Chapter 7

Proposal writing

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 Brainstorming question
• P/s write every detail(from thinking to writing)
that you are going to do in order to write a
proposal.

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 The Importance of Writing
All researchers must be able to use language with a degree
of skill and accuracy to produce Research Report – clear
and coherent
•Clear thinking precedes clear writing – writing can be a
productive form of thinking itself – when writing ideas
down on paper.
1.Must identify the specific ideas you do and do not know
about your topic.
2.Must clarify and organize thoughts sufficiently to
communicate them to your readers.
3.May detect space and logical flaws in your thinking.

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 The Importance of Writing
• Writing about a topic actually enhances the
writers understanding of that topic.
• If wait until all thoughts are clear before start
writing, you may NEVER begin.
• Begin with a TITLE and PURPOSE statement
• Commit title to paper, keep it in plain sight as
you focus your ideas.
• Title can provide focus and direction
• Clear and concise statement, “The purpose of
this study is….” you are on your way.
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 Writing to Communicate
1. Say what you mean to say – Precision is of utmost
importance – choose words and phrases carefully so that
you communicate the exact meaning, not vague
approximation – clear, concise, effective sentences and
combine these sentences into unified and coherent
paragraph.

2. Keep your primary objective in writing your paper in mind at

all times, and focus discussion accordingly – Novice
researchers try to include everything they have learned –
everything you say MUST relate directly or indirectly to
your research problem.

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 Writing to Communicate
3. Provide an overview of what you will be talking about – Your
readers can more effectively read your work when they know
what to expect as they read – overview and order, topics
relationship.
4. Organize your ideas into general and more specific categories.
Use headings and subheadings a simple way to make scheme
crystal clear.
5. Provide transitional phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that help
your readers follow train of thought – give signal when change
course of discussion.
6. Use concrete examples to make abstract ideas more
understandable.
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 Writing to Communicate
7. Use appropriate punctuation – help
communicate meanings.
8. Use figures and tables when such mechanisms
can more effectively present or organize your
ideas and findings.
9. At the conclusion of a chapter or major
section, summarize what have been said –
things that are the most important.
10. Anticipate that you will almost certainly have
to write multiple drafts – revise several times –
novice or expert.

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• Kill him,not leave him
• Kill him not,leave him

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 The Research Proposal
• Research is never a solo flight, an individual excursion
• It is not a “do-it-in-a-corner” activity
• It involves many people and requires access to and use of
resources far beyond one’s own
• For that reason, it must be carefully planned, laid out,
inspected, and, in nearly every instance, approved by others
• The graduate student conducting research for a thesis or
dissertation must get the approval of an academic committee
• A researcher seeking grant funding must get approval from the
university or the organisation for which he or she works, and
the project must be deemed worthy of funding by the grant-
awarding agency.
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 Researcher and Architect: Planners in Common

• A proposal is as essential to successful research as an

architect’s plans are to the construction of a building
• Planning is the essence of their art - same orientation
• An architect plans the structural concepts of buildings,
whereas a researcher plans the structural concepts of the
solutions to problems
• Proposal ~ architect’s drawing
• No one would start building a structure by rushing out to dig a
hole for the foundation without knowing in detail how the
building will look when it is finished

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 Proposed Research Project
• Show the viability and the plan in the research proposal
• The problem and its subproblems are clearly stated
• Hypotheses or questions are articulated
• All necessary terms are defined
• Delimitations are carefully spelled out
• The reason for conducting the study - why it’s important - is
explained
• Every anticipated detail of acquiring, organising, analysing,
and interpreting the data is specified

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 The Proposal
• Nothing is overlooked
• All questions that may arise in the minds of those who review the
proposal are anticipated and answered
• Any unresolved matter is a weakness in the proposal and may
seriously affect its approval
• Sometimes young researchers think the proposal is merely a
necessary formality and thus do not give it the serious
consideration it deserves
• No matter whether you are seeking funding for a project from a
grant foundation or seeking approval for a thesis or dissertation
from a university faculty committee, a clear, well-written proposal
is essential
• Nothing is a substitute for an explicit setting forth of both problem
and procedure

