What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is a an outline of your proposed project that is designed to

 Define a clear question and approach to answering it

 Highlight its originality and/or significance
 Explain how it adds to, develops (or challenges) existing literature in the field
 Persuade potential supervisors and/or funders of the importance of the work, and why
you are the right person to undertake it

What is the research proposal for?

Research proposals are also used to assess your expertise in the area in which you
want to conduct research, you knowledge of the existing literature.

Potential supervisors use research proposals to assess the quality and originality
of your ideas, your skills in critical thinking and the feasibility of the research project.
Think very carefully about the scope of your research and be prepared to explain how
you will complete it within this timeframe.

It is also an opportunity for you to communicate your passion in the subject area
and to make a persuasive argument about what your project can accomplish.

Is the research proposal ‘set in stone’?

No. Good research proposals evolve as the work progresses. It is normal for
students to refine their original proposal in light of detailed literature reviews. It is useful
to view your proposal as an initial outline rather than a summary of the ‘final product’.

What are the contents of a research proposal?

Although proposals differ in their writing style, some of the basic contents of a
research proposal are as follows:

[Link] page:

A title page should contain the name of the proposed research, candidate,
supervisor (if known) and the department or school to which it will be submitted.

[Link] Title:

The proposed research title should be clear, precise and should summarise the
details which are given in the proposed research.
3. Introduction:

A proposal starts with the introduction of research problem and some background
information that supports or validates the existence of stated problem and need for the
proposed research.

4. Rationale for research :

This section gives reasons for why this research is significant. It also put forward
some questions which will be addressed in the proposed research.

5. Hypotheses and Predictions

 A description of the questions you are examining and an exploration of the

claims. List the specific question(s) that you are exploring.
 Explain how these research questions are related to the larger issues raised in the
introduction.
 A literary guess for research questions is hypothesis, which the student will prove
or reject through his/her research.
 Describe what specific claim, hypothesis you will evaluate with these questions.

[Link] and Objective:

 Explain the issue you are examining and why it is significant.
 Describe the general area to be studies.
 Explain why this area is important to the general area under study:
 Aim and objectives will highlight what will be the outcome of the proposed
research. .

[Link] Review:

 A literature review summarises the nature of studies which have been already
done in the field of proposed research.
 It will bring out the gaps and arguments in the existing research that support the
need of the proposed research, and how the proposed research will fill those gaps
 A description of what has already known about this area and short discussion of
why the background studies are not sufficient.
 Summarize what is already known about the field.
 It includes a summary of the basic background information on the topic gleaned
from your literature review.
 It discusses several critical studies that have already been done in this area.
 It points out why these background studies are insufficient. In other words, what
question(s) do they leave unresolved that you would like to study?

7. Theoretical framework:
 Quantitative research is used to theory testing. This chapter deals with application
of appropriate theory according to the area of interest of the researcher.

[Link]:

 Methodology section gives the details of how the student will carry out the
proposed research.
 Student needs to provide information on data required, process of data collection,
various possible data sources, data analysis, methods and techniques to be applied
and research presentation.
 It is a description of how you would go about collecting data and test the
questions you are examining. You are not required to come up with a new or
original method.

Method:
 How would you collect the data and why?
 Describe the general methodology you choose for your study, in order to test
your hypothesis(es).
 Explain why this method is the best for your purposes.
 Participants: Who would you test and why?
 Describe the sample you would test and explain why you have chosen this
sample.

Ethical Considerations:

If the research involves questionnaire or interviews with human beings, then

international universities require an ethical approval prior to the beginning of the
research. This is done to save the personal freedom and for the safety of the participants.
In the research proposal student needs to mention that ethical approval will be taken prior
to the beginning of the field research involving human beings.

Budget:

A few research proposals also require budget information. Budget information

include the amount of total expected cost both direct and indirect, cost of any equipment
required, cost of field study, accommodation and conference participation etc. If any
other organization is sponsoring the project then that information should also come in this
section.

Timeline:

This section contains detailed time table for the project, such as, time spent on
literature review, primary and secondary data collection, data analysis, writing and
presentation.

Conclusion:
 Some research proposals also contain a section titled as conclusion which restate
the significance of the proposed research in the theoretical and practical world.

6. References
References should write according to APA style.

Possible pitfalls

Quite often, students who fit the minimum entrance criteria fail to be accepted as
researchers as a result of weaknesses in the research proposal. To avoid this, keep the
following advice in mind:

 Make sure that your research idea, question or problem is very clearly stated,
persuasive and addresses a demonstrable gap in the existing literature. Put time into
formulating the questions- in the early stages of a project, they can be as important as
the projected results.
 Make sure that you have researched the departments to which you are applying to
ensure that there are staff interested in your subject area and available to supervise
your project.
 Make sure that your proposal is well structured. Poorly formed or rambling proposals
indicate that the proposed project may suffer the same fate.
 Ensure that the scope of your project is reasonable, and remember that there are
significant limits to the size and complexity of a project that can be completed and
written up in proposed time.
 Make sure that your passion for the subject matter shines through in the structure
and arguments presented within your proposal.

 Refences

Bell, J. (1999): Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-time Researchers in
Education & Social Science, (Oxford University Press, Oxford).
Baxter, L, Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2001): How to Research, (Open University Press,
Milton Keynes).
Cryer, P. (2000): The Research Student's Guide to Success, (Open University, Milton
Keynes).
Delamont, S., Atkinson, P. and Parry, O. (1997): Supervising the PhD, (Open University
Press, Milton Keynes).
Philips, E. and Pugh, D. (2005): How to get a PhD: A Handbook for Students and their
Supervisors, (Open University Press, Milton Keynes).

Table of Contents
Ch
1. Introduction 5
1.1 Rationale for Selecting the Topic 8
1.2 Rationale for Selecting the Term Islamophobia 8
1.3 Rationale for Selecting the Muslims 10
1.4Rationale for Selecting the Media 11
1.5 Rationale for Selecting the Movies 13
1.6 Rationale for Selecting the Hollywood Movies 14
1.7 Rationale for Selecting the Bollywood Movies 15
1.8 Rationale for Selecting theTime Period 16
1.9 Rationale for Selecting the Movies 18
1.10 Rationale for Selecting the Bollywood as the follower of Hollywood 18
1.11 Objectives of the Study 19
1.12 Statement of the Problem 19
1.13 Hypotheses 20
1.14 Research Questions 20
Ch 2. Literature Review 21
2.1 Coverage and Portrayal of Islam and Muslims in Print Media 21
2.2 Coverage and Portrayal of Islam and Muslims in Electronic Media 31
Ch [Link] Framework 35
3.1Agenda-Setting Theory 363.2
Concept of Framing 393.3
Chomsky's Propaganda Model 423.4
Stereotyped Thinking Theory 45
Ch 4. Methodology 46
4.1 Research design 47
4.2 Universe 48
4.3 Population 48
4.4 Sampling 51
4.5 Tool for Data Collection 51

4.6 Unit of Analysis 51

4.7 Definittion of Categories 51
4.8 Research Questions and Hypothesis 55
4.9 Conceptualization 56
4.10 Operationalization 57
Ch 5. Conclusion 58
Ch 6. Time plan 59
Ch 7. References 60
Ch 8. Annexure 62