How to write a research
proposal
When applying for a research
grant or a study scholarship, you
are expected to
hand in a "detailed and precise
description of study or research
proposal as well as information
on any previous study or research
projects of particular relevance to
a decision of award."
The
purpose of the proposal is to ensure that the candidates have done sufficient preliminary reading/
research in the area of their interest that they have thought about the issues involved and are able to provide more than a broad description of the topic which they are planning to research. The proposal is not a fixed
blueprint. One cannot predict one's findings beforehand or
mechanically stick to an argument since the research will inevitably alter or even unseat one's initial
expectations. There is no fixed formula for writing a proposal. However, your challenge is to convince members of the scientific community that you have identified a scientific problem have a theoretical background and a methodical approach to solve the problem within a realistic time frame and at reasonable expenses. With your research you will add a new aspect to the scientific discourse.
First, consult your advisor on length, layout (typeface, line spacing, font, etc.), format, as well as a table of contents and page numbers. Members of the selection committee may have to read a large number of research proposals so good construction and legibility of your proposal is to your advantage.
Title Page:
Personal data (name, academic title, your position at your own university, date of birth, nationality, your contact information, institutional contact. (Working) Title of your planned dissertation or research report. words in the title should be chosen with great care, and their association with one another must be carefully considered. While the title should be brief, it should be accurate, descriptive and comprehensive, clearly indicating the subject of the investigation. In order to develop a clear title, you must also be clear about the
focus of your research! Strive for the title to be ten words or 60 characters: focus on or incorporate keywords that reference the classification of the research subject Indicate a realistic time frame toward project completion, followed by the name(s) of your supervisor(s), the university department where you hope to do your research and, if applicable, information about other academics with whom you plan to
collaborate.
Refer to successfully funded projects to determine whether your topic fits with the granting organization's mission and to mimic their title/proposal structure
Abstract/summary statement of
the research project:
This one page summary focuses on the research topic, its new, current and relevant aspects. Strive for clarity; your greatest challenge might be narrowing the topic
Review of research literature
A short and precise overview about the current state of research that is immediately connected with your research project.
Reference the most important contributions of other scientists. Discuss the theoretical scope or the framework of ideas that will be used to back the research.
Demonstrate that you are fully conversant with the ideas you are dealing with and that you grasp their methodological implications.
Indicate the open problem which then will be the motive for your project. State clearly how your
research will contribute to the existing research.
Your history/preparation
Summarize the most important
impact of your own work on the
topic (if applicable).
Attach copies of your own
publications that might be seen in
relation to your research project.
Objective of the research project
Give a concise and clear outline
of the academic (possibly also
non-academic, e.g. social and
political) objectives that you want
to achieve through your project.
Your proposal
needs to show why the intended
research is important and justifies
the search effort. Here you outline
the significance (theoretical or
practical) or relevance
of the topic.
Such justification may either be of
an empirical nature (you hope to
add to, or extend
an existing body of knowledge) or
of a theoretical nature (you hope
to elucidate contentious
areas in a body of knowledge or
to provide new conceptual
insights into such
knowledge). All research is part of
a larger scholarly enterprise and
candidates should
be able to argue for the value and
positioning of their work.
Outline the project
This is the central part of your
research outline.
Detail your research procedure
within the given time.
List sources and quality of
evidence you will consult, the
analytical technique you will
employ, and the timetable you
will follow.
Depending on the topic, suitable
research strategies should be
defined to ensure
that enough and adequate
empirical data will be gathered
for a successful research project.
Describe the intended methods of
data gathering, the controls you
will introduce, the statistical
methods to be used, the type of
literature or documentary analysis
to be followed, etc.
Consider your work to be a Work-
in-Progress and allow yourself a
flexible planning:
Stay ready to revise the proposal
according to new insights and
newly aroused questions
and keep on modifying the
working hypothesis according to
new insights while
formulating the proposal and the
working hypothesis. Once you
have a useful
working hypothesis, concentrate
on pursuing the project within the
limits of the topic.
Timetable
Develop a time table (if possible
in table form), indicating the
sequence of research phases and
the time that you will probably
need for each phase. Take into
account that at this stage, it can
only be estimated, but make clear
that you have an idea about the
time span that will be needed for
each step.
Selective research bibliography
List academic works mentioned in
your research outline as well as
other important works to which
you will refer during your
research
Attachments:
List other documents attached to
your proposal.
References, CV, etc.
