Topic

10

Proposal
Writing and
Ethics in
Research

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1.

Define what is a research proposal;

2.

List the eight items in a research proposal;

3.

Identify the guidelines for writing a research proposal;

4.

Elaborate the three common weaknesses in a research proposal; and

5.

Describe the ethics in research.

X INTRODUCTION
Before embarking on a research project, students must have an overall research
plan that indicates the research problem to be studied, research objectives,
significance of the research, strategies to obtain answers to the research problems
and the research project implementation schedule. This overall research plan is
called a research proposal. It is very important that students write a good
research proposal because without a good research proposal the student may not
get a research supervisor or even an approval to carry out the research. The
student must also know about ethics in research because that governs the
researchers behaviour in terms of what should do and should not be done in the
research project.

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10.1

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

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WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

This topic will address guidelines for writing a research proposal for your
research work. All students are required to write a research proposal before
venturing into research work.
A research proposal is a document written to state your proposed research
direction and the study you intend to do. A research proposal serves to advise
your academic supervisor or potential provider of research contract on your
conceptualisation of the total research process that you propose to undertake and
examine its suitability.
A research proposal is an overall plan, scheme, structure and strategy to
obtain answers for your research problems which constitutes your research
project. A research proposal can be rejected if your supervisor or graduate
commitee finds it is poorly devised.
Therefore, you need to have a well-planned research proposal prior to
undertaking any research task. If the proposal is well-designed, it would be
much easier for you to outline the entire research processes as well as help you to
prepare a thesis or dissertation in a sequential manner.

10.2

CONTENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

In this section, we will describe in detail about the contents of a research

proposal. Firstly, let us examine Figure 10.1 that shows the content of a research
proposal.

Figure 10.1: Contents of a research proposal

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(a)

TOPIC 10

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

Introduction
(i)

In this section, you should provide an overview of the issues that you
intend to study. The content of introduction should be brief, precise
and straight to the point. After giving an overview on the scope of the
research, you will need to narrow it down to the specific area of your
concern.

(ii)

Try to elaborate on the main theme that needs to be addressed.

Identify the gap that exists and the research question will surface
naturally.

(iii) Define the problem statement in your proposal. This will give a clear
perception to the reader on the issue you are going to solve. However,
the problem statement you write in the proposal may only be
tentative at the point of proposal preparation because the research has
not been carried out yet.
(iv) Use simple sentences and make sure you narrow down the research
issue to focus on a very specific field.
(b)

Research Objectives
(i)

List out your research objectives and it should indicate the central
theme of your research that you intend to study.

(ii)

Use action-oriented verbs when you write the objective statement

such as to find out, to determine and to ascertain, which must
be listed numerically.

(c)

Research Questions
Research questions are questions formulated to address the research
objectives and to break the research objectives into smaller parts. Research
questions will influence research methodology and the type of analysis to
be performed.

(d)

Significance of the Research

(i)

Mention briefly why you need to do the research and provide

justification for it.

(ii)

You may elaborate on the significance of the research based on certain

criteria, for instance, a problem that demands attention because the
findings can solve or influence practice.

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(ii)

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

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You can also provide justification if the methodology you are going to
use has some degree of novelty and your research would contribute
to new knowledge.

(iii) Some other criteria you can mention are the variables that you are
going to use and the expected outcomes of your research and its
influence on the model or design.
(e)

Literature Review
(i)

In this section, do some summary about the related work of your

research and what others had done to date in your field of interest.

(ii)

Try to read a thesis in similar area that you are investigating to get the
feel of it.

(iii) It will be an added advantage if you could provide one or two

critics of related work that you have come across, in the proposal.
This will give a good impression to the readers that you have done
your homework.
(iv) Introduce some definitions of the key terms.
(v)

(f)

Conclude the literature review with a theoretical background which

describes the model you are going to use in the research.

Methodology
(i)

Generally, it is not necessary to describe the methodology that you are

going to use in details. However, you should justify why it is chosen
over other similar methodologies.

(ii)

You may explain some reasons why you are using certain theory
or models, whether your research approach will be qualitative or
quantitative, or a combination of both.

