CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Objectives of this chapter
In this chapter we will discuss
 Research proposal
 Elements of research proposal
3.1. What is research proposal?
• The research proposal is a detailed plan of a study.
• It is a detailed document which shows researchers ideas in easily accessible way.
• A good research proposal centres in a good idea; familiarity with the topic.
• Familiarity with a topic requires
– a preparation period of reading,
– Observation and discussion
To get good research proposal you should follow the following steps.
Step 1: Read everything that you can in your area of interest.
Step 2: Identify the important and missing parts of the subject matter.
Step 3: Figure out how to build/discover those parts.
Step 4: Then write the important parts as the proposal.
The objective in writing a proposal is to describe:
• What you will do?
• Why it should be done?
• How you will do it? and
• What you expect will result.
Being clear about these things from the beginning will help you complete your research in a
timely fashion.
• A vague, weak or fuzzy proposal can lead to a long, painful, and often unsuccessful
research writing exercise.
• A clean, well thought-out, proposal forms the backbone for the research itself.
The research proposal:
– forces researchers to clarify all aspects of the study
 – Serves as a guide
– is an essential component submitted for funding.
• A well-thought out and well-written proposal can be judged according to three main
criteria.
– Is it adequate to answer the research question(s), and achieve the study objective?
– Is it feasible in the particular set-up for the study?
– Does it provide enough detail that can allow another investigator to do the study
and arrive at comparable results?
3.2 Components of a research proposal
• The basic components of a research proposal are very much similar in many fields.
• However, how they are phrased and presented may vary among disciplines.
• The following components are taken as the usual ones.
Common components of Research proposal
Title page
Summary/Abstract
 Introduction/
– Background
– Statement of the problem
– Objectives of the study
– Research question Chapter one
– Hypotheses
– Scope the study
– Significance of the study
– Organization of the study
 Literature review Chapter two
 Research methodology
– Research design and approach
– Sampling design Chapter three
– Source and method of data collection
– Method of data analysis
1. Title - the research topic
 The topic is the subject matter of a proposed study.
 Shows the central idea to learn about or to explore.
The research title should fulfill the following criteria
• The title should be as explicit/clear as possible and transparent
• It should capture and reflect the content of the proposal.
• It should enable the readers to understand the concepts of the study.
It should be clear and precise (eliminate unnecessary words).
e.g “An Economic Study of the Impacts of Lowering Import Tariffs on Textiles and
Consumers in Textile Manufacturers, and cotton Producers in the Ethiopia.”
BETTER:
“ The impact of Lowering Import Tariffs of Ethiopian Textiles on Consumers and
Industries”
Title page needs to show your name,
– the name of your department/faculty/college,
– the name of your advisor(s) and
– date of delivery under the title.
• Title should never contain abbreviations
• Title page has no page number
2. Abstract
 It is a summary, which reflects the whole content of the proposal (most of the time less
than 300 words).
 Abstract should be concise, informative and
– should provide brief information about the whole problem to be investigated
 The abstract is a mini version of the proposal.
 Do not put information in the abstract that is not in the main text of your research
proposal.
 Do not put references, figures, or tables in the abstract
The abstract of a proposal should contain the following points
– Title or topic of the research
– Statement of the problem and objective
 – Methodology of investigation
A well-prepared summary enables the reader to;
– Identify the basic content of a document quickly and accurately,
– Determine its relevance to their interests, and
– Decide whether they need to read the document in its entirely
• It is worthwhile to note that good abstract of a research proposal contains all
dimensions of the research design
Background of the study
• The introduction is the part of the proposal that provides readers
– With the background information for the research proposal.
• Its purpose is to establish a framework for the research,
– So that readers can understand the concepts easily.
• This is a statement of something sufficiently interesting to motivate your reader to read
the rest of the proposal, it is an important/interesting scientific problem that your study
either solves or addresses.
• The introduction should cite those who had the idea or ideas first, and
• Should also cite those who have done the most recent and relevant work. You should then
go on to explain why more work is necessary (your work, of course.)
