A research proposal is a concise
and comprehensible summary of your proposed research. It shows clearly, the
major issues or questions that your research intends to address. It outlines
the general area of study within which your research falls, mentioning the
current state of knowledge and any current debates on the topic. It also validates
the originality of your proposed research.
The significance of the research
proposal is highlighted by the fact that failure to write a good research
proposal may mean failure to be admitted into a higher degree research program,
or failure to be confirmed as a continuing doctoral candidate.
A good research proposal gives
you an opportunity to demonstrate that you have the ability for graduate level
research, for example, by demonstrating that you have the ability to
communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely and critically.
Among other things, while
seeking for a higher degree research program, the proposal also helps your
choice institution to match your research interest with an appropriate
supervisor.
Research proposals generally address several key points:
- What research question(s) will
be addressed, and how they will be addressed
- How much time and expense will
be required for the research
- What prior research has been
done on the topic
- How the results of the research
will be evaluated
- How the research will benefit
the sponsoring organization and other parties
The format of a research proposal is fairly
standard and needs to contain the following headings;
Title: The title should be concise, unambiguous and gives a clear
indication of its focus. The words used in the topic should reflect the focus
of your research proposal. The most important words should come first.
Background:
This section gives a clear statement of the topic under investigation and
provides the general context for the research. A brief summary of what your
topic is all about.
Statement of the Research Problem: This
section shows the motivation for your research. It includes the problems your
research will solve which you could be a knowledge gap which you have noticed
in the literature of your subject.
Justification
for the Study: This section has to do with the
validity and the relevance of your research. You justify whether the proposed
research is attractive and feasible.
Statement
of aims & objectives: These include the statements of what you hope to accomplish,
but they are not measurable. This needs to be brief and clear and follow the
from your discussion of your research context.
Literature
Review: This
section contains critical review of relevant previous studies in the field of
your research or related. It contains what has been written already regarding
the problem or related areas. It shows other studies done on the area of your
research choice and the extent of work done.
This will enable you to decide whether
to continue the study or not; or whether to change your approach or not.
Note
That: Literature Review should contain a
list of relevant works in the field in chronological order, with a brief
description of each. Also, an overview of significant research related to your
research topic which you should evaluate to show the contribution of each and
to point out any shortcoming.
Methodology:
This section describes how you will conduct your study and the different
methods of data collection and analysis. It has to do with a detailed
description of the methods you plan to use to achieve your research aim and
objectives.
Expected Outcome:
In this section, you make predictions of the eventual findings of your
research. It shows your anticipated result; ‘If the research is well done,
these will be my expected results’.
You can use tables to describe your
anticipated outcome/result in some cases.
Time Frame/Work Plan:
how long will it take you to finish your research? It is better to break this
section down by having what you intend to do/achieve in each months and year(s)
(as the case may be) of your research.
This section helps you to think ahead and organize
your research.
Although,
in most cases, many of the details in the time frame will change once your
research begin.
Labels: Educative Article