(iii) Describe variables, sampling techniques and data collection methods

as well.
(iv) Explain the type of data involved and what type of analysis and
testing will be performed.

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(g)

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PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

Project Schedule
Provide a Gantt Chart or timetable specifying how long it will take to
complete your research work. Also indicate how long you will take for data
collection, analysis and writing up the final report or document. Some
research proposals require indication of milestone dates to give clear
picture on the expected accomplishment.

Figure 10.2: Gantt chart for a research project

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(h)

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

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References
(i)

List of references must be provided by following the academic

guideline or scholarly fashion. References will convince the reader
that your proposal is comprehensive and demonstrate your
understanding in the particular field of interest.

(ii)

Use citation style of APA (Manual of the American Psychological

Association) or other bibliographical standard accepted in ICT.

SELF-CHECK 10.1
1.

What are the main contents of a research proposal?

2.

What should you write in the literature review in a research

proposal?

10.3

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING RESEARCH

PROPOSAL

There are several steps and guidelines to be followed during research proposal
preparation.
(a)

Familiarise yourself with word processor software (i.e. Microsoft Word,

Open Office) and learn the features of the software, for instance inserting
tables, graphs, footnotes and other specially formatted features. This will
help you towards preparing a research report at the end of the process.

(b)

Follow the guidelines specified by the institution, organisation or funding

agency to which you are submitting the proposals. Write according to the
given guidelines and the specified format.

(c)

While writing the first proposal, present your ideas by narrowing it down
sequentially and focus more on presenting the information in an interesting
manner. You must remember that your proposal should be expressed
clearly and states the overview of your research intention.

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PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

(d)

Write and explain about your research problem at the beginning of the
proposal content (i.e. Introduction section). This is important as to give
readers attention since the entire research process is driven by the research
problem.

(e)

Write about the methodology you are going to implement briefly and
precisely. It is a good practice to outline methods and source of data in the
proposal stage itself. This will put your proposal in a better position in
order to determine its worth and potential contribution.

SELF-CHECK 10.2
Identify the guidelines involved in constructing a research proposal.

10.4

COMMON WEAKNESS IN RESEARCH

PROPOSAL

As a learner, you must ensure that your research proposal meets the requirement
and guidelines specified by your institution or university. This is partially
important to help you plan your research process and ease you towards the
preparation of the dissertation or thesis. There are some common weaknesses
encountered by researchers during research proposal preparation (Allen, 1960).
Proposals submitted by researchers and students for academic projects tend to
have weaknesses as described in Table 10.1.
Table 10.1: Weaknesses in Research Proposal
No.

Weaknesses

Explanation

(a)

Research Problem
Justification

x Project description is unfocused and research direction is

unclear.
x Research problem is not significant enough to support
or provide justification in initiating new knowledge
contribution.
x The research problem is of interest only to a particular
group and has many limitations.
x The research problem may be so complex than the author
actually thinks.
x The hypotheses are doubtful or rest on insufficient
evidence.

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(b)

Research
Methodology

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

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x Research design and methodology is so vague and

unfocused.
x Data declared by author is either difficult to obtain or not
appropriate for research problem mentioned earlier.
x Method and measurement instruments are inappropriate
for the research design.
x The proposal does not state the equipment to be used or
highlights outdated equipment for the research use.
x The proposed statistical approach has not received
adequate consideration, is too simple or unlikely to yield
accurate results.

(c)

Proposal Author

x The author does not have sufficient training or experience

for the proposed research topic. Hence, it is important for
you to choose a topic which you are good at and familiar
with in the specified field.
x The author has insufficient time to devote to the research
project.
x The author does not critically review the related works
but simply rewrites the available literature of the
particular research topic.
x The author does not quote and cite the necessary
references based on academic journals and research
papers.

SELF-CHECK 10.3
1.

Describe the common

proposal writing.

weaknesses

encountered

2.

