Research proposal

That’s a lot to do. What should I do to get started on actually writing my research proposal?

All researchers need to plan in advance of an investigation. You already started this process when
you selected your research problem, and continued it when you investigated your sources in the literature
review . Now that you have a basic understanding of the Elements of the Research Proposal, you will
need to begin to make the decisions for your own investigation.

Let's return to the basics of the research proposal. As you click on each link this time through, you will be
asked some key questions about your decisions and thoughts. You will also be offered some tools and
resources to assist you. As you make your decisions, you will be directed to a planning guide that you
will complete, assisting you in scaffolding your research project design. You may also use the earlier
material about research methodology to help you to make your decisions.

Remember, this is a plan and that plans are meant to be changed if needed. These are your initial ideas,
but the entire document may be revised as you actually begin the research process.

A Proposal to Research the Storage Facility

Now that you've been introduced to the Elements of the Research Proposal, you will now plan
and draft your own research proposal.
Planning My
Proposal Before that, however, study some actual Research Proposals to give you a basic idea of what
proposals contain, what elements might be omitted for certain topics, and what elements might be
combined. Review the proposals, complete the assigned reflective journal and planning guide,
and then return here.

Before you start writing your draft proposal, you need to formulate a proposal
statement. Constructing a research proposal statement will clarify your research purpose and
method of investigation.

I. Planning the Introduction Section

The first part of writing your own research proposal is dealing with the introductory material. Use
the planning guide document that you have saved to your computer to help you to track your
ideas and decisions as you move through each section of the paper. In completing this
sequence of activities, not only will your research proposal be well-prepared and thought out, you
will have the opportunity to apply your newly acquired knowledge of research methodology
and the underlying structure of a research proposal.

The Title Page

The Introduction

Here is an excellent overall resource to assist in the research proposal writing process.
 For now, you are done with your title page and your introduction section. You may need to make
changes later to make a smooth connection with your methodology section, but for now, you can
move on.

Writing the You are now ready to plan and compose the second piece of your
proposal, the methodologysection. In it you will describe what you plan to accomplish, why you
Methodology want to do it and how you are going to do it. This process is very important; to a reviewer, your
Section research investigation is only as a good as your proposal methodology. Generally, a research
proposal should contain all the key elements involved in the research process and include
sufficient information for the readers to evaluate the proposed study. An ill-conceived proposal
dooms the project, even if it somehow is approved, because your methods are not carefully
thought out in advance.

The methodology section should describe how each specific objective will be achieved, with
enough detail to enable an independent and informed assessment of the proposal. This section
should include:
Deciding my approach
 Restatement of research tasks: hypothesis or research questions;
Design My Project  Study population and sampling: description of study areas, populations and the
procedures for their selection;
Choosing a Pathway  Data collection: description of the tools and methods used to collect information, and
identification of variables;
Handling Data  Data analysis: description of data processing and analyzing procedures;
 Laboratory procedures: descriptions of standardized procedures and protocols and new
Other Elements
or unique procedures; and
 The specific tools that will be used to study each research objective.

First, review the two types of research, qualitative and quantitative, in order to make a decision
about your own methodology's procedures pathway.

In a series of steps in a planning guide, you will outline your methodology section and craft
yourproposal.

Deciding My Own Approach

Start planning and writing by clicking on each of the elements in research proposal's methodology
section

What type of overall study design is best for my investigation and research?

There are two types of information gathering—qualitative and quantitative. Both designs,
quantitative and qualitative, are said to be systematic, meaning that they have a system or follow
a process. Each type of design, however has different approaches to methods
of reasoning, step-by-step procedures, and research tools and strategies. Although deciding
that an investigation is qualitative or quantitative directs the researcher toward a certain path,
depending on what research questions still need to be answered as the investigation unfolds a
combination of approaches can be used in the specific research tools used.

Now you will determine overall project design; that decision will help you to frame out your
basic methodology and determine whether you will need to use inductive or deductive reasoning
in making your conclusion.