• Write the introduction from general to specific form
Criteria for good introduction
– The problem proposed to be studied is introduced in this section.
– It should help the reader to acquaint with the topic.
– Introduction should be short about one or two pages.
– The problem should be stated in such a way that it’s importance and relevance is
realized by anyone who reads it.
Question to be addressed in this part include:
• What are current and previous studies that have been made on the issues to be studied?
• What is the present gap in knowledge and current trend?
• What makes worth studying?
• Why has the problem not been solved yet?
• What do we intend to fill the gap or solve the problem?
3. Statement of the problem
Most research proposals, whether designed for undergraduate, master's theses or doctoral
dissertations, may be considered as responses to a problem.
A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the literature, theory, or practice that leads
to a need for the study.
The researcher should think on what caused the need to do the research (problem identification).
The problem statement describes the context for the study and it also identifies the general
analysis approach.
It is important in a proposal that the problem stand out that the reader can easily recognize it.
Effective problem statements answer the question “Why does this researchneed to be
conducted.”
 If a researcher is unable to answer this question clearly. then the statement of the problem
will be ambiguous.
4. Research Question and Hypothesis
 Hypotheses and questions are linked to the speculative proposition of the problem
statement, can be inferred from the overall conceptual framework of a study, and are of
critical importance to data analysis and interpretation.
 The researcher narrows the focus to specific questions to be answered or predictions
based on hypotheses to be tested.
 If your question does not work well, no matter how strong the rest of the proposal, the
proposal is unlikely to be successful.
 A focused question at the outset will help you to know what data/information you need
and what to do with it once you have it.
According to Robson (2002),a good research question should fulfill the following criteria:
o Clear – research questions should be formulated in unambiguous and easily
understood way;
o Specific – should be sufficiently specific for it to be clear what constitute an
answer;
o Answerable –should be stated in a way that it helps a researcher see what data
are needed to answer them and how those data will be collected;
 o Interconnected – research questions are related in some meaningful way,
forming a referent whole; and
o Substantively relevant – are worthwhile, non-trivial questions worthy of the
research effort to be expended.
• Research questions: the specific purpose stated in the form of a question
(descriptive/exploratory research).
– Begin the research questions with the words what or how to convey an open and
emerging design.
• Hypothesis:is tentative statements that should either be acknowledged or rejected by
means of research (correlational and explanatory research).
• Hypotheses and research questions are linked to the speculative proposition of the
problem statement.
– Hypotheses are relevant to theoretical research and are typically used only in
quantitative inquiry.
– Research questions are most often used in qualitative inquiry.
Deciding whether to use questions or hypotheses basically depends on two factors:
– the purpose of the study,
– the nature of the design and methodology of the research.
5. Objective/aim of the study
The objectives of a research outline the ends or
– Aim which the inquirer seeks to bring about as a result of completing the research
undertaken.
An objective may be thought of as either a solution to a problem ora step along the way toward
achieving a solution; an end state to be achieved in relation to the problem.
The objectives of a research project summarize what is to be achieved by the study.
Objectives should be closely related to the statement of the problem.
After statement of the primary/ general objective, secondary/ specific objectives may be
mentioned.
Objectives should be
 Simple (not complex),
 Specific (not vague),
  stated in advance (not after the research is done), and
 Stated using “action verbs” such as describe,develop, examine, assess, identify the
study problem.
Commonly, research objectives are classified into general objectives and specific objectives.
 The general and specific objectives are logically connected to each other and
 the specific objectives are commonly considered as smaller portions of the general
objectives.
 It is important to ascertain that the general objective is closely related to the statement of
the problem.
A. General and specific objectives
General objective
 What exactly will be studied?
 General statements specifying the desired outcomes of the proposed project.
B. Specific objectives
 Specific statements summarizing the proposed activities and including
• Description of the outcomes and their assessment in measurable terms.
• It identifies the specific aims of the research project.
• Specific objectives should systematically address the ‘Statement of the Problem’ and
– The key factors that are assumed to influence or cause the problem.
