ME5102

ResearchMethodology&
DesignofExperiments
Lect.#2
Writing a Research
Proposal
Dr.NazeerAhmadAnjum
MechanicalEngineeringProgram
EngineeringUniversityTaxila
What is Research, overview Pre. Lect3
Research refers to a search for knowledge
Research means a scientific and systematic
search for pertinent information on a specific
topic
In fact, research is an art of scientific
investigation.
The purpose of research is to discover
answers to questions through the application
of scientific procedures
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Some Basic Ideas 4

Four Questions
1. What data / evidence do I need?

2. What will be the source of that data

/evidence?

3. How will I collect that data / evidence?

4. How will I analyze that data / evidence?

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 Research Proposal? 5

Writing a research proposal is both

science and art
A good research proposal is based on
scientific facts and on the art of clear
communication

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What is a research proposal? 6

A research proposal is your plan
It describes in detail your study
Decisions about your study are based
on the quality of the proposal
Research funding
Approvals to proceed by the

Institutional Review Board

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Importance of a research proposal? 7

Contract between you and your committee

1. Serves to protect the student

Demanding additional requirements

2. Protects the committee from the student

From delivering a degree of poor quality

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Research Proposal Definitions - 1 8

the meaning of proposal suggests

looking forward, to what the researcher plans
to do in the future.
The proposal lays out the problem for
research, describes exactly how the research
will be conducted, and outlines in precise
detail the resources both factual and
instrumental the researcher will use to
achieve the desired results,
by Leedy & Omrod.

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Research Proposal Definitions - 1 9

1. Suggestion of proposal
2. Future plans
3. Research related Problems/issues
4. Conduction of Research
5. Detail of research resources both
factual and instrumental
6. How to achieve desired results

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Research Proposal Definitions - 210

A research proposal is a document that

describes the essential features of a study
to be conducted in the future, as well as
the strategy whereby the inquiry may be
logically and successfully
accomplished,
by Busha & Harter

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Research Proposal Definitions - 311

The academic research proposal is a

structured presentation of what you plan
to do in research and how you plan to do
it
by Smit.

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Sections of Proposal 12

Summary
Need
Budget

Plan

Evaluation Method

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 Developing Research Questions 13
List research questions or objectives
Are the research objectives feasible?
(Time? Sample size? Technical expertise?)
Are the questions novel? Interesting? Useful?
(Will the answers open up new areas of research?)
Should be action-oriented
Relate to identified needs
Is the scope of the study well focused?
(Collecting too much data wastes time and money)
Is it ethical to ask these research questions?
(Unacceptable physical risks or invasion of privacy?)
Relate objectives to sponsor agencys goals and priorities
Clear and concise
Feasible
Should drive the research methodology 27-Feb-17

Developing Research Questions 14

Question: Exactly what will your

research contribute to the
knowledge base?

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 Budget Your Time
Solid partnerships Communicate

Innovative Define your

project budget
80% planning the project 20% writing the proposal

Avoid Plagiarism 16

Plagiarism is presenting someone elses ideas

or words as though they were your own.
DANGEROUS!!!!
Reference immediately after mentioning
Not end of paragraph
ALWAYS identify source
Summarise useful points

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 What Makes a Good Proposal? 17

A good idea or compelling project

Research addresses a significant problem
Clear description of the research activities
A good fit with funding agencys priorities

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Writing the Proposal 18

Background Methodology
Objectives (research questions) Risk/Benefit Analysis
Research Plan (inclusion/exclusion) Confidentiality

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 Start of Research 19

Writing a formal research proposal should

be started by the time one has decided

on the topic for the study

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Details of Research Proposal 20

GOOD
This is usually one paragraph telling the reviewer
everything they need to know about this research
proposal.
This provides the opportunity to gain the reviewers
interest and excitement about this proposal.
It should contain the background on why this
research is important, hypothesis, and
objectives.
Should state the innovation of this proposal.
Finally it should in a clear statement, demonstrate
why this project is significant and what impact it
will have. 27-Feb-17
 Details of Research Proposal 21
REJECT
No goal or objective statement at the start of
the proposal.
Too technical and condensed will make it
hard to read and understand.
Too short will not give the reviewer the
needed information to understand the
proposal.
Too long will make the reviewer skip to the
background and makes the reviewer search
for what is important.

