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Assignment I Question 1 Marking Guide

The purpose of a research proposal is to convince a department or funder to support a research project. It establishes that the proposed area of study is worthwhile and the research design is feasible. A proposal typically includes sections on the background, problem statement, objectives, literature review, methodology, and work plan. It allows the researcher to plan their study, identify potential issues, and determine if their ideas are practical. The proposal also communicates the researcher's ideas to supervisors and provides a basis for faculty approval or grant applications. Overall, a well-written proposal helps ensure a research study is properly planned, designed, and supported.

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79 views

Assignment I Question 1 Marking Guide

The purpose of a research proposal is to convince a department or funder to support a research project. It establishes that the proposed area of study is worthwhile and the research design is feasible. A proposal typically includes sections on the background, problem statement, objectives, literature review, methodology, and work plan. It allows the researcher to plan their study, identify potential issues, and determine if their ideas are practical. The proposal also communicates the researcher's ideas to supervisors and provides a basis for faculty approval or grant applications. Overall, a well-written proposal helps ensure a research study is properly planned, designed, and supported.

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Luke Kandiyawo
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

A research proposal is a document covering the area of study and that the research design is
feasible. A research proposal is a written scheme or framework or plan for a research project to
be undertaken. Usually the research proposal structure is;

 Research Title
 Background to the Study
 Problem Statement
 Purpose/Aim
 Significance of the Study
 Research Objectives; Research Questions and/or Hypotheses (Hypotheses are not
necessary for qualitative research)
 Assumptions of the Study
 Brief Review of Related Literature
 Research methodology and design
 Research methodology (quantitative research or qualitative research or mixed
methods research)
 Research design (data collection methods; data collection instruments/tools;
subjects-population and sample; sampling techniques; actual data collection and
fieldwork and data analysis procedures; fieldwork limitations; reliability and
validity or trustworthiness or both)
 Delimitations of the Study
 Overview/Organisation of Chapters
 Limitations of the Study
 Ethical Issues
 Plan of Work (schedule of research activities) e.g. Gantt chart.
 Budget (matching research activities to dollars, research personnel allowances, cost of
services, supplies/equipment, travel, conferences/group discussions etc.)
 Definition of Key Terms
 References and Bibliography. For bibliography include every source that is not
necessarily mentioned in the proposal.
The Figure below shows that a research proposal is mainly divided into three first parts of a
research project or dissertation namely, introduction, literature review and the research
methodology and design.

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Source: Dawson, 2015

After the research proposal has been approved, either all of it or most sections of the research
proposal will become part and parcel of the final thesis (Bryman, 2013). Most features such as
the headings and the data collection sections of the research proposal will be transferred to form
part of the research paper.

The purpose of research proposal


The purpose of research proposal is to give and convince your Department/lecturer about a basic
idea on your research paper or funder in order to entrust money for the project. The research
proposal is the document that finally establishes that there is a niche for your chosen area of
study and that the research design is feasible. But a proposal is not merely a mini research paper.
It should have a specific and narrow topic. The topic should be interesting and original.
 Research proposal suggests research problem and research questions (sub-problems) and
how they will be resolved and addressed in the main study.
 Research proposal suggests research methodology and design appropriate to the research
problem.
 Research proposal suggests availability of data and accessibility and confirms feasibility
of the study.
 Research proposal is a communication tool to present to others. To the researcher, the
proposal provides clear stages of the journey on the research process and how far the
researcher has gone to complete the study. The proposal gives an insight of the study to
the supervisor on what the student is curious on studying. It give a clear picture of the
study to the supervisor so that there can be an understanding of the topic, what will be in
the mind of the student and is to be researched.
 Research proposal helps to create a sound plan to follow when undertaking research. Pin
down exactly what it is you plan to do, what needs to be done, when, how and what
order. More specifically, planning includes information related to staffing, budgets,
timelines, deadlines, monitoring & evaluation, goals and measurements.
 Research proposal helps to know what prior research has been done, establish research
gap and to identify key texts/papers on the subject to get more ideas on the topic.

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 Research proposal helps to determine whether researcher’s ideas are practical/achievable
and if yes, he/she can select it.
 Research proposal helps identify potential problems and ethical issues to expect in the
research process.
 Research proposal is used when applying for faculty approval or grant support.
Generally, the research proposal passes through stages of ethical clearance and feasibility
checks within the faculty office.

Please note that the above purposes of the research proposal should be adequately
described citing examples where possible.

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