How is a good research proposal benchmarked?

during

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10.5

TOPIC 10

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

RESEARCH ETHICS

Ethics are norms or standard behaviour guiding choices or relationships with

others; they may refer to the appropriateness of the behaviour in relation to the
rights of those who will become the subject of the research or who may be
affected by the pursuant of the research. A researcher needs to consider ethical
issues when doing the research so as to ensure that no one is injured or suffers
adversely from research activities. The researcher must be sensitive to the impact
of the research work on those who are approached for data or information, those
who directly or indirectly provide access and cooperation, and those who will be
affected by the results of the research.

10.6

KEY ETHICAL ISSUES

Some of the key ethical issues that might arise are:

(a)

Privacy of possible and actual participants;

(b)

Voluntary nature of participation and the right to withdraw partially or

completely from the process;

(c)

Consent and possible deception of participants;

(d)

Maintenance of the confidentiality of data provided by individuals or

identifiable participants and their anonymity;

(e)

Reactions of participants to the way the researcher seeks to collect data;

(f)

Effects on participants of the way the researcher uses, analyses and reports
the data; and

(g)

Behaviour and objectivity of the researcher.

Privacy is accepted as the key to ethical issues that the researcher has to confront
in carrying out any research project. Almost all aspects of ethics, for example,
consent, confidentiality, participant reactions, and the effects of the way the
researcher uses, analyses and reports research findings have the capacity to
affect, or are related to, the privacy of participants.

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10.7

PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

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ETHICAL ISSUES DURING THE INITIAL

STAGES OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS

During the early stages of the research process, the researcher may have to seek
access to agencies, organisations or even individuals. Ethical problems may arise
when participants are not clear of the objectives of the research. Ethical issues
may be related to a researcher attempting to apply pressure to grant access.
Issues relating to privacy may arise when a researcher tries to get access by
telephone calls at inappropriate times or approach the participants during odd
hours. Access to secondary data may also have ethical consequences, for
example, when the researcher obtains personal data of individuals who have not
consented to be involved in the project.
Consent to participate in the research project may not be a straight forward
matter because when someone agrees to participate, it does not necessarily imply
consent.
The nature of consent can be differentiated as shown in Figure 10.3.

Figure 10.3: Differences in nature of consent

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PROPOSAL WRITING AND ETHICS IN RESEARCH

ACTIVITY 10.1
In your opinion, why do ethical issues become a major concern in the
research process? Explain how to handle this issue.

SELF-CHECK 10.4
Tick True or False for each statement below:
No.

Question

1.

An internal proposal is created by a research

unit or division for a client who is in another
department or division of the corporation.

2.

A research proposal will tell the reader what the

results of the study will be.

3.

Collection instruments should be destroyed if it

is possible to use the data. The problem statement
section of the proposal explains the problems
concrete consequences and states the problem.

4.

Literature review is the study of published reports

and secondary data.

5.

Some of the most important sections of the

external proposal are the objectives, design and
qualifications.

6.

An external research agencys fee is always paid

in advance.

7.

Ethics are norms for behaviour guiding moral

choices.

8.

Exploratory data reconstructs respondents profiles

or identifies them.

9.

Are search consultant should adhere to the

conclusions emerging from the study and real data,
even if this means that the next contract goes to
someone else.

10. The right to privacy means a respondent cannot

refuse to answer questions on matters of public
concern.

Tr u e

False

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A research proposal is an overall plan, scheme, structure and strategy to

obtain answers for your research problem that constitutes your research
project.

A research proposal should be concise, precise and highlight research

problems as the main theme.

Gantt Chart is important to illustrate your planning and project schedule

throughout the research process.

The process of formulating and clarifying the research topic is the most
crucial part of the research process.

Writing a research proposal helps the researcher in organising ideas and can
also be thought as a contract between the researcher and the client.

The content of the research proposal should tell the reader what the
researcher wants to do, why he wants to do it, what he wants to achieve and
how he wants to achieve it.

Research ethics should be recognised and considered from the outset of the
research project and be used as one of the criteria in judging the proposal.
Ethical concerns are likely to occur at all stages of the research project, when
seeking access to data, during data collection, while analysing data and in
reporting the results.

Ethics

Project Schedule

Proposal

Significance of Study