PROJECT PROPOSAL

What is a research proposal?

Is a detailed description of a series of activities
aimed at solving a certain problem.
Good proposals quickly and easily answer the
following questions:
What do you want to do, how much will it cost, and how
much time will it take?
How does the proposed project relate to the sponsor's
interests?
What difference will the project make to: your institution,
your students, your discipline, the state, the nation, the
world, or whatever the appropriate categories are?
What has already been done in the area of your project?
How do you plan to do it?
How will the results be evaluated?
Why should you, rather than someone else, do this project?
Parts of a proposal
Title page
Abstract
Table of content
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Literature review
Chapter 3 Methodology
Chapter 4 Expected outputs & impact
References
Appendices
-Budget
-Project plan

Title Page:
Titles should be comprehensive enough to
indicate the nature of the proposed work, but
also be brief. The following should be
included:
Research topic (Title)
Researcher Names
Supervisors Name
Institution Affiliation
Date
Abstract
An effective summary which states the
problem addressed, identifies the solution,
aims/scope, outline the methods used and
summarize the expected outputs/impacts.
Not exceeding 200 words
Many readers lack the time needed to read
the whole project proposal. It is therefore
useful to insert a short project summary an
abstract.
Theoretically, the abstract should be compiled
after the relevant items already exist in their
long form.
Table of contents:
Long and detailed proposals may require, in
addition to a table of contents, a list of
illustrations (or figures) and a list of tables.
If all of these are included, they should follow the
order mentioned, and each should be numbered
with lower-case Roman numerals.
The table of contents should list all major parts
and divisions (including the abstract, even though
it precedes the table of contents).
Introduction (Chapter 1)
This is the first chapter which is structured as
follows:

The introduction structure is as follows:
1.1. Background
1.2. Statement of the Problem
1.3. Justification
1.4. Hypotheses or Research Questions (minimum 3;
maximum 5).
1.5. Objectives
1.5.1. Broad Objective
1.5.2. Specific objectives (should be related to the hypotheses
or research questions)
1.6. Scope of study
1.7 Other project specifications
Background
The introduction of a proposal should begin with
a broad statement of what is being proposed and
then should proceed to introduce the subject to a
reader.
It should give enough background to enable an
informed layman to place your particular
research problem in a context of common
knowledge and should show how its solution will
advance the field or be important for some other
work.

Statement of the problem:
The problem statement provides a description of
the specific problem(s) the project is trying to
solve, in order to make a case for the project.
Project proposal should point out why a certain
issue is a problem for the community or society
as a whole, i.e. what negative implications affect
the target group.
There should also be an explanation of the needs
of the target group that appear as a direct
consequence of the described problem.

Justification/rationale:
This is the part used to convince the
supervisor/donor that your project is of
ultimate importance and clarify the ways in
which, by developing this project, you will
consistently achieve your set goals (reasoning)
Used to answer the question WHY?
Hypothesis or research questions:
Interest in a particular topic usually begins the
research process, but it is the familiarity with the
subject that helps define an appropriate research
question for a study.
A research question is the question that the
research project sets out to answer.
A research study may set out to answer several
questions. Eg;
How does taking breakfast affect students
performance?,
Does talking on phone while driving impairs
judgement on road?
A research hypothesis is the statement
created by researchers when they speculate
upon the outcome of a research or
experiment.
A hypothesis often follows a basic format of "If
{this happens} then {this will happen}."
Examples;
"Motorists who talk on the phone while
driving will be more likely to make errors on a
driving course than those who do not talk on
the phone."
"Students who eat breakfast will perform
better on programming exam than students
who do not eat breakfast."

Goals and objectives
A goal is a broad statement of what you wish
to accomplish. Goals are broad, general,
intangible, and abstract.
A goal is really about the final impact or
outcome that you wish to bring about
An objective is narrow, precise, tangible,
concrete, and can be measured.

