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Writing a Research Proposal

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 Chapter 21

Writing a research proposal

Chapter summary

This chapter covers the following topics:

●● The importance of a research proposal

●● Structuring a research proposal
●● The relationship between a research proposal and the higher degree thesis

1. Introduction
After you have completed a postgraduate coursework degree you may be wondering:
‘What’s Next?’ You may be inspired by your postgraduate studies enough to think
about a graduate-level research degree. If so, the next step is to undertake a research
proposal and to consider a doctoral degree or PhD. The next two chapters provide
some suggestions for students considering these options. A bonus chapter available
online looks at post-degree considerations for developing a marketable online profile.

2. What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is a short document (usually 3 to 20 pages) written to inform
others of a proposed piece of research, usually a masters or doctorate by research
thesis, but it can be work for a corporate purpose. University students usually write
research proposals for academics who may eventually supervise the work based, in
part, on the strength of the proposal.
A research proposal can be rejected as ‘unsuitable’ or ‘poorly designed’, and a
piece of research can be rejected on the basis of the proposal – so the proposal is
obviously a very important document. It is worthwhile spending some time getting
it exactly right. This will also save you time in the long run. A well-designed proposal
forms the structural outline of the thesis, or major project, to follow. Ideally, the
proposal can be mapped onto various parts of the final document (see Section 10
below), so time spent on it is not wasted effort.

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 362 Study Skills for International Postgraduates

3. What things are included in a research proposal?

The following things must be included in any proposal:

●● Introduction or background to the research problem or issue (including the gap in

the current research – the latter is most important);
●● A research question and – if possible – a thesis statement answering the ques-
tion (even if the latter is only tentative, and changes as your research develops);
●● Justification for the proposed research, i.e. why the research is being done and
why it is needed;
●● Preliminary literature review (covering what others have already done in the area);
●● Theoretical framework used in the proposed research;
●● Contribution of the research to the general area of scholarship;
●● Proposed research methodology to be used;
●● Research plan and outline;
●● Timetable of proposed research;
●● List of references used in preparing the proposal.

The following things may also be included in the proposal:

●● Limitations of the research (what the research is not intended to do – i.e. the scope
of the research);
●● Resources to be used in the research (e.g. equipment);
●● How the research will be evaluated or tested;
●● Where and how the results of the research will be disseminated or distributed;
●● The background of the researcher and their suitability for the task.

In this chapter we will go through the main sections only.

1. The introduction
This should be as brief as possible (a paragraph or two). Make this part of the
proposal clear and crisp. Get to the main focus of your research quickly. You need to
give a sense of the general field of research of which your area is a part. This needs
to narrow down to the specific area you are concerned with, and this should lead
logically to the gap in the research that you will fill. When the gap is identified, then a
research question can naturally be raised. The answer to this question is called the
thesis statement. (See the Conversation Metaphor for Research in Chapter 15,
Writing a Literature Review.)
Note that the thesis statement may only be tentative at this stage as the research
has not yet been carried out. It is not expected in a proposal that you have an answer
to your research question. This is what the thesis provides. It helps if you have a

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 Writing a Research Proposal 363

tentative answer, however, as this can give an early potentially promising direction
to one’s research. A hypothesis is useful for this purpose, though this might only be
necessary for more empirical subjects (economics or physics, for example). (See
Chapter 8, The Research Process.)
Further points to note:

●● You should briefly outline any controversies that are in the literature without giving
full details (as these are covered in the literature review section).
●● You should use simple and jargon-free language as your supervisor may not be
aware of all the language in your area of focus.
●● The Introduction must progressively narrow down – not get wider. You must
demonstrate how you have command of the issues in the area and that you are
focussing on a particular, narrowly defined issue (proposals that are too wide
may be rejected as being too vague, ambitious, and / or unachievable in the time
available).
●● The introduction generally forms (roughly) Sections 1.1 to 1.3 of the final docu-
ment. (See diagram in Section 10, below.)

2. The research question

This forms Section 1.4 of the final document. This can be in a separate section or
included at the end of the literature review. Note that the research question may not
necessarily be a ‘question’ as such but can be a statement of a problem to be
investigated. A contrived example is provided below. Note the move from general
area, to specific focus area, to the gap in the research (the first italicized passage)
and then to the proposed thesis statement (the second italicized passage):

According to business marketing theory, businesses are more likely to succeed

if they utilize marketing management approaches or techniques. For example,
the marketing concept, a cornerstone of business marketing thought, stresses
the importance of determining the needs and wants of consumers and deliv-
ering the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than competitors
(Kotler, 1986). Philosophies from marketing management have recently been
applied to almost every industry from insurance to travel and hospital services,
but not often to farming. Concerns have been raised about the distinction
which appears to exist between agricultural and business marketing theory
(Bartels, 1983; Bateman, 1976; Muelenberg, 1986). In this research proposal
the role of marketing management in agricultural marketing theory and prac-
tice is described. It is argued that the marketing strategies of farmers are not
adequately described by either the business or agricultural marketing disci-
plines, and a methodology for analyzing the farm business marketing strategy
process is outlined (adapted from McLeay & Zwart, 1993).

