Chapter 3

Research Proposal
 Contents
1. What is a research proposal?
2. Importance of a research proposal
3. Components of the Proposal
4. Common Mistakes in writing a proposal
3.1. What is a research proposal?
• It is a written document requesting both
authorization and funds to undertake a specific
research project.
• A research proposal is intended to convince
others that you have a worthwhile research
project and that you have the competence and
the work-plan to complete it
• It is a comprehensive compilation of
– what, why, how, when, and where in research.

• Its organization and clarity is the first opportunity

to measure/evaluate your ability to successfully
execute a project.

• It is a written statement of the research design

that makes the research process operative for
the specific problem

• It is a plan of future research and an explanation

of how it will be achieved
It always includes:
– Detail procedures that will be utilized at
each stage of the research process
– a statement explaining the purpose of the
study
– A systematically designed outline that
puts particular research
methodology
• Regardless of your research area and the
methodology you choose, all research
proposals must address the following
questions:
What you plan to accomplish?
Why you want to do it and?
How you are going to do it ?
 Give yourself a chance . . .
• Start early
– Give yourself time to think
– As you have ideas, write them down
– Keep track of relevant literature
– Test your ideas on colleagues … even before you write
them down
– Critique yourself … (what if I’m wrong; what if it doesn’t
work?, etc.)
– Read/review proposals of others whenever you have a
chance
– Allow time to revise
MAIN QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN A PROPOSAL
• Is the proposed research interesting, important
and relevant?
• What are the aims and objectives of research
questions?
• Who has already done work in this area?
• How do I /we/ intend to conduct the
research?
• Where is the research intended to be carried
out?
• What is the timetable for conducting the
research?
• What will be the expected outcome of the
 3.2. Importance /Functions of the research
proposal
 As a means of communication
– It serves as a basis for determining the feasibility of the
research project
– It serves to communicate
» what information will be obtained,
» where it will be obtained, and
» how it will be obtained
 As a plan
– It sets out the plan in step-by-step detail and helps
to organize idea in a systematic manner
– It reduces the probability of costly mistake
 As a contract
– It constitute a bond of agreement between the
researcher and the funding sources or sponsors
– It gives the research supervisor/advisor/ a basis
for guiding the researcher while conducting the
study

Other Benefits:
Improved record-keeping
Enhanced credibility
Better program evaluation
Better financial
management
3.3 Components of Research Proposal
/Format and Elements of Proposal /
• Abstract
• Introduction:
– Background and justification,
– Objective of the study
• Literature review
• Material and methods (methodology)
• Work plan (time budget)
• Cost budget
• References
• Appendix
 [Link]
• It should be concise and descriptive.
• For example, the phrase, "An investigation of . .
." could be omitted.
• The title should be as explicit as possible and
transparent
• It should be clear and short
• It should capture and reflect the content of the
proposal. It should enable the readers to
understand the concepts of the study
• Try to get the title down to one line or two
 2. Abstract:
• Is summary, which reflects the whole content of the
proposal
• Is a short informative summary of the entire
document
• Provide brief information about the whole problem to be
investigated
• Should be brief
• Should be clear
• Should be interesting
• The abstract of proposal should contain the following
points:
• Title or topic of the research
• Statement of the problem and objective
• Methodology of investigation
• Expected result
 [Link]
The introduction generally covers the following
elements:
1. State the research problem, which is often referred to
as
the purpose of the study.
2. Provide the context and set the stage for your research
question in such a way as to show its necessity and
importance.
3. Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly
indicate why it is worth doing.
[Link] describe the major issues and sub-
problems to be addressed by your
research.
[Link] the key independent and
dependent variables of your
experiment.
6. State your hypothesis or theory, if any.
[Link] the delimitation or boundaries of
your proposed research in order to
provide a clear focus.
[Link] definitions of key concepts. (This
is optional.)
 A. Background of the
The mainstudy
purpose of the introduction is to provide the
necessary background or context for your research
• Reviews the previous work to reveal what is known
of the subject
• Present a concise explanation on the development,
trend and current state of the theme of the study
• Start by providing a global synopsis of the subject
and move to regional and specific to country, local
or institution situation
• Present the rationale of your proposed study and
clearly indicate why it is worth doing.
 Justification for the study ….
• It should be firmly premised in previous, relevant
works and should show an exhaustive
bibliographic review of the subject has performed
• The significant content of the justification is
that
 Justification for the study
Little work has been
…. carried out to try to
solve the stated
problem
• The significant content of the justification is
that
No work has Some work has
been carried out been done but
to try to solve the gaps still exit
stated problem
Hence
the need to
conduct
the study
 B. The problem
• statement
The reason behind the proposal
• Focus on the magnitude and the stage of
the problem to be addressed
• Describe activities of similar works that are
already in place or being planned
– Pointing the general agreements
and disagreements among earlier
works.
– In some cases you might want to
challenge previously accepted ideas.
• You should carefully review the studies that
have led to the acceptance of those ideas and
indicate the factors that have not been
previously considered or the logical fallacies
present in the previous research I.e. analysis of
unmet need.
• The justification (importance) of conducting
the project
• Identify the void in knowledge/specific problem
your project would fill/resolve.
• Provide general background on problem through
review of pertinent literature - not just your own
work.
• Critically evaluate current state of knowledge.
• Avoid the temptation to be encyclopedic -the
goal in this section is NOT TO TELL ALL YOU
KNOW, but rather to TELL ALL THE
REVIEWER NEEDS TO KNOW to understand
and appreciate the importance of your project
 Logical sequence for presenting “Statement of
the problem”

