How to write a research proposal

http://www.studygs.net/proposal.htm These recommendations do not guarantee a successful research application! They are intended to help you conceptualize and prepare a research proposal, giving the process structure and a timetable for you to develop. Good luck! hen applying for a research grant or a study scholarship, you are e!pected to hand in a "detailed and precise description of study or research proposal as well as information on any previous study or research pro#ects 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 fi!ed blueprint. $ne cannot predict one%s findings beforehand or mechanically stick to an argument since the research will inevitably alter or even unseat one%s initial e!pectations. There is no fi!ed formula for writing a proposal. &owever, 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 e!penses.

ith your research you will add a new aspect to the scientific discourse. 'irst, consult your advisor on length, layout (typeface, line spacing, font, etc.), format, as well as a table of contents and page numbers. *embers 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:

+ersonal data (name, academic title, your position at your own university, date of birth, nationality, your contact information, institutional contact. ( orking) 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. hile the title should be brief, it should be

accurate, descriptive and comprehensive, clearly indicating the sub#ect of the investigation. ,n order to develop a clear title, you must also be clear about the focus of your research! -trive for the title to be ten words or ./ characters: focus on or incorporate keywords that reference the classification of the research sub#ect

,ndicate a realistic time frame toward pro#ect 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. 0efer to successfully funded pro#ects 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. -trive for clarity1 your greatest challenge might be narrowing the topic Review of research literature 2 short and precise overview about the current state of research that is immediately connected with your research pro#ect.

0eference the most important contributions of other scientists. 3iscuss the theoretical scope or the framework of ideas that will be used to back the research. 3emonstrate that you are fully conversant with the ideas you are dealing with and that you grasp their methodological implications. ,ndicate the open problem which then will be the motive for your pro#ect. -tate clearly how your research will contribute to the e!isting research.

Your history/preparation -ummarize the most important impact of your own work on the topic (if applicable). 2ttach copies of your own publications that might be seen in relation to your research pro#ect. Objective of the research project Give a concise and clear outline of the academic (possibly also non4academic, e.g. social and political) ob#ectives that you want to achieve through your pro#ect. 5our proposal needs to show why the intended research is important and #ustifies the search effort. &ere you outline the significance (theoretical or practical) or relevance of the topic. -uch #ustification may either be of an empirical nature (you hope to add to, or e!tend an e!isting 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). 2ll 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.

3etail your research procedure within the given time. 6ist sources and 7uality of evidence you will consult, the analytical techni7ue you will employ, and the timetable you will follow. 3epending on the topic, suitable research strategies should be defined to ensure that enough and ade7uate empirical data will be gathered for a successful research pro#ect. 3escribe 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.

8onsider your work to be a ork4in4+rogress and allow yourself a fle!ible planning: -tay ready to revise the proposal according to new insights and newly aroused 7uestions and keep on modifying the working hypothesis according to new insights while formulating the proposal and the working hypothesis. $nce you have a useful working hypothesis, concentrate on pursuing the pro#ect within the limits of the topic. Timetable 3evelop a time table (if possible in table form), indicating the se7uence 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. elective research bibliography 6ist academic works mentioned in your research outline as well as other important works to which you will refer during your research Attachments: 6ist other documents attached to your proposal. 0eferences, 89, etc. !"iting: $nce you have finished the conceptual work on your proposal, go through a careful editing stage #riting/presentation style: :. 9erify that the title, the abstract and the content of your proposal clearly correspond to each other! ;. *aintain a clear structure, an intuitive navigational style throughout the document with headings and

summaries, enabling the reader to 7uickly reference where they are for future commenting1 (&ave a reader skim your document to verify) <. -ummarize significant issues and make no assumptions where possible. =. >eep a reasonable, clear, declarative writing style (active verbs!) throughout the document1 ?. @reakup the narrative with bulleted lists, visuals, etc. demonstrating a command of abstract concepts and relationships Ase white space to highlight and emphasize important sections .. *ake sure your proposal does not contain any grammatical/spelling mistakes or typos1 engage a proofreader1 B. 0e7uest an e!perienced academic to proofread your proposal in order to ensure the proposal conforms to institutional and international academic standards. Partially a"apte" with permission from $lk, 3r. &arald. ($ctober ;//C). &ow to rite a 0esearch +roposal. ,n Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Dienst (3223). 0etrieved Danuary ;E, ;/::

$ommon rejection reasons %

The &ational 'nstitute of Health (&'H) analy*e" the reasons why over +,, research proposal applications were "enie"- Their fin"ings as to the cause of rejection are worth reviewing: :. Fature of the +roblem (:EG) :. ,t is doubtful that new or useful information will result from the pro#ect (:=G). ;. The basic hypothesis is unsound (<.?G). <. The proposed research is scientifically premature due to the present inade7uacy of supporting knowledge (/..G). ;. 2pproach to the +roblem (<E.CG) :. The research plan is nebulous, diffuse and not presented in concrete detail (E..G). ;. The planned research is not ade7uately controlled (<.BG). <. Greater care in planning is needed (;?.;G). :. The research plan has not been carefully designed (::.EG). ;. The proposed methods will not yield accurate results (E.EG).

<. The procedures to be used should be spelled out in more detail (=..G). =. 2 more thorough statistical treatment is needed (/.BG). ?. The proposed tests re7uire more individual sub#ects than the number given (/.BG). <. 8ompetence of the ,nvestigators (<E.;G) :. The applicants need to ac7uire greater familiarity with the pertinent literature (B.;G). ;. The problems to be investigated are more comple! than the applicants realize (:/.?G). <. The applicants propose to enter an area of research for which they are not ade7uately trained (:;.EG). =. The principal investigator intends to give actual responsibility for the direction of a comple! pro#ect to an ine!perienced co4investigator (/.CG). ?. The reviewers do not have sufficient confidence in the applicants to approve the present application, largely based on the past efforts of the applicants (..EG). =. 8onditions of the 0esearch Hnvironment (=.EG) :. The investigators will be re7uired to devote too much time to teaching or other non4research duties (/.CG). ;. @etter liaison is needed with colleagues in collateral disciplines (/.=G). <. 0e7uested e!pansion on continuation of a currently supported research pro#ect would result in failure to achieve the main goal of the work (<.?G). .ase" on the above analysis/ a carefully designed, well reasoned proposal will overcome these common pitfalls. ,t also represents and important credibility statement about the investigator.

The .ureau of Occupational an" 0ocational !"ucation comparable stu"y@ased on a sample of <?< research grant applications: 44 :EG forgot to number the pages. 44 B<G forgot to include a table of contents. 44 E:G had no abstract.

44 C;G failed to provide resumes of proposed consultants. 44 ;?G had no resume for the principal investigator. 44 ..G included no plan for pro#ect evaluation. 44 :BG forgot to identify the pro#ect director by name. 44 ;/G failed to list the ob#ectives of the pro#ect.

cience series

1ollowing the scientific metho" 2 tu"ying te3t boo4s in science 2 #riting lab reports an" scientific papers 2 How to write a research proposal 2 #riting white papers 2 5ab safety
#riting assignments

#riting for the 6#eb6 2 The five7paragraph essay 2 !ssays for a literature class 2 !3pository essays 2 Persuasive essays 2 Position papers 2 Open boo4 e3ams 2 !ssay !3ams 2 #hite papers 2 5ab reports/scientific papers 2 Research proposals I -hapek, 3r. 0aymond, (Duly :CC?), +roposal riting: -tages and -trategies with H!amples. in Georgia Perimeter College from http://facstaff.gpc.edu/Jebrown/infobr<.htmKshapek, retrieved Danuary <:, ;/::.

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