Developing Effective

Research Proposal

Khalid Mahmood, PhD

Professor
University of the Punjab

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About me
 Professor of Information Management at University
of the Punjab, Pakistan
 Post-doctoral research fellow at University of
California, Loss Angeles, USA
 150+ publications
 Supervised many doctoral, M.Phil. and master
theses
 Worked for many research journals as editor,
reviewer and editorial board member
 Conducted many trainings on research writing and
publishing

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Acknowledgment
 I have prepared this presentation
with the help of many books,
presentations and Websites.
 I pay my sincere gratitude to all
authors, professors and experts for
their efforts and contributions.

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Effective ?
 Adjective
 Producing a decided, decisive (very
clear or obvious), or desired effect
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)
 Successful in producing desired or
intended result (Oxford English
dictionary)

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Purpose of a research proposal

 Proposal in the university context

 Proposal for research grant or funding

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Components of a research proposal
 Preliminary pages  Delimitations and
 Introduction limitations
 Statement of the  Research design and
problem methods
 Research objectives  Availability of resources
 Research questions  Work schedule
 Hypotheses/Theses  Proposed contents
 Literature review  References and
 Rationale and bibliography
significance
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Preliminary pages
 Title page
 Title, name of researcher, student number,
supervisor, degree type, department,
university, date of submission
 Table of contents
 Headings and sub-headings with page
numbers
 Abstract
 One or two paragraphs

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Introduction
 Area and topic
 Background and context
 Brief literature review
 How the current research is related to
other research
 Do not review single, isolated studies-
introduce larger groups of studies to
present broader picture of the
literature
Statement of the problem
 What to do and why
 Problem as a knowledge void or
theoretical conflict
 Structure of the problem statement:
 Principal proposition
 Interactive proposition
 Speculative proposition

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Research objectives
 Specify the outcome of your study, the end
product
 Keep your objectives SMART
 Specific: Indicate precisely what you intend to
achieve through this objective
 Measurable: What you accept as proof of project
success
 Attainable: Given the resources available
 Relevant: Related to the overall goal of the project
 Time bound: Can be achieved in the given time

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Research objectives
 Importance
 Focus the study
 Give direction to the research design,
method to be adopted
 Prevent collection of irrelevant, redundant
data not necessary to achieve the objective
 Organize the study in clearly defined parts
or phases
 Provide criteria by which to evaluate the
outcome to the research

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Research objectives –
Examples from market research

Sample verbs Sample findings

Identify Problems, opportunities, criteria
Define Concepts, requirements
Describe Processes, usage, environments
Explore Perceptions, reactions
Generate Ideas, hypotheses, alternatives, explanations
Evaluate Feasibility, attractiveness, support
Select Theme, service, product, concept, ad
Test Assumptions, preferences
Measure Size, growth, frequency
Prioritize Market segments, needs, opportunities
Monitor Trends, competition
Track Awareness, satisfaction 12
Research objectives
 Examples
 To find out methods used for water
treatment
 To determine the feeding habits of the
under fives
 To assess the perception of the
community regarding care and support
for people living with HIV/AIDS

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Research questions
 Premised on the problem statement
identified, list possible research
questions that could be asked in
order to achieve the research
objectives of the study

 Main question and sub-questions

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Research questions
 Examples
 Is there a correlation between metacognitive and
cognitive strategy use and writing performance?
 Are the more strategies used, the higher the written
text scores are?
 Is there a correlation between metacognitive
strategies and the ‘task’ completion, between
cognitive strategies and the ‘language’
achievement?
 Which of the metacognitive and cognitive strategies
used lead to more successful writing performance?

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Hypotheses/Theses
 Hypotheses are research questions
that could be statistically tested

 Research hypothesis
 Null hypothesis

 Thesis statement

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Hypotheses
 Examples
 There is a positive correlation between the
availability of hours for work and the
productivity of employees
 Worker satisfaction increases worker
productivity
 Amount of sun exposure will increase the
growth of a tomato plant
 Childhood obesity is tied to the amount of
sugary drinks ingested daily

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Literature review
 Theoretical framework
 Address the independent and dependent
variable(s) proposed by the study
 Address studies conducted on the independent
and dependent variable(s)
 A summary that highlight the key research
studies relevant to the proposed study, their
general findings that relate to the proposed
study and support for the need of additional
research on the proposed topic
 Definition of terms – conceptual and
operational definitions
Rationale and significance
 Rationale
 Reasons or justification for conducting
the study

 Significance
 Addition in existing knowledge
 Implications for policy and practice
 Likely benefits for society at large

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Delimitations
 Characteristics selected by the
researcher to define the boundaries of
the study.
 The researcher makes conscious
exclusionary and inclusionary decisions
regarding the sample (including such
information as geographic location), the
variables studied, the theoretical
perspectives, the instruments, the
generalizability, etc.
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Delimitations
 Participants
 Participation in this study is delimited to
teachers who (a) teach third grade in a
private school, (b) in the state of
California, and (c) have taught more
than five years.
 Teachers who meet all other
qualifications but have previously taught
in a public school environment will be
excluded from the study.
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Delimitations
 Variables
 The study will be delimited to examination of
teachers' self-efficacy when teaching mathematics.
 Instrumentation
 Self-efficacy will be measured on a Likert-type scale
with an instrument designed specifically for the
proposed study.
 Generalizability
 The results of the proposed study will be
generalizable to teachers who (a) teach third grade in
a private school, (b) in the state of California, and (c)
have taught more than five years.

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Limitations
 Factors, usually beyond the researcher’s
control, that may affect the results of the study
or how the results are interpreted.
 Examples
 Due to the small sample available for the study,
results may not be generalizable to the population.
 Due to the length of the study, a significant number
of respondents available in the preliminary testing
may be unavailable or unwilling to participate in the
final stage of testing.

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 Research design and methods
 Research design
 Specific methods to be employed
 Population and sample
 Data collection instruments
 Validity and reliability of instruments
 Data collection procedure
 Dealing with ethical issues
 Data analysis plan
 Plan to disseminate the findings
Availability of resources
 Equipment
 Materials
 Literature
 Human resources
 Budget
 Additional resources needed and
methods to acquire

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Work schedule – Gantt chart

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Proposed contents
 Outline of chapters
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Design of the study
4. Data analysis and discussion
5. Summary, conclusions and
recommendations

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References and bibliography
 References to studies cited in the
proposal
 Up-to-date and relevant bibliography of
literature on the topic
 How many entries ??
 Use publication manual suitable for your
field
 You may use a citation management
software
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An effective proposal should be…
 Straight forward document
 Easy to read; simple language; no
jargon
 Precise; not wordy
 Not a literary production
 Clearly organized; proper use of
headings and sub-headings
 Complete; give all necessary information

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Best of luck for your
research endeavors!

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