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Research Proposal Writing Study and Analysis
Research Proposal Writing Study and Analysis
The research proposal is a document created with the intention of convincing a prospect
that the research project being proposed by the candidate is worthwhile which must also
focus on candidate’s capability to successfully execute the project by outlining the clear
research plan to achieve set goals [1]. The inclusion of unnecessary information that is
not relevant to the research being proposed also becomes the cause of the chaos that
ultimately results in proposal rejection [2]. The details in a research proposal have to be
extremely relevant to the subject. It must be noted as per previous studies that the
research proposals are considered of good quality if and only if the writer has focused on
the subject by qualitatively selecting citations to support the claims instead of
quantitatively adding partial or fully irrelevant literature as in references; as of just to
increase the word count of the document [3].
The research proposal should only be composed after adequate prior preparation and
deliberation for the following reasons:
• The research proposal that has been underprepared and badly written would in all
probability be rejected by your prospect.
• A research proposal that has been well-prepared will assist you in visualizing the
project, planning research details, implementing plans, and monitoring fieldwork.
• A research proposal that lacked preparation would undoubtedly appear poorly
written and create the impression of a lack of commitment to the project on your
part.
• The research proposal forms an important part of the application for a grant and
could arguably be the deciding factor given the number of people competing for
it.
1. The Title
2. Abstract
3. Keywords
4. Introduction
5. Statement of Objectives
6. Analysis of Literature
7. Research Methodology
8. Research Plan
9. Estimated Budget
10. Research Team Particulars
11. Funding Source
12. Co-worker Acknowledgements
13. References
As per the previous studies, it was noted that most of the research proposals get rejected
only because of long or irrelevant use of words that misleads the scope of the research
project or research study [3]. The self-contradictory titles often raise questions which
void the acceptance of the research proposal by the judiciary.
Sometimes, if the titles of the research proposals are long but yet meaningful then the
reviewers suggest the candidate revise the topic based on their recommended changes and
after the changes are completed then the proposal sometimes becomes acceptable instead
of rejection straightaway. The title of the research proposal can be revised once the
research is actively begun to better reflect the research topic.
It was noted that there was no use of citations inside the abstract composition which
indicates that the abstract is actually the short-read summary of the research proposal. It
should comprise the key research topic, the reasons for choosing a particular topic, any
hypothesis that would be adopted, and the research methodology. The abstract should
stand independently of the rest of the proposal. It should not require reference to anything
that is mentioned in the rest of the proposal.
Keywords also play a vital role by indexing your paper into niche-specific search engines
(if publically displayed). It also helps the person who wishes to locate category specific
records which means the use of the keywords section in a research paper is strongly
advised. Normally, three to five keywords addition to a research paper document is good
enough.
The introduction should explain why research is required on the chosen topic and how
this study can influence them on the subject because of which one decided to write the
proposal on. The introduction part of the proposal has to be composed in such storytelling
yet a scientific way to clearly picture the problems that raised the concerns to initiate the
proposal study. Here, one must take extra care to use only supporting citations. If a large
number of citations are being used that are not closely related to the topic then the
research proposal reviewers may lose their way to find the convince-able references and
hence it may lead to the rejection of the proposal sometimes.
The introduction in a scientific research proposal should generally include the elements
listed below:
• A statement on the larger research issue in clear and unambiguous terms as well
as the purpose of the study.
• A contextual background so as to clearly signify to the prospect the importance
and necessity of research on the issue.
• An explanation of the rationale behind the choice of the proposed research topic
• A convincing discussion on the benefits that will accrue from the proposed
research.
• An identification of the major variables of the proposed research topic.
• A statement of the hypothesis and research questions.
• An assertion of the limitations and probable obstacles to the proposed research.
When writing the statement of objectives, one should keep the following in mind;
This will help in placing the proposed research topic from the right perspective. This will
also help the prospect ascertain that neither has the research topic being proposed in the
research proposal been investigated before nor is it being currently investigated by some
other researcher.
The literature review section should be brief and relevant to the proposed research topic.
It should include citations and references. It should fulfill the following functions;
It should also state the activities/work that candidate have to put in to successfully
complete the proposed research study. Generally, various approaches are adopted in
defining the nature of the research study such as descriptive, exploratory, analytical,
correlational, casual, inferential, qualitative and quantitative research techniques. It is the
choice of the writer to think about the kind of the research design writing style in which
proposal fits well and then to outline the necessary sections in the draft.
Following are the research methodology child elements that the writer may consider to
include in the research proposal document:
Research plan section provides information on how the person who undertakes the
project will initiate the project, make progress time to time as proposed and accomplish
the suggested set targets. The plan should provide a tentative time span over which the
research is proposed to be carried out as well as a schedule for the various activities that
will form a part of the proposed research process. This would include scheduling of time
for the following:
• Conducting the literature survey to identify the expected duration of the project
• Making purchases and getting hold of consumables and amenities necessary for
the conduct of the proposed research
• Conducting the proposed research study and experimentation
• Scrutinizing the data
• Comparing the current data with an expected hypothesis and analyzing the final
result deviations
• Writing the final report on the proposed research project
A schedule for the various activities is vital for effective monitoring of the research
project. Every major activity to be conducted over the proposed research period should be
included in the activity schedule and should be allocated a fixed time span. Research
milestones should also be laid down. The Gantt chart is an effective tool for mapping an
activity schedule. The use of graphs, figures or timeline clip-arts in this section to
visually improve the presentation of the research proposal uplifts the interest of the reader
and that is why it is recommended by the institutes to include graphical information
sometimes in this section.
