How to Write Research Proposal – Research proposal is an essential part of your project proposal. It is used to show the outcome and the possible benefits and risks of the project. It is created in order to help find funds or support for your project creation. The outcome of your research proposal may be funding, time and people, the action plan for implementing your idea, and how you can set up a framework for evaluation of your idea after it has been implemented.
A research proposal is a kind of grant proposal written for grantors or organization that may fund you for a study. It’s a persuasive way to get your research idea approved by the grantor.
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What Is a Research Proposal
When your instructor assigns a research proposal, they seek a brief summary and a detailed methodology of the research you have conducted or will conduct for their class. The proposal allows them to approve your idea or propose any necessary changes before you begin writing. It is important to understand what this assignment’s purpose is.
Writing a proposal will allow you to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge in a particular field, as it will show your ability to express complex ideas briefly. The process of writing involves several steps such as brainstorming, picking a topic, drafting, and revising. At the end of the writing process, you will have a proposal that explains your research question and the purpose of your conducted study.
Purpose of a research proposal
Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application, or you might need to submit one before you start writing your thesis or dissertation.
All research proposals are designed to persuade someone—such as a funding body, educational institution, or supervisor—that your project is worthwhile.
| Relevance | Convince the reader that your project is interesting, original and important |
| Context | Show that you are familiar with the field, you understand the current state of research on the topic, and your ideas have a strong academic basis |
| Approach | Make a case for your methodology, showing that you have carefully thought about the data, tools and procedures you will need to conduct the research |
| Feasibility | Confirm that the project is possible within the practical constraints of the programme, institution or funding |
How long is a research proposal?
The length of a research proposal varies dramatically. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations and research funding are often very long and detailed.
Although you write it before you begin the research, the proposal’s structure usually looks like a shorter version of a thesis or dissertation (but without the results and discussion sections).
Title page
Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:
- The proposed title of your project
- Your name
- Your supervisor’s name
- The institution and department
Check with the department or funding body to see if there are any specific formatting requirements.
Abstract and table of contents
If your proposal is very long, you might also have to include an abstract and a table of contents to help the reader navigate the document.
Receive feedback on language, structure and layout
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Introduction
It is also sometimes termed as ‘need for study’ or ‘abstract’. Introduction is an initial pitch of an idea; it sets the scene and puts the research in context. The introduction should be designed to create interest in the reader about the topic and proposal. It should convey to the reader, what you want to do, what necessitates the study and your passion for the topic. Some questions that can be used to assess the significance of the study are:
- Who has an interest in the domain of inquiry?
- What do we already know about the topic?
- What has not been answered adequately in previous research and practice?
- How will this research add to knowledge, practice and policy in this area? Some of the evaluation committees, expect the last two questions, elaborated under a separate heading of ‘background and significance’. Introduction should also contain the hypothesis behind the research design. If hypothesis cannot be constructed, the line of inquiry to be used in the research must be indicated.
Literature review
It’s important to show that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review convinces the reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said.
In this section, aim to demonstrate exactly how your project will contribute to conversations in the field.
- Compare and contrast: what are the main theories, methods, debates and controversies?
- Be critical: what are the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches?
- Show how your research fits in: how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize the work of others?
If you’re not sure where to begin, read our guide on how to write a literature review.
Research design and methods
Following the literature review, it’s a good idea to restate your main objectives, bringing the focus back to your own project. The research design or methodology section should describe the overall approach and practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.
| Research type | Will you do qualitative or quantitative research?Will you collect original data or work with primary or secondary sources?Is your research design descriptive, correlational, or experimental? |
| Population and sample | Exactly what or who will you study (e.g. high school students in New York; Scottish newspaper archives 1976-80)?How will you select subjects or sources (e.g. random sampling, case studies)?When and where will you collect the data? |
| Research methods | What tools and procedures will you use (e.g. surveys, interviews, observations, experiments) to collect and analyze data?Why are these the best methods to answer your research questions? |
| Practicalities | How much time will you need to collect the data?How will you gain access to participants or sources?Do you foresee any potential obstacles, and how will you address them? |
Make sure not to simply write a list of methods. Aim to make an argument for why this is the most appropriate, valid and reliable approach to answering your questions.