Complete Crafting a Research Proposal: II. Approach to Research Design in order to decide
which approach will best suit your research. To answer some of the questions there, you may
need to review your Reflection Journal and the material introduced earlier about methodology
located on this web site.

When you are done, select the approach that you think will work best for your research and follow
the pathway for your particular approach

Design My Project

Now that you know which design best suits your investigation, you will need to follow a
specificpathway for the following research proposal elements in order to follow the specific
reasoning and concerns of your approach. You will also need to download and save the planning
guide for your approach to methodology to your computer.

Crafting the Proposal: III. The Methodology (Qualitative)

Crafting the Proposal: III. The Methodology (Quantitative)

Different Pathways for Different Research Design Approaches

After you have downloaded and saved the file, you will need to complete Step 1 : Designing
Research Methodology. Use the links below to help you to make decisions as you
complete your planning guide.
 Qualitative Approach Pathway Quantitative Approach Pathway

Qualitative Variables Quantitative Variables

Role of the Researcher in Qualitative Role of the Researcher in Quantitative

Design Design

Researchers usually prefer fairly lengthy and
deep involvement in the natural setting.
Social life is complex in its range and
variability, and operates at different levels. It
has many layers of meaning and the
researcher has to lift veils to discover the
innermost meanings. In order to gain access
to deeper levels, the researcher needs to
develop a certain rapport with the subjects of
the study, and to win their trust.
There are some key ideas to consider as you
plan for your role in your research design.
The quantitative researcher is detached and
objective. Explain whether you will be an
unobtrusive observer, a participant observer,
or a collaborator. Evaluate how your own bias
may affect the methodology, outcomes, and
analysis of findings.
Many times this element of the research
proposal will be affected by ethics. In addition,
this section is often interwoven in a narrative
design explanation with other elements of the
proposal. Review sample proposals to see
how other researchers with similar designs to
yours have explained their roles in the
research investigation.

Complete this section on your planning guide.

When you have completed Step 1 on your planning sheet, move on to Step 2: Refining My
Quantitative(or Qualitative) Investigation with Specific Methods, Tools, and Procedures.

You will need to make decisions in Step 2 for the following topics. Use the links below, your
reflection journal, and the Elements of the Proposal section of the web site to assist you as you
complete this portion of your planning guide.

 Data Collection
 Data Analysis
 Ethics

After you have planned the elements above, there are a few more things to decide and plan. Use
the list below and your planning guide to help you complete the rest of your research proposal.

Other Elements in the Research Methodology

 Timeline
 Resources and Materials
 Limitations and Delimitations
 Final Product In the section, the researcher discusses the possible outcomes of the
study, its relation to theory and literature, and its potential impact or application. A
description of the possible forms of the final product, e.g., publishable manuscript,
conference paper, invention, model, computer software, exhibit, performance, etc.,
should be outlined. Be specific about how you intend to share your results or project with
 others. Although all of these ideas may change in light of the research process or the
final results, it is always good to plan with the end product in mind.

This section may also include an interpretation and explanation of results as related to
your question; a discussion on or suggestions for further work that may help address the
problem you are trying to solve; an analysis of the expected impact of the findings and
product on the audience; or a discussion on any problems that could hinder your creative
work.

Ask yourself the following questions:

o In what form will your findings be presented?

o How will you be disseminating your findings?
o To whom will you be disseminating your findings?
o How will you ensure anonymity in any publications?
o Will you need to create an abstract of your overall investigation?

Before you write this section, you may want to go back to the sample research
proposals to see how other researchers explained their ideas. You may also want to go
back to your Reflection Journal to see what your own thoughts were as you reviewed the
sample proposals. Considering your original proposal statement, where you decided if
your research was going to be basic, applied, or practical, may also give you ideas about
your final product.

 References Keep a running list of all references as you work through the proposal. You
will need to have this list to avoid plagiarism and chances are you will need to go back to
certain references throughout the entire research experience. This includes all textbooks,
reference books, journal articles, Internet sources, etc.

