Generally students and researchers do not completely understand what a research proposal entails or its importance. To put it bluntly, finding someone is only as good as their guess. A poorly designed proposal condemns the project, even if it somehow passes through the thesis steering committee. In contrast, a high-quality proposal not only promises the success of the project, but also impresses your thesis committee on your potential as a researcher.
- A research proposal is designed to convince others that you have a meaningful research project and that you have the skill and the work plan to complete it. In general, a research proposal should include all key elements of the research process and provide enough information for readers to assess the proposed research.
- Regardless of your research area and whatever methodology you choose, all research proposals should answer the following questions: what you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it, and how you are going to do it.
- The proposal should contain enough information to convince your readers that you have an important research idea, that you have a good understanding of the relevant literature and key questions, and that your methodology is sound.
- The excellence of your research plan depends not only on the excellence of your planned project, but also on the superiority of your proposal writing. A good research project may run the risk of being discarded simply because the proposal is written poorly. This is why it pays to have your writing consistent, clear, and engaging. This article focuses more on proposal writing than on developing research ideas.
- Title: It should be concise and descriptive. Titles are often stated in terms of a functional relationship because these titles clearly indicate the independent and dependent variables. However, if possible, find an informative but catchy title. An effective headline not only arouses the reader’s interest, but also makes them supportive of the proposal.
- Abstract: It’s a short summary of about 300 words. It should include the research question, research rationale, hypothesis (if applicable), method, and key findings. Method descriptions may include the design, procedures, sample, and any instrument that will be used.
- Introduction: The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the context or context necessary for your research problem. Perhaps the biggest problem in proposal writing is how to frame the research problem. If the research problem is framed in the context of a general and comprehensive literature search, the research question may appear trivial and irrelevant. However, if the same question is placed in the context of a very focused and current area of research, its meaning will become clear.
- Unfortunately, there are no set rules for formulating your research question, just as there are no rules for writing an interesting and informative opening paragraph. It all depends on your creativity, your ability to think clearly, and how deep you understand the issues. Second, you need to provide a brief but relevant history. Third, provide the contemporary context in which your proposed research question is central. Finally, identify the “protagonists” and refer to them
- most relevant and representative publications. In short, try to paint your research question in large brushes and at the same time bring out its meaning.
- The introduction typically covers the following: State the problem of the research, which is often referred to as the goal of the study. Present the rationale for your proposed study and clearly state why it is worth doing it. Briefly describe the main issues and sub-issues that your research will need to address.
- Identify the main independent and dependent variables of your experience. You can also specify the phenomenon you want to study. State your hypothesis or theory, if applicable. For exploratory or phenomenological research, you may not have any assumptions.
- Define the boundaries or boundaries of your proposed research to provide clear direction. Provide definitions of key concepts. (This is optional.) Literature review:
- Sometimes the literature review is integrated into the introductory section. However, most professors prefer a separate section, which allows for a more in-depth review of the literature. The literature review fulfills several important functions:
- Indicates your skill to incorporate and create existing literature. Provide new theoretical perspectives or develop a new model as a conceptual framework for your research. Convinces your reader that your research project will make a significant and substantial contribution to the literature (i.e. solve an important theoretical problem or fill a major gap in the literature) Most student literature reviews suffer from the following problems: Lack of organization and structure
- There are diverse ways to arrange your literature review. Use captions to organize and consistency to your review. For example, after establishing the significance of your study area and its present state of development, you can offer several subsections to related issues such as: theoretical models, measurement instruments, intercultural and gender differences, etc.
