Part III: The research proposal

• The research proposal is detailed plan of a study.

• A research proposal is a document that describes the purpose of
the proposed study and the context, and provides a review of the
main literature and details of the research design.
• A research proposal is a document that sets out the research
design for a proposed study.

• A research proposal presents what is already known about the

research topic, the purpose of the research and the main research
question(s).

• It also describes the proposed methodology (including

justification for the methods used to select a sample, collect and
analyze the research data), the scope of the research and any
limitations.
The research proposal
• It should incorporate a timetable and often provides some
highlights on the contribution of the proposed research (the
expected outcomes).

• A good research proposal centres in a good idea; familiarity

with the topic.

• Familiarity with a topic requires a preparation period of

reading, observation, discussion, and incubation.
The research proposal
• The objective in writing a research proposal is to describe:

• what you will do?

• why it should be done?
• how you will do it
The research proposal
• The written proposal:
• forces researchers to clarify their thoughts and to think
about all aspects of the study in advance;

• serves as a guide in the process of undertaking the

research;

• A proposal can be judged according to the following main

criteria.
• Is it adequate to answer the research question(s), and
achieve the study objective?
• Is it feasible in the particular set-up for the study?
• Does it provide enough details etc.
The research proposal
• Components of a research proposal

• While the basic components of a research proposal are very

much similar in many fields, the details and how they are
phrased and presented may vary.

• The following components may be taken as indicative

structure of a research proposal
The research proposal
• Components of a research proposal (Cont’d)
• introduction –
• The research problem or issue and the overall purpose of the
study – Background to the study and why it is important or of
interest – objectives of the proposed study, research questions/
hypotheses – structure of the research report
• review of the literature
• Evaluation of the main studies/items in the literature (both
theoretical and empirical studies)– Theoretical or conceptual
framework (if applicable) developed– Gaps and deficiencies in
the literature identified;
The research proposal
• Methodology
• Identification of paradigm – Justification for choice of
methodology and methods – Scope and delimitations of the
research – Limitations of the research design and ethical issues
– Demonstrate the study is feasible (access to data, funding,
skills and sufficient time)
• Outcomes and timetable
• Expected contribution of the study
• Gantt chart showing time for each stage in the research process
• References
The research proposal
• The usual contents of a research proposal
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Background of the study (introduction to the chapter)
concludes with information about the structure of the
remaining parts in the chapter)
• Problem statement
• Research objective and research questions and or hypotheses
• Broad research objective
• Specific research questions/ hypotheses
• Scope and limitation of the study
• Significance of the study (expected benefits);
• Structure of the research report (senior essay, thesis …)
 The research proposal
• The usual contents of a research proposal (contents)
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Reviews past theoretical and empirical studies;
• Its structure depends on, among others, whether the research is a
qualitative or quantitative research;
• The literature review should identify the gaps in knowledge
• Chapter 3: Research Methodology
• The research methodology adopted along with the justifications for
the choice of one over the other ones;
• Methods of data collection and analysis need to be discussed (Like
sampling design (population/ sampling frame, sample size, sample
selection techniques); data collection instrument design etc.)
• List of references
• Work plan (timeline)
 The research proposal
• 1. The research Title (and the title page)
• The subject matter of a proposed study.
• Shows the central idea to learn about or to investigate.
• The title should give a definite and concise indication of what is to
come.
• The title of your proposed study should be as brief as possible and
eliminate unnecessary words and phrases like “An approach to …,
a Study of …” and so forth.
• Consider a research title of 12-15 words
• Titles should almost never contain abbreviations and make sure
that the title includes the focus or topic of the study.
• If you are carrying out research in one particular company or
industry, make this clear in the title
 The research proposal
• Examples:
• Internal audit practices of commercial bank of Ethiopia
• Challenges of implementing International Financial Reporting
Standards for small businesses in Ethiopia
• Determinants of income tax compliance in Ethiopia
• Factors affecting financial performance of banks in Ethiopia
• Value added tax withholding and revenue performance in Ethiopia
The research proposal
• Title page of a research proposal/report needs to show
• Title of the research
• Nature of the document (proposal/ senior essay etc.)
• For example, you may say “A research proposal prepared to fulfil
the requirements of the course research methods in accounting and
finance”
• Your name,
• the name of your department/faculty/college/university, and
• date and place of delivery
• The title page has no page number and it is not counted in any
page numbering;

• Note the above list is a suggestion considering the usual practice

(if your institution has research guidelines use those if not start
with the above and get the approval of your research advisor)
The research proposal
• 2. section one - introduction/background
• The first subsection in the introduction chapter of a proposal
• The introduction provides background information for the
research proposal
• It usually starts by defining the phenomenon being investigated
• The introduction needs to create reader interest in the topic
• Include a statement sufficiently interesting to encourage readers
to read farther and see the significance in the study
• The statement to be included is an important problem that your
study intends to address.
The research proposal
• Establish the problem/issue that leads to the study,
• After showing the research problem briefly, justify its
importance by reviewing studies that have examined the issue.
• The purpose of reviewing studies in the introduction is to justify
the importance of the study and to create distinction between
past studies and the proposed one.
• After presenting the problem and reviewing the literature about
it, the researcher then identifies deficiencies (the missing parts)
found in the literature.
• In other words, the researcher needs to show why more work is
necessary on the issue/problem identified (the proposed work)
The research proposal
• In addition to mentioning the issues/ problems, and deficiencies
in the existing body of knowledge, proposal writers need to tell
how their planned study will address these issues and
deficiencies; (the researcher provides statement of research
goal).

• Finally, organization of the remaining parts are presented

• Tips
• Should be written well so that it will encourage readers to read farther
• Brief as much as possible (brief discussion of the problem, summary
of the literature and deficiencies; clear statement of the goal of the
research (how the proposed research is going to address the issues
and the gaps in knowledge); clear information on the organization of
the remaining parts of the chapter.
 The research proposal
• In summary, elements in the introduction to a research proposal
include the following:
• defining the phenomenon being investigated;
• establishing the problem leading to the study;
• reviewing the literature about the problem and noting the
significance of the problem(justifying the significance of the
proposed study);
• identifying deficiencies in the literature
• presenting the purpose of the proposed study;
• presenting information on how the remaining parts in the
chapter are structured/ organized.