How to write research proposal

By chanel Grad Coach

In this video, we are going to explain what a research proposal is in the context of a typical
dissertation, thesis or academic research project. We will unpack the key contents of the proposal with
clear practical examples so you can craft a convincing proposal. Now if you are new to the oftentimes
intimidating world of academic research be sure to hit that subscribe button for loads of plain
language, actionable advice. Also if you are working on a dissertation or thesis proposal grab our free
proposal template along with chapter templates for the rest of your project. You can find the links to
those down in the description. So what exactly is a research proposal? Well, a research proposal is
simply a structured, formal document that explains what you plan to research in other words your
research topic why it is worth researching and how you plan to investigate it. So basically your
methodological approach. As with all things research related it is useful to first understand the
purpose the proposal serves its job so to speak. Number one the what. First up your proposal needs to
clearly articulate your research topic. This needs to be specific and unambiguous stating exactly what
you plan to research and in what context. Here is an example of a well-articulated topic. An
investigation into the factors which impact female gen Y consumers' likelihood to promote a makeup
brand to their peers, a British context. As you can probably see this topic is extremely specific. From
one line we can see exactly what is being investigated, factors that make people promote a brand of
makeup, who it involves, female gen Y consumers and in what context, the United Kingdom. So make
sure that your research proposal provides a clear explanation of your research topic. Ideally, you
should express your topic in the form of research aims, objectives and research questions but in some
cases, these will only be finalised following a comprehensive literature review so check with your
university what their expectations and norms are. Also, be sure to check out our video explaining
research aims and objectives if you are unsure how to craft these. Number two the why? Clearly
articulating your research topic is the first step but justifying that topic is just as important.
Specifically, you need to explain how your research will be unique and how it will contribute
something new to the existing literature, what gap in the current literature will it fill? If it is just a lazy
rehash of existing research it is probably not going to get approval it needs to be fresh. Right, let us
look at the final essential ingredient for a winning proposal. Number three the how? Of course, it is all
good and well to have a great topic that is specific original and valuable but you are not going to
convince anyone to approve it if it is not practical. So your research proposal needs to detail your
intended methodological approach. Here are some important questions you will need to address. Will
you take a qualitative or quantitative approach, will your time horizon be cross-sectional or
longitudinal, who or where will you collect data from, how will you collect your data? For example,
interviews, surveys etcetera, how will you analyse your data, for example, qualitative content analysis,
statistical analysis etcetera. While it is not generally expected that you will have a fully fleshed-out
research design at the proposal stage you will need to provide at least a high-level view of your
approach so that your institution can assess its viability. So make sure you give some thought to the
practicalities of your research and have at least a basic understanding of research design before you
start writing up your proposal. By the way, if some of this terminology sounds like gibberish to you
check out our research methodology 101 video. The link is in the description as always. All right so let
us recap.

Sumber: https://youtu.be/oUiKwFNzKDM?si=i2Vd561JqSw39zJN