Research Proposal (Student Name)

November 2009 Student ID: 0123456789

Note that this outline is indicative it should be changed to suit the purpose of a particular project and/or to reflect the personal style of the student. The total length of the proposal will vary from student to student, but will normally be perhaps 5 to 10 pages. This Research Proposal is conceived as being potentially a public document, something that will accompany the confirmation process, something to append to the Ethics Application, something to send to a Project Steering Committee, something to send to the Institute Director, Head of School, Dean of Faculty, Pro Vice Chancellor-Research, etc.

Insert Registered Title of Thesis Here

Synopsis (ie Abstract)

A short overview of proposed research, perhaps 200 to 300 words or so. Give a sense of what the research is about, why it is important, and how it will be done.

Biosketch
Give a short background statement about you and why you have a special connection to this research. Identify any background experience and skills that may be relevant.

Student Name and Contact Details:

Supervisor(s) Name and Contact Details:

Prof Frank Vanclay Professor of rural sociology and Leader, Rural Social Research Group Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research, University of Tasmania Email: Frank.Vanclay@utas.edu.au Phone: 03-62262618

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Introduction/Problem Statement/Research Context

Describe the problem/issue that you seek to research. Why is it an issue? What makes it a worthwhile problem to research? Maybe 2 to 3 paragraphs. Define any key terms, either here or in the Lit Review section, or (if there are many terms to be defined) have a glossary at the end of the proposal.

Research Aim and Question(s)

When the research problem (above) is adequately described, the research questions will follow logically.

Literature to be reviewed
Here, we want a bit of a description about the type of literature that you will review. At this stage, it is too early to expect you to have reviewed the literature, but it is expected that you would have an idea about the areas of literature that you will need to review. You should also know the main theorists/writers and any major controversies. About half to one page.

Theory and Methodology

Describe in full every detail of the proposed methodology. This is needed to ensure that it is a researchable project, and to enable assessment of the ethical considerations. Also, if you are guided by a particular theoretical position, this should be stated too.

Ethics
Discuss any ethical issues that might be raised by the research.

Timetable
Perhaps provide a Gantt chart of activities and a list of milestones.

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Budget
Outline what all the costs of the research will be. Also provide a justification/explanation.

Outputs and Outcomes

Some something about the expected outputs (papers, reports etc), and any other outcomes that might be achieved.

Glossary
If appropriate, please a list of key terms with definitions to assist a lay person understand the terminology/jargon of the field of research.

Key References
List here all the key references that you are likely to use in the thesis. It is just to give an idea of the direction(s) you are taking. This list will of course include any references mentioned in this proposal, but will include other key references as well. Other the cited references, only include KEY references, no need to list all the likely references.

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