.
 If you encountered any problems as you collected data, explain clearly the
steps you took to minimize the effect that problem would have on your
results.

4.Evaluate other methods you could have used. Particularly if you're using a method that
seems unusual for your particular subject matter, include a discussion of other methods that
are more typically used for your type of research. Explain why you chose not to use them.
 In some cases, this may be as simple as stating that while there were
numerous studies using one method, there weren't any using your method,
which caused a gap in understanding of the issue.
 For example, there may be multiple papers providing quantitative analysis of
a particular social trend. However, none of these papers looked closely at
how this trend was affecting the lives of people.

PART-3. Connecting Your Methods to Your Research Goals

1.Describe how you analyzed your results. Your analysis generally depends on whether
your approach is qualitative, quantitative, or a mixture of the two. If you're using a
quantitative approach, you may be using statistical analysis. With a qualitative approach,
state what theoretical perspective or philosophy you're using.
 Depending on your research questions, you may be mixing quantitative and
qualitative analysis – just as you could potentially use both approaches. For
example, you might do a statistical analysis, and then interpret those statistics
through a particular theoretical lens.

2.Explain how your analysis suits your research goals. Ultimately, your overall
methodology should be capable of producing answers to your research questions. If it isn't
well-suited, you need to either adjust your methodology or reframe your research question.
 For example, suppose you're researching the effect of college education on
family farms in rural America. While you could do interviews of college-
educated people who grew up on a family farm, that would not give you a
picture of the overall effect. A quantitative approach and statistical analysis
would give you a bigger picture.
3.Identify how your analysis answers your research questions. Relate your methodology
back to your original research questions and present a proposed outcome based on your
analysis. Describe specifically what your findings will reveal about your research questions.
 If in answering your research questions, your findings have raised other
questions that may require further research, state these briefly.
 You can also include here any limitations to your methods, or questions that
weren't answered through your research.

4.Assess whether your findings can be transferred or generalized. You may be able to
transfer your findings to other contexts, or generalize them to broader populations.
Transferability can be difficult in social science research, particularly if you used a qualitative
approach.
 Generalization is more typically used in quantitative research. If you have a
well-designed sample, you can statistically apply your results to the larger
population your sample belongs to.
Thesis proposal writing
Part1-Getting Your Abstract Started

1.Write your paper first. Even though an abstract goes at the beginning of the work, it acts
as a summary of your entire paper. Rather than introducing your topic, it will be an overview
of everything you write about in your paper. Save writing your abstract for last, after you
have already finished your paper.
  A thesis and an abstract are entirely different things. The thesis of a paper
introduces the main idea or question, while the abstract works to review the
entirety of the paper, including the methods and results.
 Even if you think that you know what your paper is going to be about,
always save the abstract for last. You will be able to give a much more
accurate summary if you do just that - summarize what you've already
written.

2.Review and understand any requirements for writing your abstract. The paper you’re
writing probably has specific guidelines and requirements, whether it’s for publication in a
journal, submission in a class, or part of a work project. Before you start writing, refer to the
rubric or guidelines you were presented with to identify important issues to keep in mind.
 Is there a maximum or minimum length?
 Are there style requirements?
 Are you writing for an instructor or a publication?

3.Consider your audience. Abstracts are written to help readers find your work. For
example, in scientific journals, abstracts allow readers to quickly decide whether the research
discussed is relevant to their own interests. Abstracts also help your readers get at your main
argument quickly. Keep the needs of your readers in mind as you write the abstract.
 Will other academics in your field read this abstract?
 Should it be accessible to a lay reader or somebody from another field?
4.Determine the type of abstract you must write. Although all abstracts accomplish
essentially the same goal, there are two primary styles of abstract: descriptive and
informative. You may have been assigned a specific style, but if you weren’t, you will have
to determine which is right for you. Typically, informative abstracts are used for much longer
and technical research while descriptive abstracts are best for shorter papers.
 Descriptive abstracts explain the purpose, goal, and methods of your
research but leave out the results section. These are typically only 100-200
words.
 Informative abstracts are like a condensed version of your paper, giving an
overview of everything in your research including the results. These are
much longer than descriptive abstracts, and can be anywhere from a single
paragraph to a whole page long.
 The basic information included in both styles of abstract is the same, with
the main difference being that the results are only included in an
informative abstract, and an informative abstract is much longer than a
descriptive one.
 A critical abstract is not often used, but it may be required in some courses.
A critical abstract accomplishes the same goals as the other types of
abstract, but will also relate the study or work being discussed to the
writer’s own research. It may critique the research design or methods.

