Writing the

1
Writing the Research Proposal
2
The Researcher - The Architect

• Written proposal - the detailed plans
• problem and subproblems are stated
• hypotheses / questions are articulated
• terms defined
• limitations carefully specified
• reason for conducting the
• study (its importance)
• outline
• resources, qualifications, data, computer
  facilities

3
Importance of the Proposal

• A clear well-written proposal is essential
• no substitute for the explicit setting forth of
  both problem and procedure
• Other names prospectus, plan, outline statement,
  draft

4
Proposal Characteristics

• Straightforward document
• not a literary production
• clearly organized

5
Straightforward Document

• No extraneous or irreverent material
• Dont tell us why you became interested in the
  topic
• The first words you write are the most important
  ones
• looking forward

6
Not a Literary Production

• Clear, sharp and precise
• describes future work with an economy of word and
  the precision of measurement
• the skill of writing this way is very demanding!

7
Clearly Organized

• Outlined with proper use of headings and
  subheadings

8
Outline of the Research Proposal

• Problem Description
• Research Objectives
• Literature Review
• Importance/Benefits of the Study
• Research Design Data Analysis
• Schedule
• Facilities and Special Resources
• Deliverables
• References

From our discussion 8/24
9
Outlines

• ours three major categories
• Problem Description
• Research Objectives
• Importance/Benefits of the Study

• Leedy 1 problem major and 5 minor
• the statement of the problem and subproblems
• the hypothesis
• the delimitations
• the definition of terms
• the assumptions
• the importance of the study

10
Outlines

• For student researchers, qualification section
  not needed
• Our proposal has two added major sections
• Facilities and Special Resources
• Deliverables

11
Formatting

• Headings and Subheadings
• Follow the guidelines of the funding/reviewer
  organization
• Remember, BSU has no formal proposal guidelines,
  but they do have very strict guidelines for the
  actual thesis. If you are going to do a thesis
  option, please get the latest set of guidelines
  from the graduate office

12
Writing first draft

• Have a copy of the guidelines handy - follow them
  exactly
• first focus on organization, then on exact
  wording
• now review
• make sure you presented your research problem
  right from the start
• hit its importance

13
Writing first draft

• now review
• leave nothing unsaid, no question unanswered
• methods ( try to include all details)

14
Revising Your Proposal

• Set it aside for a few days (hours)
• look for inconsistency, leaps of logic.
• Look at sentences with . this ..., it
• grammar check, spelling check, reference check,
• other readers
• consider feasibility

15
Last but not least

• Clearly define how you are going to interpret the
  data
• the interpret is just not categorizing, or
  tabulating or finding some statistic
• these are important steps in interpreting but not
  an analysis

16
Strengthening Your Proposal

• After all the review is done
• review checklist for features detracting from
  proposal effectiveness page 137 in you Practical
  Research Planning and Design