How to Write a Research Proposal

Understanding a Research Proposal

A research proposal is a summary document about a research study you intend to carry out. It seeks to precisely and concisely highlight the steps a researcher wants to follow when conducting a specific research. Writing the research proposal may serve the following purposes:

a) Enhancing your skills in conducting literature review: the research proposal encompasses a literature that is an essential part of a research project. Writing the proposal familiarizes the scholar with the literature review process.

b) Developing relevant research and writing skills: writing the research proposal is a good opportunity for the scholar to develop numerous research and writing skills necessary in the research paper writing process.

c) Developing critical and analytical thinking: writing a research proposal encompasses conducting inquiries and investigating issues and facts. This is important in developing critical and analytical skills that are essential in research. 

Common Dilemmas in Writing a Research Proposal

Writing a research proposal is elemental in securing a green light for your proposed research. It is also important in soliciting funding for the research project. This makes research proposals quite important. Scholars face numerous challenges when writing their research proposals. Some of these challenges include:

a) Finding an appropriate research topic: finding an appropriate topic is a major challenge for scholars. This is because generating a research topic demands expansive research and high creativity.

b) Deciding on the scope of the research: this is a major challenge for scholars. Remember, research proposals must encompass the appropriate scope, ensuring that they are neither too wide nor too narrow.

c) Inadequate time: writing research proposals is a time consuming endeavor. Generating a superior research proposal requires in-depth research and expansive consultations. Investing in time for these two activities is usually a challenge considering the demanding school schedule.

d) Deciding on research approach: this entails determining the methods to be adopted in deriving the intended results. It is usually a challenge for many scholars. This is in consideration of the results the research seeks to derive.

Features of a Good Research Proposal

For a research proposal to be accepted, it has to exhibit some features. These features define the feasibility of the proposed research endeavor and characterize the acceptable expectations/standards of a research project. Some of these features include:

a) It should be interesting: in this, the research proposal should be able to capture the attention of the supervising authority. It should be based on issues that trigger interest in the respective field or area of practice.

b) It should illustrate an understanding of pertaining research gaps: this entails the ability to demonstrate the need for research. It is usually revealed through research aims and objectives, research questions, and research hypothesis.

c) It should include preliminary data: the research proposal should illustrate an understanding of the data that defines the proposed research project. This is important in elucidating the importance of the research study.

d) It should describe the approach to be adopted in the research: this entails describing the research process to be adopted. It encompasses the research methods to be utilized in data collection and analysis.

The Process of Writing a Research Proposal

Research proposals in all disciplines are generally similar. However, different supervisors or institutions may adopt a slightly different approach, which may result into different processes in writing a research proposal. Some of the common steps of the research proposal writing process encompass:

Step 1: Determining the General Topic

This step entails deciding on the subject you want to investigate. Generally, determining the general topic should be founded on the central theme of a course or a discipline. The general topic of a research study should be determined directly by or with the input of the supervising authority.

Step 2: Conducting a Literature Review

In this step, the scholar should explore adequate literature on the subject matter to be researched. This should be done while compiling notes that should latter be summarized with the intention of determining how the findings of respective studies are important to the subject matter and the research study.

Step 3: Identifying a Research Gap

This endeavor involves studying the already existing knowledge by examining previous and current studies on the subject with the intention of finding gaps in the literature. By identifying these gaps, it is possible to find opportunities for studies to fill the gaps.

Step 4: Identifying the Research Problem

After finding gaps during the literature review, you should develop a purpose of statement to guide you on what you will be investigating. The research problem should explain the purpose and the significance of the study. It is important to ensure that the purpose and the significance is relevant to the target audience.

Step 5: Writing the Introduction

The introduction is a vital element of the research proposal and should be clear and concise. It should include the problem statement, a summary of the literature, an explanation of the literature gap, and a purpose statement.

Step 6: Developing Research Questions/Hypothesis

This step entails crafting the research questions or the hypotheses. It involves identifying what you intend to investigate or what results you expect to generate from the proposed research. The research questions and hypotheses should be founded on the literature review.

Step 7: Determining the Research Methods

This is an extremely important step and you should ensure that the chosen methods are suitable for the kind of study you intend to conduct. Procedures to be followed in the research process should be well stipulated. Methods usually encompass the research design, research sample, and data collection and analysis procedures.

Step 8: Determining the Research Design

This step involves explaining why specific elements of the research design have been selected over respective alternatives. An explanations for these elements and justifications for the research design should be provided.

Step 9: Determining the Research Sample

This step should entail determining the research sample size to be utilized. You should explain how this sample will be derived or acquired and how it is suitable for this research.

Step 10: Determining the Data Procedures

This step focuses on determining the most appropriate ways of collecting the research data. It involves deciding on the data collection instruments and procedures. The step equally entails determining how the collected data will be analyzed and interpreted.