Components of proposal …..

Summary
• A brief description of the background, main objective,
methods, total cost and the time period of the research
undertaking

• It gives busy people the gist of the report without their

having to read it all; but if attractively written, it may whet
their appetite, and stimulate them to read the whole thing.
• Should reflect:
– Background/ Statement of Problem
– Research objectives
– Methods/Research design
– Duration
2
– Total Budget
• Keep to about 250-300 words (read journal Instruction)
 Introduction
• Can be divided into 3 sections or the concepts of
the 3 sections can be merged together

11/2/2023
• Sections:

• Background

• Statement of the problem

• Justification of the study

3
 Background information
• An introductory statement about the broad concept

• Definitions of crucial concepts related with the

11/2/2023
problem.

• It should provide enough background data for an

outsider

• It can also serve as an explanatory background to what

led the potential researcher to the topic/research 4

problem
Research Problem Statement
Exists when there is perceived discrepancy
between what is and what should be

A question arises about why there is discrepancy

11/2/2023
(the reason is unclear)

At least two possible and plausible answers exist to

the question

5
Uses of Statement of problem….
Allows to clarify the topic selected
Is foundation for further development of research

11/2/2023
proposal
Objectives, methods
Enables to systematically point out why the problem
should be investigated
This is important to highlight for those who need to
support the study
6
 Statement of problem….
• What information should be included?
1. A more detailed description of the nature of the
problem;

11/2/2023
Basic description of the research problem
Its size, distribution, and severity (who is
affected, where, since when, etc.)
The causes or risk factors of the problem
Consequences of the problem
7
Statement of problem….
2. A brief description of any solutions that have
been tried in the past, how well they have

11/2/2023
worked, and why further research is needed.

3. A description of the type of information expected

to result from the project and how this information
will be used to help solve the problem
8
brief description #1

more detailed

11/2/2023
description #2

analysis of the
major factors

Any solution tried

#4

Types of
information
expected #5

1 6
Rational/ Significance of the Study
• Describe briefly why your research is
needed?

11/2/2023
• What untried method in existing research
does your study address?

• What findings of others are you

challenging or extending

• What you hope to achieve with the study

results 10
- Significance
Rational/significant…
What are the ways that the study will add to the scholarly
research/literature in the field?

How does the study improve practice?

How might the study improve policy?

…there are others…the key is to explain why this

“problem” is actually a problem at all.
 Literature review

Definition
– Literature review is an account of what has
been published on a topic by accredited
scholars and researchers

12
 Literature review….
• Aliterature review may consist of simply a summary of
key sources,

11/2/2023
• But in the health sciences, a literature review usually
has an organizational pattern and combines both
summary and synthesis, often within specific
conceptual categories

13
 Literature review….
• Summary is a recap of the important
information of the source

11/2/2023
• Synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that
information in a way that informs how you are planning to
investigate a research problem.

14
 Use of literature review
• It prevents you from duplicating work that has been
done before.

• It increases your knowledge on the problem you want

to study .

• It gives you confidence why your particular research

project is needed.
• To be familiar with different research methods

• It serves as a benchmark for comparing the results with

15

other findings
 Guide for literature review
• Identify key words for literature search
• Search widely using various scientific search
engines

11/2/2023
• Select relevant articles for study by reviewing
the abstracts
• Obtain and read the full text of the relevant
selected articles
• Develop structure for your literature review to
streamline your writing
• Write the literature review
16
Reliable search engines/data bases for your health
research writing

• PubMed
• Ovid
• Web of Science
• Science Direct
• Scopus
• Cochrane Library
• Google Scholar
• Statistics collected at national and/or regional
levels: EDHS, CSA -Housing and Population
census 17
PubMed

18
Ovid

19
Web of Science

20
ScienceDirect

21
Scopus

22
Cochrane Library

23
Google Scholar

24
25
Logging into
HINARI
Password 2
We will need to enter our HINARI User Name and

in the appropriate boxes, then click on the Login button.

Note: If you do not properly sign on, you will not
have access to full text articles.