Goals are broad objectives are narrow.
Goals are general intentions; objectives are
precise.
Goals are intangible; objectives are tangible.
Goals are abstract; objectives are concrete.
Goals can't be validated as is; objectives can
be validated.
Scope of study
In simple terms you need to write what your
research covers and what are its boundaries.
The scope of your research is determined by
your problem and your resources ( time,
physical, human labour and skills).
Research is motivated and guided by
PROBLEMS
There are no intrinsic boundaries in scope, but
each particular project should aim at specific
kinds of results, and probably also aim at
some specific communicable PRODUCT, such
as a dissertation, a system or a publishable
paper.
Science is not something you know, but
something you DO, and usually keep doing --
an unending quest.
Other project specifications
1. Ethics :
This involves the application of
fundamental ethical principles to a research
project.
Ethics are morals or rules for distinguishing
between right and wrong
The following is a general summary of some
ethical principles to address;

Honesty: Strive for honesty in all scientific
communications. Honestly report data,
results, methods and procedures, and
publication status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or
misrepresent data. Do not deceive colleagues,
granting agencies, or the public.
Integrity: Keep your promises and
agreements; act with sincerity; strive for
consistency of thought and action.


Objectivity: Strive to avoid bias in
experimental design, data analysis, data
interpretation, peer review, personnel
decisions and other aspects of research where
objectivity is expected or required.
Avoid or minimize bias or self-deception.
Disclose personal or financial interests that
may affect research

Carefulness: Avoid careless errors and
negligence.
Carefully and critically examine your own work
and the work of your peers. Keep good
records of research activities, such as data
collection, research design, and
correspondence with agencies or journals.
Openness: Share data, results, ideas, tools,
resources. Be open to criticism and new ideas.


Respect for Intellectual Property: Honour
patents, copyrights, and other forms of
intellectual property.
Do not use unpublished data, methods, or
results without permission.
Give credit where credit is due. Give proper
acknowledgement or credit for all
contributions to research. Never plagiarize.

Confidentiality: Protect confidential
communications, such as papers submitted for
publication, personnel records, trade or
military secrets, and patient records.
Respect for colleagues: Respect your
colleagues and treat them fairly.
Social Responsibility: Strive to promote social
good and prevent or mitigate social harms
through research, public education, and
advocacy.



Non-Discrimination: Avoid discrimination
against colleagues or students on the basis of
sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors that are
not related to their scientific competence and
integrity.
Legality: Know and obey relevant laws and
institutional and governmental policies.


2. Quality assurance:
This comprises of all the techniques, systems and
resources that are deployed to give assurance about the
care and control with which research has been
conducted: its concerned with:
The responsibilities of those involved in the research
Transparent project planning
The training and competence of research staff
Facilities and equipment
Documentation of procedures and methods
Research records
The handling of samples and materials
3. Budget
Developing a budget is an important part of the proposal process.
Consider very carefully what is required when putting together a
budget request for a funding application. There are two general areas
in a budget:
Direct costs which are directly attributable to a research project
Indirect costs which institutions incur in supporting research, but
which cannot be directly attributed to individual research projects.
Direct Labour costs
These are personnel costs (including relief from teaching) which
include salary on-costs (salary on-costs covers superannuation, payroll
tax, workers compensation, etc.)
Direct Operating costs (i.e. non-labour project costs), such as:
Travel
Consumables
Equipment hire
Other

