Practical Research

Planning and Design

Tenth Edition

Paul D. Leedy
Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

© 2013, 2010, 2005, 2001, 1997

Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Chapter 5

Writing the Research Proposal

 The Research Proposal
• Essential to successful research

• Includes
- clearly stated problem and subproblems
- articulated hypotheses and/or questions
- precise definitions of terms
- carefully spelled out delimitations
- explanation of the purpose of the study
- specific details about all aspects of data collection and interpretation

• The key that unlocks the door to the research endeavor

• Also called prospectus, plan, outline, statement, draft

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-3
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Characteristics of a Research Proposal

• A proposal is a straightforward document.

• A proposal is not a literary production.

• A proposal is clearly organized.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-4
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Organization of a Quantitative Proposal
I. The problem and its setting

II. The review of the related literature

III. The data and the treatment of the data

IV. The qualifications of the researcher & any assistants

V. An outline of the proposed study

VI. References

VII. Appendixes
Leedy & Ormrod
Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-5
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Organization of a Qualitative Proposal

I. Introduction

II. Methodology

III. Findings

IV. Management plan, timeline, feasibility

V. References

VI. Appendixes

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-6
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Practical Application:
Writing Your Proposal
1. Use a computer or other word processor.

2. Adhere to guidelines required by the institution, organization, or

funding agency to which you are submitting the proposal.

3. When writing the first draft, focus more on organization and logical
thought sequences than on exact wording, grammatical correctness,
and spelling.

4. Present the research problem at the beginning of the first chapter.

5. Provide a context for your research problem.

6. Convince the reader of the importance of your project.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-7
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Practical Application:
Writing Your Proposal (2)
7. Assume that your readers know nothing about your proposal.

8. Communicate that you have an open mind about what you will find.

9. Describe your proposed methodology with as much detail and

precision as possible.

10. If you intend to use data that already exist, describe where the data
are located and how you plan to obtain them.

11. Describe how you will use the data to answer your research problem.

12. Use appendices to present informed consent letters, specific

measurement instruments, and other detailed materials.
Leedy & Ormrod
Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-8
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Guidelines: Revising Your Proposal

1. Set the proposal aside for a few days.

2. Read a paper (rather than an electronic) copy of your first draft.

3. Carefully scrutinize what you have written, looking for disorganized

thoughts, illogical thinking, and inconsistencies in terminology.

4. Look for places where you are not as clear as you might be.

5. Keep your sentences simple and straightforward.

6. Choose your words carefully.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-9
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Guidlines: Revising Your Proposal (2)

7. Check carefully for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

8. Make sure that items in bulleted lists are parallel in structure.

9. Make sure there is a one-to-one correspondence between the

citations in the text and the references in the reference list.

10. Consider the feasibility of your project once again.

11. Print out your second draft and read your proposal carefully once
again.

12. See the feedback of others.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-10
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Common Weaknesses
• Weaknesses related to the research problem:
- unclear purpose of the research
- unimportant problem
- poorly supported hypothesis
- problem is too complex
- problem has limited relevance to the field

• Weaknesses related to the research design & methodology:

- vague and unfocused description of design and method
- data inappropriate for the research problem
- methodology/procedures inappropriate for the research problem
- appropriate controls lacking or inadequate
- outdated or inappropriate equipment
- poorly considered statistical analysis

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-11
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Common Weaknesses (2)

• Weaknesses related to the investigator:

- insufficient training or experience for the proposed research
- unfamiliar with the literature relevant for the proposed research
- insufficient time to devote to the project

• Weaknesses related to resources:

- institutional setting is unfavorable for the proposed research
- proposed use of equipment, support staff, or other resources is
unrealistic.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-12
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Detractions from Proposal Effectiveness:
Any Research Proposal
1. The statement of the problem is vague.
2. The methodology is incompletely described.
3. The proposed treatment of each subproblem is general and cursory.
4. Criteria for the admissibility of the data are weak or nonexistent.
5. The proposal lacks sharpness.
6. The proposal is phrased in terms that are not useful for evaluation.
7. The format of the proposal deviates from institutional guidelines.
8. Some cited sources do not appear in the reference list, or they are
incompletely or incorrectly cited.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-13
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Detractions from Proposal Effectiveness:
Proposal to a Funding Agency
9. The problem does not address the research area outlined by the
funding agency.

10. The proposal is too ambitious for the grant money available.

11. Items included in the budget are disallowed by the terms of the grant.

12. A clear and explicit statement is lacking; the summary of the estimated
costs is ambiguous and indefinite.

13. Unclear explanation of the relationship of the study to the purpose for
which the grant is awarded.

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-14
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Final Thoughts About
Proposal Writing
 Discuss how the data will be handled
 Spell out every minute detail of procedure
 Support your choices with a rationale based solidly
on accepted research methodology and analytical
thinking
 The basic elements of the research problem, the
methodology, the data, and other factors critical to
conducting the inquiry must be clearly set forth
before the actual research activity can begin

Leedy & Ormrod

Practical Research: Planning and Design, 10e 5-15
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.