Writing Research Project

In this lecture we will broadly discuss how to write good research project. Most
students and beginning researchers do not fully understand what a research project
means, nor do they understand its importance. To put it bluntly, one's research is only
as good as one's project. An ill-conceived project dooms the project even if it somehow
gets through the Committee. A high quality project format, on the other hand, not only
promises success for the project, but also impresses your Committee about your
potential as a researcher. A research project format is intended to convince others that
you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the
work-plan to complete it. Generally, a research project should contain all the key
elements involved in the research process and include sufficient information for the
readers to evaluate the proposed study.

Regardless of your research area and the methodology you choose, all research project
must address the following questions: What you plan to accomplish, why you want to
do it and how you are going to do it. The project should have sufficient information to
convince your readers that you have an important research idea, that you have a good
grasp of the relevant literature and the major issues, and that your methodology is
sound. The quality of your research project depends not only on the quality of your
proposed project, but also on the quality of your writing. A good research project may
run the risk of rejection simply because the it is poorly written. Therefore, it pays if
your writing is coherent, clear and compelling. In this lecture, we will discuss some of
the ways of writing a good research project.

General Points to Be Kept in Mind:

1. It can be of roughly 4000 words, depending on the requirement.

2. It should describe your proposed topic in detail.
3. The proposal must give a clear idea of the following:
(a) the major lines of investigations or arguments you hope to sustain

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(b) how you see your project in relation to the work already done in your
area of investigation, and
(c) the material that you have already consulted and what materials you
hope to consult in the future.
4. It should have various sub-heads, which are briefly described in the next
section.

Before starting that section, I want to say there is a practical thing that a researcher
preparing his/her research project must do. S/he should seek comments and feed back
from a close friend and a senior person on the first draft of the project. Sometimes,
when you are too close to a project, the lines are blurred or some obvious points might
escape you. So it is good to have comments on it before hand. It is also critical to keep
updating and renewing the proposal in the light of new developments and publications.

Sub-Heads of Research Project:

1. Title:
It should be concise and descriptive. For example, the phrase, "An investigation of…"
could be omitted. The title may have 2 parts. The first part may be informative and
catchy, that pricks the reader’s interest. The second part, or the sub-title, for example of
social history, may contain information about the region and the time frame or the
period i.e. pre-colonial, colonial or post-colonial period. It can also carry precise
starting and ending year, but the importance of focusing on that time period will have to
be explained in your proposal later. Overall the title should be something that appears
fresh and new and not hackneyed. It should predispose the reader favourably towards
your project.

2. Abstract:
It is a brief summary of approximately 300 words. It should state very briefly the
proposition that you plan to investigate. It should include the central research question,
i.e. what are you studying or examining, the rationale for the study, the broad

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hypothesis or hunch or the main argument, the methodology and the main conclusions
very briefly.

3. Introduction: Problem Statement and Research Question:

The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the necessary background or context
of your research question within a larger academic framework. This is actually a critical
part since it is here that you frame your problem statement. Those who read the
introduction should be able to understand what you are attempting to discern through
your research and writing. If the research problem is framed in the context of a general,
rambling literature review, then the research question may appear trivial and
uninteresting. However, if the same question is placed in the context of a very focused
and current research area, its significance will become evident. Unfortunately, there are
no hard and fast rules on how to frame your research question just as there is no
prescription on how to write an interesting and informative opening paragraph. A lot
depends on your creativity, your ability to think clearly and the depth of your
understanding of problem areas.
However, try to place your research question in the context of either a current ‘hot’
area, or an older area that remains viable. Show here how your work is breaking new
ground or covering a hitherto uncharted territory. Secondly, you need to provide a brief
but appropriate historical backdrop. Thirdly, provide the contemporary context in
which your proposed research question occupies the central stage. Finally, identify ‘key
players’ and refer to the most relevant and representative publications. In short, try to
paint your research question in broad brushes and at the same time bring out its
significance. The introduction typically begins with a general statement of the problem
area, with a focus on a specific research problem, to be followed by the rational or
justification for the proposed study. The introduction generally covers the following
elements:
1. State the research problem, which is often referred to as the purpose of the
study.
2. Provide the context and set the stage for your research question in such a way as
to show its necessity and importance.