Editing:
Once you have finished the
conceptual work on your
proposal, go through a careful
editing stage
Writing/presentation style:
1. Verify that the title, the abstract
and the content of your proposal
clearly correspond to each other!
2. Maintain a clear structure,
an intuitive navigational style
throughout the document with
headings and summaries,
enabling the reader to quickly
reference where they are for
future commenting;
(Have a reader skim your
document to verify)
3. Summarize significant issues and
make no assumptions where
possible.
4. Keep a reasonable, clear,
declarative writing style (active
verbs!) throughout the document;
5. Breakup the narrative with
bulleted lists, visuals, etc.
demonstrating a command of
abstract concepts and
relationships
Use white space to highlight and
emphasize important sections
6. Make sure your proposal does not
contain any grammatical/spelling
mistakes or typos; engage a
proofreader;
7. Request an experienced academic
to proofread your proposal in
order to ensure the proposal
conforms to institutional and
international academic standards.
Partially adapted with
permission from
Olk, Dr. Harald. (October 2009).
How to Write a Research Proposal .
In Deutscher Akademischer
Austauschdienst Dienst (DAAD).
Retrieved January 28, 2011
Common rejection reasons *
The National Institute of Health
(NIH) analyzed the reasons why
over 700 research proposal
applications were denied. Their
findings as to the cause of
rejection are worth reviewing:
I. Nature of the Problem (18%)
A. It is doubtful that new or useful
information
will result from the project (14%).
B. The basic hypothesis is unsound
(3.5%).
C. The proposed research is
scientifically premature due to the
present inadequacy of supporting
knowledge (0.6%).
II. Approach to the Problem (38.9%)
A. The research plan is nebulous,
diffuse
and not presented in concrete
detail (8.6%).
B. The planned research is not
adequately controlled (3.7%).
C. Greater care in planning is
needed (25.2%).
1. The research plan has not been
carefully designed (11.8%).
2. The proposed methods will not
yield accurate results (8.8%).
3. The procedures to be used
should be spelled out
in more detail (4.6%).
D. A more thorough statistical
treatment is needed (0.7%).
E. The proposed tests require more
individual subjects
than the number given (0.7%).
III. Competence of the Investigators
(38.2%)
A. The applicants need to acquire
greater familiarity with the
pertinent literature (7.2%).
B. The problems to be investigated
are more complex than the
applicants realize (10.5%).
C. The applicants propose to enter an
area of research for which
they are not adequately trained
(12.8%).
D. The principal investigator intends
to give actual responsibility
for the direction of a complex
project to an inexperienced
co-investigator (0.9%).
E. The reviewers do not have
sufficient confidence in the
applicants
to approve the present
application, largely based on the
past
efforts of the applicants (6.8%).
IV. Conditions of the Research
Environment (4.8%)
A. The investigators will be required
to devote too much time to
teaching or other non-research
duties (0.9%).
B. Better liaison is needed with
colleagues in collateral disciplines
(0.4%).
C. Requested expansion on
continuation of a currently
supported research project would
result in failure to achieve the
main goal of the work (3.5%).
Based on the above analysis,
a carefully designed, well
reasoned proposal will overcome
these common pitfalls. It also
represents and important
credibility statement about the
investigator.
The Bureau of Occupational
and Vocational Education
comparable study.
Based on a sample of 353
research grant applications:
-- 18% forgot to number the
pages.
-- 73% forgot to include a table of
contents.
-- 81% had no abstract.
-- 92% failed to provide resumes
of proposed consultants.
-- 25% had no resume for the
principal investigator.
-- 66% included no plan for
project evaluation.
-- 17% forgot to identify the
project director by name.
-- 20% failed to list the objectives
of the project.
Science series
Following the scientific method |
Studying text books in science |
Writing lab reports and
scientific papers | How to write
a research proposal |
Writing white papers | Lab
Phase two
Most students and beginning
researchers do not fully understand
what a research proposal means, nor
do they understand its importance.
To put it bluntly, one's research is
only as a good as one's proposal. An
ill-conceived proposal dooms the
project even if it somehow gets
through the Thesis Supervisory
Committee. A high quality proposal,
on the other hand, not only promises
success for the project, but also
impresses your Thesis Committee
about your potential as a researcher.
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. Generally, a
research proposal should contain all
the key elements involved in the
research process and include
sufficient information for the readers
to evaluate the proposed study.
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.
