Chapter Three

Research Proposal And Guide To Prepare a

Proposal

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 1

 3.1What is a Research Proposal?
• Proposal means a course of, activity etc.
proposed
• a research proposal can be defined as a
written document requesting both
authorization and funds to undertake a
specific research project
• A research proposal is intended to convince
others that you have a worthwhile research
project and that you have the competence
and the work-plan to complete it
06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 2
• Regardless of your research area and
the methodology you choose, all
research proposals must address the
following questions:
What you plan to accomplish?
Why you want to do it and?
How you are going to do it ?

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 3

 3.2 Function of the research proposal
i. Proposal as a means of communication
ii. Research proposal as plan
iii. Proposal also functions as a contract
Benefits of the research proposal
Meet requirements of most funding sources
Planning instrument
Improved record-keeping
Enhanced credibility
Increased knowledge in the program area
Better program evaluation
Better financial management

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 4

 3.3 General Format and Elements of
Proposal
• Abstract
• Introduction (background and justification),
Objective of the study
• Literature review
• Material and methods (methodology)
• Work plan (time budget)
• Cost budget
• References
• Appendix

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 1.Title
• It should be concise and descriptive.
• For example, the phrase, "An investigation of . . ."
could be omitted.
• 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
• Try to get the title down to one line or two

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 6

 2. Abstract:
• Is summary, which reflects the whole content of
the proposal
• Title or topic of the research
• Belongs at the beginning of the proposal
• Includes at least one sentence on credibility
• Includes at least one sentence on problem
• Includes at least one sentence on objectives
• Includes at least one sentence on methods
• Includes total cost, funds already obtained,
amount requested in this proposal
• Should be brief
• Should be clear
•06/30/21
Should be interesting
Lecture notes W.t D. JU 7
 “Where shall I begin?” he asked.
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said,
“and, stop when you get to the end.”
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 8

 3.Introduction
• The main purpose of the introduction is to provide
the necessary background or context for your
research
The introduction generally covers the following
elements:
1. State the research problem, which is often referred
to as the purpose of the study.
2. Provide the context and set the stage for your
research question in such a way as to show its
necessity and importance.
3. Present the rationale of your proposed study and
clearly indicate why it is worth doing.

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 9

4. Briefly describe the major issues and sub-
problems to be addressed by your research.
5. Identify the key independent and
dependent variables of your experiment.
6. State your hypothesis or theory, if any.
7. Set the delimitation or boundaries of your
proposed research in order to provide a
clear focus.
8. Provide definitions of key concepts. (This is
optional.)

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 10

 That is,
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 worth studying?
• Why has the problem not been solved yet?
• What do we intend to fill the gap or solve the
problem?
If the researcher finds this section to be very vast he
can add (split this section) a section (heading)
called “rationale” and/or the problem statement.

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 11

“You should say what you mean,” the March Hare went
on.
“I do,” Alice hastily replied;
“at least-at least I mean what I say-that’s the same thing,
you know.”
“Not the same thing a bit!” sais the Hatter.
“Why, you might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is
the same thing as ‘I eat what I see!’ “
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 12

 4. The problem statement
• The reason behind the proposal
• Focus on the magnitude and the stage of the
problem to be addressed
• Describe activities of similar works that are already
in place or being planned
– Pointing the general agreements and
disagreements among earlier works.
– In some cases you might want to challenge
previously accepted ideas.
• You should carefully review the studies that have
led to the acceptance of those ideas and indicate
the factors that have not been previously
considered or the logical fallacies present in the
previous research I.e. analysis of unmet need.
• The justification (importance) of conducting the
project
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 Formulating the Problem Statement
• Why is it important to state and define the problem
well?
– Is the foundation for further development of the
research proposal (research objectives, methodology,
work plan, budget, etc.).
– Makes it easier to find information and 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 and what you hope to achieve with the
study results.

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 14

 What information should be included in the
statement of the problem?
A brief description of socio-economic and cultural
characteristics (Include a few illustrative statistics, if
available, to help describe the context in which the
problem occurs).
A concise description of the nature of the problem
(the discrepancy between what is and what should
be) and of the size, distribution and severity of the
problem (who is affected, where, since when, and
what are the consequences for those affected and for
the services).
An analysis of the major factors that may influence
the problem and a discussion of why certain factors
need more investigation if the problem is to be fully
understood.
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 What information ….

A brief description of any solutions to the problem

that have been tried in the past, how well they have
worked, and why further research is needed
(justification for your study).
A description of the type of information expected to
result from the project and how this information
will be used to help solve the problem.
If necessary, a short-list of definitions of crucial
concepts used in the statement of the problem.
• A list of abbreviations may be annexed to the
proposal, but each abbreviation also has to be
written out in full when introduced in the text for
the first time.

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 16

 How to write Statement of the Problem?

• The section should be precise and concise, while

not forgetting to mention essential points.

• Information concerning the problem should be

summarized, so the reader isn’t “drowned” in
detail.

• An outline listing the major points to be covered

could be prepared before any writing is done, so
the section will be logical and well organized.

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 • In every enterprise consider where you
would come out!

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 5.Research Objective

• What is Research Objective

– Research objective is a statement that clearly depicts
the goal to be achieved by a research project.

