Definition of A Research Project

Proposal
“... the meaning of proposal ... suggests looking forward, to what the researcher plans
to do in the future. ... The proposal lays out the problem for research, describes
exactly how the research will be conducted, and outlines in precise detail the
resources – both factual and instrumental – the researcher will use to achieve the
desired results.”
Paul D. Leedy & Jeanne Ellis
Ormrod
Or,

A research proposal is defined as, “A document that is typically written by researcher

which describes the ideas for an investigation on a certain topic. It is like an outline
of the entire research process that gives a reader a summary of the information
discussed in a project. The research proposal outlines the process from beginning to
end, explains what is the plan to research (i.e. research topic), why it’s a worth
researching (i.e. justification), and how researcher plans to investigate it (i.e.
practical approach) and may be used to request financing for the project, certification
for performing the research.”
The purpose of the research proposal is to convince research supervisor, committee or university
that the research is suitable and manageable.

Purpose of Research Proposal

Generally, a research is a quest for knowledge through experimentation, investigation and

diligent search. It is aimed at discovery and interpretation of new knowledge or at resolving
debatable existing knowledge. There are systematic procedures and methods for explorations,
targeted at obtaining new knowledge.
The purpose of the research proposal is to convince the research committee that the researcher
has chosen the topic after great consideration, carried out sufficient preliminary reading on the
topic, possesses sound information of the issues involved and is capable of providing broad
details of the area under investigation.

What Does a Research Project Proposal Address?

Typically, a research proposal must answer three questions:

1. What do you plan to accomplish?

2. Why do you want to do it?
3. How are you going to do it?
The research proposal must contain ample information to persuade the readers that your research
idea is important and that you have a good grasp of the topic and major issues involved, and your
methodology is sound.
The quality of the research proposal conveys a lot about your project. Many a times, researchers
run the risk of rejection, not because their research idea is irrational but because the research
proposal is poorly written. Therefore, the tone of the proposal must be compelling, clear and
coherent.

Research proposals are written for various reasons, such as requesting a budget for the research
they describe, certification requirements for research, as a task in tertiary education, or as a
condition for employment at a research institution. Research proposals are written in future tense
and have different points of emphasis, Like scientific articles, research proposals have sections
describing the research background, significance, methods, and references. The method section
of research proposals is far more detailed than those of scientific articles, allowing profound
understanding of the price and risks of the study and the plans for reducing them. Instead of a
section describing the results, research proposals have a section describing the hypotheses or the
expected results.

Research proposals generally address several key points:

 What research question(s) will be addressed and how they will be addressed?
 How much time and expense will be required for the research?
 What prior research has been done on the topic?
 How the results of the research will be evaluated?
 How the research will benefit the sponsoring organization and other parties?

The structure of a research proposal

Although, there is no universal format for research proposal but following are the standard
elements which must be present in a proposal to earn it acceptance by the research supervisor,
committee or university:

1. A summary or abstract
One or two paragraphs that summarise what you will do in the research project and how you will
do it.
2. Problem, question or hypothesis
The key details, approaches or framings the research project will focus on. If hypotheses are
appropriate they should be stated along with a rationale. If a hypothesis isn’t appropriate, the
research problems or questions should be clearly stated and examined.
3. Importance of the research topic
Your thesis must make an original contribution to knowledge. Thus, you must show how your
proposed research is important enough to justify your efforts (and the efforts of anyone else
involved in your research). You should should also include a statement about how the solution to
the problem, or the answer to the question, can influence educational theory or practice.
4. Significant prior research
This should comprehensively demonstrate that you are aware of the major relevant sources of
information in your chosen area. Most research projects arise out of considerable prior research,
which should be summarised. You also need to show the relationship between your question or
problem and this prior research.
5. Research methodology
The methodology section is one of the most important sections of your proposal. It demonstrates
your understanding of the steps and skills necessary to undertake your intended research. It
should be as explicit as possible, detailing how you will collect, analyse and present your data or
research.
Examples of methodologies include:
 Quantitative or qualitative research
 Experimental methods in psychological research
 A specialised approach to analysing concepts in philosophical research
Your choice of methodology should be justified by your research questions. For example if you
are examining the relationship between two or more phenomena, a correlational methodology
would be appropriate. Alternatively, a case study methodology would be appropriate for
researching complex phenomena in their natural setting.
Be sure to describe your intended data collection and analysis techniques with as much detail as
possible. They might change as you conduct your research, but you must still demonstrate that
you have given a lot of thought into the practicalities of your research at this early stage. You
should also note any major questions yet to be decided upon.
If you are gathering a sample of people or documents, you should outline your procedures for
choosing this sample.
If you intend on giving interviews or handing out questionnaires, you should provide examples
of the types of questions you will ask.
If you intend on using experimental situations to collect data, you should describe as many of its
elements as possible. This could include:
 Your chosen subject types (age, school level, quantity)
 Types of materials to be used
 What will be measured (achievement, attitudes, beliefs, etc)
 Data collection methods (self-reporting, observation, clinical diagnosis)
6. Ethical considerations
All university research is expected to conform to acceptable ethical standards and proposals.
Research involving human participants must also be approved before the research commences by
the University of Auckland Human Subjects Ethics Committee.
Ethical concerns can arise in how research is conducted and the ways these research findings
may later be used. You must take into account any areas of responsibility towards your research
subjects at the planning stage, and provide strategies for addressing them in the methodology.
Examples of areas of responsibility could include:
 The securing of informed consent
 Confidentiality
 Preservation of anonymity
 Avoidance of deception or adverse effects
A research proposal involving Māori and minority groups/communities should demonstrate that
the researcher has had adequate background preparation for working in that area. It should also
outline the extent to which members of that group/community will be involved or consulted in
the overall supervision of the project and the dissemination of the research findings.
To read the University’s ethics guidelines and submit an application, visit the Human
Participants Ethics Committee page.
7. Analysis of information
How you intend to analyse your gathered information is a vital part of the assessment of your
research proposal. You should clearly describe how you can answer your research questions
based on the information you have gathered. In other words, "How will you figure out what it all
means?"
Be explicit. For example, if you plan to collect evidence by a questionnaire and subsequent
statistical analysis, you should describe the likely method of analysis and possible outcomes.
In another example, if you plan to use a case study approach, describe how you plan to identify
the key themes and patterns in your data and the procedures you will use to check the validity of
your analysis.
Sample analysis description
"The analysis of variance procedure will be used to determine whether the total score on the
questionnaire is greater for experienced teachers, as expected than, for teachers in training.
“If, however, teachers in training are found to have a higher score this would mean that…"  
8. Limitations and key assumptions
This section should contain a paragraph or two that defines the limits of your research. It’s
common for students to try to do too much. This section is useful in defining how much you will
undertake and the key assumptions that you will follow in building your arguments, models, or
experiments.
Again be specific. Make statements such as, "This argument assumes that…", and "This research
will not…".
9. References or bibliography
This final section details the major readings cited in your proposal, or the literature that
contextualises your proposed research.

Types & Kinds of Research Proposals

Research proposals can be broadly categorized into the following types:
Academic Research Proposals
 Social research proposal
 Scientific research proposal
Commercial Research Proposals
 Sales proposal
 Grant proposal
 Business proposal
 Funding proposal
 Marketing research proposal
Outline & Format of a Standard Research Proposal
Although, there is no universal format for research proposal but following are the standard
elements which must be present in a proposal to earn it acceptance by the academic board:
Title: Statement of the Research Hypothesis
The title of the research must be clear and succinct, indicating the problem area around which the
research work will be undertaken. Mostly, the titles are expressed in functional relationship
forms because this highlights the dependent and independent variables. The titles can also be in
the form of informative statements.
Background Analysis and Information
Under the caption of background, you need to describe the research problem under investigation.
Explain why you think the research topic you have chosen is worth doing. Give both personal
and business reasons to support your argument. The reasons you provide must be scientific and
logical and supported by evidences. You may also write down the major issues the research topic
will be addressing.
Literature Review
The proposal must include a critical review of the literature you have studied for carrying out the
research. In this section, you acknowledge the researchers whose works have formed a
foundation for your research.
The literature review may lead you to the formation of a hypothetical statement, conceptual
framework and identification of dependent and independent variables. The literature review must
also explain the need for research on your topic.
Research Questions & Objectives
In this section, you must write down the key research questions as they emerge from reviewing
the literature. Narrow down the objectives of your research in three to five pointers. Use higher
level verbs here such as:

 Propose  Construct
 Evaluate  Generate
 Distinguish  Compare
 Analyze  Compile
 Design  Justify
 Appraise  Validate
 Predict  Identify

Research Plan
Your proposal must present a brief research plan that you will be undertaking. The research plan
is typically divided into seven phases:

1. Research Perspective
2. Research Design
3. Data Collection Methods
4. Sampling Strategy
5. Research Instruments
6. Data Analysis
7. Limitations of Your Research
Design and Methodology for a Scientific Research Proposal
A scientific research proposal differs from a social research proposal since the former includes
procedural methods, lab information, experiment methodology and other technical details which
the researcher intends to implement for his/her scientific investigation and analysis.
Ethical Considerations
Mention any ethical issues the research will give rise to and how you intend to handle them. Also
write how you would be avoiding plagiarism.
Timetable
In the end, mention how much time you will take to complete the research. Provide a brief
chronological illustration, explaining what amount of time is allocated to what research tasks.
Resources, Citation and Bibliography
List down any special help or resources that you will be requiring or plan to consult. In case of
acceptance of your research proposal, you will be working on a detailed bibliography but you
can give a brief idea of the resources that you are attempting to begin with. Preferred formats for
citation are APA, Chicago and MLA.
Significance of the Research Project
Mention the importance and rationale of the research topic which you have undertaken. Explain
the significance of the project in terms of its contribution to existing studies. If you are applying
for financial funding then you need to elaborate on reasons which justify financial help.
Conclusion
While your introduction, literature review and significance of the study has already justified your
research project, a conclusion explicitly states the importance and implication of your
coursework.

What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is written before research is conducted in order to gain approval or funding
for the research. There are two types of research proposal.
 Approval proposal. This type of proposal is written before undertaking a final project,
dissertation or thesis, and is submitted to your supervisor for approval.<.li>
 Funding proposal. This type of proposal is submitted to an external organisation in order
to seek funding for your research.

For an approval proposal, your supervisor needs to see that your research is worthwhile and has
been carefully planned before you begin. This means presenting information such as the purpose
of the research, its importance, previous research in the same area, how your research will be
conducted, a timeframe, and the resources that will be needed.

For a funding approval, the organisation needs to see that your research represents a worthwhile
investment of available funds. This type of proposal is not a mere presentation of information,
but rather a form of persuasive writing. You will need to demonstrate the validity of your
research design, the significance of the research, how it is relevant to the organisation, your
competence as a researcher, the fitness of the research facilities, and the appropriateness of your
research budget.
Structure of research proposals
Many research proposals are submitted using an application form, meaning that a formally
structured document is not required. If there is no form, the following is a possible structure for a
research proposal. This structure is for an approval proposal, as this is the one likely to be
encountered for university study.

The proposal should begin with a Title page. This will provide a preliminary (or proposed) title
for your research. Other details such as your name, university name, and supervisor’s name may
also appear here.

Following this, there should be a Summary of the research proposal. This will give the key areas
in the proposal, i.e. the aim, objectives, research questions, method, and timeline.

There should be an Introduction to the proposal. This will give background information and a
description of the research area. It may also give the motivation for the research and explain its
importance. The overall aim of the research will be given, in other words what your research will
achieve. This will be accompanied by more specific research objectives, which outline the issues
to be addressed in order to achieve the aim. These will be followed by the research questions
which enable the objectives to be achieved (usually Why, How or What questions).

