Write a Research Proposal

A research proposal is a formal document that outlines the intent and scope of your proposed study, including background on the problem or issue to be addressed. The proposal should include an explanation of how you will conduct your research, what methods are needed for data collection and analysis, what resources you need access to complete the project, and when you plan to finish it. You also want to provide an overview of any anticipated outcomes from this work. This blog post will discuss how to write a good research proposal.

Definition of a research proposal

Like a business proposal which consists of information about main ideas related to the establishment of the new company. In the same way, the research proposal consists of detail about the way different activities will be performed for accomplishing desired outcomes.

A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research. It sets out the central issues or questions you intend to address, outlining both current knowledge in the field as well as recent debates on those topics. It also demonstrates the originality of your proposed research.

“A research proposal is the documents that students design as an assignment with the aim to give information about research on a particular topic.”

You can use it for the following:

• A compulsory project to be completed at the starting of college academics.
• Certification for conducting any particular aspects of the research.
• Apply for financing for the assignment.

It is a brief and lucid summary of the research work done by any individual. The research proposal is written focusing on the main idea of your research work.

What to include in the research proposal?

Your research proposal should contain the following things:

• Outline of the main focus or your research work.
• Your recent knowledge about the topic.
• Any latest debates performed on the topic.
• Explain the reality of your research.

While submitting your application, your research proposal is the major aspect that helps the administrator to decide whether they should support your research or not.

The key ideas that are addressed in the research proposal are:

• Which research question you are addressing and how you will address them?
• What amount of time and expense, you will need to complete your research?
• Are there any previous researches accomplished on the topic?
• How can you assess the outcomes of the research?
• What are the benefits of particular research on the sponsoring organization and other parties?

Purpose of a research proposal

The purpose of academics to write a research proposal is to get funds for their project. Whereas the purpose of students to write a research proposal is to gain approval for their college thesis or dissertation project.

The main purpose of doing any form of a research proposal is to convince someone, either to get funds from the funding body or to convince your institute or administrator about the worthiness of your project.

The purpose of the research proposal include:

• Achievability: Confirming the feasibility or achievability of your project.
• Approach: Prepare a case containing the approach you have adopted to conduct your research work. And you have carefully selected all the tools that are required for your project.
• Context: To depict your familiarity with your subject area of research. You are aware of the ongoing aspect of the research and your ideas contain a strong viewpoint.
• Consequence: To make the reader feel that the research work you are doing is fascinating, significant, and real.

Steps for writing a research proposal

The structure and requirements to write a research proposal may vary depending on the institute or what you need from that. Here are common steps to follow to write a research proposal:

Step 1 – Choose a suitable title for your research proposal

You can choose the title of your research proposal on the basis of your research. But it should be brief and explanatory. Your title should give the overall knowledge to the reader about what they will see in your proposal and is it fascinating for them or not.

Always pick a precise and informative title for your research work. Always try to avoid the use of phrases such as “A Review of the…”, “An investigation of” etc.

Step 2 – Prepare a title page for research proposal

The research proposal also contains the title page, just as your thesis or dissertation. The title page of your research proposal should contain the following information:

1. The projected title of your research proposal.
2. Your name
3. Name of the supervisor who is supervising you.
4. Name of institution or department.

The format for the title page is normally specified by the sponsoring agency. If not, you should use the APA style.

• It is recommended to put a running head in the left corner of the top of the page.  And it should be displayed on each of the pages of the document by using an acronym version of the title.
• The page number should be displayed in the right corner of the top of the page. It is necessary to display the page number on each and every page of your research proposal.
• The complete title of your research proposal should be center-aligned roughly 1/3 of the way down the page.
• The title should be double spaced and mention your name just beneath the title.
• Mention the name of the institution beneath your name. sometimes you can also add the contact information.

Step 3 – Make a summary of your abstract proposal

The abstract is a summary of the problem you have discussed in the research proposal. In the abstract, apart from the projected funding requirements, you should also include the solution for your problem and the purpose of your research proposal.

• The word abstract in research paper should be written at the top of the page and centre-aligned.
• The information for the abstract should be written just beneath the word abstract.
• There is no need to indent the paragraph.
• The abstract should be 150 to 200 words lengthy.

Step 4 – Prepare a list of the keywords that will be used in your research proposal

Select 4 to 5 keywords focusing on the main idea of your research. It should the overall idea of your topic. The keywords refer to the phrases that are being put by many people in Google with the aim of searching.

Putting the right keywords can increase the probability that the reader will get your paper while searching and take benefit from it. You can use the keyword either of a single word or of the phrases containing 2 to 4 words.

Step 5 – Add the table of contents in research proposal

When you are writing a longer research proposal, you should incorporate a table of contents on the third page. The table of contents comprises each and every important section of your assignment.

But in the case of short research proposals, there is hardly any need to include the page for a table of contents. Including a table of contents also depends on your institute and the types of research work you are engaged in.

While writing lengthy research proposals, there is also a need to include a list of tables, figures, illustrations, etc. In the table of contents, including all the important parts and divisions of your research proposal.

