Research Proposal Parts

A. Executive Summary
- Brief discussion about the proposal.

B. Introduction
- Declaration of the project and its idea and context to explain the goals and objectives
to be reached and other relevant info that explains the need for the project and states
the aims to describe the amount of work planned for implementation.
- Refers to a simple explanation or depiction of the project that can be used as
communication material.

a. Rationale
- Brief analysis of the problems identified related to the project.
b. Significance
- Alignment to national S&T priorities, strategic relevance to national development, and
addressing current issues and concerns.
c. Scientific Basis
- Scientific findings, conclusions, or assumptions used as justification for the research.
d. Theoretical Framework
- The structure that summarizes concepts and theories that serve as the basis for the
data analysis and interpretation of the research data.
e. Objectives
- Statements of the general and specific purposes to address the problem areas of the
project.

C. Review of Literature - refers to the following:

a. Related research that has been conducted, state-of-the-art or current technologies

from which the project will take off.
b. Scientific/Technical Merit
c. Results of related research conducted by the same project leader, if any.
d. Prior Art Search
e. Other relevant materials.
D. Methodology
- Description of the design and engineering solution proposed to address the problem,
the…

(a) Variables or parameters to be measured and evaluated/analyzed

(b) Treatments to be used and their layout
(c) Experimental procedures and design
(d) Statistical Analysis
(e) Evaluation method and observations to be made, strategies for implementation
(Conceptual/ Analytical Framework)

E. Expected Output and Target Deliverables

- Indicates the timeline of activities to be accomplished in the conduct of the product.

G. References
- List of reference materials such as journals, designs and patents, and online sources.
It should follow the Chicago Manual of Style in referencing.

Common Mistakes in Research Proposals

1. The topic is too broad.

2. The aims, objectives, and questions aren’t aligned with the research.
3. The research topic is not well justified.
4. Weak theoretical framework.
5. The research design was not articulated well enough.
6. It has poor writing.
7. Poor project planning and risk management.
8. Not following the academe’s specific criteria.

Research Facilities, Access, Partnerships, and Proper Coordination

● Build connections.
● Explore, but always have a follow-up about their success.
● Invite experts for sarong and consultation.
● Research Camps
● Connect and create a network of scientists and experts.
● Look for possible collaborators.
● Involve your parents.
● Review your Literature
 IMRAD Format: Writing the Introduction

“IMRaD” format refers to a paper that is structured by four main sections:

● Introduction
● Methods
● Results
● Discussion

This format is often used for lab reports as well as for reporting any planned,
systematic research in the social sciences, natural sciences, or engineering and
computer sciences.

Introduction - Make a case for your research

● Explains why the research is important or necessary or important.
● Begins by describing the problem or situation that motivates the research
then moves to discussing the current state of research in the field; then
reveal a “gap” or problem in the field. Finally, explain how the present
research is a solution to that problem or gap.
● If the study has hypotheses, they are presented at the end of the
introduction.

Method - What did you do?

● Tells readers how you conducted your study.
● It includes information about your population, sample, methods, and
equipment.
● The “Gold Standard” of the methods section is that it should enable
readers to duplicate your study.
● Methods sections typically use subheadings; they are written in past tense,
and they use a lot of passive voice.

Results - What did you find?

● In this section, you present your findings.
● Typically, the Results section contains only the findings, not any
explanation of or commentary on the findings (see below).
● Results sections are usually written in the past tense. Make sure all tables
and figures are labeled and numbered separately.
● Captions go above tables and beneath figures.

Discussion - What does it mean?

● In this section, you summarize your main findings, comment on those
findings, and connect them to other research.
● You also discuss the limitations of your study, and use these limitations as
 Reporting vs Commenting on Your Findings
In the Results section, you simply report your findings. In the Discussion section,
you comment on them and report the data.

Goals of the introduction in IMRAD Report

1. To give the reader an overview of the literature in the field.
2. To show the motivation for your study.
3. To share what unique perspective your research adds.

