Midlands State University: Faculty of Business Sciences
Midlands State University: Faculty of Business Sciences
Midlands State University: Faculty of Business Sciences
This document provides guidelines for writing an excellent and relevant research proposal at
MSc as well as at the PhD level. It should be noted that writing a meticulous proposal will help
Post Graduates establish the foundation for their research study and more importantly pre-empt
any problems they may experience during their research. Furthermore, it aims to harmonise the
conduct of research by graduates by providing a standard format for research proposal writing;
and serves as a checklist for both supervisees and supervisors in writing a research proposal.
Thus, both the supervisees and the supervisors should therefore carefully abide by this guideline.
A research proposal should be well structured; hence, the list below is a recommended guideline
for Post Graduate research proposal.
i
Research topic and title
A research topic is the broad subject matter being addressed in a study. The most successful
research topics are narrowly focused and carefully defined but are important parts of a broad-
ranging, complex problem. Thus, research should be derived from a broad research area. A
research title which in most cases is confused with research topic should have 3 elements - 1.
Research output [Factors, perceptions, determinants, model, framework, strategy, etc]; 2. The
object of inquiry [topic + your concern, so these 2 they form what is called the "object of
inquiry" which is the epicentre or the rail of the study- the purpose of the object of inquiry is to
ensure that candidates do not write anything about the topic. It ensures that the candidate stick to
their concern]; 3. The study context [who is affected by your study-localisation of the study….. it
can be a country, countries, communities, villages, towns, organisation, students, employees,
certain classes of people, etc]. These 3 elements should be kept close to each other to make the
topic clear, concise, and attractive to global readers. The research output can be located at the
beginning or at the centre of the title, the same applies to the object of inquiry. The context
should be presented last. Ideally, 8 to 15 words are appropriate for a research topic; a very long
topic may be confusing and distract the attention of readers. NOTE: The title should be located
within a dual phenomenon (global and local) because research depends on global drivers and
local exigencies.
When formulating a research topic, the research output and object of inquiry should be kept close
to each other. Redundant [waste] words like verbs (analysis, investigation, evaluation, etc.) and
articles (‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’) are best omitted at the beginning of the topic. These are ineffective
and unnecessary words, which when removed will not alter the meaning of the topic. Commonly
used waste words such as: “A study of ...”, “An investigation of ...”, “An evaluation of …”,
“Observations on ...”, “An assessment of ...” An analysis of ...” and Abbreviations or acronyms
should be avoided. NOTE: By default, research is an investigation or a study, so there is no need
to mention that you are investigating or studying a certain phenomenon in the title.
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b. Framework for cloud computing adoption: a roadmap for Small and Medium Enterprise to cloud migration
c. Factors influencing levels of technology uptake in low-income earning villages in South Africa
d. Multi-Perspective Framework for Modelling the determinants of cloud computing adoption among Small
and Medium Enterprises
NOTE: Gold colour-research output; Green colour- the object of inquiry; Blue colour-
scope/context of the study. In some cases, the object of inquiry may overlap with the scope/study
context, for example, research question (c) can include low-income earning villages. The
subtitle, for example, in item (b) “a roadmap for Small and Medium Enterprise to cloud migration” should
be carefully included. Actually, a subtitle should be included when enhancing the understanding
of the topic. Do not use the subtle to denote the context, for example, . “A case of telecoms
companies”, “A case of …”, etc. these are usually addressed by the delimitations section.
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1.7 Assumptions of the study.......................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................12
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1.1 Introduction
The introduction section is essential for any research study for scene-setting. It generally
prepares the readers for the information they may gain from the research. Without an
introduction, you can leave your reader feeling disoriented and confused. Therefore, the
candidate should introduce the topic/object of inquiry on a single paragraph to demonstrate that
the research is topical and relevant to “hook the reader to the topic”. The candidate is expected to
answer some of the following questions:
What is the interesting situation in the research area?
What are the trends and progress in the area of study? Support with statistics or quotes.
Why should the reader care about the object of inquiry?
Major previous researches undertaken on the subject should be cited and this will enable the
candidate to indicate the gaps in the knowledge and justifies the need for the proposed study.
Thus, the candidate should convince the reader that we should not be (completely) satisfied with
the existing knowledge on the topic and that his/her research will fill some important or
interesting gap or address some important limitations or deficiencies.
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Under this section, the candidate should write a paragraph but preferably two so that he/she does
not delay stating the research problem. The background to the study should also address the
following questions:
What has been said about your topic or object of inquiry previously, or which studies of
interest have been done to UNDERSTAND the object of inquiry?