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3. Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth
doing.
4. Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to be addressed by your
research.
5. State your broad hypothesis, if any.
6. If you have chosen a particular arena, area or time period, point out the
relevance and importance of that.
7. Set the delimitation or boundaries of your proposed research in order to provide
a clear focus.
8. Provide definitions of key concepts, if needed.

4. Literature Review or Historiography:

Sometimes the literature review is incorporated into the introduction section or
interwoven with the overall proposal. However, most professors prefer a separate
section, which allows a more thorough review of the literature. The literature review
serves several important functions:
1. It shows where and how you propose to break new grounds through your
research.
2. Ensures that you are not ‘reinventing the wheel’.
3. Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for your research.
4. Demonstrates your knowledge of the research problem.
5. Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical and research issues related
to your research question.
6. Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant literature information.
7. Reveals what you think are limitations of the existing literature in your specific
topic of research, and how you are going to address that.
8. Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the existing literature.
9. Provides new theoretical insights and conceptual frameworks on your research
topic.

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10. Convinces your reader that your proposed research will make a significant and
substantial contribution to the literature, like filing any lacunae and gaps or making a
theoretical intervention or providing new insights and material.

Most students' literature reviews suffer from the following problems:

 Lacking organization and structure
 Lacking focus, unity and coherence
 Being repetitive and verbose
 Failing to cite influential papers
 Failing to keep up with recent developments
 Failing to critically evaluate cited papers
 Citing irrelevant or trivial references
 Depending too much on secondary sources
Your scholarship and research competence will be questioned if any of the above
applies to your proposal.

There are different ways to organize your literature review. You can deal
simultaneously with many works or pick up one-two critical ones and analyse each in
some detail. What is important is that it should be coherent. It is also helpful to keep in
mind that you are telling a story to an audience. Try to tell it in a stimulating and
engaging manner. Do not bore them, because it may lead to rejection of your worthy
project.

5. Methodology:
In this section you will describe and tell Professor what you plan to do, why you plan to
do it, and how you are going to go about doing it. Be sure to include all the details of
your methods of research and demonstrate how the methods relate to your research
question. Tell the readers clearly all the combined methodologies/sources that you will
be using: census, ethnographic surveys, official reports, interviews, oral histories,
memories, popular literature. You need to demonstrate your knowledge of various
sources, innovative methodologies and a readiness to push beyond boundaries. You

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also have to make a case that your approach is the most appropriate and most valid way
to address your research question. You need to also state how you will go about your
data collection and how you will analyze it. It is also a good idea to give a timeline if
possible, i.e. how much time will be involved in collection of secondary material, on
field work, when can the first draft be expected etc.

This section should also provide your work plan and describe the activities necessary
for the completion of your project. The guiding principle for writing the methodology
section is that it should contain sufficient information for the reader to determine
whether it is sound. Some even argue that a good proposal should contain sufficient
details for another qualified researcher to implement the study.

6. Broad Chapterization and Outline of Research:

This section should include tentative chapters, and what you propose in each of them. It
should state the distinct characteristic and flavor of each chapter, which seamlessly
come together to make a cohesive whole.

7. Broad Hypothesis, Conclusion, Relevance, Significance of Study:

Obviously, you are posing your research question in the proposal and not its answer.
Still, if you have any broad hunches, if you feel that the research will fill up a major
lacuna, you need to state it. Also argue your case strongly and try to convince the
reader of the potential impact of your proposed research. You need to communicate a
sense of enthusiasm and confidence without exaggerating the merits of your project.
That is why you also need to mention the limitations and weaknesses of the proposed
research, which may be justified by time and financial constraints as well as by the
early developmental stage of your research area.

8. Bibliography:
Make a list of your source materials, making sure to properly format them in whatever
academic style is required. It can be broken down into primary sources, like archival

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material, private papers, interviews, printed documents, newspapers and magazines etc
and a list of secondary material.

Common Mistakes in Report Writing:

1. Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question.
2. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.
3. Failure to cite landmark studies.
4. Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions by other
researchers.
5. Failure to stay focused on the research question.
6. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed
research.
7. Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues.
8. Too much rambling -- going ‘all over the map’ without a clear sense of
direction.
9. Too many citation lapses and incorrect references.
10. Too long or too short.
11. Sloppy writing.

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