GUIDELINES IN WRITING THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

I. Qualitative Research Title

The [qualitative] research title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title
contains the fewest possible words needed to adequately describe the content and/or purpose of
your research paper.

The following parameters can be used to help you formulate a suitable research paper title:
- The purpose of the research
- The narrative tone of the paper [typically defined by the type of the research]
- The methods used

Effective titles in academic research papers have several characteristics.

- Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study.
- Avoid using abbreviations.
- Use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader interest.
- Use current nomenclature from the field of study.
- Identify key variables, both dependent and independent.
- May reveal how the paper will be organized.
- Suggest a relationship between variables which supports the major hypothesis.
- Is limited to 10 to 15 substantive words.
- Do not include "study of," "analysis of" or similar constructions.
- Titles are usually in the form of a phrase, but can also be in the form of a question.
- Use correct grammar and capitalization with all first words and last words capitalized,
including the first word of a subtitle. All nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs that
appear between the first and last words of the title are also capitalized.
- In academic papers, rarely is a title followed by an exclamation mark. However, a title or subtitle
can be in the form of a question.

The Subtitle. It is quite common in social science research papers. Here are reasons why you may
include a subtitle:
- Explains or provides additional context, e.g., "Linguistic Ethnography and the Study of Welfare
Institutions as a Flow of Social Practices: The Case of Residential Child Care Institutions as
Paradoxical Institutions."
- Adds substance to a literary, provocative, or imaginative title, e.g., "Listen to What I Say, Not
How I Vote: Congressional Support for the President in Washington and at Home."
- Qualifies the geographic scope of the research, e.g., "The Geopolitics of the Eastern Border of the
European Union: The Case of Romania-Moldova-Ukraine."
- Qualifies the temporal scope of the research, e.g., "A Comparison of the Progressive Era and the
Depression Years: Societal Influences on Predictions of the Future of the Library, 1895-1940."
- Focuses on investigating the ideas, theories, or work of a particular individual, e.g., "A
Deliberative Conception of Politics: How Francesco Saverio Merlino Related Anarchy and
Democracy."

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

II. CHAPTER ONE: Introduction
The introduction serves the purpose of leading the reader from a general subject area to a particular
field of research. It establishes the context of the research being conducted by summarizing current
understanding and background information about the topic, stating the purpose of the work in the
form of the hypothesis, question, or research problem, briefly explaining your rationale,
methodological approach, highlighting the potential outcomes your study can reveal, and
describing the remaining structure of the paper.

A. Background of the Study. This identifies and describes the history and nature of a well-defined
research problem with reference to the existing literature. Background information in your
Introduction should indicate the root of the problem being studied, its scope, and the extent to
which previous studies have successfully investigated the problem, noting, in particular, where
gaps exist that your study attempts to address. Introductory background information differs
from a literature review in that it places the research problem in proper context rather than
thoroughly examining pertinent literature.

Questions you might want to answer in the Background of the Study:

- What issue(s) or concern(s) are you dealing with in the study?
- What do you know about this topic before conducting the study?
- Why is there a need to investigate?
- Who are the principal subjects of the study? Briefly talk about the locale.
- How will this issue affect another variable?
- How will this study advance your knowledge?

B. Statement of the Problem. It is used in research work as a claim that outlines the problem
addressed by a study. The statement of the problem briefly addresses the question: What is the
problem that the research will address? A good research problem should address an existing gap in
knowledge in the field and lead to further research. A persuasive statement of problem is usually
written in three parts: the ideal that describes a desired goal or ideal situation and explains how
things should be; the reality that describes a condition that prevents the goal from being
achieved or realized at this time and explains how the current situation falls short of the goal or
ideal; and the consequences that identifies the way you propose to improve the current situation
and move it closer to the goal or ideal.

In the statement of the problem, the general problem is the overarching question you wish
explore in the research study; whereas the specific problems divide the general problem
question into specific questions.

