A research proposal is a description of what the researcher will investigate, and what the process of conducting research will be. Writing a compelling research proposal has varying guidelines for writing styles and formatting. These guidelines are different for different disciplines. On the whole, it is vital to write a compelling research proposal to get approval from the funding agency, educational institution, or your supervisor.
Students at various levels of their academics face many problems during the development of research proposals. For example, they may face problems in topic selection, defining research questions, conducting a literature review, specifying research methodology, and time management. The selection of the topic is usually a big challenge for the research students. They may face problems in communicating the main idea of their research effectively. They are also unable to prepare a comprehensive research proposal. Consequently, they failed to achieve approval from various bodies of the institution.
This article aims to suggest 10 easy steps for writing a compelling research proposal. These easy steps will enable the researchers to achieve approval of their research proposal. In this way, they will be able to persuade their supervisors to provide support to them in their endeavors. But before discussing the steps, first, we highlight the common mistakes in research proposals.
Common mistakes in research proposals:
Some of the common mistakes in research proposals are discussed below.
The research topic is too broad
One of the common mistakes in research proposals that students make is that their topic is too broad. The research is not clearly defined and has unclear direction.
There is no justification for a research topic
One of the other common mistakes in research proposals is that sometimes there is no originality in the research topic and the research topic is not considered as important. Therefore, it can lead to rejection.
There is no alignment in aims, objectives, and research questions
In some situations, the aims, objectives, and research questions are misaligned. While in other situations, only one is aligned. Resultantly, in both situations, there are chances that such common mistakes in research proposals can lead to rejection.
Weak theoretical foundation
There is a need that the research to fill the gap in the literature. So the general weaknesses are the general lack of sources, failure to discuss innovative research, reliance on low-quality sources such as blog posts, personal websites, etc, and heavy reliance on outdated sources. Such common mistakes in research proposals can lead to their rejection.
Less articulation of research design
Sometimes, there is a lack of essential details in research design. It is because they are unaware of what they are going to do. They don’t provide full details of the research philosophy, research approach, research strategy, time horizon, techniques, and procedures. Because of such common mistakes, research proposals are rejected.
Poor writing and sloppy presentation.
The issues with their writings are directionless writing, the formation of poor arguments, inappropriate language, issues of grammar and spelling, issues of referencing, a lack of proper table and figure captions, and low-quality diagrams. Such common mistakes lead to their rejection.
Poor project planning and risk management.
There is a lack of well-articulated project planning that could consider all the practicalities of the research proposals, which leads to their rejection.
Not following the university’s specific criteria.
Certain universities require the details of certain sections, or extra sections and formats, which, if not provided, can lead to the rejection of their research proposals.
Research proposal purpose
There are many purposes for writing a research proposal.
- First of all the research proposal’s purpose is to get funding for the projects.
- The other purpose of a research proposal can be that it is part of a certain degree.
- The research proposal also aims to persuade the funder, supervisor, or educational institution to conduct the research.
- The research proposal also aims to explain the significance of your project.
Research proposal length
The length of research can vary depending on the level of study. For example, a master’s or bachelor’s thesis proposal can be a few pages long. On the other hand, the PhD research proposal can be longer and have more details described in it. To decide the research proposal length, it is better to consider the opinion of your supervisor. He or she will determine the length of your research proposal. Usually, each institution has its format for preparing research proposals.
Steps for writing a compelling research proposal
The research proposal writing style guide is presented in the following paragraphs.
Title page
Every research proposal starts with the title page. It includes:
- Title of your research,
- Name of the researcher
- Supervisor’s name,
- Name of the department and institution
- Abstract
- Table of contents
Introduction
In this step of the research proposal writing style guide, the researcher explains what he or she wants to do and the reasons for conducting this research. The introduction of the research proposal includes a description of the topic. It also encompasses the presentation of the necessary background and context of your study.
Furthermore, the researcher presents the problem statement along with research questions/objectives. Additionally, this part explains what is already known about this topic, and what is missing. The researcher also explains the reasons why this research is worth doing. All these aspects are described in two to four paragraphs.
