Writing a good Research Proposal

and Full Thesis

ASHFARA HAQUE

PR RESEARCH
Spring 2021
Proposal Framework
Word Limit For Proposal

A research proposal should be a maximum of 12,000 words for a

doctoral candidate; 8,000 words for a Master by Research candidate and
4,000 words for a Bachelor degree candidate.

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Cover Page
The cover page should show:

• The title of your research;

• Your name and student ID number;
• The name of the degree pursued;
• The name of your supervisor; and
• The date of your research proposal submission.
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Cover Page Content
• The Title Of Your Research

This thesis proposal submitted in fulfill the requirements for the

Public Relations Research course

• Name:
• Student ID:
• Name of Supervisor:
• Date of Submission:
 Page 2

• Table of Content
 Page 3

• List of Abbreviation

• For example

• CNN Cable News Network

• BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
 Page 4

• Abstract

• Key Words: (at least 5 Key words)

What you will write in your ‘Abstract’
• The abstract should be self contained, concise, readable.

• It should outline what you intend to do, why you believe it needs to be
done and indicate theory you want to apply and what might be the
outcome.

• It should stand alone as a description of the proposed research.

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Sections of the first chapter ‘Introduction’

• The background of the study

• The Significance of the study
• The purpose or statement of the Study
• Any history related to your area
• Hypotheses or Research Question/s or Research Objectives
• Definitions of Themes or Operational Definitions
• Review of literature

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Details of the sections under the ‘Introduction’
chapter
• The Background to the Study
This section sets the scene for a reader who knows nothing about your research.

• The Significance of the Study

This section states why it is important to do the research.

• The Purpose of the Study or a Statement of the Problem

This section states, what you expect to achieve by doing this research or what
problem/s have given rise to the research.

This problem statement may be presented in broad terms in Qualitative studies.

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Introduction
• Research Questions
These are unambiguous questions that the research is designed to
answer.
Or
• Hypotheses
These are clear statements that the research is designed to test.

• Definitions of Terms or Operational Definitions

Define any important terms used in the research questions or elsewhere
in the thesis.

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 Review of the literature

A literature review contains

critical analysis and the
integration of information
from a number of sources,
as well as consideration of
any gaps in the literature and
possibilities of future
research.

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Introduction Review of the literature
A good literature review:

1. Includes all literature that is relevant to justifying the proposed research;

2. Does not include literature that is irrelevant to justifying the proposed research;

3. Supports undertaking the proposed research;

4. Avoids speculation and unsubstantiated statements;

5. Is critical (a critical review does not merely accept previous authors’ conclusions,
but weighs them carefully, examining them on the basis of the weaknesses and
strengths in the methodologies of the studies being reviewed);

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Introduction Review of the literature
A good literature review:

6. Is organised under subheadings;

7. Forms a connected argument; and
8. Has a summary at the end.

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Theoretical Framework
• The theoretical or conceptual framework identifies variables impacting
on the research questions and their inter-relationships and/or identifies
theoretical and philosophical assumptions underpinning the study.

• The theoretical framework is often summarised as a flow-chart

diagram, which shows relationships between theories, concepts and
variable of the study.

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Methods/Methodologies
This section describes how you will answer the research questions.

It must be sufficiently detailed so that another researcher would

know from the written instructions how to collect the data.

Discuss what method or methodology you will use and why?(how

it goes with your research)

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 Instruments or materials or equipment

The name of this section will depend on the type of research you
are doing.

It should include any equipment that you will need for the
research and/or tests, questionnaires or interview schedules.

Information regarding the reliability and validity of instruments to

be used in the research should also be included in this section.
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Data collection

This section describes, step by step, how you will

collect the data.

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Data Analysis
This section describes how you will use the data that you have
collected.

It is often useful to organise this section according to the

research questions, explaining how you will analyse the data to
answer each question.

This section must be planned before any data is collected,

otherwise it may be impossible to analyse the data in such a
way as to answer the questions.
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 Data Analysis

• Data collection and analysis techniques vary widely. It’s important that
you spend time investigating the possible options as you plan your
research.
• Consider looking at how other researchers have approached
investigations similar to yours. Become familiar with the expected and
accepted practices, techniques and measures that are used within your
field of research.
• The ‘methodology and analysis’ sections of peer-reviewed research
papers can provide useful insights on collecting and analysing data, and
can demonstrate the standard required in your research area.

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 Findings
• What are the findings of your lab work/ research out come. Discuss in
details

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 Conclusion

1.Clearly state the answer to the main research question or

your hypothesis (what you have found during your research).
2.Summarize and reflect on the research.
3.Make recommendations for future work on the topic.
4.Show what new knowledge you have contributed.

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 Conclusion
How to write an excellent thesis conclusion
1.Restate the thesis. The best way to start a conclusion is simply by
restating the thesis statement. ...
2.Review or reiterate key points of your work. The next step is to review
the main points from the paper. ...
3.Explain why your work is relevant. ...
4.A take-home message for the reader.

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Limitations

You are expected to be aware of any weaknesses in your

research and show evidence of attempts to overcome them.

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References
Students should consult their Supervisor regarding the
choice of the most appropriate referencing style for their
discipline.

It is recommended that students use the EndNote or other

bibliographical software so that the reference list is
generated automatically by the software

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Appendices

Appendices may include a any Graphs, Photographs, any important

documents, any table etc.

(Must number them in case of ‘Table’ you will write on the top of the
table ‘Table 1: Types of Robin Hood in the London Woods’.

In case of Photographs/graphs or any other documents write ‘Figure

1: Photographs of Mr. Churchill’ Or

Figure 2: More people getting temporary visa than getting permanent

ones)
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Thanks…

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