How to write a Research Proposal?

21.04.2021
 Introduction
• A research proposal reports the wishes of the
people / an organization who submits it and
describes how they intend to accomplish these
wishes.
• The project proposal is a coherent statement of
project objectives, activities, resources and outputs
• Proposals are evaluated on the cost and potential
impact of the proposed research, and on the
soundness of the proposed plan for carrying it out.
 Introduction
• A research proposal must tell you, your
research supervisor and reviewers the following
information about your study:
– what you are proposing to do;
– how you plan to find answers to what you are
proposing;
– why you selected the proposed strategies of
investigation.
 The Format of A Research Proposal
• Title
• Summary / Abstract
• Introduction
– A rationale for the research
– Statement of the problem
– Objectives of the study
– Hypothesis
• Review of the Literature
• Research Methodology/ Design
• Data Analysis
• Timeline
• Budget/Cost Effectiveness
• Bibliography
• Appendices
 Title of Research Project
• Good
– Concise title that gives reviewer a general sense of what you
are investigating.
• Reject
– Too long title will not gain the reviewer’s attention or
interest.
– Too short and broad a title will make the reviewer too
critical of grant.
• Ex-A Study On Consumers’ Attitude Towards Packaged
Drinking Water In Khurdha District
• Ex- A study on Consumers’ attitude towards
smartphones
• Titles often include the independent variable (IV) and
dependent variable (DV).
 Abstract
• Limited to one page.
• Highlight the purpose and importance of the
proposed project.
• Brief description of the method.
– The method includes subjects, procedures and
methods for data analysis.
• Duration of the study
• Overall cost
• Positive impression: convey specifically what is
done and why the study is important.
 Introduction/Preamble
• The proposal should start with an introduction to include some of the
information listed below.
• Start with a very broad perspective of the main subject area, before
gradually narrowing the focus to the central problem under
investigation.
• In doing so, cover the following aspects of your study area:
– an overview of the main area under study;
– a historical perspective (development, growth, etc.) pertinent to
the study area;
– philosophical or ideological issues relating to the topic;
– trends in terms of prevalence, if appropriate;
– major theories, if any;
– the main issues, problems and advances in the subject area under
study;
– important theoretical and practical issues relating to the central
problem under study;
– the main findings relating to the core issue(s).
 Introduction/Preamble
• Suppose that you are conducting a study to investigate the
impact of immigration on the family(name of the place/state/country).
• The preamble/introduction should include a brief description
of the following:
– The origins of migratory movements in the world.
– General theories developed to explain migratory behaviour.
– The reasons for migration.
– Current trends in migration (national and state).
– The impact of immigration on family roles and relationships
(e.g. on husband and wife, on children and parents, on
parental expectations of children, etc.).
– Occupational mobility.
 Statement of the Problem
• Having provided a broad introduction to the area under
study, now focus on issues relating to its central theme,
identifying some of the gaps in the existing body of
knowledge.
• Identify some of the main unanswered questions.
• Here some of the main research questions that you would
like to answer through your study should also be raised, and
a rationale and relevance for each should be provided.
• Knowledge gained from other studies and the literature about
the issues you are proposing to investigate should be an
integral part of this section.
 Statement of the Problem
• Specifically, this section should:
– identify the issues that are the basis of your study;
– specify the various aspects of/perspectives on these issues;
– identify the main gaps in the existing body of knowledge;
– raise some of the main research questions that you want to
answer through your study;
– identify what knowledge is available concerning your
questions, specifying the differences of
– opinion in the literature regarding these questions if
differences exist;
– develop a rationale for your study with particular reference
to how your study will fill the
– identified gaps.
 Statement of the Problem (example of
Migration Behaviour)
• What settlement process does a family go through after immigration?
• What adjustments do immigrants have to make?
• What types of change can occur in family members’ attitudes?
• What is the possible impact of settlement on family roles and
relationships?
• In terms of impact, what specific questions do you want to answer
through the study?
• What does the literature say about these questions? What are the
different viewpoints on these issues?
• What do you think will be the relevance of the findings of your study
to the existing body of knowledge and to your profession?
• How will the findings add to the body of knowledge and be useful to
professionals in your field?
 Objectives of the study
• In this section include a statement of both your study’s main and
sub-objectives.
• The objectives of the study should be clearly stated and specific
in nature. Each sub-objective should explain only one issue.
• Use action-oriented verbs such as ‘to determine’, ‘to find out’
and ‘to ascertain’ in formulating sub-objectives, which should be
numerically listed.
 Objectives of the study
• Bullet list research objectives
• Should be action-oriented
• Relate to identified needs
• Relate objectives to sponsor agency’s goals and
priorities
 Hypotheses
• A hypothesis is a statement of your assumptions about the
prevalence of a phenomenon or about a relationship between
two variables that you plan to test within the framework of the
study.
• Hypotheses have a particular style of formulation. You must be
acquainted with the correct way of wording them.
• In a study you may have as many hypotheses as you want to test.
• However, it is not essential to have a hypothesis in order to
undertake a study.
 Review of the Literature
• This section reflects extensive review of literature done by the
investigator
• In this section, what is already known about the topic is written
including the gaps
• Just quoting the literature accurately will not serve the purpose
• It is important to make it coherent, relevant and easily readable
knowledge
• It helps the investigator to gain good knowledge in that field of
inquiry
• It also helps the investigator to have insight on different
methodologies that could be applied
 Study/Research design
• Your study design should include information about the following:
– Who makes up the study population?
– Will a sample or the total population be studied?
– How will you get in touch with the selected sample?
– How will the sample’s consent to participate in the study be
sought?
– How will the data be collected (e.g. by interview, questionnaire
or observation)?
– In the case of a mailed questionnaire, to what address should
the questionnaire be returned?
– Are you planning to send a reminder regarding the return of
questionnaires?
– How and where can respondents contact you if they have
queries?
 Data Analysis
• Describe how collected data will be analyzed
• Analysis should meet project objectives.
• Should be linked to the hypotheses and clear how each
hypothesis will be tested.
• Whether your study will include descriptive statistics or
inferential statistics must be cleared.
 Timeline
• You must set yourself dates as you need to complete the
research within a certain time-frame.
• List the various operational steps you need to undertake and
indicate against each the date by which you aim to complete
that task.
• Remember to keep some time towards the end as a ‘cushion’ in
case the research process does not go as smoothly as planned.
Timeline
 Budget
• The budget translates project activities into monetary terms
• It is a statement of how much money will be required to
accomplish the various tasks
• Major items
– Salary for staff
– Travel
– Purchase of equipment
– Printing / Xeroxing
– Consultancy charges
– Institutional overheads
 Budget
• Be realistic about your budget
• Inflating budget may hurt your chances of being funded
• Budgeting too low may make the project impossible to do with
funds provided
• Estimate costs as accurately as possible
 Bibliography and Appendices
• As an appendix, in the case of quantitative
studies, attach your research instrument.

• Also, attach a list of references in the