Tips on how to formulate good qualitative research problem and questions:

- Begin with words such as “how” or “what.” Tell the reader what you are attempting to
“discover,” “generate,” “explore,” “identify,” or “describe”
- Ask “what happened?” to help craft your description

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

 - Ask “what happened over time?” to explore the process

C. Significance of the Study. This provides information to the reader on how the study will
contribute. It must be specifically stated, however, what the study will contribute and who will
benefit from it. Write the significance of the study by looking into the specific contribution of
your study, such as its importance to particular individuals, then proceed upwards—towards
its contribution to certain offices and to society as a whole. Coupled with reference to the
problem statement, this effectively stimulates the mind to think in a inductive mode, i.e., from
specific to general.

After writing the research questions, the null hypothesis will follow. The null hypothesis states
there is no relationship between the measured phenomenon (the dependent variable) and the
independent variable.

D. Scope and Limitation. In addition to what your study intends to accomplish, this is the
discussion of what your study intends not to accomplish is of importance and value as well.
What are the boundaries that perhaps the design of your study may not allow? These could include:

1. Sampling. Is your sampling a non-probability or purposeful sampling for example? Why?

- Perhaps it was not cost effective to survey all members of the organization?
- Perhaps it was not time efficient to survey all members of the organization?
2. Perhaps there is a limitation in the scope and validity of your survey instrument?
3. Perhaps there are limitations to your choice of methodology?

E. Definition of Term. In qualitative research, you define concepts operationally. The operational
definition of a variable is the specific way in which it is measured in that study. Clearly, the
operational definition of the dependent variable is an important step in the design of the study.

III. CHAPTER TWO: Review of Related Literature

The literature review involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents
containing information related to the research problem. The purpose of reviewing the literature is
to discover research strategies and specific data collection approaches that have or have not been
productive in investigations of topics similar to yours.

A. Theoretical Review. The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has
accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review
helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree
the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested.
B. Argumentative Review. This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute
an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in
the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian
viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research, argumentative
approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse.

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

 Since a literature review is information dense, it is crucial that the work is intelligently structured
to enable a reader to grasp the key arguments with ease.
1. Cite or keep the primary focus on the literature.
2. Compare the various arguments, theories, methodologies, approaches and findings
expressed in the literature: What do the authors agree on? Who employs similar approaches?
3. Contrast the various arguments, themes, methodologies, approaches and controversies
expressed in the literature: what are the major areas of disagreement, controversy, debate?
4. Critique the literature: Which arguments are more persuasive, and why? Which approaches,
findings, methodologies seem most reliable, valid, or appropriate, and why? Pay attention
to the verbs you use to describe what it is an author says/ does: e.g. asserts, demonstrates,
etc.
5. Connect the literature to your own area of research and investigation: How does your own
work draw on/depart from/synthesize what has been said in the literature?

IV. CHAPTER THREE: Methodology

The methods section describes actions to be taken to investigate a research problem and the
rationale for the application of specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select, process,
and analyze information applied to understanding the problem, thereby, allowing the reader to
critically evaluate a study’s overall validity and reliability. The methodology section of a research
paper answers two main questions: How was the data collected or generated? And, how was it analyzed?

A. Research Design. This is an overview of how the research itself is conceptualized, the subsequent
conduct of a specific research project, and ultimately the type of contribution the research is
intended to make to the development of knowledge in a particular area. Importantly, the process
of developing a research design combines three broadly connected and interdependent
components: the theoretical, methodological, and ethical considerations relevant to the specific
project.

B. Research Environment. This discusses the place or setting of the study. It describes in brief the
place where the study is conducted. Only important features which have the bearing on the
present study are included. It also shows the target population and why there is a reason for
conducting the study in the given locale.

