The research proposal
Purpose
Research proposals are used when other people are involved in formulating, supervising, funding or
conducting research. At the University of South Australia, research
students write a research proposal in the first six months of full-time candidature
or the first 12 months of part-time candidature. Writing the research proposal is a good way to ensure
that the research will fulfil the expected requirements of the degree.
It generates useful feedback before the research commences thereby
avoiding problems and delays down the track, and it ensures that you and your supervisors are clear about the proposed
research. It also enables the university to determine that the research
can be completed within the given time frame and resource limitations.
The proposal is also helpful when applying for ethics clearance, and
when introducing your research to others at conferences and within other
contexts.
The research proposal provides:
- an outline of the research project;
- a rationale that explains why the research is important;
- some background information about the field of the research;
- information about the method and methodology;
- discussion of any ethical considerations arising from the research;
- a realistic timetable for completion of the research;
- information about special requirements.
The proposal outlines the
research as it is envisaged at the beginning of the research process. It
is likely that the research will change shape as you progress your
ideas.
Guidelines
Research proposals are usually written to specific institutional
objectives and guidelines including:
- degree requirements;
- the word limit;
- the structure or elements to be included in the research
proposal;
- the process for review.
Requirements of a research degree
The Academic Regulations for PhD and Masters state that examiners assess
according to the following criteria:
- Critical analysis and original thought in all aspects of the study
- Demonstration of comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the literature
and theory relevant to the field of study
- Appropriate research methodologies
- The extent to which the thesis offers a significant original
contribution to knowledge and/or to the application of knowledge within the
field of study
- Quality of the presentation of the thesis, including;
- clarity of expression,
- accuracy and appropriateness of presentation of results,
- quality and relevance of illustrative material (such as graphs,
tables, illustrations)
- relevance and accuracy of citations, references, etc. and
- development of a coherent argument
- Quality of artefacts, if any, including:
- conceptual understanding of the relevant field,
- ideas and/or imagination demonstrated,
- technical competence,
- resolution of the artefacts,
- complexity and difficulty demonstrated.
- Worthiness of the thesis for publication.
Word limit
Although seemingly trivial, the word limit is actually very
important. Word limits are designed to discipline the researcher to
write with focus and clarity. Many research proposal guidelines allocate
word limits to the sections of the proposal, with the majority going in
the literature review and methodology sections. At the University of
South Australia a masters level research proposal is 3000 words maximum
and a PhD is 4500 maximum.
You might break down the word limit into the following sections:
introduction – 500; literature review – 1000; methods – 1000; other
elements of the proposal – 500. As you can see, this makes each section
quite small requiring that you prioritise the information, and present
it in as clear and concise a manner as possible.
Structure
University guidelines suggest that the research proposal contain the
following information:
Statement of the research topic and rationale for the research
including:
- explanation of why the topic is important
- proposed thesis title
- review of relevant research and theory
- explanation of why the literature and artefacts cited are important to
the research
- research hypothesis or topic (clear indication of the focus of the
research)
Research methodology including:
- information about the theoretical or conceptual framework that will be employed
- analytical techniques and research design
- timetable or project plan
- ethical considerations
- trial table of contents (1 or 2 pages)
- brief bibliography
In general, research
proposals are organised into the following sections:
- Introduction (sometimes also called 'background', 'context', 'project description')
- Literature review (or heading that reflects content of the
review, for example: 'Sociology and the study of play')
- Methodology and methods or 'Research design' (or heading that
reflects content, for example: 'Auto-ethnography and palliative care')
- Proposed timeline
- References (works cited)
- Bibliography (list of all relevant sources)
- Appendices
Review process
The actual process for reviewing a research proposal differs according
to the level of formality, the institutional context and the involvement
of particular people or groups of people. A review may include some
combination of the following:
- an oral presentation at a seminar or colloquia
- a presentation to reviewer/s
- a review panel
- an independent reviewer
- a scored assessment
- a written assessment.
At the University of South Australia review processes vary across divisions and schools. It is
therefore important to consult divisional and school web sites, your supervisor, and
perhaps the research degree
coordinator for more information about what is expected within your
division and school. Deadlines for research proposals are set early in the
candidature and are recorded in the Statement of agreement.
Following the review process, feedback is usually provided in written form. Often changes are suggested that will strengthen the
research and these will need to be incorporated into the final proposal.
Generally, feedback relates to the extent to which a proposal meets
the requirements, and the clarity with
which the elements of the proposal have been explained. In essence, the reviewer/s want to be reassured that:
- the research will fulfil the degree requirements;
- the necessary resources are available;
- the research will be finished on time;
- the research will have useful outcomes.
The following criteria are used by the Division of
Business at the University and are fairly typical of criteria used to evaluate research proposals.