The proposal should have sufficient
information to convince your readers
that you have an important research
idea, that you have a good grasp of
the relevant literature and the major
issues, and that your methodology is
sound.
The quality of your research proposal
depends not only on the quality of
your proposed project, but also on the
quality of your proposal writing. A
good research project may run the
risk of rejection simply because the
proposal is poorly written. Therefore,
it pays if your writing is coherent,
clear and compelling.
This paper focuses on proposal
writing rather than on the
development of research ideas.
Title:
It should be concise and descriptive.
For example, the phrase, "An
investigation of . . ." could be
omitted. Often titles are stated in
terms of a functional relationship,
because such titles clearly indicate
the independent and dependent
variables. However, if possible, think
of an informative but catchy title. An
effective title not only pricks the
reader's interest, but also predisposes
him/her favourably towards the
proposal.
Abstract:
It is a brief summary of
approximately 300 words. It should
include the research question, the
rationale for the study, the hypothesis
(if any), the method and the main
findings. Descriptions of the method
may include the design, procedures,
the sample and any instruments that
will be used.
Introduction:
The main purpose of the introduction
is to provide the necessary
background or context for your
research problem. How to frame the
research problem is perhaps the
biggest problem in proposal writing.
If the research problem is framed in
the context of a general, rambling
literature review, then the research
question may appear trivial and
uninteresting. However, if the same
question is placed in the context of a
very focused and current research
area, its significance will become
evident.
Unfortunately, there are no hard and
fast rules on how to frame your
research question just as there is no
prescription on how to write an
interesting and informative opening
paragraph. A lot depends on your
creativity, your ability to think clearly
and the depth of your understanding
of problem areas.
However, try to place your research
question in the context of either a
current "hot" area, or an older area
that remains viable. Secondly, you
need to provide a brief but
appropriate historical backdrop.
Thirdly, provide the contemporary
context in which your proposed
research question occupies the
central stage. Finally, identify "key
players" and refer to the most
relevant and representative
publications. In short, try to paint
your research question in broad
brushes and at the same time bring
out its significance.
The introduction typically begins with
a general statement of the problem
area, with a focus on a specific
research problem, to be followed by
the rational or justification for the
proposed study. 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.
4. Briefly describe the major issues and
sub-problems to be addressed by
your research.
5. Identify the key independent and
dependent variables of your
experiment. Alternatively, specify the
phenomenon you want to study.
6. State your hypothesis or theory, if
any. For exploratory or
phenomenological research, you may
not have any hypotheses. (Please do
not confuse the hypothesis with the
statistical null hypothesis.)
7. Set the delimitation or boundaries of
your proposed research in order to
provide a clear focus.
8. Provide definitions of key concepts.
(This is optional.)
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.
The literature review serves several
important functions:
1. Ensures that you are not "reinventing
the wheel".
2. Gives credits to those who have laid
the groundwork for your research.
3. Demonstrates your knowledge of the
research problem.
4. Demonstrates your understanding of
the theoretical and research issues
related to your research question.
5. Shows your ability to critically
evaluate relevant literature
information.
6. Indicates your ability to integrate and
synthesize the existing literature.
7. Provides new theoretical insights or
develops a new model as the
conceptual framework for your
research.
8. Convinces your reader that your
proposed research will make a
significant and substantial
contribution to the literature (i.e.,
resolving an important theoretical
issue or filling a major gap in the
literature).
Most students' literature reviews
suffer from the following problems:
Lacking organization and structure
Lacking focus, unity and coherence
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
Your scholarship and research
competence will be questioned if any
of the above applies to your proposal.
There are different ways to organize
your literature review. Make use of
subheadings to bring order and
coherence to your review. For
example, having established the
importance of your research area and
its current state of development, you
may devote several subsections on
related issues as: theoretical models,
measuring instruments, cross-
cultural and gender differences, etc .
It is also helpful to keep in mind that
you are telling a story to an audience.
Try to tell it in a stimulating and
engaging manner. Do not bore them,
because it may lead to rejection of
your worthy proposal. (Remember:
Professors and scientists are human
beings too.)
Methods:
The Method section is very important
because it tells your Research
Committee how you plan to tackle
your research problem. It will provide
your work plan and describe the
activities necessary for the
completion of your project.
The guiding principle for writing the
Method section is that it should
contain sufficient information for the
reader to determine whether
methodology is sound. Some even
argue that a good proposal should
contain sufficient details for another
qualified researcher to implement the
study.