There should be a preliminary Literature review. This section provides a critical summary of
previous research in the area, identifying possible gaps and how your research will fill them.
This section may help to justify your research and show why it is important. Although at this
stage your literature review may not be complete, your supervisor will still need to see the
general framework that your research exists within, and examples of previous research in the
area, in order to be confident you are approaching the research in the correct way.

Next there will be a Methodology section. This section will give information on how your
research will be conducted. This includes the kind of data which will be obtained (e.g.
quantitative or qualitative), the source of data, the research methodology and why this approach
has been chosen. Ethical and safety issues may also be identified. Required resources may also
be listed, e.g. facilities, laboratory equipment and technical help.

The proposal should include a Timeline. This section will show how you plan to finish the
research within the allotted time. It should include when important aspects of the research will
start and finish, for instance the literature review, stages of experiments, and chapters of the final
written work (likely to be a thesis or dissertation). The timeline can be formatted as a table or a
list; a GANTT chart, listing tasks (vertical axis) and time (horizontal axis), is also frequently
used.

There should be a Reference section. The reference section gives full details of any sources
cited in the research proposal.
Finally, there will be Appendices, which give additional information not needed in the main
body. This could include interview questions, questionnaires, and pilot study data.

Other sections are also possible. For example, there may be sections on Expected results,
Expected chapter outline, Supervision or Dissemination of results.

What goes into a research proposal?

As we mentioned earlier, a good dissertation or thesis proposal needs to cover the “what”, the
“why” and the “how” of the research. Let’s look at each of these in a little more detail:
WHAT – Your research topic
Your proposal needs to clearly articulate your research topic. This needs to be specific and
unambiguous. Your research topic should make it clear exactly what you plan to research and in
what context. Here’s an example:
Topic: An investigation into the factors which impact female Generation Y consumer’s
likelihood to promote a specific makeup brand to their peers: a British context
As you can see, this topic is extremely clear. From this one line we can see exactly:
 What’s being investigated – factors that make people promote a brand of makeup
 Who it involves – female Gen Y consumers
 In what context – the United Kingdom
So, make sure that your research proposal provides a detailed explanation of your research topic.
It should go without saying, but don’t start writing your proposal until you have a crystal-clear
topic in mind, or you’ll end up waffling away a few thousand words. 
Need a helping hand?
 
WHY – Your justification
As we touched on earlier, it’s not good enough to simply propose a research topic – you need to
justify why your topic is original. In other words, what makes it unique? What gap in the current
literature does it fill? If it’s simply a rehash of the existing research, it’s probably not going to
get approval – it needs to be fresh.
But, originality alone is not enough. Once you’ve ticked that box, you also need to justify why
your proposed topic is important. In other words, what value will it add to the world if you
manage to find answers to your research questions? 
For example, let’s look at the sample research topic we mentioned earlier (factors impacting
brand advocacy). In this case, if the research could uncover relevant factors, these findings
would be very useful to marketers in the cosmetics industry, and would, therefore, have
commercial value. That is a clear justification for the research.
So, when you’re crafting your research proposal, remember that it’s not enough for a topic to
simply be unique. It needs to be useful and value-creating – and you need to convey that value in
your proposal. If you’re struggling to find a research topic that makes the cut, watch our video
covering how to find a research topic.
HOW – Your methodology
It’s all good and well to have a great topic that’s original and important, but you’re not going to
convince anyone to approve it without discussing the practicalities – in other words:
 How will you undertake your research? 
 Is your research design appropriate for your topic?
 Is your plan manageable given your constraints (time, money, expertise)?
While it’s generally not expected that you’ll have a fully fleshed out research strategy at the
proposal stage, you will need to provide a high-level view of your research methodology and
some key design decisions. Here are some important questions you’ll need to address in your
proposal:
 Will you take a qualitative or quantitative approach? 
 Will your design be cross-sectional or longitudinal? 
 How will you collect your data (interviews, surveys, etc)? 
 How will you analyse your data (e.g. statistical analysis, qualitative data analysis, etc)?
So, make sure you give some thought to the practicalities of your research and have at least a
basic understanding of research methodologies before you start writing up your proposal.