Step 6 – Prepare an introductory paragraph in the research proposal

The introduction is always the beginning paragraph of any assignment writing. So here as well. Your introduction to the research proposal should contain what will you get and why you want to do this research proposal. The introductory paragraph in the research paper should contain the following sections:

1. Write the introduction of the topic.
2. Write about the background information and context of the topic.
3. Importance and goal of the research
4. Prepare an outline of the problem statement and research question.

Before jumping to the introduction of your research proposal, again write the statement related to your research problem or title. Write a quick note about whatever you are going to discuss and also define the theory on the basis of your proposed research.

Before writing a detailed description of your problem, including a problem statement in research. This portion of the introduction should carry answers to certain questions such as what is the need to conduct this research and new issues which can arise from this research?

The heading of the introductory paragraph should be “Purpose of study”. After writing the paragraph for the introduction, write the importance of research in the below paragraph. Write the answers for depicting the importance of your research and identify the type of research or analysis proposed.

Few questions to keep in mind while structuring a perfect introduction:

• What is the worthiness of this research?
• The new aspects and contribution of your research.
• Is there anything missing from your latest knowledge?
• What do you know about the problem?
• What type of readers has an interest in the topic?

Step 7 – Include a literature review section in  your research proposal

In the literature review portion of your research proposal, provide knowledge to the readers about your present and past research related to the topic.

And your further research will only add up to this. It should not be written as a summary or a list but it should be written in the form of a described story to increase the reader’s knowledge.

Importance of literature review in writing a research proposal

It is necessary to show your awareness of all the relevant research for the topic. A perfect literature review should have the power to convince readers that your assignment matches up with active knowledge and theory. It should also depict that you are not simply copying other people, but following your own thoughts and knowledge.

This section mainly contains your contribution to the particular field:

• Comparing and contrasting the controversies, debates, methods, and main theories?
• The strengths and weaknesses of various approaches used in the method.
• Show how your research fits in: how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize the work of others?

Read Also: How to Write Literature Review in Research Paper

Step 8 – Defining research methodology in research proposal

This portion of your research proposal acts as the heart or the main idea and should contain all the information related to your research methodology. ‘Methodology’ can be taken as the title of this section. Completely describe your proposed methodology.

It is very beneficial to restate the main objectives of your proposal here to bring reverse the focus into your own project. This portion should contain all the necessary methodologies and steps to provide answers to your research questions.

The essential methodologies to write a research proposal:

1. What is the research type?

• Your focus for the research type is qualitative or quantitative?
• Do you use the primary source or secondary source for the gathering of original data?
• Your focus in terms of research design, experimental, co-relational, or descriptive?

2. What are the sources which you will use?

• What or who is the focus of your study?
• How you are going to pick up sources or subjects?
• From where and when will you gather the data?

3. What are the methods you are using?

• What are the tools and procedures you are going to use in this research proposal?

4. The practicalities that you have utilized in your research?

• The amount of time required to gather data?
• How will you gain access to participants and sources?
• If you encounter any potential obstacles, how you will solve them?

To show the flexibility of your approach to handle the research questions, you can also explain your knowledge related to other approaches to solve the question.

Step 9 – Provide a description of the significant institutional resources

The aim of your research is related to the institutional background, write a section by giving the heading ‘explanation of relevant institutional resources’ to explain what can be offered by your institution. This section should contain information such as:

1. Past proficiency of the institute
2. Contribution of the research in the particular subject area,
3. The supportive services of the institute.

Step 10 – Writing Implications and contribution to knowledge for research proposal

To complete the research proposal in a challenging way, it is necessary to focus on practical implications and contribution to knowledge and that may be:

• Improvement of processes in a particular place or field.
• Information on policy objectives.
• Strengthen the theory or model.
• Challenge the on-demand and latest assumptions.
• Create a foundation for further future research.

Step 11 – List the references in the research proposal

Your research proposal is a crucial component of your essay. It should include appropriate citations and references for every resource you use, from books to articles to websites. You should add a separate page for describing the references and give its title as “References of sources ”.

The research proposal should also contain appropriate citations for each and every source you used to complete your research work. The main purpose of writing a bibliography is to showcase the complete list of literature that you used in support of your research project.

Step 12 – Writing a proper schedule of research in the research proposal

A detailed timeline of the project, explaining exactly what you will do at each stage and how long it will take. Constructing a Sample timeline for the research proposal, as follows:

1. Determine months of time to complete your research proposal: It needs up to six months of time to accomplish a research proposal. So don’t wait too long to work on your research proposal.

2. Prewrite during phase (la): The perfect time to accomplish this section is before 14 to 26 weeks of the deadline.

• As 26 weeks are left, review administrative requirements for the foundations and organizations to which you plan to submit your proposal.
• Verify the date of submission and the need for the submission to avoid mistakes.
• In case you are working with an advisor or colleagues, the brief version of the proposal should be presented on the 23^rd If you get any feedback related to the research, invest 22^nd week to work on that.
• As 21 weeks are left, invest the time to accomplish research about the background, history, and context for your research.
• 19 weeks are left, craft a document consisting of 2 or 3 pages to discover the questions and possible procedural approaches.
• During week 16, provide continuity with your research, and during week 14, improve your research question.

