chapter 2

Research proposal

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 Introduction

What is research proposal?

It is essentially a road map, showing
clearly the location from which a
journey begins, the destination to be
reached, and the method of getting
there.
 It is the detailed plan of study.
It is a document, which sets out your ideas
in an easily accessible way
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The objective in writing a proposal is to describe:

 what you will do,

 why it should be done,
 how you will do it and
 what you expect will result.
help you to complete your research in a
timely fashion.
A vague, weak or fuzzy proposal can lead to a
long, painful, and often unsuccessful research
writing exercise

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 cont.
 One's research is only as a good as one's
proposal
 once a proposal for a study has been
developed and approved, and the study has
started and progressed, it should be adhered
to strictly and should not be changed.
 Violationsof the proposal can discredit the
whole study.

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Components of a research proposal
The basic components of a research
proposal are the same in many fields.
However, how they are phrased and
staged may vary by discipline

Generally,the basic components of a

research proposal are:

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1. Title page
2. Summary/Abstract/optional
3. Introduction
4. Statement of the problem
5. Objective of the study
6. The research questions/ Hypotheses
7.Significance of the study
8. Delimitations and limitations
9. Literature review
10. Methods
 Type of research design
 Sample, population and participants
 Data collection instruments, variables, and materials
 Data analysis procedures
11. Work plan
Budget
Time line 6
Title page and Abstract

Although the title page & abstract appear as the

first section of a research proposal, they are the last
to be written

 The title page gives the essential information about

the proposal

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 Title page
Purpose: To provide a brief , informative
summary that will attract your target audience

The Title should:

Contains a few words
Describes the content of the paper
Describes the subject in limited space
Avoids abbreviations, formulas, and jargon

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Put your name, the name of your
department/faculty/college, the name of
your advisor(s) and date of delivery under
the title.

The title page has no page number and it is

not counted in any page numbering

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DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF WEB BASED MATERNAL
AND CHILD NUTRITION INFORMATION SYSTEM

A RESEARCH PROJECT REQUIRED FOR THE PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT FOR THE DEGREE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE(BSc.) IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

COLLEGE OF COMPUTING,
ETHIO TECHNICAL INISTITUTES

PREPARED BY:
…………………………………………
ADVISOR: ………………………………

OCTOBER, 2018

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

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 Abstract

 Purpose of abstract
To highlight key points from the major sections
of the topic under consideration
The abstract will be the first (and for busy
decision makers most likely the only) part of
your study that will be read
 The abstract is a brief summary of the area of
investigation and expected outcome.
 It is optional, some organizations demand an
abstract for a proposal others don’t.
 It Is short, and Stands on its own/ Complete in
itself
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Cont.
The abstract is a summary of the
basic information contained in all the
other sections of the proposal

Generally, abstracts are limited to

200 to 300 words, but the exact word
limit will be stated by the
publication, conference, or
organization requesting the abstract

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 Cont.
 Do not overload an abstract with unnecessary
information
 The abstract should tell the reader
 The problem to be studied
 The main objective of the study
 The major expected implications of the study
 When the study will be conducted
 Where the study will be conducted
 What methods will be used to conduct the study
 What resources are required for the study

13
 Cont.
1. Motivation or Statement of the Problem:
Why do we care about the problem?
What practical, theoretical, scientific gap is
your research filling?
2. Methods or Approach:
What did you actually do to get your
results?
3. Results or Product:
what did you learn, create, or invent?
4. Conclusions or Implications:
What are the larger suggestions of your findings,
especially for the problem or gap identified

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 Introduction

In developing introduction, consider the following guidelines:

 Create reader interest in the topic.
 Briefly discuss the historical developments of events
regarding the specific topic you are interested to study
 Begins with background information regarding the
problem under investigation.
 Lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads to
the study/research problem

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 Cont.
• Conceptual research Justify why you think
there is still a need to further study the topic
• Place the study within the larger context of
scholarly literature/including the deficiencies.
• The importance of the study for a specific
audience
• Purpose statement

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Research Problem

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What is a research problem?