How long is a research proposal?

This varies tremendously, depending on the university, the field of study (e.g., social sciences vs
natural sciences), and the level of the degree (e.g. undergraduate, Masters or PhD) – so it’s
always best to check with your university what their specific requirements are before you start
planning your proposal. 
As a rough guide, a formal research proposal at Masters-level often ranges between 2000-3000
words, while a PhD-level proposal can be far more detailed, ranging from 5000-8000 words. In
some cases, a rough outline of the topic is all that’s needed, while in other cases, universities
expect a very detailed proposal that essentially forms the first three chapters of the dissertation or
thesis. 
The takeaway – be sure to check with your institution before you start writing.

How is a research proposal structured?

While the exact structure and format required for a dissertation or thesis research proposal differs
from university to university, there are five “essential ingredients” that typically make up the
structure of a research proposal:
1. A descriptive title or title page
2. A rich introduction and background to the proposed research
3. A discussion of the scope of the research
4. An initial literature review covering the key research in the area
5. A discussion of the proposed research design (methodology)
For a detailed explanation of each of these, and step by step guidance covering how to write a
research proposal, have a look at this video post.  You might also consider using our free
research proposal template here.
As you write up your research proposal, remember the all-important core purpose: to convince.
Your research proposal needs to sell your research idea in terms of suitability and viability. So,
focus on crafting a convincing narrative and you’ll have won half the battle. 

A research proposal is a written document that provides an overview of the project, why it is
important, and what is needed to get it done. Learn what a research proposal is, the questions to
consider before beginning, and the main components through some examples. Updated:
10/10/2021
What is a Research Proposal?
There you are. You have a great idea that your company would benefit from, but there is just one
problem. Your great idea requires funding, and it is up to you to convince your company why
they should grant you the money needed. In order to do this, you immediately decide to write a
research proposal.
So, let's take a look at what a research proposal is. When someone is interested in obtaining
support for research, they often write a research proposal. These proposals are intended to
convince people that your ideas and projects are important. They strive to explain how you can
satisfactorily complete the project. A research proposal needs to let people know why the project
is a good and/or needed idea and that you understand what information and studies are already
out there. Keep in mind that the way the proposal is written is also important, as grammar,
structure, and content can make a difference in whether or not the proposal is accepted or
rejected.
While conducting a proposal, several questions need to be answered so that those you hope will
support your research, understand the significance and reason behind your work.
The following are some important questions to answer:
 What are you going to do?
 How much money do you need to complete your project?
 How long will it take?
 Why do you feel the project will help or benefit the sponsors?
 Why are you the one for the job?
 What are your qualifications?
 What will you do with the results?

Components of a Proposal

For each of the descriptions below, identify which component of the research proposal
applies (title, abstract, table of contents, introduction, literature review, method,
discussion, budget).

 If you will need to incur any expenses, you will discuss them in this section.
 To show that your research project differs from other work that has been completed, you
will note the differences in this section.
 An overall summary of your paper will be discussed in this section.
 In this section, you will map out your project, including all of the steps that you will take
in researching and writing your paper.
 In this section, you will describe the purpose of the paper and/or the problem you will be
solving.

Practice Proposal

You have decided that you want to write a research paper that studies the impacts of Medicaid
law on children with disabilities. To complete this study, you will need to pay for data that is
needed for your analysis. For this assignment, write a proposal to be submitted to get funding for
this research. Your proposal should include each of the components of the research proposal
(title, abstract, table of contents, introduction, literature review, method, discussion, budget).

A research proposal writing follows a thorough literature review which includes the following
structure:
A. Introduction
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem/Objectives of the Study
Theoretical Framework (as needed)
Conceptual Framework (with its schematic diagram)
Scope and Limitation
Significance of the Study
Definition of Terms
B. Methods
Research Design
Participants/Respondents
Instruments/Questionnaire
Data Gathering Procedure
Statistical Treatment and Analysis/Procedure for Data Analysis
Ethical Considerations
References
Appendices
Instrument/Questionnaire