See the references section from your Literature Review for a comprehensive guide to
completing the reference section of your proposal. You do not need to duplicate the
efforts of your Literature Review, but PLEASE remember to add any new references that
you utilized for your methodology, data collection tools, etc. Spend some time reviewing
the references to ensure that they are complete and accurate - names of all the authors,
correct date, full and accurate title, complete publishing information (city of publication,
publishing company for books, full journal title, volume and number and pages for journal
articles). Use the appropriate citation forms for your field of study.

Complete this section using the directions on your proposal planning guide.

 Appendices Adding a few appendices to the end of your proposal allows you to show
how thoroughly you have prepared your research project without obliging the reader to
wade through all the details. The purpose of an appendix is to display documents which
are relevant to main text, but whose presence in the text would disturb rather than
enhance the flow of the argument or writing. Results of the literature search, pilot data,
data collection forms, patient information sheets, and consent forms can all be added as
appendices to include documents, pilot study material, questions for interviews, survey
instruments, explanatory statement to participants,etc.

Some likely parts to incorporate in the appendices are:

o Distribution Plan - A part of the proposal which is the plan for distributing of
information about the project to the audience. It can also include financial
 statements for the funding agencies which want to see financial standing of the
project. This section may include radio broadcasts, training programs,
workshops, printed handouts, newsletters, presentations, etc.
o Cooperating Agency Information – If references of different cooperating agencies
are given, then try to give some detail about these agencies in appendices like
name and address, services or product, names of important personals, etc.
o Evaluation Tools – It is good to include the copy of evaluation tools planed to use
which are used in information gathering like questionnaires, survey, interview,
etc.

Appendices have a format:

A. Pagination: Each Appendix begins on a separate page.

B. Heading:If there is only one appendix, "Appendix" is centered on the first line
below the manuscript page header. If there is more than one appendix, use
Appendix A (or B or C, etc.). Double-space and type the appendix title (centered
in uppercase and lowercase letters).
C. Format: Indent the first line 5-7 spaces.
D. Example of APA-formatted Appendix:

Most of the items that you include in your appendix will only need a Copy-Paste to be added to
your proposal. It could also be possible that they would need to be converted into a graphic or a
.PDF file if they are web-based.

Complete this section following the directions on your proposal planning guide.

After you make your decisions for above, you will have completed Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 of your
planning guide. You now will need to write your methodology draft. Use this sample
methodology section as an example for explanations, language, and phrasing for this part of your
proposal.
 Sample Description of Methodology

Data Gathering Plans – The two instruments and a simple instruction sheet that also asks
subjects their age and gender, will be delivered to an administrator in each setting who has
agreed to distribute and collect the completed instruments. Prior to their distribution an
introductory letter from both the researcher and the respective administrators will be placed in
each selected subject’s mailbox or mail slot asking for their cooperation. The letters will
describe the research and its importance and the support of the administrator. They also will
note that a $5 coupon toward any groceries at the local Wegman’s Grocery (donated by the
store’s public relations office) will be available to each person completing the two instruments
and signing a letter of informed consent related to the research. Finally, they will provide a
telephone number for anyone with questions or who may need assistance in completing the
instruments. This procedure will be pilot-tested with at least 10 volunteers from the Fayetteville
Senior center to refine the data gathering plans.

Once the pilot-testing procedures have been completed, any required changes in the
administration plans will be carried out. Then the administrators will be authorized to distribute
the forms. Any person who has phoned needing clarification will be provided further
explanation. Anyone who phones in a need for assistance in completing the forms will receive
support in the form of one the location’s administrative assistants reading the forms and
recording the answers. Each assistant so involved will be provided training by the researcher
on how to read and record the answers in an unbiased manner.

One week after this initial delivery, a follow-up phone call will be made to either thank those
who completed the forms or to remind those who have not yet completed their forms. The
grocery coupons will be mailed to all who have completed the forms with a letter of thanks. If
fewer than 95 people from each of the two settings complete the forms, then the random
sampling and distribution will continue until at least that number of completed forms from each
setting has been received. It is anticipated that all data collection efforts will be completed
within one month.

