The Family Physician 2005; Volume 13, Number 3

Research Notes

HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Sherina Mohd Sidik MMed (Fam Med), Department of Community Health, University Putra Malaysia

Sherina MS. How to write a research proposal? The Family Physician 2005;13(3):30-32

A research proposal is intended to convince others Title

that you have a worthwhile research project and that The title of a research proposal should be concise and
you have the competence and the work-plan to descriptive. Try to think of an informative but catchy
complete it. Generally, a research proposal should title. An effective title not only pricks the reader's
contain all the key elements involved in the research interest, but also predisposes him/her favourably
process and include sufficient information for the towards the proposal.
readers to evaluate the proposed study.
Regardless of your research area and the Introduction
methodology you choose, all research proposals must The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the
address the following questions: What you plan to necessary background or context for the research
accomplish, why you want to do it and how you are problem. How to frame the research problem is
going to do it. perhaps the biggest problem in proposal writing.
The introduction typically begins with a general
Why a good preparation is needed? statement of the problem area, with a focus on a
A good preparation for a research proposal is specific research problem, to be followed by the
necessary as: rational or justification for the proposed study. The
o this is vital for grant application in a competitive introduction generally covers the following elements:
environment. Funding is very competitive. o State the research problem, which is often referred to
o it assists the researcher in project formulation, as the purpose of the study.
planning, performance and monitoring of the o Provide the objectives of the study. The objectives
identified should be general as well as specific.
research.
o Identify the rationale of the proposed study and clearly
o the quality of the proposal contributes to the indicate why it is worth doing.
evaluation outcome o Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to
o a poorly prepared proposal may not be be addressed by the research.
considered at all or cannot be considered fairly. o Identify the key independent and dependent variables
of the study.
Reminder: o State the hypothesis of the study, if any.
Before writing up a research proposal, it is essential to: o Be aware of the limitations or boundaries of the
ƒ identify the sponsors for the research proposed research in order to provide a clear focus.
ƒ read and understand application guidelines from sponsors /
clients, e.g., Universities, Ministry of Health Objectives of the study
o Should be stated clearly
o Be clear and concise
Components of a research proposal o Must be measurable and feasible
o Title
o Introduction Literature Review
o Literature review The aim of the literature review is to provide adequate
o Methodology background information on the research being
o Plan - time frame and schedule of activities proposed, especially on:
(Gantt chart) o the prevalence or incidence of disease or health
o Budget problem
o Details of research team (signed CV) o the current status of selected research topic
It should be brief, and indicate relevant related
______________________________________________________
research that had or is being conducted (references
Address for correspondence: Dr Sherina Mohd Sidik, Department should be included). The review committee is normally
of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, aware of the various projects going on.
Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor
Email: [email protected]

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The Family Physician 2005; Volume 13, Number 3

The literature review serves several important invasive procedures for human subjects, or animal
functions: use.
o Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork
for the proposed research. Important reminders:
o Make sure the research design or approach is appropriate
o Demonstrates your knowledge of the research
for the stated objectives
problem. o Do not assume the reviewers are familiar with techniques to
o Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical be used in your study
and research issues related to your research question. o Provide a brief description of the study location, study
o Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant design and flow of activities
literature information.
o Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the
existing literature. Plan
o Provides new theoretical insights or develops a new Planning for the research proposal should include the
model as the conceptual framework for your research. time frame and activity schedule for the proposed
o Convinces your reader that your proposed research research.
will make a significant and substantial contribution to
the literature (i.e., resolving an important theoretical
issue or filling a major gap in the literature).
The time frame should include time for:
o purchasing and obtaining relevant consumables and
facilities needed to conduct the study
Methodology o conduct of study
The Methodology section is very important because it o analysis of data
tells your Research Committee how you plan to tackle o writing up of project report
your research problem. It will provide your work plan
and describe the activities necessary for the The time needed for publication need not be included
completion of your project. here.