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Research Proposal Essential 22

Ingredients?

TheIssue
Whatproblemdoes
yourresearch
address?

Research
Benefit
Design Whatwillthe
Howwilltheresearch researchcontribute?
achieveitsobjective?

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 Factors We Cant Control 23

Internal politics within the funding agency

Stiff competition from other applicants

Limited availability of funds for certain program

areas within funding agency

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Factors We Can Control 24

Quality of our own proposal

Requires careful research and planning

Requires meticulous execution

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 Objectives 25
This is a very important and pivotal section and
everything else in the study is centered around it.
The objective of the proposed study should be
stated very clearly.
The objective stated should be specific,
achievable and measurable.
Too many objectives to be avoided.
Even just one clearly stated relevant objective for
a study would be good enough.
If there is more than one objective, the objectives
can be presented in the appropriate order of
importance.
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Components of a Research Proposal

Title of the proposal
Background of the problem
26
Statement of the problem
Research objectives, questions, hypotheses
An outline of the research problem
Significance of the study
Review of related literature
Definition of terms
Limitations and Delimitations
Research methods and procedures
Methods for data collection and analysis
Expected results
A note about the studys limitations
Timeline
Preliminary working bibliography 27-Feb-17
 Research Limitation in ECAP 27
Limitations
To accomplish this research work there were different
types of limitations such as mathematical modelling, to
tracerecoveryangleinAluminum,speedoframwasalso
aproblem.
Teflon and Nylon were used to develop a mathematical
model of ECAP strain as tracking the deformation of
Aluminumat450oCisverydifficult.
The mathematical modelling to determine orientation in
angle, recovery angle after ECAP and determination of
shearstrainswasanotherproblem.
Development of mathematical modelling remains a
problem in the history of the engineers and always
searched for better mathematician to develop
mathematicalmodel..etc
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Title of Research Proposal 28

GOOD
Concise title that gives reviewer a general
sense of what you are investigating.

For example:
Understanding the role of Hydro forming in
manufacturing.

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 Title of Research Proposal 29
Reject
Too long and technical of a title will not gain the
reviewers attention or interest.
Too short and broad a title will make the reviewer too
critical of grant.
Example:
A Study to Investigate the Effect of temper, specimen
orientation and test temperature on tensile and fatigue
properties of wrought and PM AA6061-alloys under
different conditions also to investigate the Mechanical
Characterization through SEM.
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Referees 30
GOOD
Choose referees in your field of research
Choose a scientist/colleague that will be
objective but not too critical of the science.
Reject
Do not choose close collaborators
Do not choose competitors in your field with
divergent views.
Do not choose the top scientists in your field
since they will not respond and will be too
critical in general.
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 Co-Applicants 31
GOOD
This could be strength if you are a junior
investigator with a limited track record.
If the investigator lack specific skills, a co-
applicant can bring these skills to the
research project.
Reject
It is a weakness to add a co-applicant if they
just give you a reagent
Co-applicant will do most of the project in
their laboratories.
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Background 32
(Review of Literature)
This section reflects extensive review of literature
done by the investigator
In this section what is already known about the
topic is written including the lacunae (gap)
Just quoting the literature verbatim (precise) will
not serve the purpose
It is important to make it coherent, relevant and
easily readable knowledge
It helps the investigator to gain good knowledge
in that field of inquiry
It also helps the investigator to have insight on
different methodologies that could be applied
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 Review of Related Literature 33
Important Information
Information concerning theory findings
Information concerning methods
Information concerning data analysis
Strengths and weaknesses
[Research summary note for each study]

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Purposes of Literature Review - 1 34

Familiarity with the field of inquiry/research

Provides a context for the proposed study
Generation of research questions or
hypotheses for further studies
Knowledge of the methodologies common to
the field

