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How to write a good postgraduate research proposal

General Rules

Contents:

 Be clear, objective and realistic in your objectives

 Ask yourself why this research is important

 State and justify your objectives clearly

 Make sure you answer the questions: how will the research benefit the wider society

or contribute to the research community?

Styles:

 Provide a ‘catchy’ title

 Structure your text

 Present the information in short paragraphs rather than a solid block of text

 Write short sentences

 If allowed, provide images/charts/diagrams which may help break up the text

Structure for a Research Proposal

1. Title

2. Abstract (summary of the proposed researched 100-200 words)

3. Introduction (background information/brief summary of existing literature)

4. Hypothesis and main objectives

5. Methodology, research design, participants, procedure, material, analysis

6. Summary and conclusion

7. References

8. Appendices

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Writing the Proposal

Important Components

Title:

Well-presented and clearly written proposals are more likely to stick in people’s mind. Avoid

long and convoluted titles. You will get an opportunity to give more detail in your

introduction

Plagiarism:

Make sure that you acknowledge the authors of ALL publications you use to write your

proposal. Failure to do so will be considered as plagiarism. Do not copy word to word what

an author has said. It is best to analyse and re-write all borrowed information in your own

words. If you absolutely have to quote an author, and then make sure that you use quotations

marks.

Abstract:

An abstract is a brief summary written in the same style as the rest of our proposal. It will

provide your reader with the main points and conclusions of your proposal.

Introduction and Literature Review:

A well-written introduction is the most efficient way to ‘hook’ your reader and set the context

of your proposed research. Get the reader’s attention early on and do no waste space with

obvious and general statements. The introduction is your opportunity to demonstrate that

your research has not been done before and that the proposed project will really add

something new to the existing body of literature. Your proposal does not have to

extraordinary, but it has to be based on sound hypotheses and reasoning.

You will have to provide background information in the form of a literature review which

helps you set the context for your research, to help the reader understand the questions and

objectives. You will also be expected to show that you have a good knowledge of the body of

literature, the wider context in which your research belongs and that you have awareness of

methodologies, theories and conflicting evidence in your chosen field.

Choose key research papers or public documents and explain clearly how your research will

either fill a gap, complete or follow on from previous research even if it is a relatively new

field.

Methodology:

The methodology identifies the data collection and analytical techniques that you intend to

use. You should propose a quantitative study.

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For quantitative studies, the method section typically consists of the following sections:

 Study design -Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment? What kind of

design do you choose (descriptive, cross-sectional, case-control)?

 Selection of research location

 Subjects or participants – Who will take part in your study? What kind of sampling

method / procedure do you use? You will need to decide on the inclusion and

exclusion criteria

 Sample size – you need to calculate your sample size based on the type of study you

are conducting. There are several formulas for sample size calculation.

 Study instruments – What kind of measuring instruments or questionnaires do you

use? Why do you choose them? Are they valid and reliable?

 Data collection – How do you plan to carry out your study? What activities are

involved? How long does it take?

 Data analysis and interpretation – this includes plans for processing and coding data,

computer software to be used (eg Statistical Package for Social Sciences / SPSS, EPI-

INFO, etc), choice of statistical methods, significance levels etc.

 Ethical considerations – It is necessary to identify any ethical components especially

if you are using invasive procedures for human subjects. For instance:

o Consent forms (which state overall purpose and any risks or benefits of

participating).

o Potential risks that could be involved in any questioning (emotional distress,

dignity).

o Confidentiality of participants (anonymity).

o Feedback of results to participants.

Important Note:

o Make sure the research design or approach is appropriate for the stated

objectives

o Do not assume the reviewers are familiar with techniques to be used in your

study

o Provide a brief description of the study location, study design and flow of

activities

Summary and Conclusions:

Present an indication on how you envisage your research will contribute to debates and

discussions in your particular subject area. Will it make an original contribution? How might

it fill gaps in existing work or extend understanding of particular topics? Which are the

expected results? Summarize the research proposal’s main points.

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For more information, please see the links below:

http://www.studygs.net/proposal.htm

http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/writingAPA.pdf