Practical Research: Writing research proposals

Hannah JonesSO914 week 9 2013/14

Writing a research proposal

• Research design• Presentation and language• Resourcing, budgeting and timetabling• Ethics• Research impact and dissemination• Working with partners

Research design

• Research field• Research questions• Aims• Objectives• Methodology• Methods• Analysis• Dissemination

Presentation and language

• Clarity• Originality, ‘innovation’, excitement• Gaps in the existing research• Feasibility (resources, money, time, people)• Your skills and track record• Outputs (engagement, impact, collaboration)

Resourcing, budgeting and timetabling

• Money• Skills• Time

• Access

Ethics

• Data collection• Data management• Analysis• Dissemination• Impact• Collaboration

Research impact and dissemination

• Who is the research for?

• What will it change?

• What will you do to share the research findings?

• What will you do with the raw data?

Working with partners

• Other researchers

• Other research organisations

• Research users

• Research participants

• Partners/stakeholders?

Writing

• Feedback, collaboration and advice

• Format

• Think of the reader

Exercise 1

Write an abstract of your planned research project. This should be between 200 and 250 words, and set out:(a) The general issues and debates that your

study will engage with(b) Your specific aims and objectives(c) The research strategy you will follow to meet

these objectives

Exercise 2

In groups of no more than two or three, take it in turn to be one another’s ‘critical friend’.

Person A spends 10-15 minutes asking Person B about her research project. [e.g. What are your research questions? What are your aims? What are your objectives?]

Help and encourage Person B to refine the abstract s/he has written by asking further questions and reflecting on the answers together.

Then swap roles.