Research proposal evaluation and feedback criteria
Topic
Clearly and consistently expressed
Statement of topic and methodology consistent
Achievable within time-frame
Recommendations designed to ensure that the statement of topic is clear,
accurate, consistent and achievable
Literature Review
Material is appropriate to topic
No omissions
Major and relevant issues are identified
Justifies the research topic
Writing style follows academic conventions
Recommendations designed to ensure that the review is relevant to the
topic, comprehensive and up-to-date, addresses the major issues and
serves to justify topic
Methodology/Methods
General orientation to research is clear and justified
Data collection techniques and process clear
Data is relevant to the topic
Data analysis techniques clear and appropriate
Methods chosen relevant to research question/hypothesis
Candidate is familiar with research literature
Achievable within time and resource limitations
Recommendations designed to ensure the research methodology and
strategies are appropriate and ethical
Content
The content of the research proposal can be thought about and
organised in terms of the key questions of reviewers:
- What problem does the research address?
- What will the research contribute to existing knowledge?
- How will the research achieve its stated objectives?
- Is the research doable within the given time and resource constraints?
Are there any special considerations that affect the feasibility of the
research?
Good research proposals address these questions by showing that the research:
- addresses a real life problem, issue, concern or conundrum;
- provides knowledge that will contribute to addressing this
problem or concern;
- adopts a method and methodology appropriate to the research
question;
- can be successfully completed within the given time, resource
and other research constraints.
Reviewer concerns are addressed in the introduction, literature review,
research design, and final sections of the research proposal.
- Introduction ─ includes statement of the problem and aims, definition of key terminology, and description of the field
of literature and practice, as well as a summary of the 'gap' in the
literature and the research design.
- Literature review ─ highlights what is significant about your research,
and the contribution the research will make to a body of literature by
reviewing what has already been done on the problem area.
- Methods and methodology ─ explains how the research design will answer
the question, and addresses any ethical considerations.
- Additional information ─ a proposed time line for the research,
resource implications beyond standard provisions, and any special features
of the research.
Introduction
The introduction contains:
- a succinct statement of the topic (opening sentence);
- a succinct statement of the problem the research will address;
- definitions of key technical or specialized terms;
- concise statement of the research hypothesis, question, aims or purpose;
- a summary statement that signals the bodies of knowledge the research
relates to;
- where relevant, the fields of practice that inform the research, and to
which the research will contribute (if professionally oriented, like ‘early
childhood education’, ‘intensive care nursing’, ‘business management’);
- a concise description of the 'gap' or unresolved question, issue, or
controversy that the research will address within the field of
literature (this will be expanded in the literature review section of the
proposal).
Literature review
The literature review section contains:
- a description of the bodies of literature and fields of practice that are
concerned with the problem area;
- a discussion of what is known or what remains uncontested in the fields of
literature to date;
- critical engagement with the literature to highlight a gap or unresolved
question, controversy or issue;
- may include discussion of possible criticisms, objections, or confusions
in relation to how the problem has been thought in the past and how the
research is framed;
- explanation of what the proposed research aims to offer to
existing approaches to the problem – whether new knowledge, a new
perspective, new insights, a new approach or technique.
Research design
The research design contains:
- a summary of the methods;
- an explanation of the underlying research rationale or methodology;
- reference to literature that informs the research design and method/s;
- comment on critical limitations of the research (how generalisable,
experimental skews, definitional and purpose limitations)
- comment on any ethical considerations arising from the research
(potential for exploitation, harm or coercion of research subjects or of the
researcher, undue pain or distress to animals, use of hazardous substances).
Ethical considerations
If there are no special ethical considerations arising from the
research, you can simply
refer the reader to consent forms and recruitment materials, such as
information sheets and letters of introduction, attached in the appendices. When
preparing information for research participants, it is important to follow
recommended
information sheet guidelines and to carefully adapt
model consent forms
to the requirements of your research.
For qualitative research, the research design section includes information
about:
- definition of terminology specific to the research design;
- pilot project and results that have shaped the research design;
- research participants/organisations/texts;
- criteria used to determine information sources (sample selection, criteria for inclusions and exclusions,
means by which information sources will be negotiated and accessed);
- how the data will be analysed once it is collected (general categories,
codes, and themes used for interview transcripts and policy analysis).
For quantitative research, the research design section might include
information about:
- independent, dependent and confounding variables;
- definition of terminology specific to the research design;
- study setting – naturalistic or contrived;
- pilot projects and results;
- sample (what unit of analysis, how selected, criteria for inclusions and
exclusions);
- criteria used to determine information sources (sample selection, criteria for inclusions and
exclusions, means by which information sources will be negotiated and
accessed);
- equipment, techniques, measures, measurement scales, materials used;
- time horizon – snapshot, longitudinal, retrospective, multiple points in
time;
- means by which data will be analysed.
