Proposal Writing

Sell an Idea Persuasively

• A research proposal is intended to convince
others that one has a worthwhile research
project and that has the competence and the
work-plan to complete it.
• Regardless of the research area and
methodology, all research proposals must
address: “What one plans to accomplish, why
one wants to do it and how it’s going to be
done.”
 Types of Proposal
• Internal: Written to
• External: Written to people
management within the
outside the company
company
• Responsibility is to write a
• Extensive Financial
proposal selling the benefits
Obligations
of new corporate offering to
• Time for Planning
the prospective client
• Commitment to new staffing
• Include company’s profile,
• Longer
previous records/testimonies
• Formal

Request for Proposals (RFP) :

Solicited and Unsolicited: Written
Written in response to RFPs.
in response to a request and
Big Organizations, City Councils,
written on one’s own initiative,
State or federal agencies call for
respectively.
it
Commitments for: employees,
schedules, equipment, training,
facilities, finances etc.
 Criteria for Proposals
1. Title Page

2. Cover Letter/ Cover E-mail 7. Discussion

3. Table of Content 8. Conclusion/Recommendations

4. List of Illustrations 9. Glossary

5. Abstract 10. Works Cited/References

6. Introduction 11. Appendix

 Title

concise and think of an

descriptive informative but
catchy title

clearly indicate
the independent are stated in terms
and dependent of a functional
variables relationship
 Abstract:
brief summary should include
• the research question,
of • rationale for the study
approximately • hypothesis (if any),
• method
300 words • main findings.

Descriptions of the method may

include the design, procedures, the
sample and any instruments that
will be used.
 Introduction
Purpose
• declarative sentence
• summarizes the specific topic and
goals of a document
• gives the reader an accurate,
concrete understanding
• Specific - not general, broad or
obscure
• Concise
• Clear - not vague, ambiguous or
confusing
• Goal-oriented - stated in terms of
desired outcomes
Problem/Need
Analysis
• Need: reflects the existence of a
certain issue that requires an
intervention, an issue that must be
dealt with.
• Needs assessment: attempts to
identify such gaps, to analyze their
nature and causes
• To establish priorities for future
actions
The need is not, therefore, the
current state of affairs, nor the
desired, future one. It consists
exactly in the difference or
discrepancy between “what we
have” and “what we wish to have”.
 Discussion
Communicating Organizing
Persuasively Content

Researching Using
Content Graphics
Communicating Communicating
Ethically Persuasively
Line drawing, photographs,
flowcharts, Organizational
charts, etc.
Conclusions and Recommendations
• Will any of the • Specifically stating what should
alternatives make a be done
• Steps required to implement
difference, help solve the the policy, and the resources
problem, or improve the needed
situation? • Discussion of the benefits to the
• What are the long-term as organization and what problems
well as the short-term would be corrected or avoided
• Discussion of the feasibility of
implications of the the proposed policy
predicted findings? • General statement about the
• How do findings relate to nature and timing of an
those of other evaluation plan that would be
researchers cited in used to determine the
effectiveness of the proposed
the Literature Review? policy.
 Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing
Failure to provide the proper
context to frame the research
question
Failure to cite landmark studies
Slopping writing
Failing to follow the referencing style
Too much rambling, going "all over the
map" without a clear sense of direction
Too many citation lapses and
incorrect references.
Too long or too short
Failure to stay focused on the
research question
Failure to develop a coherent
and persuasive argument for
the proposed research
Too much detail on minor issues, but
not enough detail on major issues
Failure to delimit the boundary
conditions for your research
Failure to accurately present the
theoretical and empirical contributions
by other researchers