Your Reflection Log and the sample proposals you studied earlier also should be excellent
resources.

Through the steps in Crafting the Proposal: III. The Methodology, you have planned, and maybe
even completed, the first draft of your research proposal's methodology section.

When you have completed your draft, you will need to combine all three pieces of your proposal,
your introduction, your literature review, and your methodology. Use Step 6 on your planning
guide to assist you.

Final Revision Before you have someone else read your paper, review it yourself and make revisions. Use the
following questions to scaffold your self-revision.
Questions:
Self-Assessment of the Proposal (Version 1)
Chapter 1 - Introduction
By now you have almost completed the proposal. The final step is to reflect on your proposal. You
probably are very tempted to put in the final full stop and not look at it again. However, you need
Chapter 2 - Literature to reflect and re-assess what you have written.
Review
Chapter 3 Methodology Remember that you have to convince an audience who might assess your proposal that you
know what you are talking about, that you have given sufficient thought to the proposal and that
Chapter 4 Data Analysis you have devoted some effort to it.

Final checklist To do this, you need to ask the same questions that they might ask when assessing your
proposal:

 Is the title clear and concise?

 Is the research question or hypothesis appropriate and answerable?
 Does the preliminary literature review draw on authors from both textbooks and journals?
o Is it up-to-date?
o Is it sufficiently detailed?
o Is it descriptive or does it include discussion and debate?
o Is it written in a fluent, easy-to-read style?
 Is the proposed primary data collection reasonable at this stage?
 Is the time plan detailed and feasible?
 Is the bibliography correct?
 Has the proposal been spell-checked? Is it grammatically correct?
 Does it look professional?

These section-by-section questions might also provide prompts for self-revision, or peer/mentor-
revision.

Revision Questions (Version 2)

Chapter 1: Introduction

Is the overall style and presentation of the proposal in accordance with that specified by
the instructor and field of study?

Is the title concise, coherent and appropriate?

Is the contents page clear, concise and logically numbered? Are appendices, tables,
illustrations and figures listed in the contents page, if included?

Is the topic clearly stated and defined?

Has background information been provided, if appropriate?

Are all special and general terms defined?

Has the proposal been given a clear, overall purpose?

Are the aims and objectives (and research questions/hypothesis) clear, relevant and
coherent?

Do aims, objectives, etc., go beyond mere description? Do they involve explanation,

comparison, criticism or evaluation?

If a hypothesis is identified, is it a proper, testable hypothesis?

Is the chapter clear, logical, readable and complete?

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Has a comprehensive range of relevant literature been used? Is it pertinent to the

research questions, or are you giving the impression that almost everything you have read
on or around the problem has been included with little critical selection?

Is the literature firmly rooted in a theoretical base? Has the literature of any related
disciplines been included, if appropriate?

Are the sources used up-to-date, where appropriate, and do they have sufficient academic
weight?

Does the proposal give evidence of a critical attitude towards source material? Does it
compare, contrast and criticize a number of relevant concepts/models/theories?

Are the key themes and issues surrounding the research questions clearly drawn from the
literature?

Does it deal with relevant debates and controversies?

Have sources been acknowledged and referenced fairly and properly? Is the bibliography
at the end of the proposal complete and in the appropriate convention?

Is the chapter clear, logical, readable and complete?

Chapter 3: Methodology

Was the data collection method review by a mentor, your instructor, and/or your peers?
For example, if you used an interview or questionnaire, did someone review the questions
prior to issue?

Is there a clear rationale for methodology? Have you discussed the alternatives and have
you discussed the advantages and disadvantages of your chosen methods?

Is the research methodology described fully so that it could be replicated by someone

reading the proposal?

Are the research instruments (for example, blank questionnaires, interview questions,
etc.,) included in the appendices?

Are the research instruments well designed with all questions etc., relevant to the research
aims?

