research-proposal

WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSALReasons for writing a research proposal Your research proposal: • gives you an opportunity to think through your project carefully, and clarify and define what you want to research • provides you with an outline and to guide you through the research process • lets your supervisor and department or faculty know what you would like to research and how you plan to go about it • helps the department choose an appropriate supervisor • gives you an opportunity to receive feedback from your supervisor and others in the academic community as well as possible funders • serves as a contract between you and your supervisor and university • can be submitted to an ethics committee to gain ethical approval • can be submitted to a scholarship committee or other funding agency Developing your proposal The process includes: • choosing a topic • narrowing and focussing your topic • formulating research objectives or questions and ideas for analysis • outlining the key literature in the topic area • deciding on research methodology, research design and methods • proposing an approach to data analysis • proposing a format e.g. how many chapters and suggested chapter headings • developing a timeline • developing a budget and resources you will need • developing a bibliography Writing a research proposal can be a demanding, frustrating, challenging and timeconsuming process - but it can also be exciting! Your proposal does not permanently set what you will do. It is a starting point and throughout your research you will probably adjust and change your position. You will be able to trace the development of your ideas and measure the progress you have made by referring back to your proposal. Suggest how many chapters you will have. and thesis title Table of Contents Abstract: This includes an outline of your proposal.what prompted your interest in the topic.Suggested format of your research proposal Title page: This includes your name. title: Proposal for Thesis. You may need to identify the research paradigm and epistemologies that underpin your research. Research design and methods: This section outlines how you are going to get your data. Outline whether your research is qualitative or quantitative. It identifies the direction you will take from among the possible theoretical directions. ways your thesis is different or unique. research methods and how you will analyse the data. and states the research objectives. research questions or hypothesis. Include a bibliography at the end of your proposal. whether you are using triangulation. Analysis and discussion: This section suggests what you are going to do with the data. observations etc. interviewing. Research methodology: In this section identify the methodology that underpins your research and give a rationale for your approach. chapter headings and the order of presentation. questions or hypothesis. For example estimate the time needed for tasks and assign tasks for each month. the links with previous research. questionnaires. Outline the aims of your research again and ideas you have on how you are going to analyse the data. department and supervisor/s. If humans or animals are to be used. You will be aware of problems others have encountered and be able to design your research and adapt methods for your research. Include any tools for analysis you intend using or trying out. Show how you have used your review of the literature to construct your own research methodology. Budget and resources: Outline the resources you need and propose a budget . experiments. what your research will involve. Timeline: Include a timeline to guide you and keep you on track. By reading widely you will be familiar with methodologies followed by previous researchers and have explored possible research methods. Format: Outline the format of your thesis. statistics. outline the ethical considerations and your application to the university ethics committee. Outline the methods you will use and problems you anticipate. Background: This sets out why you chose your topic . Theoretical framework: A review of the relevant literature you have read so far sets your research in context. Bibliography Katie Nimmo. References Morris. Postgraduate seminars 2001. (2001). Mathews. borrowed an analogy from E.R. but you can make the whole trip that way". K. . "You can only see as far as your headlights. postgraduate student at Victoria University. Writing by degrees: A practical guide to writing theses and research papers. 14 Kelburn Parade Roundtree. & Nimmo. Doctorow who compared writing a novel to driving a car at night. (1996). & Laing. is turning on the headlights. T. Writing a research proposal. K. K. Writing a research proposal. Auckland:Longman. Copy of tape available from Student Learning Support Services. suggests Katie. and Show you have thought about the ethical issues Structure of a proposal A proposal is likely to contain most of the elements listed in the table below. However. in that they may well change substantially as you progress in the research. The proposal is expected to: • • • • • Show that you are engaging in genuine enquiry. Establish your methodological approach. although your supervisor may require the inclusion or omission of parts. concise. institution and degree . eyecatching and preferably use key words from the international information retrieval systems) writer's name and qualifications department. finding out about something worthwhile in a particular context. Establish a particular theoretical orientation. university and degree proposal is for Table of Contents lists sections of proposal and use a hierarchy for Cover page identifies topic. Check first with your supervisor. writer. Link your proposed work with the work of others. They also help you to prepare your presentation for the Ethics Committee. they are an indication to your faculty of your direction and discipline as a researcher. while proving you are acquainted with major schools of thought relevant to the topic. Component Function Characteristics proposed thesis title (should be descriptive of focus. These plans are not binding.Monash University > Education > Students > Current students > Study-resources > Writing a research proposal Purpose of a proposal The purpose of the proposal is to help you (as student) to focus and define your research plans. page references titles and subtitles may include historical. cultural. Why. or What if) should be few. social or organisational information about the context of the research may include a theoretical starting point may include personal motivation may include policy this may include reference to a 'gap' in the research literature. so that the focus is manageable the aims will be related to the purpose and the questions Review of the literature to show your supervisor and department that you are aware this is not expected to be extensive for the . to the need to apply certain ideas in a new context. Usually this is combined with the previous section follows from background to persuade the reader that the study will be useful/interesting Purpose and aims of the study to state clearly and succinctly the purpose of the study to outline the key research questions and aims the research question(s) (usually What. or to the significance of your particular topic the ways in which the study may be significant for the educational community may also be discussed the purpose is expressed in terms of the broader context of the study provides background information relating to the Background: (and a social/political/historical/ more descriptive name) educational (etc) context of the study Need for the study. political. How. and procedures you will use to ensure ethical practice includes a statement about the delimitations (boundaries) of the study depicts the tasks proposed and Timetable/plan (may be the stages/times for their part of research design) completion Proposed thesis structure describes the focus of each proposed chapter this may take the form of a chart. and to indicate to establish your which issues/topics you will directions and focus on in your review (this formulate a tentative may change later) list of readings to show that you can be judicious in your selection of issues to focus on and take an approach of critical inquiry you should demonstrate critical analysis your review should be shaped by your argument and should seek to establish your theoretical orientation includes your understandings of the nature of knowledge and how this affects your choice of research approach includes description of and rationale (brief) for selection of participants. timeline or flowchart (or any other) each chapter's proposed contents is described in a few Research design describes the research plans . methods of data collection and analysis.proposal you should have done an initial survey of the main theorists and a library information of significant writers/researchers search (CD ROMs etc) in the field. and may be predicts the significance of the excluded if the study and expected outcomes. rationale for the study These may relate closely to aims has been well developed earlier in the proposal lists specialised terms or words and their meanings (eg. Significance/Expected Outcomes of the study Glossary of terms Appendices use referencing list of works that have been conventions References consulted thus far and appear to recommended by your be useful supervisor Copyright © 2007 Monash University ABN 12 377 614 012 .Accessibility information .Privacy CRICOS Provider Number: 00008C Last updated: 11 January 2011 . explanatory statement to participants.Caution .etc.Maintained by Raqib Chowdhury . acronyms. before or after the main text parts) includes documents. pilot study material. key concepts in a relatively new field) to display documents which are relevant to main text. or a proposed table of contents is presented this is only a prediction. survey instruments. questions for interviews.lines or a small paragraph. but whose presence in the text would disturb rather than enhance the flow of the argument or writing this is placed in a position which is easy to locate (eg. from another culture.