26
 Common Errors Made in Literature Reviews
• Review isn‟t logically organized

• Review isn‟t focused on most important facets

11/2/2023
of the study

• Review doesn‟t relate literature to the study

• Too few references or outdated references

cited

• Review isn‟t written in author‟s own words

27
• Review doesn‟t argue a point
 Conceptual framework
• A written or visual presentation that:

11/2/2023
– “explains either graphically, or in narrative form, the
main things to be studied – the key factors, concepts
or variables -
– and the presumed relationship among them

– It may be an adaptation of a model used in a previous

study, with modifications to suit the inquiry.
28
Uses of conceptual framework
• Conceptual frameworks provide researchers with:

– The ability to move beyond descriptions of „what‟

to explanations of „why‟ and „how‟.

11/2/2023
– filtering tool for selecting appropriate research
questions and related data collection methods.

– A reference point/structure for the discussion of

the literature, methodology and results.

– The boundaries of the work

29
 Sample conceptual framework 1
Socio-demographic Clinical
characteristics (age, characteristics
sex, marital status, (obesity, comorbid

11/2/2023
occupation, HH conditions,)
income) Uncontrolled
hypertension

Behavioral practices (poor adherence to

medications, salt restriction, physical exercise,
smoking abstinence, alcohol abstinence)
30
sample Conceptual frame work 2

Knowledge and attitude

related: Clinical Related: - - Duration
of diagnosis
- Poor/Good knowledge
- Comorbidities
- Negative/Positive attitude

Information
Siciodemographic:
related:
- Age, Sex
- having
- Education information
- Marital status Life style - Sources of
Income Modification information
Practices
Referencing

32
What is Referencing
• Referencing is a standardised method of

11/2/2023
acknowledging sources of information and

Dr. Getabalew
ideas that you have used in your project.

• Direct quotations, facts and figures, as well

as ideas and theories, from both published
and unpublished works, must be referenced. 33
Referencing…..
• A reference list is a list of sources that you
have quoted from or cited in your text.

11/2/2023
Dr. Getabalew
• A bibliography is a full list of books that were
consulted for a particular document,
regardless of whether quotes or citations
came from those book

34
 Referencing…
• 'Quoting' means including in your document the
actual words or data taken directly from another

11/2/2023
source, without changing it.

Dr. Getabalew
• Quotations are always put inside quotation marks
• 'Citing' means acknowledging ideas or data from other
authors, but not using their exact words. Instead, we
paraphrase or summarise the ideas using our own words.
35
We then include the citation at the end, inside brackets.
 Plagiarism
• This is the term used to describe the use of
another authors work in your own study (either
intentionally or unintentionally) without
acknowledging that it is not your own, or
without giving the other author the credit for it.

36
 Referencing systems
• A number of referencing systems
are there but commonly use today
including:
– Harvard (author, date)
– Vancouver (number)

37
Referencing systems
• A number of referencing systems are in

11/2/2023
common use today including:

Dr. Getabalew
• Harvard - (author, date).

• Vancouver (number) .

38
The Harvard System
• Using the Harvard system, reference to

11/2/2023
sources is made at an appropriate place in

Dr. Getabalew
the text by stating:

• surname(of author(s); -family name

• year of publication;
• E.g (Senn ,2020). 39
 Article

Harvard Style
40
Harvard Style - Book

41
 Harvard Style
• From a report

42
 The reference list

• For the Harvard Referencing System the

reference list should be located at the end of
the essay
• The reference list must be placed before any
appendices and also before the bibliography if
you are required to include one. 43
 Tips on Reference Lists
• The arrangement of the reference list and a
bibliography follow a similar style.
1) All entries must be arranged in alphabetical order using
the lead author's last name.

2) Where the year of publication differs but the author's name

is the same, the texts should be ordered chronologically
giving the earliest year first.

3) References should not be numbered when using the

Harvard Referencing Method. 44
The Numeric System (Vancouver System)

• The numeric system uses numbers in the text

rather than the author's name.

11/2/2023
• Each reference in the text is tagged with a

Dr. Getabalew
number according to the order in which it first
appeared.

• The reference list is arranged in numerical

NOT alphabetical order. 45
 The differences
• The numeric system uses numbers in the
text rather than the author's name.