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 364 Study Skills for International Postgraduates

●● The general area is business marketing theory.

●● The specific research area is marketing management concepts (especially the
difference between agricultural and business marketing theory).
●● The ‘gap’ is the application of these concepts to the farming sector.
●● The research question is whether the distinction between agricultural and busi-
ness marketing theory is justified in the case of the farming sector (Section 1.4 of
the final document).
●● The thesis statement is that neither agricultural marketing nor business market-
ing concepts are appropriate in the farming sector and that a new methodology
is needed (this is what the research will provide). (This comprises Section 1.5 of
the final document.)

Note that the research question in this case is really a statement of what needs to be
investigated. This is a perfectly acceptable way of putting this part of the introduction.
However, depending on one’s discipline area, it could also be phrased in the form of
a question or formal hypothesis.

3. Justification for the proposed research

One page is usually sufficient for this. Sekaran suggests that writers need to tell the
reader that the research can be justified along four main criteria:

●● The size of the industry / area / context involved

●● The gaps in the literature that demand attention
●● The unusual or improved methodology being used
●● The benefits in terms of policy and practice.
(Sekaran, 2016)

Other kinds of justification are possible, of course. The example above could clearly
be justified along all criteria. Generally speaking, while a gap in the literature is
sufficient to justify an academic research project, it is better to have a number of
justification criteria. This points to a solid need for the research beyond the confines
of academic scholarship.
Another way in which research can be justified is by means of outlining a unique
connection between the conceptual framework chosen, the theoretical framework
of the research, and the theory chosen. For an explanation of the differences between
these terms, see the diagram below. In general, inductive research (the up arrow) will
use observed data, i.e. different ways of seeing the world in subjective terms, to arrive
at speculative theoretical assumptions which will guide development of a theoretical
grounding for the thesis from which, in turn, a conceptual understanding is arrived at.
Deductive research (the down arrow) will use an established objective conceptual
framework of some kind to guide a theoretical framework, from which reasonable
assumptions are developed to explain observed phenomena by means of hypothe-
sis testing (the hypothetico-deductive method). This, in turn, informs development of

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 Writing a Research Proposal 365

a theory which is then confirmed or falsified by experimental data. (See Chapter 8 for
more on research skills).

Conceptual Framework
Researcher-constructed, logically-developed
argument justifying the need for the research study. It shapes
the study design and guides its development. It answers
questions of 'Why is this research important?' and 'How

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(Varpio et al., 2020)

4. Preliminary literature review

This is where you provide more detail on what others have done in the area, and
what you propose to do. You will need to write at least 2 to 5 pages, possibly more,
depending on your discipline area. You need to cover the following:

●● The major issues or schools of thought in the area

●● The gap(s) in the literature (in more detail than that provided in the introduction;
recall the distinction between the hook literature and literature review proper in
Chapter 15). (NB: It’s better to have one clear well-focussed gap, than too many
gaps – too many can lose the focus on the need for the research.)
●● Research questions (for qualitative research) and hypotheses (for quantitative
research) which are connected carefully to the literature being reviewed.
●● Definitions of key terms (when you introduce each idea, or in a definition
sub-section).
●● Questions arising from the gaps that can be the focus of data collection or analysis.

This section eventually becomes Chapter 2 of the final thesis (see table in Section 10).
It is a good idea to read a completed thesis in a similar area to your own to get a feel
for what is required. (See also Chapter 15, Writing a literature review.) While there
are clear commonalities in literature reviews, there may also be discipline-specific
variations in terms of style and structure.

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 366 Study Skills for International Postgraduates

5. Theoretical framework
The theoretical framework is usually incorporated as part of the Literature Review
section in the completed thesis but in the research proposal it forms a separate section
distinct from the literature review (i.e. Section 3 of the table later in this chapter).
Its separation in the proposal is mainly for emphasis. The job of the proposal is to
convince assessors that there is sufficient theoretical grounding to the proposal. As
part of a PhD, the expanded literature review does this job. The theoretical framework
section describes the model that you are using in the thesis to demonstrate the
veracity of your argument. (See Sekaran, 1992, Chapter 3 for a useful account of
theoretical frameworks).

6. Contribution of the research

This forms Section 5 of the research proposal. In this section, you outline how your
research will make a change to an area of study. This is different from the justification
of your research. The justification explains why the research should be done, i.e.
why it is needed. The contribution section explains how what you will do will lead to
certain outcomes in terms of an improved understanding of a certain research area.
You need to outline:

●● The importance of the research outcome(s);

●● The practical or theoretical nature of the outcome(s).

The outcome could be the extension of a theoretical model to a new area; it could
be testing a theory in a new area of biological science, for example, or it could be
something practical like the development of a checklist for managers. It could also be
a philosophical contribution in terms of overturning or altering previous assumptions
about a given issue. This becomes Section 1.6 of the final thesis. The limitations of
research section, if you have one, can go after this section. This is where you outline,
in an honest and impartial way, how your research design could have been improved.
This will become Section 1.7 of the final thesis (see the table later in this chapter). Of
course, a limitations section is only pertinent to the final thesis after the research has
been completed, not to the proposal which is preparatory to commencing the thesis.

