How to write a research proposal:
sample notes by Idea Rover
0000 Research proposal
0100 Introduction section
0101 Background
0102 Problem
0200 Second section
0201 Hypothesis
0202 Objectives
0203 Methodology
0300 Third section
0301 Significance
0302 Evaluation
0303 Dissemination
0400 Conclusion section
0401 Duration
0402 Bibliography
"A good thesis proposal hinges on a good idea."1
"A clean, well thought-out, proposal forms the backbone for the thesis itself."2
"The structures are identical and through the miracle of word-processing, your proposal will probably become your thesis."3
"A research proposal sets out the broad topic you would like to research (substance), what the research would set out to achieve (aims and objectives), how you would go about researching it (methodology), how you would undertake it within the time available (outline plan) and what the results might be in relation to knowledge and understanding in the subject (potential outcomes)."4
"Some even argue that a good proposal should contain sufficient details for another qualified researcher to implement the study."5
"Regardless of your research area and the methodology you choose, all research proposals must address the following questions: What you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it and how you are going to do it."6
"Your research proposal frames your original idea, locates it, delimits it and specifies not just what you are studying but how you will actually carry it out and what you might find."7
"It shouls include the title, research questions and tentative hypotheses, the primary materials, the proposed theoretical framework, the intended design and methodology and, sometimes, outcomes expected."8
"A research proposal is a short document (1 to 2 pages) that identifies and outlines the main components of your research."9
"Well, a research proposal basically lays out your ideas and intentions in a clear, concise manner."10
"A PhD is an original piece of research and so you should demonstrate that your proposed area has not been studied before."11
"That is why you also need to mention the limitations and weaknesses of the proposed research, which may be justified by time and financial constraints as well as by the early developmental stage of your research area."12
"Use 'Spider Diagrams' to structure your proposal."13
"The process of developing the proposal can be a valuable exercise, one which can help you determine your focus, clarify what is involved in your research project and plan its development."14
"A developed proposal is an important way in which you can demonstrate your understanding of research and communicate your 'research thinking' to others."15
"It is the merit of the proposal which counts, not the weight.) Shoot for five pithy pages that indicate to a relatively well-informed audience that you know the topic and how its logic hangs together, rather than fifteen or twenty pages that indicate that you have read a lot of things but not yet boiled it down to a set of prioritized linked questions."16
"The proposal should situate the work in the literature, it should show why this is an (if not the most) important question to answer in the field, and convince your committee (the skeptical readers that they are) that your approach will in fact result in an answer to the question."17
1 Matthew McGranaghan, "Guidelines on writing a research proposal," <http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html>.
2 Matthew McGranaghan, "Guidelines on writing a research proposal," <http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html>.
3 Matthew McGranaghan, "Guidelines on writing a research proposal," <http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html>.
4 "Putting a research proposal together," <http://www.premia.ac.uk/downloads/StudentResources/Section%204%20Student%20resources%20Writing%20a%20research%20proposal.pdf>.
5 Paul T. P. Wong, "How to Write a Research Proposal," <http://www.scholarshipnet.info/scholarship-tips/how-to-write-a-research-proposal-1/>.
6 Paul T. P. Wong, "How to Write a Research Proposal," <http://www.scholarshipnet.info/scholarship-tips/how-to-write-a-research-proposal-1/>.
7 "PORT tutorials," <http://port.igrs.sas.ac.uk/researchproposal.htm>.
8 "PORT tutorials," <http://port.igrs.sas.ac.uk/researchproposal.htm>.
9 "Writing a research proposal," <http://www.warnborough.ie/Resources/proposal.htm>.
10 "Writing a research proposal," <http://www.warnborough.ie/Resources/proposal.htm>.
11 "Writing your Research Proposal," <http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/phd/PhDproposal/>.
12 Paul T. P. Wong, "How to Write a Research Proposal," <http://www.scholarshipnet.info/scholarship-tips/how-to-write-a-research-proposal-1/>.
13 "How to write a research proposal," <http://www.ssdd.uce.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.07.htm>.
14 "Guide to Writing a Research Proposal Research Degrees UTS Faculty of Education," <http://www.uts.edu.au/fac/edu/research/degrees/guide.html>.
15 "Guide to Writing a Research Proposal Research Degrees UTS Faculty of Education," <http://www.uts.edu.au/fac/edu/research/degrees/guide.html>.
16 Matthew McGranaghan, "Guidelines on writing a research proposal," <http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html>.
17 Matthew McGranaghan, "Guidelines on writing a research proposal," <http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html>.