3. Conduct early administrative tasks in-phase (lb): You need to complete this section of the research proposal between 13 to 20 weeks prior to the date of submission.

• As 20 weeks are left, search for the significant information sources that might be organizations, archives, experts, etc, and contact them.
• During the 18 weeks, start the research process for the requirements of your budget.
• As 13 weeks are left, ask for any relevant transcripts.

4. Keep the focus on your writing and administration in-phase (ii): You should complete this section before 8 to 13 weeks of the date of submission.

• As 13 weeks are left, craft a document containing 5 pages that consist of the design and framework of the research and its research question.
• Again contact with the organizations and the collaborators. And recognize the one which is more useful for your research.
• Include all the additional information required to finish your draft.
• During the 8 weeks, modify your draft. Prepare an estimated budget and request the advisors to write a recommendation letter for them.

5. Editing and submitting the proposal during (phase ii): You should start this section of the research proposal before 5 weeks left for the date of submission.

• During this time, review all the requirements for your research proposal and revise in case any of the requirements are not meeting in the proposal.
• When 10 days are left for the date of submission, ask your colleagues to help with the copy and edit of your document.
• Take out the print of the final copy and gather all the materials before 3 to 4 days of the date of submission.
• It will be good if you submit the research proposal before 2 to 3 days of the date of submission.

Step 13 – Include estimated budget in research proposal

If you are applying for research funding, make sure to include a detailed budget that shows how much each part of the project will cost. Mention the estimated cost for your project that you need from the different funding sources. . You need to include explanatory information with each cost.

You should include the following for each item:

• Cost: The amount of money you need to for the particular item.
• Justification: what is the necessity of this item in your research project?
• Source: how you calculated the amount?

Also consider the following things, to estimate your budget:

• Time: Is there a need for an extra amount of time and need to take off from regular work or duties?
• Assistance: is there any requirement to hire the research assistants for the research proposal to complete?
• Materials: is there any requirement to get access to new tools and technologies.
• Travel costs: Is there any need to visit any particular location to gather data? How can you reach there? The time needed to spend there? And how will you collect the data?

Step 14 – Revisions and proofreading of research proposal

The proofreading and editing of any document are very necessary before submitting it to make your academic work free of flaws. To get rid of any flaws, you should stay careful about grammar, spelling, etc while writing the proposal.

You can also ask your mentor or colleague for feedback, if possible, that will be really helpful. Proofreading is a very important part of any assignment writing.

Free list of Research proposal topics on Management

Management research proposal topics are enlisting below which are given by My Research Topics. Graduates can assemble various ideas for their research proposal from the given list easily for a high score.

•  How do geographical and language variations serve as a big obstacle in the way of marketing?
•  Is outsourcing of business work is a good substitute for paying high wages to the workers and employees in a given area?
•  How do ethical issues sometimes become a large barrier in the way of management in various business organizations?
•  Poor financial management in a company can lead to unwanted and unexpected financial turmoil in a business?
•  How to manage the fraternity and unity among team members of a team and also in different teams to enhance the output of human resources?

Have a look: Human Resource Management Research Paper Ideas for HRM Students

Best ideas of research proposal topics on Finance

A research paper on finance can be written by writing a good research proposal and the best topic is needed for it. Following topics of experts are going to fulfill that requirement of students for free of cost. Here are few topics of research proposals on finance from the My Research Topics and all of them are highly innovative.

•  Is it a good idea to provide social welfare in a developing country by the government?
•  How the idea of direct and indirect cess or taxes varies from underdeveloped and developing countries to that of developed?
•  How the use of paperless or digital currency is good for the development of a nation? Explain.
•  How do the stock markets keep on fluctuating from time to time with the political and other major upheavals?

Research proposal topics on science for college students

Here are topics for research proposals on science for those who want to write highly research-based assignments for college.

• Applications of optical and quantum physics in different areas of life in the present time.
• Dangerous consequences of biomagnification in every level of the food chain and how to stop it?
• Is there any way to control the resistance power of weeds and pests towards pesticides and other such chemicals?
• What is the success rate of tissue plant culture in biotechnology?

Read Also: Interesting Research Paper Ideas For College Students

Highly innovative research proposal topics on Business studies

Here are the best topics for research proposals on business studies from the brain of talented writers.

•  How SWOT and PESTLE analysis is crucial for business organizations for their best flourishing and growth?
•  Is it possible to run a business firm smoothly without considering the aspect of supply and chain management?
•  How to cope up with inflation and deflation and their effect on the business with time in different types of business?
•  Out of equity finance and debt finance which one is best to embark on a new business in a startup?
•  Why do big business firms need the best quotation and inquiry management system to run their business smoothly?

Conclusion

We have gone through every important aspect of writing a proposal. It is very important for students when it comes to writing an assignment, also it is essential for scientists and other professionals to write the research proposal to get funding for their research work.

We have tried our best to clear all the doubts of students when it comes to crafting a perfect research proposal.

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