You need to demonstrate your
knowledge of alternative methods
and make the case that your
approach is the most appropriate and
most valid way to address your
research question.
Please note that your research
question may be best answered by
qualitative research. However, since
most mainstream psychologists are
still biased against qualitative
research, especially the
phenomenological variety, you may
need to justify your qualitative
method.
Furthermore, since there are no well-
established and widely accepted
canons in qualitative analysis, your
method section needs to be more
elaborate than what is required for
traditional quantitative research.
More importantly, the data collection
process in qualitative research has a
far greater impact on the results as
compared to quantitative research.
That is another reason for greater
care in describing how you will
collect and analyze your data. (How
to write the Method section for
qualitative research is a topic for
another paper.)
For quantitative studies, the method
section typically consists of the
following sections:
1. Design -Is it a questionnaire study or
a laboratory experiment? What kind
of design do you choose?
2. Subjects or participants - Who will
take part in your study ? What kind of
sampling procedure do you use?
3. Instruments - What kind of
measuring instruments or
questionnaires do you use? Why do
you choose them? Are they valid and
reliable?
4. Procedure - How do you plan to carry
out your study? What activities are
involved? How long does it take?
Results:
Obviously you do not have results at
the proposal stage. However, you
need to have some idea about what
kind of data you will be collecting,
and what statistical procedures will
be used in order to answer your
research question or test you
hypothesis.
Discussion:
It is important to convince your reader
of the potential impact of your
proposed research. You need to
communicate a sense of enthusiasm
and confidence without exaggerating
the merits of your proposal. That is
why you also need to mention the
limitations and weaknesses of the
proposed research, which may be
justified by time and financial
constraints as well as by the early
developmental stage of your research
area.
Common Mistakes in Proposal
Writing
1. Failure to provide the proper context
to frame the research question.
2. Failure to delimit the boundary
conditions for your research.
3. Failure to cite landmark studies.
4. Failure to accurately present the
theoretical and empirical
contributions by other researchers.
5. Failure to stay focused on the
research question.
6. Failure to develop a coherent and
persuasive argument for the proposed
research.
7. Too much detail on minor issues, but
not enough detail on major issues.
8. 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.)
9. Too many citation lapses and
incorrect references.
10. Too long or too short.
11. Failing to follow the APA style.
12. Slopping writing.
[11:48AM, 6/25/2015] Kelly Max: What is a proposal?
Types of proposals
Parts of a proposal
Must-have resources
What is a proposal?
A proposal is a request for support
of sponsored research, instruction,
or extension projects. Good
proposals quickly and easily
answer the following questions:
What do you want to do, how much
will it cost, and how much time will it
take?
How does the proposed project relate
to the sponsor's interests?
What difference will the project make
to: your university, your students,
your discipline, the state, the nation,
or any other concerned parties?
What has already been done in the
area of your project?
How do you plan to do it?
How will the results be evaluated?
Why should you, rather than someone
else, do this project?
These questions will be answered
in different ways and receive
different emphases depending on
the nature of the proposed project
and on the agency to which the
proposal is being submitted. Most
agencies provide detailed
instructions or guidelines
concerning the preparation of
proposals (and, in some cases,
forms on which proposals are to
be typed); obviously, such
guidelines should be studied
carefully before you begin writing
the draft.
Types of proposals
Solicited proposals
Submitted in response to a
specific solicitation issued by a
sponsor. Such solicitations,
typically called Request for
Proposals (RFP), or Request for
Quotations (RFQ), are usually
specific in their requirements
regarding format and technical
content, and may stipulate certain
award terms and conditions.
Broad Agency Announcements
(BAAs) are not considered formal
solicitations.
Unsolicited proposals
Submitted to a sponsor that has
not issued a specific solicitation
but is believed by the investigator
to have an interest in the subject.
Preproposals
Requested when a sponsor wishes
to minimize an applicant's effort
in preparing a full proposal.
Preproposals are usually in the
form of a letter of intent or brief
abstract. After the preproposal is
reviewed, the sponsor notifies the
investigator if a full proposal is
warranted.
Continuation or non-competing
proposals
Confirm the original proposal and
funding requirements of a multi-
year project for which the sponsor
has already provided funding for
an initial period (normally one
year). Continued support is
usually contingent on satisfactory
work progress and the availability
of funds.