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Purposes of Literature Review - 2 35

Can reveal sources of data that you may not

have known existed
Demonstrates why it is important and timely
To avoid or solve problems others have
encountered in their research (Limitations)
Increase your confidence in your topic because
others have invested considerable time, effort,
and resources in studying it

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Steps in Conducting Literature Review - 136

1. Identify a research topic
2. Identify keywords/descriptors that are useful in
locating relevant information material
3. Develop an overall research strategy for the
literature review
4. Search preliminary sources
5. Select relevant primary and secondary sources
6. Search the library for identified primary and
secondary sources
7. Establish a computer and paper trail including
research summaries in your own words that will
be used in the literature review 27-Feb-17
Research Strategy (SPDs Journey) 37

Stage
4th
SPD Techniques

Traditional Techniques
Stage
3rd

Industrial Rev.
Stage
2nd

Iron Age
1st Stage

Bronze Age
Stone Age

3300 BCE 1200 BCE 1700 1950 1970 1980 2015

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Steps in Conducting Literature Review - 238

8. Repeat step 47 as needed to refine search
9. Develop themes/concepts that synthesize the
literature
10.Relate the themes/concepts to one another
through an outline of the literature review, or a
literature map
11.Produce a final literature review that structures
or organizes the literature thematically or by
important concepts
12.Use the literature review to develop or refine
the research objectives, questions, and
hypothesis 27-Feb-17
 Background of the Problem 39
GOOD
Give a short but informative background to justify the
research hypothesis and objectives.
The research Problem
Studies that have addressed the problem

Deficiencies in the studies
The significance of the study for particular audiences
The purpose statement
Clearly state the hypothesis.
State the objectives and/or aims of this proposal.
State the impact, significance and innovation in this
proposal.
Define acronyms as much as possible.
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Background of the Problem 40

REJECT
Technical and condensed phrasing of the project.
No clear statement of what is the purpose of this
study
Do not expand background to unnecessary
information that does not support the hypothesis.
Background should not exceed one third to one
half of proposal.
No preliminary data generally negatively impacts
the proposal in two ways.
i. No indication that the proposal will feasible.
ii.No indication the applicant can do the proposed
work

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 Introduction 41

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
its importance and relevance is realized by any
one who reads it
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Potential Sources of Research Problems - 1 42

1. Scanning and reading published and

unpublished research.
2. Disagreeing with some previous research and
developing a new study to test its findings.
3. Gaps in explanations or in accepted principles
4. Questioning the validity of a generally accepted
procedure.
5. Replication Redoing the same thing with an
expectation of the same result.
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Potential Sources of Research Problems - 2 43

6. Designing and developing of new research tools

and techniques

7. Developing new models

8. Studying areas where knowledge or information is
scarce, out-of-date, or indefinite
9. Attempting to deal with actual problems

10.Networking or sharing ideas and information with

colleagues
11.Interdisciplinary research Cross fertilization
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Statement of the Problem 44

Establishes the existence of a unique problem

Relates the problem to its general antecedents

Suggests the benefits to be derived from the

study

Justifies the utility, significance, or interest

inherent in the pursuit of the problems

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 Attributes Associated with the Statement45
of the Problem
1. Clarity and precision
2. Identification of what to study
3. Identification of an overarching question
4. Definition of key concepts / terms
5. Articulation of studys boundaries/parameters
6. Some generalizability
7. Conveyance of studys importance, benefits,
and justification
8. Conveyance of more than descriptive data
providing a snapshot
(Study for related articles)

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Components of the Problem Statement

46
Any problem statement should contain four
elements:
1. A lead-in [narrative hook]
2. Declaration of originality (mentioning a
knowledge void which would be supported by the
literature review
3. Indication of the central focus of the study
(purpose statement); and
4. Explanation of study significance or benefits to
be derived from an investigation of the problem
(Rationale or justification of the study)

