Chapter Five

The Research Proposal

3.1. Meaning and Purpose of Research proposal?
 A research proposal is a written document requesting
both authorization and funds to undertake a specific
research project.
 It always includes a statement explaining the purpose of
the study or a definition of the problem.
 It systematically outlines the particular research
methodology and details the process that will be utilized
at each stage of the research process
3.2. Functions of the Research Proposal
 Research proposal may function at least in three ways, namely,
as a means of communication, as a plan and as a contract.
1. Proposal as a means of communication serves to communicate
research plan to those who give consultations and/or disburse fund.

2. Research proposal as a plan helps the researcher to organize his idea

in a systematic manner and to look for strengths and flaws. A successful
proposal sets out the plan in step by step detail.
3. Proposal also functions as a contract. A Completed proposal approved
for execution and signed by all members of the sponsoring committee,
constitute a bond of agreement between the researcher and that committee.
3.3. The Purpose of Proposals
 The general purpose for writing a proposal includes:
1. To present the problem that will be researched and show
its importance
2. To discuss the research efforts of others who have worked
on related problems
3. To identify the data that are necessary for solving the
problem and how these data will be gathered, treated, and
interpreted.
3.4. Why Research Proposal Fails?
 The research proposal may fail by sponsoring institutions or advisor because of the
following reasons:
• Aim and objectives of the research proposal are unclear
• There is a mismatch between the approach being adopted and the issues
to be addressed
• The overall plan is too ambitious and difficult to achieve in the time table
• The researcher does not seem to have conducted enough in-depth
background research
• Problem is of insufficient importance
• Information about data collection is insufficiently detailed
• Information about the data analysis method is insufficiently detailed
• Time scale is inappropriate or unrealistic
• Resources and budget have not been carefully thought out
• If the topic selected has been done too many times before
3.5. General Format and Elements of Proposal
 Cover Page 3. Research Methodology
 Declaration 3.1 Research Design
 Certification
3.2. Research approaches
 Table of Contents
3.3. Population and sample
 Abbreviations and Acronyms
 Abstract (Optional)
3.3.1. Target population
I. Introduction 3.3.2. Sample size
1. Background of the study 3.3.3. Sampling Techniques
2 Statement of the problem 3.4. Data collection Methods
3. Objective of the study 3.4.1. Data sources
3.1. General objective 3.4.2. Data collection Tools
3.2. Specific Objectives
3.4.3. Data collection procedure
4 . Research Questions/Hypothesis
3.5. Data Analysis Methods
5. Significance of the Study
6. Scope (delimitation) of the study
3.6 Data Quality Assurance
II. Literature review 3.7. Ethical Issues
2.1 Theoretical Review VI. Work plan
2.2 Empirical Review 4.1 Time budget
2.3 Conceptual framework 4.2. Cost Budget
V. References
 Elements of Proposal…
❖Cover Page
Cover page contains introductory information for the proposal:
 the names of the proposed project or title of the research, the author of
the proposal or principal investigator and the institution which funds the
research, and date. Some funding agencies have standardized cover page
that may contain additional information.
❖ Title
The title is one of the most important parts of a proposal. It will immediately
attract or lose the interest of any potential donor.
 The title should be as explicit as possible and transparent
 It should be clear and short.
 It should capture and reflect the content of the proposal. It should
enable the readers to understand the concepts of the study
❖Table of Contents
 All of the headings and entries in the Table of Contents
should correspond exactly in wording, font and case with
the headings or entries as they appear in the text of the
proposal.

 Subdivisions of headings should not exceed four levels.