• Each reference in the text is tagged with a

number according to the order in which it
first appeared [1]

• The reference list is arranged in

numerical NOT alphabetical order. 1 46
Vancouver system
For an article the following information should be
noted:

Author(s)‟ Surname followed by initials. Title of article. Name

of Journal. Year, Volume(number): page numbers of
article.

47
 Vancouver system
For a book the following information should be noted:
Author(s)‟ Surname followed by initials. Title of book. Place:
Publisher, Year, Edition

48
 Vancouver system
For a chapter in a book, the reference can
include:
Author(s) of chapter (Surname(s) followed by initials). Chapter title. In:
Editor(s) of book, (Surname(s) followed by initials) (eds). Title of book.
Place: Publisher, Year: Page numbers of chapter.

49
 Very important
• When citing in the text, put references where they
make the most sense.
• Put each citation close to the information you wish to
acknowledge.
• Decide which references are most important & use
them.
• Use correct format in Literature Cited section.
• Always check and double check the literature cited
50
section for accuracy, completeness, and consistency!!
 Very important!!!!
• Check that every reference you cite in the text is
listed in the literature cited.

• Check that no reference appears in the literature

cited section that is not cited in the text

• Make sure dates in text mach dates in literature

cited

• Check all punctuation marks, abbreviations, 51

spacing, and spelling
 Very important!!!!
• Check the Instructions for Authors
because different journals use different
format in their Literature cited sections.

• Use EndNote

52
EndNote X7

53
 Formulation of Objectives
A research objective summarize what is to be achieved by
the study
Importance of developing objectives
– Focus the study
– Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly
necessary

– Properly formulated specific objectives facilitate the

development of research methodology and help to orient
the collection, analysis, interpretation and utilization of
54
data.
– Helps for evaluating the project
 Types of Objectives

General objective:

– aim of the study in general terms

– Should be inline with the research title

– summarizes what is to be achieved by the study

– should be clearly related to the statement of the

problem.
55
General objective…..
Example:

• To assess the magnitude and associated factors of

uncontrolled hypertension among adult hypertensive
patients on follow-up in selected public hospitals in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2022
Types of Objectives…
Specific objectives
– logically connected parts of the general objective
– measurable statements on the specific questions
to be answered.
– Unlike the general objectives, the specific
objectives are more specific
– focus the study on the essentials outcomes
– direct the design of the investigation
– orient collection, analysis and interpretation of the
data 57
 Specific objectives…
• Example…..
• To assess the magnitude of uncontrolled hypertension
among adult hypertensive patients on follow-up in
selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in
2022
• To identify the associated factors for uncontrolled
hypertension among adult hypertensive patients on
follow-up in selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, in 2022
 What formats can be used for stating
research objectives?

• Research objectives can be stated as:

– Questions: “The objectives of this study are to answer
the following questions …”

– Positive sentence: “the objectives of this study are to

find out, to establish, to determine, ……”

– Hypothesis: “The objective of this study is to verify

59
the following hypothesis...”
 Research Questions vs Hypotheses
• A hypothesis requires sufficient knowledge of
the problem to be able to predict relationships
among factors which then can be explicitly
tested.
• Research questions are formulated when
the investigators do not have enough insight
into the problem being studied.
60
 Criteria for setting research objectives
Specific Objective should be SMART:
• Specific: Be precise about what you are going to
achieve
• Measurable: Quantify the objectives
• Attainable/Appropriate: Do you have the
resources to make the objective happen
• Relevant/Realistic:? Align with the needs of the
target audience
• Time-Specific: State when you will achieve the
objective
61
 Objective….
• How should objectives be stated?
• Objectives should be stated using “action verbs”
that are specific enough to be measured

11/2/2023
• Example:
To determine……., To compare……..
To verify….., To calculate……
To describe….., to assess………etc
Do not use vague non-action verbs
o To appreciate……
o To understand……, to believe……. 62
 11/2/2023
63
Exercise 2
• Write the introduction (background, statement of

11/2/2023
the problem and significant of the study), literature
review and develop objectives for your selected
topic (one page for each).

• Deadline: next week

64