C. Research Respondents and Sampling Procedure. The goal of qualitative research is to provide
in-depth understanding and therefore, targets a specific group, type of individual, event or
process. This describes the target population and the sample frame. It specifies the sampling
technique used and how the sample size is determined. To accomplish this goal, qualitative
research focus on criterion-based sampling techniques to reach their target group. There are
three main types of qualitative sampling: purposeful sampling, quota sampling, and
snowballing sampling.

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

 1. Purposeful Sampling is the most common sampling strategy. In this type of sampling,
participants are selected or sought after based on pre-selected criteria based on the research
question. For example, the study may be attempting to collect data from lymphoma patients
in a particular city or county. The sample size may be predetermined or based on theoretical
saturation, which is the point at which the newly collected no longer provides additional
insights.
2. Quota Sampling is a sampling technique whereby participant quotas are preset prior to
sampling. Typically, the researcher is attempting to gather data from a certain number of
participants that meet certain characteristics that may include things such as age, sex, class,
marital status, HIV status, etc.
3. Snowball Sampling is also known as chain referral sampling. In this method, the
participants refer the researcher to others who may be able to potentially contribute or
participate in the study. This method often helps researchers find and recruit participants
that may otherwise be hard to reach. For more information, click here: Snowball Sampling.

D. Research Instrument. This explains the specific type of research instrument used such as
questionnaire, checklist, questionnaire-checklists, structured interview, teacher–made test,
standardized instrument which are adopted or borrowed with permission from the author or
from other sources. The parts of the instruments should be explained and what bits of
information are derived. The establishment of validity and reliability should be explained and
only experts should be chosen to validate such instrument. Interpretation should be included in
the discussions. Other qualitative research instruments are questionnaires, interview sheets,
observation reports, documents, grades, and other tangible and/or documented materials used
to collect data.

E. Data Collection Technique. The most common are interviews, focus group discussions,
observational methods, action research, and document analysis. Combining two or more data
collections methods, for instance interviews as well as focus groups—data triangulation—
enhances the credibility of the study. Irrespective of the data collection method applied, it is
important to keep a diary during the study, with reflections on the process (e.g. regarding
method and participant selection) and the role and influence of the researcher—reflexivity.

1. [Individual] Interview should be fairly informal and participants feel they are taking part
in a conversation or discussion rather than in a formal question and answer situation.
Interviews can be:
 Unstructured. It is often referred to as 'depth' or 'in depth' interviews. They have very little
structure at all. This allows the discussion to cover areas in great detail. They involve the
researcher wanting to know or find out more about a specific topic without there being a
structure or a preconceived plan or expectation as to how they will deal with the topic.
 Semi structured. These interviews are sometimes also called focused interviews. A series
of open ended questions based on the topic areas the researcher wants to cover. The open
ended nature of the question defines the topic under investigation but provides
opportunities for both interviewer and interviewee to discuss some topics in more detail

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

  Structured. A tightly structured schedule is used. The interviewer asks the respondent the
same questions in the same way. If the interview schedule is too tightly structured this
may not enable the phenomena under investigation to be explored in terms of either
breadth or depth.

2. Focused Group Discussion is used when it is better to obtain information from a group
rather than individuals. The aim of the focus group is to make use of participants' feelings,
perceptions and opinions. Recommended size of the sample group is 6 - 10 people as smaller
groups may limit the potential on the amount of information collected, and more may make
it difficult for all participants to participate and interact and for the interviewer to be able to
make sense of the information given. Members of the focus group should have something in
common which is important to the investigation.

3. Observation involves may take place in natural settings and involve the researcher taking
lengthy and descriptive notes of what is happening. Sometimes, the researcher becomes or
needs to become a participant observer, where they are taking part in the situation in order
to be accepted and further understand the workings of the social phenomenon. Observation
can sometimes obtain more reliable information about certain things. Techniques for
collecting data through observation are written descriptions, video recording, and
photographs and artefacts.