Part-2 Writing Your Abstract

1.Identify your purpose. You're writing about a correlation between lack of lunches in
schools and poor grades. So what? Why does this matter? The reader wants to know why
your research is important, and what the purpose of it is. Start off your descriptive abstract by
considering the following questions:
 Why did you decide to do this study or project?
 How did you conduct your research?
 What did you find?
 Why is this research and your findings important?
 Why should someone read your entire essay?

2.Explain the problem at hand. Abstracts state the “problem” behind your work. Think of
this as the specific issue that your research or project addresses. You can sometimes combine
the problem with your motivation, but it is best to be clear and separate the two.
 What problem is your research trying to better understand or solve?
 What is the scope of your study - a general problem, or something specific?
 What is your main claim or argument?
3.Explain your methods. Motivation - check. Problem - check. Methods? Now is the part
where you give an overview of how you accomplished your study. If you did your own work,
include a description of it here. If you reviewed the work of others, it can be briefly
explained.
 Discuss your own research including the variables and your approach.
 Describe the evidence you have to support your claim
 Give an overview of your most important sources.

4.Describe your results (informative abstract only). This is where you begin to
differentiate your abstract between a descriptive and an informative abstract. In an
informative abstract, you will be asked to provide the results of your study. What is it that
you found?
 What answer did you reach from your research or study?
 Was your hypothesis or argument supported?
 What are the general findings?

5.Give your conclusion. This should finish up your summary and give closure to your
abstract. In it, address the meaning of your findings as well as the importance of your overall
paper. This format of having a conclusion can be used in both descriptive and informative
abstracts, but you will only address the following questions in an informative abstract.
 What are the implications of your work?
 Are your results general or very specific?

Part-3. Formatting Your Abstract

1.Keep it in order. There are specific questions your abstract must provide answers for, but
the answers must be kept in order as well. Ideally, it should mimic the overall format of your
essay, with a general ‘introduction, ‘body,’ and ‘conclusion.’
 Many journals have specific style guides for abstracts. If you’ve been given
a set of rules or guidelines, follow them to the letter.
2.Provide helpful information. Unlike a topic paragraph, which may be intentionally vague,
an abstract should provide a helpful explanation of your paper and your research. Word your
abstract so that the reader knows exactly what you’re talking about, and isn’t left hanging
with ambiguous references or phrases.
 Avoid using direct acronyms or abbreviations in the abstract, as these will
need to be explained in order to make sense to the reader. That uses up
precious writing room, and should generally be avoided.
 If your topic is about something well-known enough, you can reference the
names of people or places that your paper focuses on.
 Don’t include tables, figures, sources, or long quotations in your abstract.
These take up too much room and usually aren’t what your readers want
from an abstract anyway.

3.Write it from scratch. Your abstract is a summary, yes, but it should be written
completely separate from your paper. Don't copy and paste direct quotes from yourself, and
avoid simply paraphrasing your own sentences from elsewhere in your writing. Write your
abstract using completely new vocabulary and phrases to keep it interesting and redundancy-
free.
4.Use key phrases and words. If your abstract is to be published in a journal, you want
people to be able to find it easily. In order to do so, readers will search for certain queries on
online databases in hopes that papers, like yours, will show up. Try to use 5-10 important
words or phrases key to your research in your abstract.
 For example, if you’re writing a paper on the cultural differences in
perceptions of schizophrenia, be sure to use words like “schizophrenia,”
“cross-cultural,” “culture-bound,” “mental illness,” and “societal
acceptance.” These might be search terms people use when looking for a
paper on your subject.

5.Use real information. You want to draw people in with your abstract; it is the hook that
will encourage them to continue reading your paper. However, do not reference ideas or
studies that you don’t include in your paper in order to do this. Citing material that you don’t
use in your work will mislead readers and ultimately lower your viewership.
6.Avoid being too specific. An abstract is a summary, and as such should not refer to
specific points of your research other than possibly names or locations. You should not need
to explain or define any terms in your abstract, a reference is all that is needed. Avoid being
too explicit in your summary and stick to a very broad overview of your work.
 Make sure to avoid jargon. This specialized vocabulary may not be
understood by general readers in your area and can cause confusion.

7.Be sure to do basic revisions. The abstract is a piece of writing that, like any other, should
be revised before being completed. Check it over for grammatical and spelling errors and
make sure it is formatted properly.
8.Get feedback from someone. Having someone else read your abstract is a great way for
you to know whether you’ve summarized your research well. Try to find someone who
doesn’t know everything about your project. Ask him or her to read your abstract and then
tell you what s/he understood from it. This will let you know whether you’ve adequately
communicated your key points in a clear manner.
 Consulting with your professor, a colleague in your field, or a tutor or
writing center consultant can be very helpful. If you have these resources
available to you, use them!
 Asking for assistance can also let you know about any conventions in your
field. For example, it is very common to use the passive voice
(“experiments were performed”) in the sciences. However, in the
humanities active voice is usually preferred.