All research is set in motion by the

existence of a problem
 The first major section in a research
proposal is the “statement of the problem”

 The problem identification and

explanation affect the quality, usefulness,
effectiveness, and efficiency of the
research, more than any other part of the
research plan.
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 Cont.
 A problem might be defined as the issue that exists
in the literature, theory, or practice that leads to a
need for the study.
 The prospective researcher should think on what
caused the need to do the research (problem
identification).
 The question that he/she should ask him/herself is:
Are there questions about this problem to which
answers have not been found up to the present?
 we have the problem only if we do not know what
course of action is best,
 and must be in doubt about the solution.
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Cont.
Difficulty which a researcher
experiences in the context of either a
theoretical or practical situation and
wants to obtain a solution for the
same.
“Problem clearly stated is half
solved”

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Why is it important to state & define the
problem?
Because a clear statement of the problem :
 Is the foundation for further development of
the research proposal (objectives, methodology,
work plan, budget, etc.)
Makes it easier to find information & reports
of similar studies from which your own study
design can benefit.
 Enables you to systematically point out why
the proposed research on the problem should
be undertaken & what you hope to achieve
with the study results.
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 

while selecting a research problem or a subject for research follow the following points:

i. Subject which is overdone should not be normally chosen

ii. Provocative subject should not become the choice of an
average researcher.
iii. Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.
iv. The subject selected for research should be familiar and
feasible so that the related research material or sources of
research are within one’s reach
v. The importance of the subject, the qualifications and the
training of a researcher, the costs involved, the time factor
must also be considered.

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Cont.
In other words, before the final selection of a
problem is done, a researcher must ask himself
the following questions:

a) Whether you are well equipped in terms

of your background to carry out the
research?
b) Whether the study falls within the
budget he can afford?
c) Whether the necessary cooperation can
be obtained from those who must
participate in research as subjects?

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Cont.
The selection of a problem must be
preceded by a preliminary study.

This may not be necessary when the problem

requires the conduct of a research closely
similar to one that has already been done

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Cont.

What information should be included

in the problem statement?
Nature of the problem
Major factors that may influence the
problem
Justification for the study

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Nature of the problem
 Description of the discrepancy between
what is & what should be.

 Description of the size, distribution &

severity of the problem
who is affected, where, since when & what
are the consequences for those affected.
For a descriptive study the different
components of the problem should be
elaborated.

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Factors influencing the problem
 An analysis of the major factors that
may influence the problem &
 A discussion of why certain factors need
more investigation if the problem is to be
fully understood.

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Justification for the study
A brief description of any solutions to the
problem that have been tried in the past

 How well they have worked, and

 Why is the problem important and further

research is needed.
 Convince others about the importance of
the problem

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 Identify specifically the deficiencies of other
studies (e.g. methodological flaws, variables
overlooked).

 Write about areas overlooked by past studies,

including topics, special statistical treatments,
significant implications, and so forth.

 Discus how a proposed study will remedy

these deficiencies and provide a unique
contribution to the scholarly literature

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Topic selection

 topic is chosen by the researcher and not be an

adviser or by other peoples
 Describe the topic in a few words or in a short
phrase
 a title should convey maximum information in
fewer words (not more than 12-15 words)
 Pose the topic as a brief question.
 What question needs to be answered in the
proposed study?
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 Cont.

 it should tell what the proposal is all about.

 it should be informative, specific and concise and is
relevant to the intended contents of the proposal.
 Unnecessary words or waste words that say nothing,
such as "A Study of ...," “Observation of ....”,
“Examination of....”, “A note on...”, “Investigation
on...”. etc. should always be avoided.
 It is usually be typed using all capital letters
 Abbreviations are not used in the title

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Criteria for selecting a research topic:

• Relevance /Significance
• Avoidance of duplication
• Urgency of data needed (timeliness)
• Feasibility of study
• Applicability of results
• Interest to the researcher
• Ethical acceptability

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 Formulation of
Research Objectives

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 Research objectives

 What is a research objective?

 It is a statement that clearly depicts the goal to be

achieved by a research project.

 In other words, the objectives of a research project

summarize what is to be achieved by the study
 Objectives should be closely related to the statement of
the problem

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 Why should research objectives be developed?
 The formulation of the objectives will help you to
 Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials)
 Avoid the collection of data which are not
necessary for
understanding & solving the problem
identified (to
establish the limits of the study)
 Organize the study in clearly defined parts or
stages
 Facilitate the development of research
methodology

 Orient the collection, analysis, interpretation & 35

 Research objectives
 Characteristics of good objectives:
 Logical & clear
 Feasible
 Realistic - considering local conditions
 Defined in operational terms that can be measured
 Phrased to clearly meet the purpose of the study
 SMART
 Specific/not vague
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Time bound 36
 How should objectives be
stated?
 Objectives should be stated using “action verbs” that are
specific enough to be measured

Example:
 To determine……., To compare……..
 To verify….., To calculate……
 To describe….., To assess……etc.
 To find out

 Avoid the use of vague non-action verbs such as;

 To appreciate…… To study
 To understand……, To believe…….
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 What formats can be used for stating
research objectives?
 Depends on the type of study that will be undertaken.