F. Data Analysis Procedure. This refers to the processes and procedures that are used to analyze
the data and provide some level or explanation, understanding, or interpretation. Qualitative
data analysis typically occurs simultaneously with the data collection. There are a variety of
approaches to this process of analysis and interpretation. Some of the most commonly used
approaches include:
1. Content Analysis is used to analyze and interpret verbal data, or behavioral data. Content
can be analyzed for descriptively or interpretatively.
2. Narrative Analysis is used to analyze text that may come from variety of sources including
transcripts from interviews, diaries, field notes, surveys and other written forms. Narrative
analysis often involves reformulating stories presented by people in different context and
based on their different experiences.
3. Discourse Analysis is a method of analyzing naturally occurring spoken interactions and
written text and is concerned with the social context in which the communication occurred.
It focuses on how language is used in everyday life and looks at how people express
themselves.
4. Grounded Theory is also called analytic induction. This is a method that attempts to develop
causal explanations of a phenomenon from one or more cases being studied. Explanations
are altered as additional cases are studied until the researcher arrives at a statement that fits
all cases.
5. Conversation Analysis examines the use of language by people as a type of action or skilled
accomplishment. A key concept in this analysis is the principle of people taking turns in
conversation. Meanings are usually shaped in the context of the exchange itself.

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

 G. Ethical Consideration. Ethical principles are primarily centered on protecting research
participants and the guiding foundation of "do no harm". In this section, the researchers explain
the ethical issues that were considered and how they were treated in the conduct of the study.

V. REFERENCES
This section shows a list of sources with which the works are cited within the text. In APA Style,
each reference cited in text must appear in the reference list, and each entry in the reference list
must be cited in text. Citations are not used simply to avoid plagiarism; referencing allows you to
acknowledge the contribution of other writers and researcher in your work. It is also a way to give
credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas. By citing the work of a
particular scholar you acknowledge and respect the intellectual property rights of that researcher.
All sources are in alphabetical order, and each reference should follow the hanging indentation
format.

VI. APPENDICES
An appendix contains supplementary material that is not an essential part of the text itself but which
may be helpful in providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem or it is
information that is too cumbersome to be included in the body of the paper. A separate appendix
should be used for each distinct topic or set of data and always have a title descriptive of its contents.

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio

 Bibliography

Anstey, A. (2014). Writing style: What's in a title? British Journal of Dermatology, 170, 1003-1004.
Bryman, A. (2007). The research question in social research: What is its role? International Journal of
Social Research Methodology, 10, 5-20.
Bwisa, H. (2018, May 18). The basics of writing a statement of the problem for your research
proposal. Retrieved from https://www.editage.com/insights/the-basics-of-writing-a-
statement-of-the-problem-for-your-research-proposal
Cheek, J. (2008). Research design. In L. M. Given (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research
methods (pp. 761-733). London: SAGE.
Cresswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluation quantitative and qualitative
research. . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Fink, A. (2014). Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper (4th ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE.
James, H. (2005). To attract or to inform: What are titles for?”. Technical Writing and
Communication, 35, 203-213.
Kallet, R. H. (2004). How to write the methods section of a research paper. Respiratory Care, 49, 1229-
1232.
Nekolaichuk, C., Fainsinger, R., & Lawlor, P. (2005). A validation study of a pain classification
system for advanced cancer patients using content experts: The Edmonton Classification
System for cancer pain. Palliative Medicine, 19(6), 466-476.
Regoniel, P. A. (2015, February 9). Two tips on how to write the significance of the study. Retrieved
from simplyeducate.me
UNSW Sydney. (2013, June 24). Why is referencing important?. Retrieved from
https://student.unsw.edu.au/why-referencing-important
Wright, L. L., & Lake, D. A. (n.d.). Basics of research for the health professions. Retrieved from
http://www.pt.armstrong.edu/wright/hlpr/text/3.4.depvar1.htm

Material for Research in Daily Life 1 Prepared by John C. Rubio