3 Moves to Help Your Introduction Meet the Expectations of the

Academic Community

MOVES SUBMOVES SAMPLE LANGUAGE

Move #1: -Shows that the research area is -Evidence suggests that X is among the
Establishing a important, problematic, or relevant in most important factors for…
Research some way.
Territory -Existing research recognizes the critical
-Introduce and review previous role played by…
research in the field.
Describes the -Data from several studies suggest that
current state of extensive research has shown…
knowledge

Move #2: One or more of these are included: a) Smith’s analysis does not take into
Establish a Niche account…
a) Claim something is wrong with the
Establishes previous research. b) Little is known about the nature of…
b) Highlight a gap in the field.
motivation for the
c) Raise a question where research c) It remains unclear why these methods
study. Usually, this in the field is unclear. are considered effective.
move is short and d) Extend prior research to add more
can be addressed info on the topic. d) More research is needed to establish a
in just one or direct link between X and Y.
several sentences.

Move #3: One or more of these are included:
Occupying the
Niche a) Outline your purpose/s and state
the nature of your research.
b) State your hypothesis or research
Shows how your
question you seek to answer.
research fills the c) Share your findings.
niche and brings d) Elaborate on the value of your
new perspectives research.
to the field. e) Outline the structure that the
research paper will follow.
a) The purpose of this investigation is to
explore the relationship between…
b) We investigated the following research
question: …
c) This study provides new insights into…
d) The present research explores, for the
first time, the effects of…
e) This paper has been divided into four
parts. The first part deals with…
 IMRAD Format: Writing the Methodology

Purpose of the Methods

The method section in an IMRaD report outlines the research process, providing
a step-by-step explanation for transparency and reproducibility. It explains the
data nature, collection, analysis, and justifications, allowing scholars to compare
findings and replicate research if needed.

In terms of linguistic features, method sections often use past tense verbs and
passive voice to emphasize the procedure over the researcher, as data collection
and analysis are typically completed by the manuscript's start.

Writing Moves in Methodology

Cotos, Huffman, and Link (2017) identified common moves in method sections
across 30 disciplines. However, not all moves appear in every paper and are not
structured in a sequential order. Writers can switch between moves in a cyclical
manner.

MOVES INCLUDES ONE OR MORE SUB-MOVES

Move #1: - Situate your choice of methodology in relation to previous studies
Contextualizing by referencing them.
Study Methods ● X was prepared according to the procedure used by Jones et al.
(1957)
Provides background
- Provide relevant theoretical or empirical info to show connections
info about the study. to the field.
● Traditionally, X has been assessed by measuring…

- Restate the research purpose, hypothesis, or gaps in research.

● To test our primary hypothesis that…, we conducted…

- Name the methodological approach.

● The design was a mixed-method study…

- Describe the physical setting of the study.

● The study was conducted at X hospital…

- Introduce the subjects/participants.

● The criteria for selecting the subjects were as follows:

- Justify pre-experiment choices.

● A major advantage of X is that…
Move #2: - Explain how the data was collected, sampled, or selected.
Describing the ● A random sample of patients with…was recruited from…
Study
- Describe the characteristics of the data.
● Data consists of 12 interviews (50,000 words)...
Describes in detail
what was done and - Identify dependent and independent variables.
how it was done. This ● Our independent variable is X…
move typically
comprises 55% - 85% - Describe study procedures in a step-by-step way.
of the method ● The first step in this process was to…
section. ● The soil was then weighed again, and this weight was recorded
as…
Two sub-moves in
bold are often the - Justify study decisions and provide purposes for specific steps.
main focus of method ● Data management and analysis were performed using SPSS 16.0
(2010)
sections.
- Share observations or incremental measurements related to the
study, but not crucial for the results.

Move #3: - Explain how data were prepared for analysis.

Analyzing Data ● The data were normalized per 100 units…

Explicitly shows data - Describe how data were analyzed, including coding schemes or
tools (there may be an overlap with tools in Move #2).
analysis steps to
● The numbers were entered into…, and then…
persuade the readers
that the results can - Justify data processing/analysis.
be trusted. ● This framework was chosen because it accounts for…