1. Describe the magnitude, frequency, and

distribution of the problem
2. Describe the probable causes of the
problem
 What is the current knowledge of the
problem and its
causes?
 Is there consensus? Is there controversy? Is there
conclusive evidence?
3. Describe possible solutions
 In what ways have solutions to the problem been
attempted?
 What has been proposed?

4. Explain about unanswered questions
– What remains to be answered?
– What areas have not been possible to
understand, determine, verify, or
test?
 [Link]
Objective
• What is Research Objective that clearly
– Research objective
depicts the goal to be is a
achieved by a research
statement
project.
– Should be specific enough so that it will be
possible to tell if you have succeeded when the
project is complete.
– Should have clear relationship to any concepts to
be evaluated (hypotheses to be tested).
Generally this section focuses on:
• What is to be achieved by the proposed study
• Should be to the point and logically arranged
• Stated in a way that shows the relations b/n
variables
• Must clearly state the target of the research
activity
• what kind of results are expected or sought from
conducting research.
 Formulation of a Research Objective
• 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 (to
establish the limits of the study); and
– Organize the study in clearly defined parts
or phases.
• Properly formulated, specific objectives will
facilitate the development of your research
methodology and will help to orient the collection,
analysis, interpretation and utilization of data.
 Types of Research
Objectives
• General objective:
– summarizes what is to be achieved by the
study
– should be clearly related to the statement of
the problem.
• Specific objectives:
– logically connected parts of the general
objective
– focus the study on the essentials
– direct the design of the investigation
– orient collection, analysis and interpretation
of the data
 D. Significance of the study
Significance: importance of resolving the problem
 Tell the reviewer what makes your problem
important to.
 Relate the specific aims to the broad, long-term
objectives - how would satisfying the specific
aims contribute to resolving the problem
 Relate the goals (long term goals and specific
aims) to the sponsor’s interests
This section should answer the following:
• How does the research relate to the priorities of
the management?
• How does the research help in acquiring and
reinforcing your knowledge of your field of study
 E. Scope of the Study
• It is description of the issues and core concepts
that the study deals with and the limits of
investigation for the sake of ensuring tractability
vis-à-vis limitation of resources
–Issue Specification
–Space Specification
–Time Reference Specification
 F. Limitations
• A limitation identifies potential weaknesses of the
study.
• Think about your analysis, the nature of
self- report, your instruments, and the sample.
 4. Literature
Review
• Sometimes the literature review is
incorporated into the introduction section.
• However, most professors prefer a separate
section, which allows a more thorough review of
the literature
Objective of the literature review
• To establish a familiarity with a body of
knowledge and establishes credibility
• To show the path of prior research and how
a current project is linked to it
• To integrate and summarize what is known in
the area
• To learn from others and stimulate new ideas
 Types of reviewed literature
• can be
Theoretical works and review
• Methodological review
• Original findings and reviews of
them
Stages of review
[Link] the beginning of the research:
the objective here is
• To check what other research has
been done
• To focus your idea, and
• To explore the context for your project
 Stages….