For quantitative studies, the method section typically The activity schedule is essential for effective
consists of the following sections: monitoring of project. It should list the time frame for
o Study design -Is it a questionnaire study or a major activities, and include milestones. A most
laboratory experiment? What kind of design do you effective way of plotting the activity schedule is by
choose (descriptive, cross-sectional, case-control)?
using the Gantt Chart. (see example below)
o Selection of research location
o Subjects or participants - Who will take part in your
study? What kind of sampling method / procedure do Year 2004
you use? You will need to decide on the inclusion and Project (Activities) J F M A M J J A S O N D
exclusion criteria 1.Planning of research
o Sample size – you need to calculate your sample size 2. Literature search
based on the type of study you are conducting. There 3. Development of
questionnaire
are several formulas for sample size calculation.
4. Pre-testing
o Study instruments - What kind of measuring
5. Training of researchers and
instruments or questionnaires do you use? Why do research assistants
you choose them? Are they valid and reliable? 6. Data collection
o Data collection - How do you plan to carry out your 7. Data entry and analysis
study? What activities are involved? How long does it 8. Report writing and
take? presentation
o Data analysis and interpretation – this includes plans
for processing and coding data, computer software to Budget
be used (eg Statistical Package for Social Sciences / It is essential to request for an adequate budget for
SPSS, EPI-INFO, etc), choice of statistical methods,
the study you are planning to conduct:
confidence levels, significance levels etc. It is also
o Provide a total and yearly breakdown of the budget
convenient to provide dummy tables for the data you
needed
plan to analyse from your study.
o Follow the guidelines provided by the sponsors where
o Ethical considerations – It is necessary to submit your
you plan on obtaining the grant from
research proposal to the Ethical Committee where you
o Give appropriate estimates of costs depending on the
work and also where you plan to conduct your
different areas, eg: travel and transportation,
research. Depending where you are working and the
consumables, salaries, services, rentals, equipment,
type of research you are planning to conduct, you are
utilities, repairs, etc.
required to submit the Ethical Committee Application
o Provide adequate justification, especially for costly
Approval Form, together with the research proposal,
items
patient information sheet, patient consent form, etc.
Special ethical considerations are required if there are

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The Family Physician 2005; Volume 13, Number 3

Example of a budget plan Finally, keep in mind the common errors in

proposal writing:
Project expenses
o Objectives too broad or too ambitious
Expense Categories and Items Details Year RM o Objectives do not reflect title of the study or statement
1. Temporary and contract personnel of problem
Justification: Salary: o No literature review or relevant references
o Inadequate information on methodology
2. Travel and transportation o Inappropriate time-frame and schedule of activities –
Justification: too ambitious
o No justification for Budget – asking for too much or too
3. Rentals (J 600)
Justification: little

4. Research materials and supplies Please note: that all the above recommendations are
Justification: only suggestions. They do not guarantee a successful
5. Minor modifications and repairs research application. They may however, help you
Justification: prepare a carefully conceptualized and
comprehensive proposal. This may not only be
6. Special services (J 900)
Justification:
important to the members of the reviewer board who
have to decide on your application, but also to
7. Special equipment and accessories yourself, by giving yourself a clear structure of your
Justification: own work, a rough map of where you are going and a
Total expenses time table in which to accomplish your research
successfully.

Research team: References:

o Identify all expertise required for your research 1. World Health Organization. Health Research Methodology: A
o Include the curriculum vitaes (CVs) of all key Guide for Training in Research Methods (2nd Edition), 2001.
researchers 2. Wong TP. How to write a research proposal. International
Network on Personal Meaning – Promoting Health, Spirituality
o Obtain agreement of participation by team members in and Peace through meaning. Featured article, May 8, 2002.
writing http://www.meaning.ca/articles/print/writing_research_propos
o Ensure adequate expertise and spell out al_may02.htm
responsibilities of each of the researchers 3. Olk HR. How to write a research proposal. DAAD Information
Centre Acra. German Academic Exchange Service ©.
November 2003. http://ic.daad.de/accra
4. Bolton Institute, University of Bolton. How to write a
dissertation – Writing a research proposal.
http://basil.acs.bolton.ac.uk/~wh2/PROPOSAL.HTML

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