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Basic Requirements of A Research Proposal

The document outlines the basic requirements and contents of a research proposal. It discusses including an introduction describing the research topic and significance, a literature review on previous work, aims and objectives of the study, and details of the research design and methodology to be used.

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29 views4 pages

Basic Requirements of A Research Proposal

The document outlines the basic requirements and contents of a research proposal. It discusses including an introduction describing the research topic and significance, a literature review on previous work, aims and objectives of the study, and details of the research design and methodology to be used.

Uploaded by

quinnia.rainii
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A proposal needs to show how your work fits into what is already known about
the topic and what new paradigm will it add to the literature, while specifying
the question that the research will answer, establishing its significance, and the
implications of the answer. The proposal must be capable of convincing the
evaluation committee about the credibility, achievability, practicality and
reproducibility (repeatability) of the research design. Four categories of
audience with different expectations may be present in the evaluation
committees, namely academic colleagues, policy-makers, practitioners and lay
audiences who evaluate the research proposal. Tips for preparation of a good
research proposal include; ‘be practical, be persuasive, make broader links, aim
for crystal clarity and plan before you write’. A researcher must be balanced,
with a realistic understanding of what can be achieved. Being persuasive
implies that researcher must be able to convince other researchers, research
funding agencies, educational institutions and supervisors that the research is
worth getting approval. The aim of the researcher should be clearly stated in
simple language that describes the research in a way that non-specialists can
comprehend, without use of jargons. The proposal must not only demonstrate
that it is based on an intelligent understanding of the existing literature but also
show that the writer has thought about the time needed to conduct each stage
of the research.

CONTENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

The contents or formats of a research proposal vary depending on the


requirements of evaluation committee and are generally provided by the
evaluation committee or the institution.

In general, a cover page should contain the (i) title of the proposal, (ii) name
and affiliation of the researcher (principal investigator) and co-investigators,
(iii) institutional affiliation (degree of the investigator and the name of
institution where the study will be performed), details of contact such as phone
numbers, E-mail id's and lines for signatures of investigators.

The main contents of the proposal may be presented under the following
headings: (i) introduction, (ii) review of literature, (iii) aims and objectives, and
(iv) research design and methods.

Introduction/Nature and Importance of the Study

It is also sometimes termed as ‘need for study’ or ‘abstract’. Introduction is an


initial pitch of an idea; it sets the scene and puts the research in context. The
introduction should be designed to create interest in the reader about the topic
and proposal. It should convey to the reader, what you want to do, what
necessitates the study and your passion for the topic. Some questions that can
be used to assess the significance of the study are: (i) Who has an interest in the
domain of inquiry? (ii) What do we already know about the topic? (iii) What has
not been answered adequately in previous research and practice? (iv) How will
this research add to knowledge, practice and policy in this area? Some of the
evaluation committees, expect the last two questions, elaborated under a
separate heading of ‘background and significance’. Introduction should also
contain the hypothesis behind the research design. If hypothesis cannot be
constructed, the line of inquiry to be used in the research must be indicated.

Review of literature

It refers to all sources of scientific evidence pertaining to the topic in interest. In


the present era of digitalization and easy accessibility, there is an enormous
amount of relevant data available, making it a challenge for the researcher to
include all of it in his/her review. It is crucial to structure this section
intelligently so that the reader can grasp the argument related to your study in
relation to that of other researchers, while still demonstrating to your readers
that your work is original and innovative. It is preferable to summarize each
article in a paragraph, highlighting the details pertinent to the topic of interest.
The progression of review can move from the more general to the more focused
studies, or a historical progression can be used to develop the story, without
making it exhaustive. Literature should include supporting data, disagreements
and controversies. Five ‘C's may be kept in mind while writing a literature
review.
Five ‘C’s while writing a literature review

Aims and objectives/Statement of the Problem


The research purpose (or goal or aim) gives a broad indication of what the
researcher wishes to achieve in the research. The hypothesis to be tested can be
the aim of the study. The objectives related to parameters or tools used to
achieve the aim are generally categorized as primary and secondary objectives.

Research design and method

The objective here is to convince the reader that the overall research design
and methods of analysis will correctly address the research problem and to
impress upon the reader that the methodology/sources chosen are appropriate
for the specific topic. It should be unmistakably tied to the specific aims of your
study.

In this section, the methods and sources used to conduct the research must be
discussed, including specific references to sites, databases, key texts or authors
that will be indispensable to the project. There should be specific mention
about the methodological approaches to be undertaken to gather information,
about the techniques to be used to analyze it and about the tests of external
validity to which researcher is committed.

The components of this section include the following:

Population and sample

Population refers to all the elements (individuals, objects or substances) that


meet certain criteria for inclusion in a given universe, and sample refers to
subset of population which meets the inclusion criteria for enrolment into the
study. The inclusion and exclusion criteria should be clearly defined. The details
pertaining to sample size are discussed in the article “Sample size calculation:
Basic principles” published in this issue of IJA.
Data collection

The researcher is expected to give a detailed account of the methodology


adopted for collection of data, which include the time frame required for the
research. The methodology should be tested for its validity and ensure that, in
pursuit of achieving the results, the participant's life is not jeopardised. The
author should anticipate and acknowledge any potential barrier and pitfall in
carrying out the research design and explain plans to address them, thereby
avoiding lacunae due to incomplete data collection. If the researcher is planning
to acquire data through interviews or questionnaires, copy of the questions
used for the same should be attached as an annexure with the proposal.
Rigor (soundness of the research)

This addresses the strength of the research with respect to its neutrality,
consistency and applicability. Rigor must be reflected throughout the proposal.
Neutrality
It refers to the robustness of a research method against bias. The author should
convey the measures taken to avoid bias, viz. blinding and randomization, in an
elaborate way, thus ensuring that the result obtained from the adopted method
is purely as chance and not influenced by other confounding variables.
Consistency

Consistency considers whether the findings will be consistent if the inquiry was
replicated with the same participants and in a similar context. This can be
achieved by adopting standard and universally accepted methods and scales.
Applicability

Applicability refers to the degree to which the findings can be applied to


different contexts and groups.
Data analysis

This section deals with the reduction and reconstruction of data and its analysis
including sample size calculation. The researcher is expected to explain the
steps adopted for coding and sorting the data obtained. Various tests to be used
to analyze the data for its robustness, significance should be clearly stated.
Author should also mention the names of statistician and suitable software
which will be used in due course of data analysis and their contribution to data
analysis and sample calculation.

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