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 A Proposal is a Straightforward Document

• A proposal should not be cluttered with extraneous and

irrelevant material
• It opens with a straightforward statement of the problem to
be researched
• It needs no explanatory props – no introduction, prologue
(introduction to a play, poem,etc.)
• Such information may be interesting, but none of it is
necessary or appropriate
• You capture or lose your reader with the first sentence

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 Cont…
• Keep in mind the meaning of proposal
• The word suggests looking forward, to what the researcher plans to
do in the future – not history
• If a writer intends to make an analytical comparison of the past and
present social and economic conditions of minority groups, he or
she might begin, “This study will analyze the social and economic
status of certain minority groups today in comparison with their
similar status five decades ago for the purpose of …”
• This is a no-nonsense beginning, and it indicates that the writer
knows what a proposal should be
• Employ future tense, for example, “The study will analyse …”

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 A Proposal is Clearly Organised
• Proposals are written in conventional prose style, and
thoughts are expressed in simple paragraph form
• The organisation of the thoughts is outlined by the proper use
of headings and subheadings
• Organisation and outline are essential
• They hint at an orderly and disciplined mind – one of the
highest tributes to a researcher’s qualifications
• No indented outline – it is not conventional - hint a brevity
(shortness)  hint a superficiality (on the surface only, not
thorough or deep)  suggest undesirable quality of
researchers

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 A Proposal is Clearly Organised
• In professional writing, headings and
subheadings are the single most commonly
used strategy to express the writer’s overall
organisational scheme
• You should communicate the outline of your
thoughts to your own readers in the same
fashion

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 Example of Structural Outline
4. THE REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
4.1 UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF REVIEW
4.1.1 The Purpose of the Review
4.1.2 How to Begin
4.1.2.1 Go to the indexes and abstracts
4.1.2.2 Database access
4.1.2.3 Go to the library
4.1.3 How to Write the Section
4.1.3.1 Get the proper
4.1.3.2 Have a plan

4.2 POINTS OF DEPARTURE

4.2.1 Abstract
4.2.2 Indexes
4.3 FOR FURTHER READING
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 Success Begins with Initial Proposal

• Frustrating experience if proposal rejected by graduate

committee

• Success begins long before activity begins – the planning

• How data will be interpreted – will determine success or

failure

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What are possible parts / topics (in
order) in a proposal?

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Objective of the study

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d

Significance of the study

– Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or
extend existing knowledge in the area under
investigation

– Thinking about the significance of your study, ask

yourself the following questions.
What will be improved or changed as a result of the
proposed research?
Will results influence programs, methods, and/or
interventions?
Will results contribute to the solution of a problem
facing the society?
Will results influence the decision making process?
How will results of the study be implemented, and
what innovations will come about?

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d
• Duration and plan of action
– Indicate the length of time required to complete the
research
– The proposal must produce a reasonable plan of action
for the duration of the proposed research and an
estimated completion date
– The Plan of action
• gives a brief outline of the estimated time needed to
complete each section of the research.
• makes you be more certain that you are not
proposing to do too much work.
• Financial cost
– Prepare a budget for your project that shows what you
anticipate the cost of conducting the research to be.
– Be honest and reasonable in preparing the budget
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 Proposal writing …. cont’d

References - Five rules

1. Any work not your own should be clearly

marked

2. Any quotations within quotation marks

3. Every reference in the text should be listed

4. Every item in the list must have a reference

in the text

5. Every table , figure or photograph must have

a reference in the text

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 Proposal writing …. cont’d

Appendixes (Optional)

– The need for complete documentation generally

dictates the inclusion of appropriate appendixes in
proposals

The following materials are appropriate for an

appendix.
Questionnaires
Interview protocols.
Sample of informed consent forms.
Cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders.
Official letters of permission to conduct research.

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