parts of a proposal

7/21/2019 Parts of a Proposal

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about the focus of the research. - be as detailed as possible about the schedule of

the proposed work. 3- be specific about the means of evaluating the data or the

conclusions. 6- be certain that the connection between the research objectivesand the research method is evident. 7- spell out preliminary work developing an

analytical method or laying groundwork as Phase 1. #t the end of that phase you

will be able to report that you have accomplished something and are ready toundertake Phase ".

7. Description of Relevant Institutional Resources: n general this section details

the resources available to the proposed project and, if possible, shows why thesponsor should select this 8niversity and this investigator for this particular

research. 2ome relevant points may be the institution*s demonstrated competence

in the pertinent research area, its abundance of e&perts in related areas that may

indirectly benefit the project, its supportive services that will directly benefit the project, and its uni$ue or unusual research facilities or instruments available to the

project.

9. List of References: The style of the bibliographical item itself depends on the

disciplinary field. The main consideration is consistency) whatever style is chosenshould be followed scrupulously throughout.

. Personnel: This section usually consists of two parts: an e&planation of the proposed personnel arrangements and the biographical data sheets for each of the

main contributors to the project. The e&planation should specify how many

persons at what percentage of time and in what academic categories will be participating in the project. f the program is comple& and involves people from

other departments or colleges, the organi!ation of the staff and the lines of

responsibility should be made clear. #ny student participation, paid or unpaid,

should be mentioned, and the nature of the proposed contribution detailed. f any persons must be hired for the project, say so, and e&plain why, unless the need for

persons not already available within the 8niversity is self/evident.

1;. Budget: 2ponsors customarily specify how budgets should be presented and whatcosts are allowable. The budget delineates the costs to be met by the funding

source, including personnel, non/personnel, administrative, and overhead

e&penses. The budget also specifies items paid for by other funding sources.ncludes justifications for re$uested e&penditures.

What is a research proposal?

<# plan that details reasoned, rigorous and systematic in$uiry into a topic to justify theneed for study and to gain a clearer understanding of the area= 2chneider et al., ";;7, p.

';-.

The proposal gives an indication of your intention for the research, justifying why you

are proposing the research, and aims to persuade the reader of the value, feasibility andvalidity of your research.



You are persuading the reader that the research• is important to your area of practice

• has been informed by previous research

• has clear aims and objectives

• is scientifically reliable and valid, i.e., rigorous

• is possible and that you can do it>

Before you start your proposal

Think about your thesis:

• ?hat is your research $uestion@problem@hypothesisA

• ?hat is your thesis argument-A

• ?hat are the ethical issues to be consideredA

• ?hat is the framework for your thesis $uantitative@$ualitative-A

• ?hat types@kind of data will be collectedA

• Bow will the data be collectedA

• Bow will the data be analysed

Research proposal format

t is suggested that you follow this format in developing your research proposal.

Introduction

The introduction outlines the topic, problem area or issue and gives a brief background itcould include why this topic is of interest to you personally-.

t includes ncludes research problem@$uestion@aim of the study@purpose of

study@significance of the proposed study to your area of practice, research, education-.

Literature Review

# literature review is vital in establishing what is already known about the topic andtherefore what the gaps are in our knowledge. +iterature needs to be summarised and

criti$ued. Your proposed study needs to be established in the conte&t of other studies e.g.,



other studies that have e&plored the $uestion from a different perspective, or used a

different design.

Design of the study

This is the plan for undertaking the research, informed by a philosophical position.

Cutline the features of the design, state how it is appropriate to your research, and justifyyour choice of design. 5iscuss advantages and disadvantages of the design you have

chosen.

ethods

nclude who the participants will be, what you will collect the data with, and how youwill do this. #lso state where you will collect the data and when this will be.

This section also address issues of rigour@truth value, e.g., validity and reliability in a$uantitative study) or issues of credibility, transferability, dependability and

confirmability for a $ualitative study.

!thics

0eflect on any ethical issues that may arise from the proposed research. 5iscuss who willapprove the research. Docus on potential benefits, risks@harm, storage of data, informed

consent, confidentiality, anonymity, privacy, right to withdraw from the study, andcommunication of research findings.

Data analysis

5escribe how you will analyse the data to make meaning of it, and outline advantages

and disadvantages of your particular approach to analysis.

Ti"eline

Belps you plan the study. t can be attached in table form.



Budget

nclude an outline of all proposed e&penses associated with undertaking the study in

terms of resources and materials.

References

4orbasis, 2., E Fackson, 5. ";;9-. Navigating the maze of research: Enhancing nursing

and midwifery practice 'rd ed.-. Ghatswood, #ustralia: Hlsevier.