Literature review
The literature review section is an important part of the research proposal. This section elaborates on and presents arguments that underlie the proposed research. This section provides a solid foundation in the existing knowledge regarding the researcher’s research proposal. In this section, the researcher compares and contrasts different theories, and methods used in different relevant research. Furthermore, this section explains the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.
Since this section helps in explaining the potential contribution of particular research findings in a particular field of study, it is suggested to make its separate themes and strategies. One of the strategies is to use the “five Cs” while writing a literature review. The “Five Cs” are:
Cite:
The researcher should be familiar with different citation formats such as APA style, Chicago style, etc.
Compare:
There is a need to compare the methods, models, arguments, and outcomes explained in the review.
Contrast:
The researcher has to present the debates and disagreements of different authors.
Critique:
The researcher needs to identify the engaging arguments of different scholars. From these arguments, the researcher will identify the most solid, suitable, and reliable methodologies.
Connect:
The researcher is required to connect the literature with his or her topic.
Setting the objectives and research questions
The researcher is required to properly set two to three broad objectives of the study. These objectives help the researcher to stay focused during his or her research endeavor.
Furthermore, in light of the research objectives, the researcher is required to set the research questions as well. In some institutions, the research questions are made a part of the introduction of the research proposal.
Research design and methods
The research design section describes the overall approach used to find the answers to the questions. For example during the development of the research proposal methodology, the research type such as qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method is decided and described in this section.
Similarly, a decision regarding data collection is also taken. It is described and discussed whether primary data or secondary data will be collected during the data collection phase of the research. The same research design such as descriptive, correlational, or experimental is decided in this section of the research proposal.
The other part of the research methodology is decided about the population and sample of the study. The researcher has to decide about the target population and sample of the study. Furthermore, the decision about the sampling technique is taken. It is also decided whether the researcher will use surveys, interviews, observation, or will experiments.
Contribution of the study
The researcher needs to identify the implications of the research in the field as well. He or she has to once again stress the aims and objectives of the study and their importance. Here, the researcher will struggle to inform the readers about the addition of the research findings on the topic of the research.
In this section, the researcher makes reflections on the gaps in existing literature. Furthermore, he or she explains how this research can help in filling this gap.
Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations consist of principles that help the researcher in guiding the research designs as well as practices. These principles are voluntary participation, confidentiality, anonymity, informed consent, and results-based communication. So the researcher has to mention and ensure that these principles will be followed during the research.
Budget
In many universities, the minds of the researchers are pricked with questions about how to get their research proposals funded. For this purpose, in some universities, there is a requirement to provide the details of budget allocations for the proposed research studies. Additionally, if the researchers want to know how to get your research proposal funded, you need to provide details of the budget allocations as well. For this purpose, include those costs in the budget which the institution or agency is willing to cover. For example, you need to mention the actual cost, justification of the budget item, and mention the source of how the amount was calculated.
Timetable
The timeline should also be mentioned in the research proposal. The researcher has to mention which part of the research will be completed in what amount of time.
Reference list
The last section of the research proposal states that the researcher should include the list of references used during the literature review. The researcher has to compile the reference list for this purpose. For the creation of quick citations, the APA citation generator can be effectively used.
Conclusion
There is a need for a strategic approach and attention to detail if one wants to write a compelling research proposal. In this research proposal writing style guide, 10 easy steps are explained so that the researcher can navigate the common dangers and increase their chances of approval of their research proposals. All the steps, starting from the selection of the research topic to mentioning clear objectives, and methodology, are necessary for the approval of the research proposal. Furthermore, taking care of ethical considerations, budget allocations, along timelines requires proper planning and commitment to conduct liable research. If the researcher follows these guidelines, he or she can convince funding agencies and educational institutions and meaningfully make contributions in his or her field of research.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the qualities of a good research proposal?
The qualities of a good research proposal include the description of the intentions of researchers, the importance of research, and the process followed in conducting the research. A good research proposal can convince the agency to accept it.
What is the procedure for choosing a research proposal?
Choosing a research proposal requires personal experiences, personal interest in the research area, a review of the literature, seeking someone’s feedback, and an evaluation of one’s options.
What are the limitations of a research proposal?
The limitations of a research proposal are the practical or theoretical deficiencies which are beyond the control of the researcher. These deficiencies limit the generalizability of the research findings.