Writing Research

Proposal
Dr.Mastura Jaafar
7.9.2005

When do we prepare a
research proposal?

Apply for Msc or PhD by research

Show your idea or to determine
research area to your supervisor
Before you proceed with your
proposal presentation.

What is research
proposal?

Is a detailed outline for your research

project.
Is a mini version of the research article,
thesis, or dissertation.
Not yet final, there is ample opportunity to
revise & improve.
Describes what you intend to do
A well organized and well written proposal
is easily read and makes gathering
suggestions for improvement relatively
easy.

Why do we need a research

proposal?

To convince other people (supervisors).

-How your research will make a difference to
the world or
-by identifying a dilemma in existing theory
which your research will help resolve.
To demonstrate expertise.
-You have enough understanding of the
research topic & able to do the research
properly.
To demonstrate competency.
-You have all the necessary skills to carry out
the proposed study.

What is the purpose?

To show that the problem you propose to

investigate is significant enough to
warrant the investigation, the method
you plan to use is suitable and
feasible, and the result are likely to
prove fruitful and will make an original
contribution.
By writing it forces you to think about
your topic, to see the scope of your
research, and to review the suitability of
your methodology.

What does it shows?

Generally it should contain all the key

elements involved in the research
process and include sufficient
information for the readers to evaluate
the proposed study.
It must address the following questions:
1.What you plan to accomplish
2.Why you want to do it
3.How you are going to do it.
4.What you expect will result.

HINT:
BECAUSE THE MAIN PURPOSE OF
THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL IS TO
CONVINCE READER, IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT YOU ADOPT A
WRITING STYLE THAT IS CLEAR
AND PROFESSIONAL.

How to start?

You need a clear research questions.

May come from:
1. Previous research: No study ever
answer all the questions that we want to
ask about a particular subject.
2. Practical concerns: Facing problems
in their own lives or become aware of
the problems facing other people in their
community.
3. Personal interest: The researchers
have their own special areas of interest
which inspires their research topic.

How do you choose?

A good idea to generate several possible research
questions & then choose the best one.
Every research question has strengths & weaknesses.
Some of the criteria's you might ask:
-Do you have access to the info needed to answer the
questions?
-Does your questions have suitable theoretical
background?
-How might this research contribute to research
methodologies used in the area?
-How interesting is the question to you?
-Do you have the skills to find an answer to the questions?
-Is the question suitably challenging to meet your study
requirement?

Literature search &

reading.

Read broadly and deeply so that you can be

sure that you have established the best possible
foundation for your research.
Try to find suitable references by:1. Speaking to your supervisor/advisor .
2. Speaking to other researchers working in
the same or related fields
3. Speaking to researchers from other
disciplines who can give you interesting
perspectives
4. Searching the journals that relate to your
topic
5. Searching the internet

When can l begin to

write?
After you:1.Read broadly & deeply in the area
2.Spent time thinking critically
3.Spent time discussing your research topic
4.Found out how people in other disciplines
think about your research topic
5.Feel ready to begin writing research prop.

How to organize
proposal?
Title
Introduction includes research
problems, objectives and questions
Significant
Limitation
Literature review
Proposed method
Bibliography

Introduction
Begin with a general statement of
the problem area and conclude with
a specific research question.
Provide the necessary background or
context for your research problem.
Explain why you are interested in
selecting a particular topic.
Basically it should cover:1.A general statement or description
of the research problem, could be
an empirical or theoretical issue.

Introduction (cont)
2. The background of the problem.
Should provide both the historical
background and the contemporary
scene, encompassing all the key players
and their major publications.
3. A clear statement of the purpose
and rational of your research,
indicating why the study is worth doing
Interesting and informative introduction
depends on your creativity, your ability
to think clearly and the depth of your
understanding of problem areas.

Literature review.

The purpose is to demonstrate your

knowledge and understanding of the
problem area, as well as justify your study.
Provides a more detailed and critical review
of the literature directly bearing on the
proposed research.
You should examine the relevant literature
related to the key variables.
Try to use sub-headings to organize your
literature review in a logical and meaningful
way.
Each subsection should represent a major
aspect of your proposed research

Literature review (cont)

Basically it should cover:1.A brief description of the major
theoritical models or issues related
to the research problem
2.Identification of the key independent
and dependent variables
3.A statement of hypothesis and an
explanation for your predictions.

Methodology.
Tell your readers how you plan to tackle your
research problem.
Demonstrate your knowledge of alternative
methods and be sure that your approach is
most appropriate for your research questions.
Describes:
1.The design of the proposed study
2.Your population and sampling procedure
3.Measuring instrument or questionnaires to
be used. Why do you choose them? Are they
valid and reliable?
4. Procedure and the time frame of data
collection
5. How you will analyze the data

Common mistakes in proposal

writing.

Failure to provide the proper context to

frame the research questions
Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for
your research
Failure to cite landmark studies
Failure to accurately present the theoretical
and empirical contributions by other
researchers
Failure to stay focused on the research
question.
Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive
argument for the proposed research

Common mistakes in proposal

writing.

Too much detail on minor issues, but

not enough detail on major issues
Too many citation lapses and
incorrect references
Too short or too long
Sloping writing

Thank you