Another easier way of preparing a budget is
after developing the project plan.
All activities of the project plan are quantified
and grouped either as to incur direct or
indirect cost.
Project planning
A plan is a listing or visual display that results
when all project activities have been
subjected to estimation, logical sequencing
and time analysis.
Some form of network analysis is usually the
preferred method for preparing a plan.
However, some charting methods provide
better visual aids and can be more effective
for communicating plans to project personnel
Project plan
It is a formal, approved document used to
guide both project execution and project
control.
The primary uses of the project plan are to
document planning assumptions and
decisions, facilitate communication
among stakeholders, and document approved
scope, cost, and schedule baselines.
A project plan may be summarized or detailed
Project plan can be developed using the
following techniques:
Work breakdown structure (WBS)
Gantt chart
Network diagrams
WBS
A structure used to divide projects into
manageable tasks.
Creating a WBS requires that phases be
decomposed into activities, and activities into
tasks.
Each task should be defined at the appropriate
level of detail.
Some tasks may be performed in parallel
while others must follow one another
sequentially
Gantt chart
This is a visual representation of the project activities and
their durations. The vertical axis represents the activities, and
the horizontal axis represents the duration.
Example:
The table in the next slide represents a software project specification
with estimated project activity durations, and their precedence
requirements. Draw a Gantt chart for the project.
Activity Activity Description Duration(weeks) Precedents
A Hardware selection 6 -
B Software design 4 -
C Install Hardware 3 A
D Code and Test
Software
4 B
E File Take-on 3 B
F Write User Manual 10 -
G User Training 3 E,F
H Install and Test System 2 C,D
Example 2: Computerizing academic
records project
No Activity Precedence Duration (days)
1 Studying manual procedures - 4
2 Collecting students data 1 4
3 Collecting academic records 2 8
4 Designing software 1 2
5 Implementing and testing 4 10
6 Installing software at site 5 1
7 Data entry 8,3 20
8 User training 6 3
9 Final testing and approval 8 2
Example 3
Activity Duration Immediate
predecessors
A 2 -
B 3 -
C 2 A
D 4 B
E 4 C
F 2 C
G 4 D,E
H 2 F,G
Network diagrams
The diagram represents activities by links or arrows and the nodes
represents events of activities as groups of activities start or finishing.
Rules and conventions are
A project network diagrams may have only one start node.
Project network diagram may have only one end-node.
A link has duration.
Nodes have no duration (events)
Time moves from left to right.
Nodes are numbered sequentially.
A network may not contain loops.
A network may not contain dangles
Chapter 2: Literature review
This chapter gives the reader an orientation to
the research problem by referencing to
previous concepts and researches in the area
of interest.
The references to literature should be limited
to information that is essential to the readers
orientation. Most readers do not need long
literature reviews, especially of old references
if newer ones are available.
literature review lets you gain and
demonstrate skills in two areas
information seeking: the ability to scan the
literature efficiently, using manual or
computerized methods, to identify a set of
useful articles and books
critical appraisal: the ability to apply
principles of analysis to identify unbiased and
valid studies.

A literature review must do these things
Be organized around and related directly to the
thesis or research question you are developing
Synthesize results into a summary of what is and is
not known
Identify areas of controversy in the literature
Formulate questions that need further research

Chapter 3: Methodology
The purpose of the methodology chapter is to
give an experienced investigator enough
information to replicate the study.
A research design is used to structure the
research and to show how all of the major
parts of the research project, including the
sample, measures, and methods of
assignment, work together to address the
central research questions in the study.
This chapter involves the following:
Research design
Population and Sample
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Research design
This section specifies the type of research
methodology to be used.
Refers to the overall strategy that you choose
to integrate the different components of the
study in a coherent and logical way, thereby,
ensuring you will effectively address the
research problem
This could be non-experimental, qualitative,
quantitative, exploratory-descriptive etc

Population and sample
The term "population" is used in statistics to
represent all possible measurements or
outcomes that are of interest to us in a particular
study whereas "sample" refers to a portion of the
population that is representative of the
population from which it was selected
How was it selected, method of selection
Population and sample size relationships
Sampling technique, Rationale for sample, size
selected
Data collection
Data sources
Method of collecting data eg interviews,
questionnaires, observationetc
How will data be collected
Data analysis
Is a process of inspecting, cleaning,
transforming, and modelling data with the
goal of discovering useful information,
suggesting conclusions, and supporting
decision making.
Use of statistical applications like SPSS (you
can as well use Excel)
Chapter 4: Expected outputs
At the end of any research one expects outputs
and impacts of the research findings on society.
Examples of expected outputs include:
Increased production of milk, grain, energy, etc., to a
level of say 20%.
A 10% enhanced education levels or awareness.
A 5% increased efficient in transport, production and
communication systems.
A more elaborate (40%) network for information
transaction.
Examples of expected impacts include:
Increase the productivity of water resources by better
understanding the complex
interactions between land use and water availability
and quantity.
Improve livelihood security and reduce vulnerability
to climate events through better planning of water
resource use.
Enhance the capacity of local resource users, state
agencies, National Research Systems, NGOs and other
stakeholders to use scientific and local knowledge in
multi-stakeholder negotiation processes.
References
Appendices
Appendix a: Questionnaires (if any)
Appendix b: Cost and material estimates
Appendix c: Gantt chart or activity schedule
Other sections