7. Proposed research methodology

This section should be about 1 to 2 pages. It forms Chapter 3 in the final thesis
and Section 4 of the research proposal. Here you do not have to describe the
methodology used in great detail (this will be done in the final thesis) but you should
cover it in enough detail to justify its use over other similar methodologies. For
example, you could explain:

●● Why you are using a certain paradigm or theory;

●● Why you are using qualitative or quantitative research;
●● Why you are using a case study of a specific kind;

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 Writing a Research Proposal 367

●● Why you are using surveys, correlational experiments, field studies, specific statis-
tical measurements, etc.;
●● Why you are using certain dependent, independent or moderating variables (see
Chapter 8, The research process);
●● Why you have chosen a sampling frame and the size of the sample;
●● How you are proposing to have access to the data;
●● How you are proposing to analyse the data.

You also need to provide operational (i.e. testable – or at least well-supported in the
literature) definitions of key terms and constructs used such as ‘firm size’, ‘business
marketing theory’ and other similar words or phrases (Sekaran, 2016).

8. Research plan / outline and project timetable

The research plan can be discussed in conjunction with a research project timetable.
However, note that they have a different function.
The research plan eventually becomes the thesis outline. This simply lists what
will be covered in each chapter or section of the proposed document. This helps you
as well as the reader:

●● It gives you a framework for on the direction your proposed document.

●● It shows the reader that the project is well organized and achievable in the time
available.

This becomes Section 1.7 of the final thesis and can be paired with a discussion of
research limitations.
The project timetable should indicate the weighting of each part of the proposed
document (in percentage terms), the topics covered, approximate word limit and –
importantly – the approximate length of time it will take to complete them. You might
consider providing a table for convenience.

Chapter Topic % Words Months

1 Introduction 5 3,500 3

2 Literature 30 21,000 6
Review

3 Methodology 20 14,000 4

4 Data Analysis 25 17,500 5

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 368 Study Skills for International Postgraduates

5 Conclusions 20 14,000 6
and
Implications

TOTAL 100 70,000 24

(Phillips & Pugh, 1994)

Note that:

●● The timetable is approximate only and things always take longer than you think.
●● Allow extra time at the start and finish of the project.
●● The timetable does not commit you to anything (though obviously it helps if you
can follow it).
●● The timetable is mainly designed for your examiners as they need to be clear
whether your project is realistic. However, it is also useful for you as it forms part of
your strategic planning (see Chapter 4).

9. List of references
This must be provided in the usual scholarly fashion using an acceptable citation
system for your discipline area. It helps to convince your reader that your proposal
is worth pursuing if you can identify literature in the field and demonstrate in the
proposal that you understand it. It makes a very strong impact if you can identify
where there is a research gap in the literature (that your proposal hopes to fill). This is
your contribution to the scholarly ‘conversation’. In-text references should be provided
for all sections of the proposal with the exception of the research plan and timetable.

10. Relationship between the proposal and final project

Note finally that while the proposal can be largely mapped onto the final document
(see below), much work needs to be done. The proposal merely provides a ‘shell’.
The research thesis, the final document, fills in the details. Parts of the proposal
are not required in a final document (for example, resources needed, and research
timetable), and similarly parts of the final thesis are not expected in the proposal
(e.g. Limitations). Of course, the final thesis will expand considerably on most of the
key content sections, usually at chapter length. The order and arrangement of each
document is slightly different too as the diagram shows (*if following a standard
AIMRaD thesis format).

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 Writing a Research Proposal 369

Proposal Thesis / Final Project*

1. Introduction 1. Introduction
1.1 General area 1.1 General area
1.2 Specific topic 1.2 Specific topic
1.3 Gap 1.3 Gap
1.4 Research Question 1.4 Research Question
1.5 Thesis Statement 1.5 Thesis Statement
2. Literature Review 1.6 Contribution
3. Theoretical Framework 1.7 Thesis outline / Limitations of research
4. Methodology 2. Literature Review
5. Contribution 3. Methodology
6. Research Plan and Timetable 4. Data Analysis
7. References 5. Conclusions and Implications
6. References
7. Appendices (if any)

NB: Variations in the above are possible

4. Summary
Research proposals usually form the first stage of the process of beginning a higher
degree by research. However, they can also be requested by lecturers from students
who are writing large theses for master’s level work, or sometimes in corporate
contexts. The skills required in doing a research proposal are valuable also for
outside the university in the corporate world. A research proposal is similar to what
is sometimes called a scoping brief in industry. It outlines the aims and plans for
an intended piece of work before the researcher begins the work itself. This enables
others to pass judgement on the likely benefits of the research. It is also useful for the
researcher to get feedback on the proposed research before they begin. This saves
time and misdirected scholarly effort.

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