Renewal or competing proposals
Are requests for continued
support for an existing project that
is about to terminate, and, from
the sponsor's viewpoint, generally
have the same status as an
unsolicited proposal.
Parts of a proposal
Proposals for sponsored activities
generally follow a similar format,
although there are variations
depending upon whether the
proposer is seeking support for a
research grant, a training grant,
or a conference or curriculum
development project. The
following outline covers the
primary components of a research
proposal. Your proposal will be a
variation on this basic theme.
1. Title Page : Most sponsoring agencies
specify the format for the title page,
and some provide special forms to
summarize basic administrative and
fiscal data for the project. Titles
should be comprehensive enough to
indicate the nature of the proposed
work, but also be brief.
2. Abstract: The funder may use the
abstract to make preliminary
decisions about the proposal. An
effective summary states the problem
addressed by the applicant, identifies
the solution, and specifies the
objectives and methods of the
project. This summary should also
outline funding requirements and
describe the applicant’s expertise.
3. Table of Contents: Very brief
proposals with few sections ordinarily
do not need a table of contents; the
guiding consideration in this is the
reader's convenience. Long and
detailed proposals may require, in
addition to a table of contents, a list
of illustrations (or figures) and a list
of tables. If all of these are included,
they should follow the order
mentioned, and each should be
numbered with lower-case Roman
numerals. The table of contents
should list all major parts and
divisions (including the abstract,
even though it precedes the table of
contents).
4. Introduction (including Statement of
Problem, Purpose of Research, and
Significance of Research): The
introduction of a proposal should
begin with a capsule statement of
what is being proposed and then
should proceed to introduce the
subject to a stranger. It should give
enough background to enable an
informed layman to place your
particular research problem in a
context of common knowledge and
should show how its solution will
advance the field or be important for
some other work. The statement
describes the significance of the
problem(s), referring to appropriate
studies or statistics.
5. Background (including Literature
Survey): Be sure to (1) make clear
what the research problem is and
exactly what has been accomplished;
(2) to give evidence of your own
competence in the field; and (3) to
show why the previous work needs to
be continued. The literature review
should be selective and critical.
Discussions of work done by others
should therefore lead the reader to a
clear impression of how you will be
building upon what has already been
done and how your work differs from
theirs.
6. Description of Proposed Research
(including Method or Approach): The
comprehensive explanation of the
proposed research is addressed not to
laymen but to other specialists in
your field. This section is the heart of
the proposal and is the primary
concern of the technical reviewers.
Remember as you lay out the
research design to (1) be realistic
about what can be accomplished. (2)
be explicit about any assumptions or
hypotheses the research method rests
upon. (3) be clear about the focus of
the research. (4) be as detailed as
possible about the schedule of the
proposed work. (5) be specific about
the means of evaluating the data or
the conclusions. (6) be certain that
the connection between the research
objectives and the research method is
evident. (7) spell out preliminary
work developing an analytical
method or laying groundwork as
Phase 1. At the end of that phase you
will be able to report that you have
accomplished something and are
ready to undertake Phase 2.
7. Description of Relevant Institutional
Resources: In general this section
details the resources available to the
proposed project and, if possible,
shows why the sponsor should select
this University and this investigator
for this particular research. Some
relevant points may be the
institution's demonstrated
competence in the pertinent research
area, its abundance of experts in
related areas that may indirectly
benefit the project, its supportive
services that will directly benefit the
project, and its unique or unusual
research facilities or instruments
available to the project.
8. List of References : The style of the
bibliographical item itself depends on
the disciplinary field. The main
consideration is consistency;
whatever style is chosen should be
followed scrupulously throughout.
9. Personnel : This section usually
consists of two parts: an explanation
of the proposed personnel
arrangements and the biographical
data sheets for each of the main
contributors to the project. The
explanation should specify how many
persons at what percentage of time
and in what academic categories will
be participating in the project. If the
program is complex and involves
people from other departments or
colleges, the organization of the staff
and the lines of responsibility should
be made clear. Any student
participation, paid or unpaid, should
be mentioned, and the nature of the
proposed contribution detailed. If any
persons must be hired for the project,
say so, and explain why, unless the
need for persons not already
available within the University is self-
evident.
10. Budget: Sponsors customarily specify
how budgets should be presented and
what costs are allowable. The budget
delineates the costs to be met by the
funding source, including personnel,
non-personnel, administrative, and
overhead expenses. The budget also
specifies items paid for by other
funding sources. Includes
justifications for requested
expenditures.
