Writing Research Proposals

Week 05
ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
Dr. Nisansa de Silva, University of Moratuwa
Color Coding

• RED: - Very important points

• BLUE: - Need to be highlighted but not as important
• GREEN: - Used for terminology (terms)
• PURPLE: - Off topic but necessary

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Project / Research Proposal

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://gradcoach.com/what-is-a-research-proposal-dissertation-thesis/

Project / Research Proposal
 Before you begin with a research, you are required to
submit a research proposal.
 By reviewing your proposal, the faculty members will
accept or deny the research.
 You need to present a strong project proposal in order
to get the approval and get started on the research.
 Topic needs to be specific and unambiguous.
 What is being investigated ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
 Who/What it involves
Dr. Nisansa de Silva
 In what context
Writing Research Proposals

Source: https://gradcoach.com/what-is-a-research-proposal-dissertation-thesis/
Components of a Project Proposal
 Following sections should be included in your project proposal:
 Introduction
 Background and Significance
 Literature Review
 Research Design and Methods
 Preliminary Suppositions and Implications
 Conclusion
 Citations

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://youtu.be/P58E3NBKIAA

Introduction
 Think about your introduction as a narrative written in
one to three paragraphs that succinctly answers the
following four questions:
 What is the central research problem?
 What is the topic of study related to that problem?
 What makes it unique?
 What methods should be used to analyze the research
problem?
ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
 Why this is an important research, what is its
significance, and why should someone reading the Dr. Nisansa de Silva
proposal care about the outcomes of the proposed
Writing Research Proposals
study?
 In some cases, commercial value.

Source: https://gradcoach.com/what-is-a-research-proposal-dissertation-thesis/
Background and Significance
 This is where you explain the context of your proposal
and describe in detail why it's important.
 State the research problem and give a more detailed
explanation of the purpose of the study than what you
stated in the introduction.
 This is particularly important if the problem is complex or
multifaceted.
 Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly
indicate why it is worth doing. ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
 Answer the "So What? question [i.e., Why should anyone care?].
Dr. Nisansa de Silva
 Describe the major issues or problems to be addressed
by your research. Writing Research Proposals

 Be sure to note how your proposed study builds on

previous work about the research problem.
Background and Significance
 Explain how you plan to go about conducting your
research.
 Clearly identify the key sources you intend to use and
explain how they will contribute to your analysis of the
topic.
 Set the boundaries of your proposed research in order
to provide a clear focus.
 Where appropriate, state not only what you will study,
ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
but what is excluded from the study.
 If necessary, provide definitions of key concepts or Dr. Nisansa de Silva
terms. Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://www.kindpng.com/imgv/hwThoJJ_research-main-icon-01-research-background-logo-png/

Literature Review
 Connected to the background and significance of your
study.
 This is a section of your proposal devoted to a more
deliberate review and synthesis of prior studies related
to the research problem under investigation.
 The purpose here is to place your project within the
larger whole of what is currently being explored while
demonstrating to your readers that your work is original
and innovative. ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature_review

The “five C’s" of Writing a
Literature Review:
 Cite, so as to keep the primary focus on the literature pertinent to your
research problem.
 Compare the various arguments, theories, methodologies, and
findings expressed in the literature: What do the authors agree on?
Who applies similar approaches to analyzing the research problem?
 Contrast the various arguments, themes, methodologies, approaches,
and controversies expressed in the literature: What are the major
areas of disagreement, controversy, or debate?
 Critique the literature: Which arguments are more persuasive, and
ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
why? Which approaches, findings, methodologies seem most reliable,
valid, or appropriate, and why? Pay attention to the verbs you use to Dr. Nisansa de Silva
describe what an author says/does [e.g., asserts, demonstrates,
argues, etc.]. Writing Research Proposals
 Connect the literature to your own area of research and investigation:
how does your own work draw upon, depart from, synthesize, or add a
new perspective to what has been said in the literature?
Research Design and Methods
 A methodology is not just a list of tasks; it is an argument as to
why these tasks add up to the best way to investigate the
research problem.
 This is an important point because the mere listing of tasks to be
performed does not demonstrate that, collectively, they
effectively address the research problem.
 Discussing the practicalities:
 How will you undertake your research?
 Is your research design appropriate for your topic?
 Is your plan manageable given your constraints (time, money, expertise)? ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

 Will you take a qualitative or quantitative approach? Dr. Nisansa de Silva

 Will your design be cross-sectional or longitudinal?
 How will you collect your data (interviews, surveys, etc)? Writing Research Proposals
 How will you analyse your data (e.g. statistical analysis, qualitative data
analysis, etc)?

Source: https://gradcoach.com/what-is-a-research-proposal-dissertation-thesis/
Preliminary Suppositions and
Implications
 The purpose of this section is to argue how and in what
ways you believe your research will refine, revise, or
extend existing knowledge in the subject area under
investigation.
 Depending on the aims and objectives of your study,
describe how the anticipated results will impact future
scholarly research, theory, practice, forms of
interventions, or policymaking.
 Note that such discussions may have either: ITE 1932 - Technical Writing
 Substantive (a potential new policy) significance
Dr. Nisansa de Silva
 Theoretical (a potential new understanding) significance, or
 Methodological (a potential new way of analyzing) significance. Writing Research Proposals
Conclusion
 The conclusion reiterates the importance or significance
of your proposal and provides a brief summary of the
entire study.
 This section should be only one or two paragraphs long,
emphasizing why the research problem is worth
investigating, why your research study is unique, and
how it should advance existing knowledge.

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://edubirdie.com/blog/how-to-write-research-paper-conclusion

Citations
 As with any scholarly research paper, you must cite the sources
you used in composing your proposal.
 References - List only the literature that you actually used or
cited in your proposal.
 Bibliography - List everything you used or cited in your
proposal, with additional citations to any key sources relevant to
understanding the research problem.

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://edubirdie.com/citation/ieee/

Research is Speculative…

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be

called research, would it?”
- Albert Einstein
ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals

Image Source: https://www.newscientist.com/people/albert-einstein/

References
 Slides modified from “Writing Research Proposals” by
Hiroshi de Silva.
 https://gradcoach.com/what-is-a-research-proposal-
dissertation-thesis/

ITE 1932 - Technical Writing

Dr. Nisansa de Silva

Writing Research Proposals