Research Methods and Presentation

(ECEG-4341)

Chapter Three
Research Proposal
 is a detailed plan that the researcher intends to

follow and which will give an evaluator a clear idea

of what the researcher plans to do and how he or
she intends to complete the research.
 It contains a description of the research topic and

the literature survey, motivation for the research, a

statement of the problem, a hypothesis, the
research methodology to be used, clarification of
terms, and the sources consulted to demarcate the
research problem.
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Written Research Proposal
 forces the students to clarify their thoughts and to think
about all aspects of the study;
 is a necessary guide if a team is working on the research;
 is essential if the study involves research on human
subjects or on experimental animals, in order to get the
institution’s ethical approval;
 is an essential component submitted for funding

 Once a proposal for a study has been developed and

approved, and the study has started and progressed, it should
be adhered to strictly and should not be changed.
 Violations of the proposal can discredit the whole study!!

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3.1 Identifying a Research Topic
 Defining the problem is the first step and one of the
most difficult in research undertaking.
 Criteria for selecting a research topic:
 Relevance/Significance
 Avoidance of duplication
 Urgency of data needed (timeliness)
 Feasibility of study
 Applicability of results
 Interest to the researcher
 Ethical acceptability

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Issues to Remember
Know your area of expertise
What are your strengths and what are your
weaknesses?

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3.2 Components of a Research
Proposal
The basic components of a research proposal are the same
in many fields. However, how they are phrased and staged
may vary from discipline to discipline.
Basic Components of a research proposal:

1. Title page o Eligibility Criteria (if any)

2. Summary/Abstract o Sample size
3. Introduction/Background o Sampling methods
4. Statement of the problem o Method of data
5. Literature review collection
6. Hypotheses /Questions o Description of variables
7. Conceptual framework o Data quality assurance
8. Objective/Aim of the study o Operational definitions
9. Research methods, o Plan of data analysis
materials and procedures 10. Work plan
o Study area 11. Budget
o Study design 12. References
13.may
o Study subjects Some components Appendices/Annexes
be 6
3.2.1 Title Page
 should state your topic exactly in the smallest
possible number of words.
 A good title is defined as the fewest possible words
that adequately describe the contents of the study.
 Title is a label: it is not a sentence.
 Titles should almost never contain abbreviations.
 The title page has no page number and it is not
counted in any page numbering.
 Put your name, name of your department /institute/
university, the name of your advisor(s) and date of
delivery under the title
 First impressions are strong impressions: make
your title an attention grabber.

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cont’…

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3.2.2 Summary/Abstract
The abstract is a one page brief summary of the research
proposal.
It is a concise summary of the material presented in the proposal.
it needs to show how your work fits into what is already known

about the topic & what new contribution your work will make.
Specify the question that your research will answer, establish

why it is a significant question; show how you are going to

answer the question.
Do not put information in the abstract that is not in the main

text of your research proposal.

Do not put references, figures, or tables in the abstract.
Though it appears at the front of the proposal, it is written

last.

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 3.2.3 Introduction/Background
The introduction should address the following points:
Sufficient background information to allow the reader to
understand the context and significance of the question you are
trying to address
Proper acknowledgement of the previous work on which you are
building.
Sufficient references such that a reader could, by going to the
library, achieve a sophisticated understanding of the context and
significance of the question.
The introduction should be focused on the research question(s).
All cited work should be directly relevant to the goals of the
research.
Explain the scope of your work, what will and will not be included.
A verbal “road map” or verbal “table of contents” guiding the
reader to what lies ahead.
Is it obvious where introductory material (“old stuff”) ends and
your planned contribution ("new stuff") begins?
Basically, you have to convince people that you know what
you’re talking about and that the research is important.
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3.2.4 Statement of the Problem
Research may be considered as responses to a

problem.
The prospective researcher should think on what

caused the need to do the research (problem

identification).
Statement of the problem encapsulates the question

you are trying to answer.

Effective problem statements answer the question

“Why does this research need to be conducted.”

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 3.2.5 Literature Review
The literature review asks how similar and related questions have been

answered before.
It is not a compilation of every work written about a topic.
It is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic.
It gives an overview of what has been said, who the key writers are,

what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being
asked, and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful.
As such, it is not in itself primary research, but rather it reports on other

findings Is Wikipedia an authoritative

scholarly source of information?