 You may use the built-in style of Microsoft Word or other

word processing program to create the Table of Contents
❖ List of Tables (if any)
➢ The list of tables illustrates how the list is prepared in the
dissertation or thesis research proposal.
➢ It should be noted that a list of tables rarely occurs in a
research proposal.
❖ List of Figures
➢ The list of figures comes next to the List of Tables.
➢ However, if there isn’t any List of Tables, it comes
immediately after the ‘Table of Contents’ page.
➢ This should contain information on the various figures
on the text of the proposal.
❖Abbreviations and Acronyms
▪ The Abbreviations and Acronyms must be presented in
alphabetical order,
▪ It lists the items first written in the abbreviation or
acronym followed by the full name.
▪ In the narrative, each abbreviation other than S.I. units
and each acronym should be defined in full when it is first
used and then followed by its abbreviation or acronym in
parentheses.
▪ Standard units and internationally known abbreviations
do not need to be listed.
▪ Abbreviations and symbols such as, i.e. and etc. should
not be italicized.
❖Abstract (Optional in Proposal)
➢ It is summary, which reflects the whole content of the proposal (most of
the time less than 300 words).
➢ Abstract should be concise (to the point), informative and should
provide brief information about the whole problem to be investigated.
➢ The abstract of a proposal should contain the following points
• Purpose of the study
• Methods of investigation
• Key facts that demonstrate the need for the study, outline
specific activities that will be undertaken
• Key elements that you believe make your proposal
extraordinary
• Amount you are requesting from the particular funding source,
and the total cost of the program
• Expected result (tentative only if a researcher starts with a
formulated hypothesis)
❖ Background of the Study
• This section in research proposal should give the general
background of the study and the need for undertaking the
study.
• It reviews the previous works to reveal what is known of
the subject.
• Some question to be addressed in this part may include:
➢ What are current and previous studies that have
been made on the issues to be studied?
➢ What is the present gap in knowledge and current trend?
➢ What makes the topic worth studying?
➢ Why has the problem not been solved yet?
➢ How do we intend to fill the gap or solve the problem
❖ Statement of the problems
• A problem statement is the description of an issue
currently existing which needs to be addressed.
• It provides the context for the research study and
generates the questions which the research aims to
answer.
• is the focal point of any research
• is a move that a document makes to help the reader
realize why that document is important.
• A good problem statement is just one sentence with
several paragraphs for elaboration.
• The paragraph could cover preset persuasive arguments
that make the problem more important enough to study.
❖ Objectives of the Study
 in this section, the proposal
➢ indicates what is expected to occur and why,
➢ suggests the variables with their relationships, or
➢ provide an explanation for a phenomenon that has been observed,
which strengthens the proposal and research agenda.
 Generally this section should focus on the points listed below:
➢ What is to be achieved by the proposed investigation has to be stated
plainly and concisely
➢ Should be to the point and logically arranged
➢ Should be stated in a form which shows the relations between
variables
➢ Must clearly state the target of the research activity, i.e. what kind of
results are expected or sought from conducting the research
❖ Setting Investigative Questions

➢ Based on the objectives of the research, there comes the

next level, i.e., investigative questions
➢ These sub-questions are set up for each of specific
research objectives.
➢ These questions guide the details of the research effort,
including the development of concepts, operational
definitions and measurement devices.
➢ There may be several sub levels of investigative questions,
each being progressively narrower in scope and more
specific.
❖ Hypotheses
• The hypotheses are tentative propositions relating to
investigative questions.

• A hypothesis is simply an educated and testable guess about

the answer to your research question.

• Hypotheses are derived from the observations and

relationships accepted as facts

• A hypothesis is a statement of what you think is true based on

available evidence. Your research will then set out to support
or reject the validity of this hypothesis.
Hypothesis
➢ A well stated hypothesis has four requirements
1. It must provide a reasonable explanation for the
event that has occurred or will occur
2. It must be consistent with prior research or
hypothesis
3. It must be stated clearly and concisely
4. It must be testable via the collection and analysis of
data
Research Question Hypothesis
Is not tested Can be testable
Relationship between Relationship between
variables in problem variables in hypotheses
statements
Is A related to B? If A, then B.
How are A and B related to If A & B then C.
C?