Implications and contribution to knowledge
To finish your proposal on a strong note, you can explore the potential implications of the research for theory or practice, and emphasize again what you aim to contribute to existing knowledge on the topic. For example, your results might have implications for:
- Improving processes in a specific location or field
- Informing policy objectives
- Strengthening a theory or model
- Challenging popular or scientific assumptions
- Creating a basis for further research
Reference list or bibliography
Your research proposal must include proper citations for every source you have used, and full publication details should always be included in the reference list. To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator.
In some cases, you might be asked to include a bibliography. This is a list of all the sources you consulted in preparing the proposal, even ones you did not cite in the text, and sometimes also other relevant sources that you plan to read. The aim is to show the full range of literature that will support your research project.
Research schedule
In some cases, you might have to include a detailed timeline of the project, explaining exactly what you will do at each stage and how long it will take. Check the requirements of your programme or funding body to see if this is required.
| 1. Background research and literature review | Meet with supervisor for initial discussionConduct a more extensive review of relevant literatureRefine the research questionsDevelop a theoretical framework | 20th February |
| 2. Research design planning | Design questionnairesIdentify online and offline channels for recruiting participantsFinalize sampling methods and data analysis methods | 13th March |
| 3. Data collection and preparation | Recruit participants and send out questionnairesConduct semi-structured interviews with selected participantsTranscribe and code interviews and clean survey data | 24th April |
| 4. Data analysis | Statistically analyze survey dataConduct thematic analysis of interview transcriptsDraft the results and discussion chapters | 22nd May |
| 5. Writing | Complete a full thesis draftMeet with supervisor to discuss feedback and revisions | 17th July |
| 6. Revision | Redraft based on feedbackGet supervisor approval for final draftProofreadPrint, bind and submit | 28th August |
Budget
If you are applying for research funding, you will probably also have to include a detailed budget that shows how much each part of the project will cost.
Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover, and only include relevant items in your budget. For each item, include:
- Cost: exactly how much money do you need?
- Justification: why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
- Source: how did you calculate the amount?
To determine your budget, think about:
- Travel costs: do you need to go to specific locations to collect data? How will you get there, how long will you spend there, and what will you do there (e.g. interviews, archival research)?
- Materials: do you need access to any tools or technologies? Are there training or installation costs?
- Assistance: do you need to hire research assistants for the project? What will they do and how much will you pay them? Will you outsource any other tasks such as transcription?
- Time: do you need to take leave from regular duties such as teaching? How much will you need to cover the time spent on the research?
Ethical considerations
Medical research introduces special moral and ethical problems that are not usually encountered by other researchers during data collection, and hence, the researcher should take special care in ensuring that ethical standards are met. Ethical considerations refer to the protection of the participants’ rights (right to self-determination, right to privacy, right to autonomy and confidentiality, right to fair treatment and right to protection from discomfort and harm), obtaining informed consent and the institutional review process (ethical approval). The researcher needs to provide adequate information on each of these aspects.
Informed consent needs to be obtained from the participants (details discussed in further chapters), as well as the research site and the relevant authorities.
Revisions and Proofreading
As in any other piece of academic writing, it’s essential to redraft, edit and proofread your research proposal before you submit it. If you have the opportunity, ask a supervisor or colleague for feedback.
For the best chance of approval, you might want to consider using a professional proofreading service to get rid of language errors, check your proposal’s structure, and improve your academic style.
Conclusion
The research proposal is the forefather of all other assignments in your academic life. It is an essential assignment which you will complete in every subject you take up at high school, college or university level. It is one of the most important documents which need to be produced by students who are pursuing a professional degree in any field.