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 3.2.6 Conceptual Framework
A conceptual framework is a set of broad ideas and principles

taken from relevant fields of enquiry and used to structure a

subsequent presentation.
When clearly articulated, a conceptual framework has potential

usefulness as a tool to structure research and, therefore, to assist

a researcher to make meaning of subsequent findings.
Every research activity is conceptualized and will be carried out

within some contextual framework.

This contextual framework is in part conceptual, in part

valuational, and in part practical (or operational), and all of

these factors must typically be considered.

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3.2.7 Objective/Aim of Study
 An objective may be thought of as either a solution to a
problem or a step along the way toward achieving a
solution; an end state to be achieved in relation to the
problem.
 The objectives of a research project summarise what is
to be achieved by the study.
 Objectives should be closely related to the statement of
the problem.
 Objectives should be
 simple (not complex),
 specific (not vague),
 stated in advance (not after the research is done),
and
 stated using “action verbs” that are specific enough
to be measured 14
Cont’…Classified as General & Specific
They are logically connected to each other and the
specific objectives are commonly considered as smaller
portions of the general objectives.
General objective
What exactly will be studied?
General statements specifying the desired outcomes of the
proposed project
 Specific objectives
Specific statements summarizing the proposed activities 
including description of the outcomes and their assessment in
measurable terms.
It identifies in greater detail the specific aims of the research
project, often breaking down what is to be accomplished into
smaller logical components.
It should systematically address the various aspects of the
problem as defined under ‘Statement of the Problem’ and the
key factors that are assumed to influence or cause the problem. 15
Cont’...

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3.2.8 Methods, Materials &
Procedures
 Methods/procedures show how you will achieve the objectives,
answer the questions.
 You must decide exactly how you are going to achieve your
stated objectives.
What belongs in the "methods" section of a research
proposal?
 Information to allow the reader to assess the believability of your
approach.
 Information needed by another researcher to replicate your
experiment.
 Description of your materials, procedure, theory.
 Calculations, technique, procedure, equipment, and calibration
plots.
 Limitations, assumptions, and range of validity.
 Description of your analytical methods, including reference to any
specialized statistical software. 17
3.2.9 Work Plan
 Work plan is a schedule, chart or graph that summarizes the
different components of a research proposal and how they will
be implemented in a coherent way within a specific time-span.
Ex. GANTT Chart.
 It is the timeline that shows when specific tasks will have been
accomplished.
 It informs the reader how long it will take to achieve the
objectives/answer the questions.
 The plan specifies how each project activity is to be measured
in terms of completion, the time line for its completion;
 A good work time plan enables both the investigators and the
advisors to monitor project progress and provide timely
feedback for research modification or adjustments.

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3.2.10 Budget and Funding
 The Budget section will show how much it will cost to
answer the question.
 When drawing up a budget, be realistic.  Do no attempt to
be too careful to demonstrate how cheaply you can run the
project. At the same time, do not be too expensive so as
not to discourage the fund providers
 Typically, a proposal budget reflects direct and indirect
costs.
 Direct costs:- ex. Personnel, Consumable supplies,
Equipments, Travel, Communications, Publication...etc
 Indirect costs:- includes:
 Overhead costs for institutions or associations
 General administrative cost
 Operational and maintenance
 Depreciation and use allowance
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 3.2.11 References
 You must give references to all the information that you obtain from books,
papers in journals, and other sources.
 References may be made in the main text using index numbers in brackets
(Vancouver style) or authors name (Harvard style)
 N.B: - The exact format for depicting references varies from one discipline to
another.

 For a journal paper  For a book give:  For an internet

give: the author, reference give:
the names of the the year of the author of the
authors, publication, web page,
the year of the title, and the the title of the item
publication, edition number if on the web page,
the title of the paper, there is one, the date the item
the title of the the name of the was posted on the
journal, publisher, web page
the volume number the page numbers the date the item
of the journal, for your reference. was accessed from the
It theis firstimportant
and last to establish the web page
reputability
page numbersand reliability of the website the complete and
of the
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youpaper.
are making reference to. exact URL
3.2.12
Appendices/Annexes
 Include in the appendices of your proposal any additional
information you think might be helpful to a proposal
reviewer.
 For example, include:
 Questionnaire & other collection forms
 Matlab codes
 Some Algorithms
 Dummy tables
 Biographical data on the principal investigator
 ...

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