research proposal apa format

research proposal apa format

The Importance of Research Proposal in APA Format

1. Introduction

A cover page will often sport notes, further guiding the lost and unaware. Yes, while the cover serves as an initial guardian, it also becomes a tool or compass for those who would assault the document in search of information. A cover is not merely a decoration nor a shell, it facilitates exploration and mastery of the document it hides.

Esteemed and experienced readers avert the eyes of many unworthy papers. Alas, many keep their precious tomes separated from information in a quality paper by use of a cover page. A cover page gives the hardened external knowledge seeker a location and a means to access the paper. If an old warrior were to stumble upon a fine document he was unaware of, what is he to do, but open and attempt to enter? A paper without a cover page can be an ordeal to decipher, unruly pages, often paperclipped but sometimes tragically unstowed, may be the sole sign of chapter or section border. Oh, the horror of the information marauder when he arrives at the college term paper, a paperclip misshuffled him to chapter 6, intermingling knowledge he should have seen, with that which he should not.

An APA-style research proposal with a cover page that describes the paper you are proposing adds a professional touch. A properly done cover page is not just physical protection of the paper, but provides the writer some solid ground and an often helpful, although not essential, helping hand for people who have to deal with the paper. Usually, cover pages are used in documents of professional and academic worth. They are often short-lived but on the off chance that someone has to deal with the documents, it can be a lifesaver. This being because a cover page is more than having a wastefully decorated sheet of paper, it is not just protection, it is information, it is management, it is permission for a stranger to explore and often times a path of entry.

Research proposals act as a blueprint for research. It defines the what, where, how, and when of research. A well-prepared research proposal is satisfying to write and usually takes a couple of weeks to complete. Writing a research proposal is important because it sets the foundation, defines the significance of the work, predicts the results, and justifies the need for the research and data.

2. Purpose and Significance of Research Proposal

A research carries an overall credibility only if it is able to successfully answer the questions and solve the problems which are at some point a mystery to certain people of a particular area of study. Now, our intention here is not to bring about a lot of changes in the conventional ways of understanding problems and solving. But there is an unknown feeling of satisfaction that we gain when we know the ins and outs of something that has questioned us and has later proved. So with respect to your virtues and abilities, there will be problem(s) that you benefit the society with your good intentions and are able to solve them. This is a situation where you may want to prove competence in finding an optimal way of solving a specific problem. A research proposal is the only thing using which you can convince people that with your capabilities, you can give them the solution they are looking for.

Coming back to the main point, a research proposal is an activity that basically follows the accumulation of knowledge. The proposal is a document that must be able to show the knowledge and expertise of the author on the topic area he has chosen. Now, this is important because knowledge in any area of study is a continuous process, and one thing leads to another. So many times, we tend to lose sight of the fact that what we know now was unknown to us at some point in time and is due to some specific way of finding it. This is also one of the reasons why many students have felt the difference between writing pages in an exam and completing an assignment. The fact that he is following a book or notes while writing pages does not give him satisfaction as he does not have the feeling of ‘unlocking further knowledge’.

Another analogy to understand the meaning of a research proposal is that of molding clay into different shapes. The clay is the mass of knowledge that you gather from various sources, and the shapes represent the different directions that may crop into your mind for the utilization of that vast knowledge. Now, each of these shapes is actually a research idea, but we do not know which one would be the best for us. So we need to place these shapes somewhere and ‘bake’ them for some time to let them attain a certain degree of firmness. In this context, the ‘baking’ is our research process, and the place where we put these shapes is the ‘selection of one idea’. Now, certainly, you wouldn’t put those shapes into an oven without making a tray! The tray here is the research proposal (in a particular area of research) which provides the direction and gives shape to your research activity.

To a layman, a research proposal may seem like an irksome activity. Its necessity is misunderstood, and hence it might seem like a cumbersome task having little or no value. But in reality, just like a blueprint is essential for a building, similarly, a research proposal is mandatory before beginning any research activity. Imagine building a house without passable and proper directions. The same would be the fate of your research work if you undertake it without developing a proposal.

3. APA Format Guidelines for Research Proposals

Paragraph length should not exceed eighty words. But, as with the sentences, if you can go shorter without losing content, that is probably for the better.

APA has no specific guide to how long a sentence should be. But to be safe, limit content to around eight nouns and verbs in a sentence. And limit sentences to no more than a handful per paragraph.

Length: The proposal should be between 1500-2500 words. Do not be too vague or you will not meet the word criteria. But do not go too far over the word limit.

Now to the actual guidelines.

The body of the text starts on the third page, is double-spaced, and uses a 12-point font. The beginning of the text is signaled by the title “Introduction” (not bold) at the top of the page.

The abstract will not have a running head. The word “Abstract” is centered as a heading at the top of the page, not bold and not in quotations. The abstract is a single, double-spaced paragraph between 150-250 words in length.

General formatting: The APA suggests a “running head” for the title page. This would be the words “Running Head” followed by a colon before the actual running head. You can see an example of this if you look at the sample pages. This varies by browser. If you do not see a running head, try opening your browser in a new window. On the title page, the running head starts with the words “Running head:” and then the title, which is shortened to fifty characters. The other pages will have the title, but no “Running head.”

4. Key Elements of a Well-Structured Research Proposal

It contains the topic/problem and the scope of the research. The formation here is so far the most detailed. Usually this will be the easiest part of the proposal because it will use the things you’ve been doing all along. This section is the close explanation about your research. Why the title is being made, what is the background behind it, your statement of problem, objectives, research question and the scope of the research. In writing the title and the background you don’t need to make it directly, you can make some introduction that will interest the reader with your title. After that, you can continue with your title etc. Next is you have to write your statement of problem using interrogative and nominal question. Then you can concretize it with your objectives and your research question. In finishing this section you can make straightforward the scope of your research.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, it is necessary to note some other characteristics of good research proposals. In one sense, usually in the project description or the objectives part, but sometimes as a distinct section, it is important to present a synopsis of the proposed research. This is useful to indicate the research questions and define the boundaries of the project; to allow a potential supervisor/mentor to assess the student and the proposed work to see if it is within his research range and expertise; and to enable the research team later to clearly explain the aims of the project to an informant or gatekeeper in order to secure permission to proceed with the study. This last reason is an important practical advantage of much social research and can be the determining factor in whether the research proposal is funded. Providing a short, clear, and very precise account of the study in the form of a research synopsis can sometimes help translate the proposal into actual research.