• They should specify what you will do in your study.
Why should research objectives be developed?
The formulation of objectives will help you to:
– Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials);
– Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly necessary for understanding and
solving the problem you have identified; and
– Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases.
– Properly formulated objectives will facilitate the development of your research
methodology and will help to orient the collection, analysis, interpretation and
utilization of data.
6. Significance of the study
The significance of the study answers the questions:
• Why is your study important?
• To whom is it important?
• What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?
• Describing the significance of the study for selected audiences,
• Showing the importance of the problem for different groups that may benefit from
reading and using the study.
7. Scope and limitation of the study
Scope/delimitation
• The focus of the study needs to be given
• How the study will be narrowed in extent.
– Controlled by the researcher
– Delimitation is also made to time coverage and as well to certain particular
industry type, case or any unit of analysis.
– Delimitation affects generalizability of research findings.
8. Chapter structure/organization of the research report
– The number of chapters in the report
– The contents of each chapter
9. Related Literature review
To conduct research regarding a topic, the researcher should obtained sound knowledge with
regard to the research topic.
It is therefore imperative that the researchers,
 at the time of the submission of the research proposal,
 Clearly indicates what theoretical knowledge he/she possesses about the prospective
research.
Literature review is not a compilation of every work written about a topic. It is not simply a list
of sources reviewed separately for their own merit.A literature review is a description of the
literature relevant to a particular field or topic.
Literature review should relate to:
– The topic or problems area
– Theory area
– Methodology
The literature review asks how similar and related questions have been answered before.
10. Research Methodology
 The methodologies are the core and the largest part of the scientific research proposal.
 Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem.
 It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically
 Methodology should give full details to show how the research activity is going to be
carried out.
Research method and methodology
• The Difference between Research Method and Research Methodology
• Although the terms methods and methodologies are often used synonymously, the terms
convey/carry different meanings.
• A method is a particular research technique or way to gather information about a
phenomenon.
• Methods are specific tools we use in research projects to gain fuller understanding of
phenomena.
• Techniques used in research to gather data which are to be used as a basis for inference
and interpretation, for explanation and prediction.
– E.g., interviews, participant observations etc
• Methodology describes “the theory of how inquiry/ research should proceed”
• involves analysis of the principles and procedures in a particular field of inquiry.
• It involves the researchers’ assumptions about the nature of reality and the nature of
knowing and knowledge.
It includes
 Research design
 Source and method of data collection
 Sampling design
 Method of data analysis
11. Research design
 It is a plan of collecting and analyzing data in an economic, efficient and relevant
manner.
 refers to the plan, structure, and strategy of research-the blueprint that will guide the
research process.
12. Source and method of data collection:
There are two common sources of data:
Primary sources:The information obtained from primary sources is often called as primary data.
 The information is gathered by researcher for the first time,
Secondary sources: These sources of information are called “secondary data”.
 It is not gathered by the researcher rather it obtained from published and unpublished
material.
13. Method of collection
• It indicates how the data are obtained from each source.
Primary data collected through
– Observation method
– Interview
– Questionnaires
– Focus Group Discussion (FDG)
Secondary data collected through
– Internal (within the company or organization)
– External sources (outside the organization)
14. Sampling design
From which elements are the data collected? The researcher has to specify
 the elements from which the desired information is collected and
 How these elements are selected.
There are different sampling techniques.
 Probability sampling techniques
 Non probability sampling techniques
15. Method of data analysis
 Once the information is collected how it will be processed and
  analyzed should also be explained in this part.
 Qualitative and quantitative analysis technique
16. Work and budget plan
A. Work plan
– Work plan is a schedule that shows the different components of a research
proposal and
– how they will be implemented within a specific time-span.
• It may include:
– The tasks to be performed;
– When and where the tasks will be performed;
– Who will perform the tasks and the time each person will spend on them;
B. Budget plan
– It shows the cost requirements of the study.
17. References
– You must give references to all the information that you obtain from books,
articles in journals, and other sources.
Appendix
– Questionnaire
– Raw data