Additional information
It is also necessary to identify any factors that could influence the
smooth completion of the research. This could include:
- access to resources and equipment (travel, expensive items,
specialised technical facilities and expertise);
- special features such as joint research, (specify the names,
titles and organizations of co-researchers, and the precise nature
of their commitment to the project);
- special needs of the researcher, for example needs arising from
a disability (specify equipment needed, and other implications for
the conduct of the research).
It is also important to include:
- a realistic research program or timetable (succinct, provisional
outline of what you propose to have produced or achieved every six
months)
- a concise thesis title
- a trial table of contents
- reference list (works cited)
- a bibliography (other major works in the field)
- appendices (can include chapter headings and thesis structure,
research instruments, standard information sheets, consent forms,
letters recruiting research participants).
Timeline
When developing a timeline it is useful to work backwards. The first
thing to do is to find out the submission date. It is safest to choose
the earliest possible date. If you are doing a PhD, this will be four
years (full-time) commencing at the time of enrolment. For a Masters
degree it is two years full-time. Although you might have cause to apply
for an extension later on down the track, you should not start your
research with this assumption.
The next step is to work out what needs to be done during this time.
On top of actually doing the research, you will probably need to write
three complete drafts of your thesis. The first one will take the
longest, and the second a little less. The third draft is quicker,
involving filling in gaps, improving the flow of the story line, and
finalising formatting and editing changes.
Some tips in determining timelines:
- Most people underestimate the time it takes to write by about
30%. If you have allowed 6 months, it will probably take 8.
- Do not assume that everything will run smoothly – build in
contingency time (extensions are generally granted for extraordinary
circumstances only).
- Be careful not to over-estimate your concentration span. Some
research projects go for 2 or 3 years full-time, twice that if
part-time. This is a long time to maintain focus. The best idea is
to build in some ‘time-out’ for yourself. If this research is part
of your work, or you are a student, then it is likely that you are
entitled to four weeks leave, sick leave and some other leave
entitlements. Be sure to put these into your work plan.
The following table is an example of a timeline for a 3 year
research project:
Chronological Timeline
An alternative is to list the elements in chronological order as in the
following example for a quantitative research project.
March-August 1999
- Write research proposal
- Commence literature search
- Research degrees candidates annual seminar
September 1999-February 2000
- Submit Ethics application
- Draft introduction
- Commence thesis literature review
- Attend conference
- Submit abstract for conference
- Recruit subjects
March 2000- October 2000
- Data collection and analysis
- Continue writing literature review
November 2000-March 2001
- Complete data collection
- Complete data entry
- Complete data analysis
April 2001-October 2001
- Write up results
- Write up discussion
November 2001-March 2002
- Edit thesis
- Submit thesis
- Final review
Bibliography
Use the appropriate referencing system for your discipline area. Many
schools recommend that you use the referencing style of the leading
journal in your area. If this is the case, photocopy the manuscript
requirement page (often on the back cover of the journal) as this will
give you the correct style requirements.
Appendices
Appendices are attached in the order in which they appear in the proposal.
The same label is used in the appendix and the body of the
writing.
Questions to guide writing
The following questions may be useful in drafting each
section of the
research proposal and in determining whether it is ready for submission.
Introduction
- Have I addressed the key issue in the opening sentences and
paragraphs?
- Have I used literature, examples or other evidence to
substantiate my understanding of the key issues?
- Have I provided a real world context for the issue and pointed to
possible beneficiaries of the research?
- Have I explained the problem in a way that grabs the reader’s
attention and concern?
- Have I stated the problem in terms that my readers can relate to?
- Have I provided a statement of the objectives or aims of the
research?
- Have I provided a summary statement of the research method?
Literature review
- Have I clearly signalled the field/s of literature to which the
research will contribute?
- Have I explained how my research will contribute to literature
related to the
issue?
- Have I established that the research contribution has not already
been made by discussing existing research in the area?
- Have I anticipated and addressed possible criticisms,
objections, or confusions the reader may have regarding the need for
the research?
Research design
- Have I explained how my research design will answer the research
question?
- Is my discussion of the research design clearly linked to the
research question?
- Have I provided all the necessary information about the methods
and methodology?
- Have I addressed any ethical considerations arising from the
research?
Additional information
- Have I provided a clear time line for the research?
- Have I discussed any non standard resource implications arising from the
research?
- Is the project achievable within given time and resource
constraints?
- Have any special features of the research been
discussed?
This web resource was developed by Wendy Bastalich and Deb King
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