How to write a research proposal
DissertationToday.com's guide to the perfect research proposal
When you apply for a research degree or grant you have a write a research proposal as part of your application file. In essence the research proposal is your way of showing that you have an idea that is of value and can contribute important knowledge to the specific field of your choice. You also have to document how you will carry out your research.
The research proposal is a competitive document that will be up against other proposals and therefore needs to be clearly written and interesting enough to stand out. Our specialist research proposal writers can work with you to guarantee that your proposal will be noticed for all the right reasons.
Order Now The heart of your proposal is your research hypothesis; a single statement that sums up what you plan to achieve with your research. It must be an idea or concept rather than simply a fact and must be testable. A good research hypothesis presents a fresh question in its field and has enough impact to make the decision makers sit up and pay attention. The experienced academics at DissertationToday.com will take the uncertainty out of the process by making sure your hypothesis will stand up to expert scrutiny.
Research proposals have a rigidly defined format that allows the reader to access information easily. Because decision makers see a lot of proposals, they like them all to be formatted in the same way. Most proposals are written in five sections;
-
The introduction: Here your aim is to create interest in your proposal by writing a snappy summary of the topic area you plan to investigate. This can include a brief review of the most relevant literature. The introduction should be concise and interesting and written in language understandable to a well informed but non-specialist reader
-
The Problem Statement: What is the problem you aim to solve and why is it important enough to be investigated? The problem statement is a summary of the topic of your planned research and a review of how your research will affect others in your field. The problem statement should include a specific research hypothesis that you intend to investigate. It should be in the form of a testable hypothesis.
-
The Conceptual Framework: Your opportunity to establish the background and context for the problem you aim to research. You can do this with a concise literature review that explains the results of other similar studies. It shows that you have done your preliminary research and know your stuff.
-
The Methodology Chapter: This is where you state exactly what it is that you plan to do and why. Focus on how you plan to carry out your investigation and analyze the results. In this section you must provide enough detail for somebody else to be able to carry out the research using only your instructions. The methodology chapter should include a detailed plan of how you intend to test your hypothesis.
-
Bibliography: Including a bibliography section underlines the fact that you have looked into your research field in detail.
Order Now
A well written proposal is essential if you are get your research approved and funded. It is also an important tool in the process of planning your research, allowing you to gather your thoughts and plan your project. A well written research proposal will likely form the basis for your eventual thesis
|