How to Write a Research Proposal

A Guide to Writing a Research Proposal

By Sylvia C. Gwilliam PG Dip Ed/PGCMS

The prospect of writing a research proposal is very daunting for many students so this article is aimed at Undergraduate and Postgraduate students undertaking their final dissertation. The requirements for PHD students are more complicated and rigorous and will not be addressed here.

Many degree and postgraduate courses call for a final year dissertation but before it is attempted a research topic must be presented to and agreed by your lecturer. That is where the fun begins. Before the dissertation is attempted you must first write a proposal showing that your topic is a useful and viable one. The easiest way to describe it is to say that it is a mini version of the dissertation itself.

A research proposal is:

1.     A written account of your chosen research/dissertation topic.

2.     A brief explanation of why you chose it

3.     A plan of your future research.

4.     An explanation of how the research will be carried out

Before attempting to write your research proposal you should have carried out the following steps:

• Chosen your topic title and had it approved by your dissertation supervisor
• Carried out some desktop research into your topic area.
• Identified key concepts, theories and authors.

The research proposal should not be any more than 4 to 6 pages in total unless your lecturer asks for more (or less).

The Layout

1.0   Dissertation Topic Title

     Keep this fairly brief but ensure it covers the topic requirements. e.g.

a.     Evaluate the Input and Effectiveness of Culture changes on Individuals and Organisations.

b.     The influence of children on the family purchase of environmentally friendly grocery products in South Wales,

c.      An analytical study of the effect of confirmatory processes on auditor’s decision-making and hypothesis

        updating.   

2.0   Introduction   

The introduction should briefly explain what you propose to research, why the research is of value and importance,its aims and expected outcomes and how you propose to go about it.

It should indicate the primary and any secondary research questions you expect this research to answer.

This will also provide an overview of the topic including background information- a review of the literature on the topic under investigation giving a brief discussion on the relevance of key literature.

3.0 Literature Review  

In some cases this may be included in the conceptual framework according to your lecturer’s viewpoint.

Major works on the subject are outlined here along with expected or intended outcomes, leading to 2 or 3 objectives, which will illustrate the importance and relevance of the topic or practical results/solutions arising from the investigation and analysis. Briefly discuss important authors and sources by name and indicate their impact on the topic, how they influence the subject and why they are influencing your viewpoint.

4.0   Conceptual Framework

In this section you need to show clearly what theoretical resources you will be using and why.

Identify, explain and show the relevance to the topic of at least 2 concepts and/or theories that will underpin the research, arguments and outcomes of the resulting dissertation. Use different authors, sources and arguments to illustrate the relevance and importance of these concepts (ideas) to the topic, showing how they could influence the expected outcomes.

5.0   Methodology

This will illustrate the methods of research you intend to use. Will it be primary or secondary or both. It should discuss and give a rationale for the data collection and analysis, as well as explaining why this type of research is appropriate to the research/dissertation question. It should:

• Outline and explain the research type e.g. qualitative and/or quantitative information gathering techniques showing their relevance to the outcomes and why they are the appropriate techniques for this topic.
• State which is the preferred method of research. Some topics rely mostly on secondary sources, while others will be based more on primary data.
• Outline and justify the data collection methods to be used, such as personal interview, telephone interview, or postal,
• Proposed data analysis tools e.g. Excel, Snap, SPSS should be noted, indicating if these are skills you need to acquire.
• Contain information with regards to location, sample size, timescale for data collection and analysis.

When writing this section you will need to justify why these are the best methods for your research question(s). You will need to consider and provide answers to practical issues such as:

v     If you are intending to visit organisations, how many?

v     Will there be any difficulty in accessing organizations and data.

v     How long will you spend there?

v    What is your intended sample size

A time schedule for the research showing key activities is useful and should be realistic and reasonable, e.g.

First Stage – review of existing literature

Second Stage – exploratory research – primary data gathering – with timescales e.g. January – March

Third Stage – secondary data gathering – with time scale

Fourth Stage -   data analysis

6.0   Conclusion

This will provide an overview of everything that is in the proposal and include a timescale for completing the dissertation, expected outcomes and possible limitations of the research.

It will also include issues that have arisen out of the planning and writing up stages of the proposal, from the research and the literature e.g.

a)    Difficulties you have encountered so far

b)   How you will address them.

c)     Any difficulties you may encounter when investigating, analysing the data and writing the dissertation.

d)   It would also contain possible limitations of the research and the expected outcomes.

e)    Skills you are lacking in order to successfully complete the dissertation and need to acquire.

7.0   Referencing.

The literature used should be cited in the proposal and listed at the end of the document using the Harvard style of referencing or the prescribed referencing for your Course, College or University.

NB.  These are general guidelines only.  Layout may vary according to the subject and dissertation supervisor’s expectations. Always adhere to the criteria laid down in the module outlines under your lecturer’s guidance where any differences occur. You can get more help with this by visitng SCG Tutoring

References

Hussey, Jill and Hussey, Roger (1997) Business Research. A practical guide for UG and PG students. London & Hampshire UK: Macmillan Press

Middlesex University (ND) Your Research Proposal.[On-line] Available from] HTTP://www.mdx.ac.UK/research/application/proposal.htm