2chneider, I., ?hitehead, 5., Hlliot, 5., +o4iondo/?ood, J., E Baber, F. ";;7-. Nursing and midwifery research: Methods and appraisal for evidence-based practice

'rd ed.-. Ghatswood, #ustralia: Hlsevier.

Kursing research, open access nursing research and review articles. ";1"-. 0etrieved

from http:@@nursingplanet.com@KursingL0esearch@e/[email protected]

Psychology: Research Proposals and Report

AnnotateConsider writing an annotated bibliography for articles readearly in theassignment process (before writing the proposal or report).

Writing anannotated bibliography essentially consists of taking a fewminutes tosummarie an article you !ust read" specifically mentioningaspects thatpotentially pertain to your research proposal or report.Writing an annotatedbibliography can sa#e time and energy when writing a

literature re#iew. Anannotated bibliography is an effecti#e way to keep track offindings and tolearn what further research can be done to de#elop thatresearch area.

Recycle



$eep in mind that writing a research proposal completes thefirst few stepsof writing a research report. %he proposal outlines anintroduction that

references pre#ious findings and the &uestion that inspiredthe hypothesis" aswell as a methodology for an e'periment.%hese are the firstfew sections of acomplete research report.owe#er" when actually completing the research" you maye'periencechanges that lead to alternati#e methods" and it will be

necessary to rewriteyour methodology section to accurately describe yourresearch process.

rganiing a Proposal or ResearchReport

A research proposal and research report are similarlyorganied. A proposal

can transform into a report upon completion of the resultsand discussionsections" but the report needs to portray the actual methodscompleted ifdifferent from the proposal*s ideas.

+ntroduction and ,iterature Re#iew%his section includes a description of the current issue athand and references

e'isting research about this issue.%he section needs toinclude a rationale forthe research-a discussion of why the topic matters and isworthy of research.+n addition" it includes &uestions for which you will seekresponses throughout



your research (whether you !ust propose the e'periment oractually completeit). uestions need to be mirrored in the discussion section"where responses

to those &uestions will be pro#ided./inally" you must include a hypothesis-a theory0basedprediction that couldpossibly be dispro#ed by your research. /or e'ample" thetheory might be thatthree year0old children are self0sacrificing. 1our predictionmight be that three0year0old children will gi#e up their toys when approached by

other children.%his kind of prediction could lead you to a specifichypothesis related to yourchosen research methods.

2ethods%he methods section describes how the study is to beconducted. %his sectionis to the point and steps0based.

Results(for Report only)%he results section of a report should include the followinginformation:Responses to research &uestions.3tatistical analysis.4ata illustrations.3ummary of results interpretation.

4iscussion(for Report only)%he discussion addresses the &uestions from theintroduction5 it pro#ides



responses to those &uestions based on the e'perimentalfindings. %hediscussion section also:6'plains the meaning of the data described in the results

section. Addresses the &uestion 73o what is ne't89 and how theresultsad#ance the field of psychology in general.otes any limitations to the research. Was the sample sietoo smallto yield effecti#e results8 Was the sample truly random" ordid a

selecti#e sampling impact the research results8Research Proposal 3ummary%here is not a set organiation for the summary of aresearch proposal" butthe following elements are generally included:

A restatement of why the research &uestion is important. A description of how the proposed methods are differentfrom ones

that ha#e been used before. (What e'actly makes theproposed studyuni&ue8)

A description of any potential limitations of the proposedmethods"followed by a defense of their use. (;i#en the limitations"why is thisstudy still worth pursuing8)

A discussion of the implications of the findings of theproposed study"whate#er they may be.

Prompts for Writing Consultations+s the thesis clear8



4oes the introduction effecti#ely address the study as awhole" withoutaddressing the results and discussion8 3ometimes anintroduction

includes an actual outline of what*s co#ered throughout thereport-astatement that begins 7this report describes....9+s it clear that the writer has done enough backgroundreading on theissue84oes the literature re#iew address pre#ious research resultsand

show why the research is worth pursuing at this point8+s it clearwhythe writer did what he or she did in the study84oes the introduction include specific" clearly identifiable&uestions tobe addressed in the research84o the &uestions in the introduction appear again in theresults anddiscussion sections8 %he results section should pro#idedata0specificresults for those &uestions" and the discussion sectionshould furtheranalye the meaning of those results. +f the introduction&uestionsare not brought up again"the writer should consider whetherthey

are necessary to include at all" or need to be attended tomore in theresults and discussion sections.%he report should be predictable after the introduction in thatit should



follow the pattern described throughout this guide. +s this thecase8

Are all the elements of theintroduction<methods<results<discussion

sections complete8+s there sufficient e#idence pro#ided throughout the report84oes thewriter show readers the reasoning<results of the research8

Are soucres cited correctly according to APA style84oes this paper follow the professor*s e'pectations forformatting8

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