Is the methodology described appropriate for the data required?

Are sampling methods described in detail? Who are the respondents, how many are there
and how were they selected?

Is generalizability (or otherwise) discussed?

Are any constraints or limitations identified?

Are data analysis methods discussed?

 Are reliability and validity issues addressed?

Is there evidence of care and accuracy planned for in the data collection process?

Is the chapter clear, logical, readable and complete?

Chapter 4: Data Analysis

Generally:

How will you identify patterns in the data?

Are the planned analysis methods used appropriate to the data collected?

Will the planned methods thoroughly and completely analyze the data?

Are all planned analysis supported by sound practices in the field?

Does the rationale for the analyses deal with relevant debates and controversies in the
field of study?

Is the chapter clear, logical, readable and complete?

In addition:

For questionnaires:

Do the appendices contain a data collection sheet, a sample questionnaire and details of
statistical analysis to be undertaken?

Has the summarizing of statistics been planned for?

Will any statistical analysis make the most of the data collected?

For observations and interviews:

Do the appendices contain material to conduct observations, such as data recording

sheets?

Is the analysis plan methodical and thorough?

For other methods:

Is any qualitative analysis plan methodical and thorough?

Will the most be made of the data collected?

 Is any statistical analysis possible and planned to make the most of any data collected?

Final check-list: ask yourself the following questions:

Does the research proposal have an overall coherence?

Has the full proposal been spell- and grammar-checked?

Is each page numbered?

Have you read it from start to finish?

 DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION

ct of your investigation and should put the most important words

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references."

in a research proposal title that some researchers create the titles

ting process. They do this so that they can be as precise as
structure in order to best represent their investigation.

esearch proposal titles in a variety of fields of investigation. Review

t are commonly used on title pages.

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port in English football: How geographic determinants play a role in

wn Daughter’: Figuring (in)fertility and maternity in Their Eyes Were

l, and age on the astrocytes in female rats following an

arranged in this format: Example of title page.pdf

assist you in the general layout and design of a research proposal
elines and further descriptions for the parts of a research proposal.

l, explain why the title is so important to a research proposal.

or from your own ideas and experiences. Your response
Your introduction is very important, actually the most important part o
your audience's attention, they will stay with you throughout your pro
the meaningfulness of the study with presentation of problem or issu
advocating the need of study for your chosen object and gives a clea
introduction presents a background and statement of context for you

The rest of your proposal supports this section. It doesn’t need to be

enough, but it is the most critical as it establishes the nature, context
the Introduction often become a part of a research abstract that may
investigation and conclusions to an audience. Although these aspec
separately, some parts may, in reality, be combined together when t

A. All introductions include these items in some form in the introdu

 Clear Statement of the Problem

 Purpose of the Study
 Definitions
 Significance of the Investigation
 Literature Review
 Questions or Hypothesis

B.. The way that Introductions are crafted is as individualized as th

actual introductions later when you begin to review Research P
are some "How To" procedures from research courses that exp
paragraph. As you read the samples below, compare and cont
order to determine the common features of Introductions.

1.  Begin with something interesting, e.g., a quote or s

 Introduce your question or curiosity. What is it that
did you get interested in the topic? If your question
describe the process.
 Tell why there's a need for the study. Cite relevant
research in this area, or demonstrates the lack of a
describe how you think this study will be useful.
 Describe the intended audience for your research
 Describe your research product. What form will the
magazine article for the public, script for a docume
 Conclude the introduction with an overview of your

2. Introduction (2 pages)

 \What is the topic of your research?

 What area of sociology is concerned with
interest?
 Formulate your research question(s) or the
clearly as possible. What is research goal,
exploratory, explanatory, evaluation?
 Explain how you came to this question/pro
interests (research you might have been in
taken, your work experience, discussions,
 Explain the assumptions you are making i
Explain the concepts you are using; what
to measure these? What is your hypothesi
dependent variables? Or what are you tryi
 Share tentative thesis (argument) (your be