 If the study is descriptive or exploratory in nature,

objectives are stated in the form of questions or
positive sentences.
 Questions: “The objectives of this study are to answer
the following questions …”
 Positive sentence: “The objectives of this study are
to determine …”

 If the researcher knows enough to make predictions

concerning what he/she is studying, then hypotheses
may be proposed:

 Hypothesis: “The objective of this study is to verify

the following hypothesis...”.
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Types of research objectives
Commonly, research objectives are classified into
general objectives and specific objectives.

 They are logically connected to each other

General objectives: aim of the study in general
terms.
 What exactly will be studied?
◦ Is closely related to the statement of the problem
◦ Some times called purpose of the research
◦ Identifies in general terms what is to be
accomplished by the research and why.
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Title:

Prospects and challenges of using ICT for industrial

and urban waste management

General objective

 The general objective of the study is to assess

the practices and challenges of using ICT for
industrial and urban waste management

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Cont.
Specific objectives: measurable
statements on the specific questions to be
answered.
Unlike the general objectives, the specific
objectives are more specific and are
related to the research problem situation.

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Cont.
 They indicate the variable to be examined and measured.

 Identify in greater detail the specific aims of the

research project, often breaking down what is to be
accomplished into smaller logical components.
 Identify questions that the researcher wants to answer

 Systematically address the various aspects of the

problem as defined under ‘Statement of the Problem’ &
the key factors that are assumed to influence or cause
the problem.

 specify what to do in a study, where & for what

purpose

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cont
• Characteristics of the specific objective:
– It is unequivocal, in other words it is precise
and supports only one interpretation.
– It describes an observable behavior on the part
of the subject.
– It specifies, where appropriate, the special
conditions in which this behavior is manifested
and the criteria which will make it possible to
judge whether the objective has been attained.

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 Cont.
Specific objectives
 To assess the practices ICT for urban and
industrial waste management in AA town
 To identify the challenges of using ICT for urban
and industrial waste management in AA town
 To provide the necessary ICT solution that
support waste management
 To provide relevant recommendation that could
significantly contribute for enhancing waste
management for participants in AA
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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of the study answers questions like:

 Why is your study important?
 To whom is it important?
 What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?

The significance of the study should discuss the

importance of the proposed research and its relevance.
◦ The investigation might be relevant for theory,
practice and future research.
◦ The investigator should explain why it is important
for the study to be undertaken and indicate the
likelihood of its contribution to the advancement of
knowledge.
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Scope & Delimitation of the Study
• Scope of the study states a general outline or
coverage of the study.
• The scope of research is the areas covered in the
research.

– In this part, you will tell exactly what will be done

& where the information used in the study
specifically came from.

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 Cont.
• The scope identifies the boundaries of the study in term of
subjects, objectives, facilities, area, time frame, and the issues
to which the research is focused.

– Sample phrases that help express the scope of the study:

– The coverage of this study…OR,

– The study covers the ……
– The study consists of ……….OR,
– This study focus on……..

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Examples:

The scope identifies the boundaries of the study in term

of subjects, objectives, facilities, area, time frame, and
the issues to which the research is focused.

 The scope may be gathering information from

children between the ages of five years to 18 years.

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Delimitations of the study
 setting limits on the sample size,

 The work that will not be undertaken is described as the

delimitations of the research.
 The delimitation of the study describes :
 The extent of the geographic region from which data are
collected,
 The time frame for the study makes the study feasible for the
researcher, and such delimitations should be noted here.

 Delimitation is used to make the study better & more feasible

& not just for the interest of the researcher.

 delimitations are factors which the researcher controls

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 Cont.
Sample phrases that expressed the delimitations
of the study
The study does not cover the……
The researcher limited this research to……
This study is limited to………

Example:
Due to the large number of potential participants in the
study population, the population involved in the current
study focused only on members located within Debre Birhan
town

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Limitations of the Study
Limitations are factors
 usually beyond the researcher's control,
 that may affect the results of the study or
 how the results are interpreted.
 Stating limitations of the study may be very
useful for readers because
they provide a method to admit possible
errors or difficulties in interpreting
results of the study.

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Cont.
 In any case, limitations should not be considered
alibis or excuses;
they are simply factors or conditions that
help the reader get a truer sense of what the
study results mean.
Due to the small/unique sample available
for the study, results may not be
generalizable beyond the specific population
from which the sample was drawn.

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Cont.
 Although stating limitations of the study assists the
reader in understanding some of the inherent
problems encountered by the researcher, still the
research is indicating it incompleteness.

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END ! ! !

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