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 Formulation of a Research Objective
• The formulation of objectives will help you to:
– Focus the study (narrowing it down to
essentials);
– Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly
necessary for understanding and solving the
problem you have identified (to establish the
limits of the study); and
– Organize the study in clearly defined parts or
phases.
• Properly formulated, specific objectives will
facilitate the development of your research
methodology and will help to orient the collection,
analysis, interpretation and utilization of data.
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 Types of Research Objectives
• General objective:
– summarizes what is to be achieved by the study
– should be clearly related to the statement of the
problem.
• Specific objectives:
– logically connected parts of the general objective
– focus the study on the essentials
– direct the design of the investigation
– orient collection, analysis and interpretation of
the data
06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 21
 Checklist for objectives

• Describe problem-related outcomes of your program

• Does not describe your methods
• Defines the population served
• States the time when the objectives will be met
• Describes the objectives in numerical terms, if at all
possible

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 22

 6.Literature Review

• Sometimes the literature review is incorporated into

the introduction section.
• However, most professors prefer a separate section,
which allows a more thorough review of the literature
Objective of the literature review
• To establish a familiarity with a body of knowledge
and establishes credibility
• To show the path of prior research and how a current
project is linked to it
• To integrate and summarize what is known in the
area
• To learn from others and stimulate new ideas

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 23

 Types of reviewed literature can be
• Theoretical works and review
• Methodological review
• Original findings and reviews of them
Stages of review
1.At the beginning of the research: the
objective here is
• To check what other research has been
done
• To focus your idea, and
• To explore the context for your project
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 Stages….

2.During your research: with the objectives of

– keeping your interest and up to date with
development
– helping you better understand the method you
are using and the field you are researching
and,
– serving as a source of data
3.After your research, with the objectives of
• seeing what impact you own work has had, and
• helping you develop ideas for further research
project

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 25

 The literature review serves several important
functions:
1.Ensures that you are not "reinventing the wheel".
2. Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for your research.

3. Demonstrates your knowledge of the research problem.

4. Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical and research issuesrelated to
your research question.

5. Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant literature information.

6. Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the existing literature
.
7. Provides new theoretical insights or develops a new model as the
conceptual framework for your research.
8. Convinces your reader that your proposed 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).

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 26

 Most students' literature reviews suffer from the
following problems:

• Lacking organization and structure

• Lacking focus, unity and coherence
• Being repetitive and verbose
• Failing to cite influential papers
• Failing to keep up with recent developments
• Failing to critically evaluate cited papers
• Citing irrelevant or trivial references
• Depending too much on secondary sources
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 7. Material and Methods (Methodology) or Data
and Methodology
7.1. Data (some authors prefer Materials)
• information required to attack the problem is
explained.
• Each variable or indicator identified by a
researcher is explained and justified to show
how it is relevant to the current study.
• The source of the data, the site (location) of
the study and time that will be included
(relevant time period) should also be
specified

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 7.2.Methods (Methodology)

Method of data collection

• How the data are obtained from earlier
specified sources?
• The researcher explains and justifies how
his selection of a particular method is
relevant and appropriate to his study.

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 Method of sampling
• From which elements are the data collected?
• different sampling techniques. The researcher is
expected to consider all of them and select the one,
which is appropriate for the current study.
• Justification of his choice of a particular sampling
technique is relevant here.
• The sample size should also be specified with its
method of sample size determination.

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 Method of analysis:
• Once the information is collected how it
will be processed and analyzed should
also be explained in this part.
• Particularly if the researcher uses
mathematical models like simple or
multiple regression, time series or liner
programming models, he has to show
their mathematical derivations and
relations briefly to demonstrate their
relevancy for the current study.

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 31

 Method of presenting the outcome

• Some times it is worth to mention how

the out come of the research will be
presented to consumers (general
public).
• This is important if the research is not
a part of a particular study program
(like, master or doctoral study).

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 8.Ethical Issues
• Voluntary participation
• Informed consent is required for all phases of
research except review of medical records.
• No harm to participants
• Concerns that revealing information that would
embarrass respondents or endanger their home-life,
friendships, jobs and so forth
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Individual identifying information should be avoided
or names and address may be replaced by
identifying number
• All results are reported in aggregate
• Ethical clearance from the concerned bodies
• Honesty in all components of the work is
mandatory
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 9.Work plan
• Work plan summarizes (in a table, chart,
graph) the various components of a research
project and how they fit together.
• Includes:
– Tasks to be performed
– When the task will be performed
– Who will perform the task (identify human
resource needed for each task)
– Number of staff needed to perform the task
– Time needed to accomplish the task
(person-day)

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 10.Cost budget

• Clearly identify the resource requirements

• Be realistic in costing/budgeting
• The work plan is a good starting point for
preparing budget- budget for activities
• Prepare budget justification
• Include 5-10% contingency
• Identify funding source & prepare budget
according to the required format

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 11.Appendix (Annex)

• It is not mandatory to have this section

Stuffs to be included in appendix
• Detail Questionnaires and interview
schedules
• Detailed experimental design (in
experimental research)
• Detailed statistical procedures
• Samples of research materials (chemical
and some biological materials)
• Survey and other geographic maps

06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 36

 Your Proposal
• Simple and clear
• Good statement of the problem: why do you
want to study?
• Pertinent literature review
• Few objectives
• Clear and detailed methodological
description
• Good work plan
• Reasonable budget
06/30/21 Lecture notes W.t D. JU 37
 Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing
1. Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question.
2. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.
3. Failure to cite landmark studies.
4. Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions
by other researchers.
5. Failure to stay focused on the research question.
6. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed
research.
7. Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues.
8. Too much rambling -- going "all over the map" without a clear sense of
direction. (The best proposals move forward with ease and grace like a
seamless river.)
9. Too many citation lapses and incorrect references.
10. Too long or too short.
11. Sloppy writing.

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 Assignment

• Discuss different systems of citation

• Support each cases with relevant examples

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