Writing a Research Proposal

By the end of this presentation

you will...
 Have an understanding of the format of a
research proposal
 Be aware of the attributes that make a good
quality research proposal
 Be aware of the different requirements for
different audiences of research proposals
 Have considered the factors that will increase
the quality of your own final proposal and its
ability to gain favourable approval at various
committees who will need to look at and
approve your proposal.
Definition

The research proposal is:

A document that presents a case for

an idea and the action one
proposes with respect to it

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Why write a research proposal?
 To act as a ‘map’ to guide your research
 To ensure that you have a researchable question and
appropriate methodology to address that question
 A statement of the purpose and plan of the research
project
 Details how the study is to be carried out
 Incorporates any practical and ethical issues which
need to be addressed
 To ensure that you have taken account of the resource
requirements to undertake your research
 Accountability… funding… governance…
 To inform other stakeholders of your intentions
Who is your audience?
 You
 Your supervisor
 Funding bodies
 Research committees What are they looking for?
 Research governance
committees (RC)
 Managers
 The ‘researched’ (i.e. your
‘subjects’)
What makes a good research
proposal?
 Sticking to the ‘rules’ eg guidelines for presentation etc
 Importance of the research / justification
 Demonstrated ability to do the work
 Robustness of the research methods
 Quality of presentation – typos / formatting etc
 Innovation
 Well organised proposal that is simple, and logical
 Research team have evidence of a good track record
 The budget is reasonable, believable and justified, with
rational arguments for including consumables, equipment
and other items
Be creative

 Think of a good idea

 Make the reader think "why didn't I
think of that"
 Good proposals are often simple
proposals!
WRITE.... NOW...
 Proposals take time
 Writing organises your thoughts
 Assume your audience know nothing of your
field
 Know where your audience are coming from
 Avoid writing in the first person
 Remember you are proposing an idea- it
shouldn’t come across as though you have
already completed the work.
What are the common sections of
a Proposal?
 Title
 Introduction including problem statement (significance of the research)
 Research Questions and Objectives
 Method (and sub sections)
 Timeline (Gantt Chart)
 Project Management
 Dissemination strategy
 Ethics and Research Governance
 Costs
 Summary
 Acknowledgement (optional)
 References
Title
 A simple statement which describes the
study, should be confined to one
sentence, try to include the aim of the
study and the outcomes.
 Hint – Leave the title till last, it will be
easier to formulate a concise statement
when you have written your aims.
What is the purpose of the
introduction section?
 Who will benefit?
 What is the context of the investigation?
Service/political
 Why do you want to investigate it?
 What is the value of the investigation?
 What has already been published?
 Critical review of the published literature
 How will your study build on published
literature? And why are you best placed to
undertake the work.
The Research Question
 You have to conceptualize the area
under study and formalize into words
the exact question under study.
 For each aim you have identified there
should be 1 or 2 research questions
that are clearly linked.
Method
 Things to consider
 Study area
 Study design
 Study population
 Sample size and sampling
 Study variables
 Methods of data collection
 Data analysis
 Ethical considerations
Types Study Designs
 Descriptive study designs: aim to search
for facts
 Analytical study designs: aim to search
for causes
 Experimental study design: aim to test
an impact of intervention
Data Collection and Analysis
 Consider in detail how the data will be
collected, who is best placed to collect
data? Will they produce bias in
recording data? What if they are off?
Who will stand in?
 In what format should data be
recorded?
Data Analysis
 It is vital that you consider at the outset what type of
analysis you would like to undertake, failure to do so
could mean you record the data in an inappropriate
form.
 For qualitative studies describe the method of
analysis and make sure it fits with any philosophical
perspectives described earlier.
 Hint- try analysing some data in the expected form,
set up a data base so you are clear how you need
the data to be recorded, and try a statistical test,
have you got the right level of data?
Ethical considerations
 You need to consider two factors…
1. The ethical implications of your
research – i.e. how will it impact on
the participants?
2. The processes of research governance
and ethical approval that you need to
comply with – i.e. which committees
do you need to go through
Ethical Considerations
 What might be the ethical implications
of your study? Risk/benefit
 Protection of privacy and maintain
confidentiality?
 Who will benefit from your study?
 Informed consent
Time line
 Identify ALL time issues...
 Consider how time is to be allocated,
 Gantt chart
 Allow 2 – 3 months to prepare and clear all
ethics and governance processes.
Research Personnel

 Who will do the work?

 When will they do the work?
 Other support – statistics,
administration
Budget

 Should be a logical progression from

your time and resource input.
 Are there alternative forms of funding?
 Make sure your project will fit your
budget.
Other costs

 Transcribing and stationeries

 Transport
 Administration
 Tapes
 Technology
 Software costs
References
 Choose style according to the rules for
the relevant committee, institution
– Vancouver
– Harvard
 Accurate, up to date, relevant, don’t
miss any out of your reference list.
Formatting

 Comply with style requirements

 Be professional in your presentation
 Use a spell checker
 Get someone to look over your work
before you submit.