Writing a Research Proposal

Research Questions, Research Hypothesis and

Literature Review

Presented By Discussant:
Shishir Prasad Aryal Indra Prasad Gupta
Roll No. : 75152101 Roll No.: 75152139
Webinar Chair
Om Prakash Neupane

Presented To
Course Facilitators
Chandra Kumar Laksamba, PhD and Yashoda Chaulagain
MPhil, 2nd semester
Academic Writing for Graduate Students (EDS721)
 Outlines
1. Objectives of this Presentation

2. What is Research Proposal and its purpose

3. Structure of Research Proposal

4. Research Questions

5. Research Hypothesis

6. Literature Review

A. Degree and Nature of Literature Review

B. Steps and strategies for writing a Literature Review
C. Typical Terms used in the Literature

7. References
 Objective

Examine and Support to

develop the formulate
skills for
writing a academic
research research
proposal proposal
 What is a Research Proposal?
Research proposals are an example of what Swales (1996) calls ‘occluded’ genres; that is,
genres which are difficult for students to have to access to, but play an important part in the
students’ lives.
In his book Successful Dissertations and Theses, Madsen (1992: 51) writes that ‘the research
proposal is often the key element to the successful thesis and, as such, the most important
step in the whole process’.
Meloy (1994: 31) presents a similar view, saying that ‘proposal writing does not appear to be
something that comes naturally’ and that we learn not only by example but also by the
reactions and suggestions of our supervisors and our thesis committee members.
Good research proposal both give an overview of the project and a well informed discussion
of the nuts and bolts of the proposed research (Burnett, 2009). It connects with current
literature, It is well thought out, viable and timely. It is aware of strengths and limitations of
your proposed approached and the research ethics.
A document that is typically written by a scientist or academic which describes the ideas for
an investigation on a certain topic. The research proposal outlines the process from
beginning to end and may be used to request financing for the project, certification for
performing certain parts of research of the experiment, or as a required task before
beginning a college dissertation. (Business dictionary)
A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research. (U.B)
A research proposal is a statement of intent: describe your intention, of your ideas, show
your motivation, you define your aims and object and explain your research is better than
other topic and you show it is a first type subject being studied.
 Purpose of a Research Proposal?

What
Why do I What is What do I How am I
What will I contributio
want to do known/ hope to going to
do? n will it
it Unknown? discover discover it?
make?

Show that you are engaging in genuine academic enquiry

Link your proposed work with the work of others
Establish a particular theoretical orientation
Establish your methodological approach
Show you have thought about the ethical issues
(Pretorious, 2020))
Research Proposal Guidelines of NOU
Title
Introduction
Problem Statement
Purpose of the Study
Research Questions
Hypothesis (if any)
Literature Review
Theoretical Framework (If any)
Research Methodology
Reference
Research Proposal Guidelines of NOU
Topic 1 Topic 2
Research Plan Guidance Research Plan Structure
First Assignment 2500-3000 words 1.Second Assignment 2500-3000 words
1.Title 2.Chapter 2
2.Chapter 1 3.Literature Review
3.Introductions  thematic literature review idea depending on
4.Background (You may write in a thematic the nature of the study.
way) 3. Conceptual Framework
5.Statement of Study Problem
6.Objectives of the Study
7.The hypothesis of the Study Topic 3
8.Research Questions Research Plan Guidance
Significance of the study Third Assignment
Chapter Three: 200-2500 words
Topic 4 1. Research Methodology
Final Assignment Research Approach and Paradigm
1.Compile all assignment Participants and Sampling Techniques
2.Formatting and Preparing the final Proposal Data Collection Procedure
for the third semester Ethical Consideration
3.Defence Reliability, Validly and Credibility
 Research Questions
The purpose of Research questions is to provide an explicit statement of what the study will
investigate.
Objective provide a list of goals that will be achieved through the proposed research
-What are the benefits / impact that will be generated if the research problem is answered?
- Why would we allow this research to be done? (Bhattacharjee, 2018).
Research Hypothesis
 Literature Review
Provide a summary of previous related research on the
research problem and their strength and weakness and a
justification of your research –
-- What is known / what have been done by others?
-- Why your research is still necessary?(Bhattacharjee, 2018).
Why Literature Review:
a) Improve your understanding
b) Build your expertise in a specific field
c) Demonstrate knowledge
d) Update the reader on the state of the art or the current
context of the research.
 Literature Review
Steps of Literature Review
a) Good quality of Resources: Public Major Works and Related to a Narrow Topic.
a) Different types of Literature: Dissertation and thesis, Book, Peer Reviewed Journal
Paper, Technical Reports, etc.
b) Science Speaks English : language Domain, Geographic Domain, Scientific Domain
(strong and weak)
 Purpose of Literature Review
(a) Provides a historical background for it,
(b) Describes its current status,
(c) Supports the purpose of the study,
(d) Identifies gaps in the literature,
(e) Becomes aware of variables relevant to the problem,
(f) Understands the seminal studies widely cited,
(g) Identifies the leading scholars relevant to the problem,
(h) Proposes useful theoretical constructs for the study,
(i) Understands the application of appropriate methodological procedures,
(j) Observes comparative studies that assist in analyzing your data and
interpreting the results.
Thus, a properly executed review of the literature becomes a potent
unifying element through its interrelationships with other sections of the
dissertation or master’s thesis. (Lunenburg & Irby, 2008)
 References
Bhattacharjee, S. (2018). How to Write a Research Proposal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dAbqJrp6U
Burnett, J. (2009) Doing Your Social Science Dissertation. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Business dictionary. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/research-
proposal.html
Lunenburg, F.C. & Irby, B.J. (2008) Writing a successful thesis or Dissertation. Corwin
Press
Madsen, D. (1992) Successful Dissertations and Theses. A Guide to Graduate Student
Research from Proposal to Completion, 2nd edit, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Meloy, J.M. (1994) Writing the Qualitative Dissertation: Understanding by Doing,
Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Pretorious, L. (2020). Writing Research Proposals. Monas University, Faculty of Education.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkkPB2YcjLg
Swales, J.M. (1996) ‘Occluded genres in the academy: the case of the submission letter’, in
E. Ventola and A. Mauranen (eds) Academic Writing: Intercultural and Textual
Issues, Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
University of Birmingham: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/calgs/cal-research-
proposals/what.aspx
Thank YOU