In this section, the candidate needs to breakdown each and every expected cost to provide
a clear understanding of your finance requirement. The project cost may be expanded into
as many as possible subcategories such as material cost, manpower budgeting, machinery
funding, operational expenses, emergency expenses, and so on. The expansion of the
budgeting depends upon the nature of the project being proposed. The candidates may
also consider adding a subcategory to include profit taking/revenue generation model
which must clearly show the initial to running cost, break-even point, and profit
expectancy.
The estimated budget section in the research proposal should detail out the budget for the
entire proposed project as also the expected sources of finance. The budget should
provide an activity wise or item wise categorization of costs as well as a justification for
each.
The research proposal’s budget section clearly states the costs involved in implementing
the project. It generally is composed of tables or worksheets with the budget details and a
section providing a justification for the budget explaining the need for the various
expenses mentioned therein. An explanation of the budget should be provided in the
research proposal even though it may not have been specifically required of you in the
organization/program guidelines.
The budget section of the research proposal should provide a comprehensive budget for
the entire project. The budget should not be constrained to the size of the grant being
offered. If the budget does exceed the size of the grant, provide a clarification that you
are looking for other sources of funding as well. Such a stance taken in the research
proposal will help you explain things later if and when you receive grants from more than
one source.
The items mentioned in the budget should fall within the specific guidelines of the
organization being applied to. If any item does not fall the stated guidelines, ensure that
you provide an explanation on how you will fund that item, in the budget justification
section.
Often universities require that the costs not directly related to the research project or
indirect costs be added to the funding sources that are under the particular university’s
administration. Each university would have a list of standard rates for such indirect
expenses which could be obtained from their administrative office. Create a draft budget
for indirect expenses and have it vetted by the officer in charge at the university before
including it in the research proposal.
The main deterrent to proving a comprehensive budget in the research proposal would
probably come down to your feelings of shame or embarrassment in requesting for
funding or in self-promotion. However, such feelings would probably relate more to
personal insecurities than to the quality of the research proposal. Hence, keeping in mind
the fact that if you don’t ask you won’t get funding will probably help in overcoming
such feelings of insecurity. Besides, the most harm that could be done to you if you asked
would be a refusal to provide funding in which case you could apply to your next source.
• An identification of all the expertise that will be required on the proposed project
as well as the team that will work on the proposed research project.
• A schedule of responsibilities for each team member
• The CVs of all the key team members who would be working on the proposed
project
• Written participation consent from all the proposed research team members
Recognizing the project needs/requirements would be the first step you take and the
answers to the questions mentioned below could help you get there.
• Is the research to be undertaken the pilot or preliminary kind that will lead to the
development of a full-fledged research program?
• Is funding required for all, some or any one of the following; fieldwork,
experiments, postdoctoral research, dissertation research, pre-dissertation
research, or archival research?
• Is a stipend being sought in order to write a book, refine a manuscript, or write a
thesis?
• Is a resident research fellowship with program assistance or other project
enhancement resources being sought at an institution offering the same?
• Is funding required for an extensive and lengthy research project that would be
conducted over several years and would require the employment of many staff
personnel?
The next step would be to deliberate on the project focal point. The points listed below
could help you narrow down your choices.
Once the project needs and focus have been determined, project funding organizations
and grant programs can be explored.
Since funding is usually sought from various grant programs and project funding
organizations, one could begin the process of applying for the same by drafting a research
proposal and a research budget that is general in nature. Such a general research proposal
is often referred to as a ‘White Paper’. The white paper should address a general
academic audience with an explanation of your proposed project. Research proposals that
are to be submitted to various programs and organizations have to be modified to reflect
the specific rules and guidelines of each program or organization.
• Objectives that do not adequately reflect the title of the research proposal
• An absence of a literature review/provision of references
• Broad-based or over-ambitious objectives
• Poor scheduling of activities
• A methodology that has been inadequately described
• An unjustifiably big/small budget that asks for either too much/too little financial
assistance
The research proposal and its elements as described above are meant to act as a guide to
aid in writing a well-structured research proposal to pitch your project idea in a
professional manner. As per previous studies, most of the research proposals lack the
necessary sections which in turn results in rejection of a proposal. In this study, we have
provided all the essential components that a person must outline to write a well-structured
research proposal.
A list of references is prepared by listing out the books, journals, articles, or other
documents that you have cited in the research proposal. This list is generally arranged in
alphabetical order by the author’s last name. However, there are different styles of
formatting references and you should check the guidelines to see if any style has been
specified. You could also consult with your mentor on the same or look up the references
section of the research articles assigned to you in your reading list. The use of endnote or
Mendeley is highly recommended while drafting the research proposal.
[3] A.W. Heath, The proposal in qualitative research, The qualitative report, 3 (1997) 1-4.
[4] P. Vakkari, M. Pennanen, S. Serola, Changes of search terms and tactics while writing
a research proposal: A longitudinal case study, Information processing & management,
39 (2003) 445-463.
[5] M. Sandelowski, D.H. Davis, B.G. Harris, Artful design: Writing the proposal for
research in the naturalist paradigm, Research in Nursing & Health, 12 (1989) 77-84.