How is A related to B If A, then B under

under conditions C and conditions C and D.
D?
Examples: Research Question and Hypothesis
1. RQ: How do worker’s feelings relate to productivity?
• H1: Happier workers are more productive than unhappy
workers.
• Ho: Happier workers are not more productive than
unhappy workers.
2. RQ: what is the effect of increasing the happiness of
workers on their productivity?
• H1: Increasing the happiness of workers does not
increase productivity.
• Ho: Increasing the happiness of workers increases
productivity
❖ Significance of the study
 Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or extend existing
knowledge in the area under investigation.
 Note that such refinements, revisions, or extensions may have
substantive, theoretical, or methodological significance.
 When thinking about the significance of your study, ask yourself the
following questions.
➢ What will results mean to the theoretical framework that is used
for the study?
➢ What suggestions for subsequent research arise from the
findings?
➢ Will results influence programs, methods, and/or interventions?
➢ What will be improved or changed as a result of the proposed
research?
➢ How will results of the study be implemented, and what innovations
will come about?
❖ Delimitation/ Scope of the Study
➢ This means demarcation of the scope and
dimensions of the study.
➢ A beginner is especially over-ambitious. .
➢ For example, a student may say that he wants to study
the problem of unemployment in his Region for his
Master thesis.
o But this study maybe difficult for her/him to complete
within a period of time specified (such as one year or less)
and limited budget.
o The problem is complex and it is related to various categories
of occupational groups.
❖ Operational Definition of Terms
➢ provide clear operational definitions of the variables
and concepts involved in the title, objectives,
investigative questions and hypotheses.

➢ Give attention to the variables and the measurements.

❖ Literature Review
 Literature review examines recent (or historically
significant) research studies, company data, or industry
reports that act as a basis for the proposed study
 Essential preliminary task in order to acquaint your self
with the available body of knowledge in your area of
interest.
 The review describes theoretical perspectives and
previous research findings regarding the problem at
hand.
❖Literature …
 It is desirable to examine both theoretical, empirical
and conceptual literatures.
 Theoretical is general description (concepts, components-
--) of issues under study
 Empirical literature is that which contains studies made
earlier and so it consists of many facts and figures observed
in the earlier studies.
 The conceptual literature is one which deals with
variables considered under the study.
Literature…

❖ Reasons for Reviewing Literature

 Conducting a literature review is a means of
demonstrating an author’s knowledge about a
particular field of study, including vocabulary,
theories, key variables and phenomena, and its
methods and history.
 Conducting a literature review also informs the student
of the influential researchers and research groups
in the field.
Benefits of literature review
❖ In addition to helping you pin down your own research
problem , literature review has the following benefits
1. It can offer new idea, perspective, and approaches that
may not have occurred to you
2. It can inform you about other researchers who conduct
work in this area- individuals whom you may wish to
contact for advice or feedback
3. It can show you how others have handled
methodological and design issues in studies similar to
you
4. It can reveal sources of idea that you may not have
known existed
❖ Research Design and Methodology
• The methodologies are the core and the largest part of the
scientific research proposal.

• This section is an essential prerequisite for validating the

results and hence acceptability of the proposal.

• Methodology should give full details to show how the research

activity is going to be carried out.
Contents of Methodology
 Research Design
 Data source and Collection Tools
 Population and Sample
 Data Analysis
 Data Quality Assurance
 Ethical Issues
Time Table
 A time table explains how the researcher expects to carry out
his project and when each of the important phases will be
completed is helpful to both the researcher and the reviewer.
 It is a plan in terms of number of weeks or months and
expected completion dates.
 Commonly Gantt chart or table form can be used.
 The length of time required for postgraduate study (doctoral
study) is determined by the budget of the time presented by
students. Thus researcher should be realistic in budgeting
his/her time.
11. Cost budget
 Most proposals are put together with the
expectation what funding will be necessary and
an itemized list of the costs needed to carry out
the study is listed in some detail.
❖ References/Bibliography
➢ All works cited in the proposal are listed either
alphabetically or numerically at the end of the
document.
➢ Some conservative authors would like to make
distinction between references and bibliography as
mentioned below:
➢ References: are lists of literature, which have been cited in
the text of a document

➢ Bibliography: includes also items, which were not cited

but are relevant to the document
End of Chapter