What are the chief approaches to it?
What has been overlooked by these studies? / What are the deficiencies of previous
research and the consequences of these deficiencies which your research seeks to
address?
In what way(s) is the current state of knowledge lacking / limited / in need of extending?
Why is there a need to do more in the area?
Sample background to the study based on the topic: Factors influencing levels of technology
uptake in low-income earning villages in South Africa
Clark, Bosanac and Sivamani (2018) estimate that about 6 billion people have access to mobile phone worldwide
and that out of this figure about a third of the population is based in local areas. Leng, Talib and Gunardi (2018) on
the other hand notes high levels of uptake of technology is experienced with big businesses operating in large towns
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and cities across the world while the local areas are lagging. Research has been undertaken by various scholars
(Kumar, Ferdous, Luque-Ayala, 2019; You, et.al., 2019) on technology use in South African villages but none was
specific on what contributes to the low levels of technological uptake. [In this case, it is recommended that studies
on technology use in South African villages be presented to show that studies on what contributes to the low levels
of technological uptake are non-existence].
Reference should be made to the problem that has been detected and needs a theoretical and
practical solution, the nature of the problem and it is known or estimated magnitude or extent
should be clearly stated where practically possible. The candidate should tell the reader about the
problem itself and the potential consequences of the problem and not impose the problem.
Candidates should rely on the use of facts like statistical information or citations and quotations
from known authors in the author’s field of research in a brief, specific and concise manner.
Such facts may be used to highlight the magnitude or extent of the problem. Thus, this section
should bring out verifiable evidence that a problem exists and if it is not addressed then a certain
population or community will suffer.
In analysing problem statements, most research proposal evaluators (the supervisors included)
pay close attention to this section by asking the simple question: “what and where the problem
is?” and what is the consequences of not solving the problem? (In case the problem is not solved,
who is most affected?). This section should therefore bring out what the problem is and provide
verifiable evidence of its existence in a given context.
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NOTE: The PROBLEM STATEMENT begins with the problem itself followed by statements
pointing to the existence of the problem while the STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM begins
with statements pointing to the existence of the problem or practical realities and defines the
problem afterwards.
NOTE: It is clear where the problem is and what the problem is as depicted by the above paragraph. From the
statements, the problem is “low uptake of technological advancements” (WHAT THE PROBLEM IS?) and this is
localised or experienced in “South African low income earning villages” (WHERE THE PROBLEM IS?). The
CONSEQUENCE of this problem is “stagnant growth in the quality of life”. The last sentence in the statement of
the problem (which is easily forgotten by most researchers/candidates) depicts what the research intends to achieve
when the whole research process is completed. Thus, it can be concluded that the problem statement or statement of
the problem should constitute the following five (5) elements:
Practical realities
What the problem is?
Where the problem is?
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after the problem statement/statement of the problem section. A good main research question
forms the backbone of good research, which in turn is vital in giving insight into a problem. It
should be as complete as possible. Furthermore, good research needs a thorough literature search
and deep insight into the specific area/problem to be investigated. The following are the major
characteristics of a good main research question:
Distinctive: A question that approaches an old problem in a refreshingly new way, or
proposes a surprising angle of analysis on a dilemma is likely to hold the interest of the
supervisor or proposal evaluator.
Framed as a paradox: The research question should show that the research will fill in a
provocative piece of the puzzle and make clear a much-needed broader understanding.
NOTE: The main research question should cover the object of inquiry and the scope/context of
the study and it must be philosophical; that is, it must have the WHAT, HOW or WHY
question.
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Why does low income earning villages in South Africa experience low uptake of technological
advancements?
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The hypothesis is a formal statement that presents the expected relationship between an
independent and dependent variable. It can be defined as a tentative explanation of the research
problem, a possible outcome of the research, or an educated guess about the research outcome. It
is a statement or explanation that is suggested by knowledge or observation but has not, yet, been
proved or disproved. Three basic aspects important in the hypothesis are the difference that we
are trying to find out, the relationship, and the interactions. In a relationship, we are trying to
understand a statistically significant relationship that means the difference in result did not occur
by chance but due to statistical reasons. It means the results are statistically significant.
NOTE: Research hypotheses are MANDATORY for Quantitative research while mixed methods
research can use either research objectives or research hypotheses.
NOTE: Theoretical contributions should emanate from research gaps identified from the
literature they should be supported by literature to make them realistic.
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Regarding practice, researchers should be precise in specifying which particular targets/
populations/ institutions/ communities will benefit from their findings. The most asked question
is “What improvements are we likely to see from the introduction of your solution”; will the
findings of the study likely change the practice of organisations/institutions/communities in this
area?