2. During your research: with the objectives of

– keeping your interest and up to date
with development
– helping you better understand the method
you are using and the field you are
researching and,
– serving as a source of data
3. After your research, with the objectives of
• seeing what impact you own work has had, and
• helping you develop ideas for further
research project
 Most students' literature reviews suffer
from the following problems:
• Lacking organization and structure
•• Being repetitive and verbose
• Failing to cite influential papers
• Failing to keep up with recent
developments
• Failing to critically evaluate cited
papers
• Citing irrelevant or trivial references
• Depending too much on secondary
sources
5. Material and Methods
(Methodology) or Data and
Methodology

Accurate, clear and valid methodology enable

others to
• Replicate the experiments described in the
study
• Modify them with the assurance that the
modification is different from the original in
some way
• Apply them under different conditions
 A. Data (some authors prefer
Materials)

• information required to attack the problem

is explained.
• Each variable or indicator identified by a
researcher is explained and justified to
show how it is relevant to the current
study.
the and time that will be
• study
The sourceincluded
of the data,
time the
period) site (location)
should also
of
(relevant be
specified
 B. Methods
(Methodology)
Method of data collection
• How the data are obtained from
earlier specified sources?
• The researcher explains and justifies
how his selection of a particular
method is relevant and appropriate to
his study.
 Method of sampling
• Sampling frame: From which elements will
the data be collected?
• Sampling method: There are different sampling
techniques. The researcher is expected to
consider all of them and select the one, which is
appropriate for the current study.
• Justification of his choice of a particular sampling
technique is relevant here.
• The sample size: It should also be specified with
its method of sample size determination.
 Method of analysis:
• Once the information is collected how it will
be processed and analyzed should also be
explained in this part.
• Particularly if the researcher uses
mathematical models, he has to show their
mathematical derivations and relations
briefly to demonstrate their relevance for
the current study.
 Method of presenting the
outcome
• Some times it is worth to mention how
the out come of the research will be
presented to consumers (general
public).
• This is important if the research is not
a part of a particular study program
(like, master or doctoral study).
 [Link]
• Issues
Voluntary participation
• Informed consent is required for all phases of
research except review of medical records.
• No harm to participants
• Concerns that revealing information that would
embarrass respondents or endanger their home-
life, friendships, jobs and so forth
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Individual identifying information should be
avoided or names and address may be replaced
by identifying number
• All results are reported in aggregate
• Ethical clearance from the concerned bodies
• Honesty in all components of the work is
mandatory
 [Link] plan
• Work plan summarizes (in a table, chart, graph) the various
components of a research project and how they fit
together.
• Your schedule should include the major phases of the project,
their timetables, and the milestones that signify completion of
a phase.
• It is a plan in terms of numbers of weeks or months and
expected completion dates.
• Includes:
– Tasks to be performed
– When the task will be performed
– Who will perform the task (identify
human
resource needed for each task)
 [Link]
budget
• Clearly identify the resource
requirements
• Be realistic in costing/budgeting
• The work plan is a good starting point
for preparing budget- budget for
activities
• Prepare budget justification
• Include 5-10% contingency
• Identify funding source & prepare
budget according to the required
format
 Budget Items Total Days Rate Total Charge

A. Salaries
1. Research director 20 hours Rs 200/hr Rs. 4,000

2. Associate 10 hours Rs 100/hr Rs. 1,000

3. Research assistants (2) 300 hours Rs 20/hr Rs. 6,000

4. Secretarial (1) 100 hours Rs 12/hr Rs 1,200

Subtotal Rs 12,200

B. Other costs
5. Travel Rs 2,500

6. Office supplies Rs 100

7. Telephone Rs 800

8. Other equipment Rs 100

Subtotal Rs 3,500

C. Total of direct costs Rs 15,700

D Overhead support Rs. 5,480

E. Total funding requested Rs. 2l.180

 9. Referencing
• Bibliography or Literature cited
• Be consistent in terms of style
• Number of references provided are often
an indicator of effort put into proposal
development
• Ata graduate level, anything less than
20 references is NOT acceptable
 [Link] (Annex)

• It is not mandatory to have this section

Stuffs to be included in appendix
• Detail Questionnaires and interview
schedules
• Detailed experimental design (in
experimental research)
• Detailed statistical procedures
• Survey and other geographic maps
 Your Proposal
• Simple and clear
• Good statement of the problem: why do you
want to study?
• Pertinent literature review
• Few objectives
• Clear and detailed methodological
description
• Good work plan
• Reasonable budget
 Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing
1. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.
2. Failure to cite landmark studies.
3. Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical
contributions by other researchers.
4. Failure to stay focused on the research question.
5. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for
the proposed
research.
6. Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on
major issues.
7. Too much rambling -- going "all over the map" without a
clear sense of direction. (The best proposals move forward
with ease and grace like a seamless river.)
8. Too many citation lapses and incorrect references.
9. Too long or too short.
 Assignment
• A researcher argued that time and
resource spent on proposal
development is a waste. As we are
doing all these parts in the final
research it is futile exercise. So we
need not exert all these resources
and effort for the purpose of
developing the research proposal.
Rather appropriate care must be
taken to address all the parts during
the actual research.