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 Purpose statement - Guidelines 47
1. Begin with signaling words such as the purpose or
intent of
2. Indicate the overall intent of the study such as The
intent is to examine the role of school teacher in
promoting reading habit
3. Indicate the research design and strategy such as
survey, experiment, etc.
4. Identify the independent and / or dependent variables
5. Use words that connect the variables such as the
relationship between or the comparison of two or
more variables
6. Position or order the variables from left to right in
purpose statement with independent variable followed
by the dependent variable
7. Make reference to the participant (unit of analysis) and
mention the research site
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Sample Problem Statement 48

The purpose of this _________ (experiment?
Survey?) study is (was? Will be?) to test the theory
of ______ that ______ (compares? Relates?) the
________ (independent variable) to ______
(dependent variable). Controlling for __________
(control variables) for __________ (participants)
at _______ (the research site). The independent
variable(s) will be defined as _______ (provide a
definition). The dependent variable(s) will be
defined as ______ (provide a definition), and the
control and intervening variable(s), _______,
(identify the control and intervening variables)
will be defined as _________ (provide a definition)
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 Research Methodology 49

Research methodology is a way to

systematically solve the research problem. It

may be understood as a science of studying how

research is(will be) done scientifically

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Research Methodology 50
It is necessary for the researcher to know not
only the research methods/techniques but also
the methodology.
Researchers not only need to know how to
develop certain indices or tests but also how to
calculate the mean, the mode, the median or
the standard deviation etc.,

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 Research Methodology 51

It is essential to discuss procedures clearly

and completely with considerable amount of
details.

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Methods of Research 52
This section of your proposal has multiple
parts
Design
Sample/Sample size
Setting
Protocol
Analysis Plan
Detailed enough so that the reviewers
could conduct the study

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 Methods - Design 53
1. Describe your study design
2. Design examples
Prospective vs. Retrospective
Descriptive
Observation
Intervention clinical trial
Surveys, interviews, questionnaires
Focus groups, field studies
Others
Example
We plan a prospective randomized controlled
trial of meditative music vs. no music
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Methods Sample/Sample Size 54

Who are the study participants?

Describe inclusion criteria
Example: Adult men and women inpatients
with stage IV heart disease
Who is excluded?
Example: Patients who do not speak English

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 Methods Sample/Sample Size 55
How will participants be recruited?
Convenience sample
Flyers in research offices
Advertisements
Electronic Records search
How many participants are needed?
How will you justify the sample size?
Has there been a power analysis?
Do you have a comparison or control
group?
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Setting 56

Describe the sites where you plan to

conduct the study
Do you have support from the
administration of the site to conduct the
study?
Letters of support from site

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 Protocol 57
What are you going to do to study participants?
Detailed, step by step explanation
Include how you will identify participants,
obtain consent, and collect data
If there is an intervention, describe it in detail
Will you use measurement tools? Describe the
tools, including reliability and validity and
include a copy of the tools with your proposal
Include the time frame for implementing the
study

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Data Analysis 58

Describe your analysis plan

What statistical tests will you use?
Be sure your statistics are appropriate for
your study design

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 Time line 59
Describe how long it will take to do your
study
Provide timeline benchmarks
Example:
Months 1 3 Prepare study tools
Months 4-8 Collect data (Sources)
Months 9-10 Analyze data
Months 11-12 Writing Thesis

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What Size Font to Use 60

Type size of Text:

18 point

20 point

24 point

28 point

36 point

AVOID USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

BECAUSE ITS MUCH HARDER TO READ
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 What font to use 61

Use a Sans Serif vs Serif font:

Sans Serif

Serif font

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Common Pitfalls to Avoid 62

Missing aims or purpose
Not enough detail about protocol
Write your proposal so anyone reading it can understand
your plan
Is your study significant?
Does it answer the larger So what question? Why should
researchers care about this work?
Underpowered sample size
Describe why you are using the sample size and justify it
Invalid or unreliable instrumentation
Has your instrument been tested with the population you
are studying? If not, will you test it within your study?
Improper statistics
Are you using the appropriate statistical analysis?

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