NOTE: Practical contributions address practice gaps identified in the statement of the problem/
problem statement section.
NOTE: Do not mistake delimitations to limitations; the latter (limitations) will be covered in the
dissertation guide.
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1.9 Preliminary literature review
In a proposal, the literature review is generally brief and to the point. The literature selected
should be relevant. The preliminary literature review provides a summary of previous related
research on the research problem and their strength and weakness and a justification of your
research in one or one and a half pages. It should show where the research fits into the existing
body of knowledge and demonstrates the originality of the proposed research. The preliminary
literature should answer the following questions:
What is known/what has been done by others in the area/s under investigation?
And, why your research is still necessary?
Theoretical framework/model
A theoretical framework is adopted/ adapted from a pre-existing theory or theoretical
perspective. According to Imenda (2014),
“A theoretical framework refers to the theory that a researcher chooses to guide him/her in his/her research.
Thus, a theoretical framework is the application of a theory or a set of concepts drawn from the same
theory, to offer an explanation of an event, or shed some light on a particular phenomenon or research
problem” (p.5).
It has a wider application; beyond the current research problem and context. It can be applied as
a whole or in part to help the researcher see the main variables and concepts/constructs in a given
study. Also, it guides the researcher in the collection, interpretation and explanation of the data.
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Conceptual framework/model
On the other hand, “a researcher may opine that his/her research problem cannot meaningfully be
researched about only one theory or concepts resident within one theory. In such cases, the
researcher may have to ‘synthesise’ the existing views in the literature concerning a given
situation –both theoretical and from empirical findings” (Imenda, 2014, p.5). It is developed by
the researcher from a variety of conceptual or theoretical perspectives. The sources of a
conceptual framework/model are as follows: experience, literature and theory. A conceptual
framework or model should be presented graphically with accompanying narratives to enhance
conceptualisation. Thus, a conceptual framework is derived from concepts, in so far as a
theoretical framework is derived from a theory.
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NOTE: Candidates who intend to develop models, frameworks and strategies should justify the
validation technique (Delphi technique-Qualitative/quantitative validation; Expert review-
Qualitative/quantitative validation; Focus Groups Discussion-Qualitative validation; and
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Table 1: Mapping research questions, research objectives and methodology [this table serves as a work plan]
Main research question:
Research sub-question Strategies/Methods Participants/unit of analysis Research objectives/hypotheses Data analysis technique
Research question 1
Research question 2
Research question 3
Research question 4
Research question 5
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1.2 Definition of key terms
The candidate should provide comprehensive definitions of key terms to be used in the study.
Use consistent terms with consistent meanings throughout your dissertation, so it is easy for the
reader to see the connections. Avoid using several different terms for the same thing or the
reader may become confused, thinking you are writing about different things. It is also crucial to
avoid changing the meaning of a term part-way through your dissertation/thesis.
References
List papers and publications you have already cited in your proposal using APA citation and
referencing style (for more details see “A guide to APA referencing – 6th edition, 2015”).
NOTE: Insert all in-text citations and references using Mendeley for tracking purposes. Practical
guidance on how to manage references using the software Mendeley is provided as a separate
document.
Document formatting
Supervisors and supervisees should pay attention to the following formatting:
Font type: Times New Roman throughout the document
Font size: 14-point for Heading 1 and Heading 2; 12-point for Heading 3 and the rest of
Headings and the text; 10-point for text in Tables and Table names, Figures and Figure
names
Section headings: Sections headings should be left-aligned, bold and numbered. The
numbering should be the same as given on your contents page. Make sure you are
consistent in your numbering of headings and subheadings.
Paragraphs alignment: align all paragraphs to justify
Saving the document: Save the document with the following format;
name_surname_registration number, for example, John_Smith_Rxxxxxxxx. NB: The
document should be in .rtf or .doc format.
Spacing: set spacing to 1.5 between the Heading/subheading and the first line of the
paragraph; 1.5 line spacing (within the paragraph); ‘cursor’ spacing between paragraphs.
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Margins: Top-2.54 cm, Bottom-2.54 cm, Right-2.54 cm, Left-2.54 cm, Gutter -0 cm,
Gutter position-Left.
Page numbering: No numbering of the cover page; preliminary pages should be
numbered in Roman numerals, the bottom of page plain number 2.
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Research proposal cover page
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[Insert research title using sentence case]
By
Name (Reg Number)
Research proposal
in the
at the
Gweru
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