research proposal examples

research proposal examples

The Importance of Research Proposal Examples

1. Introduction

An introduction serves as a place to provide background information about the experiment. This allows a researcher to understand more about the experiment before conducting it and whether the results will be of any significance. Rand (2006) stated in the UK Researcher Development Initiative, “a research proposal is a detailed plan for a specific study to be conducted at a future date. It is the document in which the solvability, quality, nature and possible outcome of a particular study is explained in great detail”. He also stressed the need for a student to submit a research proposal if the student were to continue with studies in PhD. This is because of the high level of expectancy for PhD students to conduct and contribute some unique findings to the respective field that the student is in. The research proposal is used to assess whether the student is able to follow through with the task right to the end and whether the student is able to identify and find a way to solve any anticipated problems that he or she has in the research process. This is because a student is expected to only commence research once he or she has identified the potential problematic areas that could affect the study. In calling for a research proposal to be done, it reflects the importance and expectation looking for positive results at the end of the research. A proposal actually provides a clear and concise framework to the research. The researcher will then have to estimate the manipulated and measured variables to get an expected result. This will actually help in further steps to identify the cause of any possible misleading results of what might have been done during the research. This will definitely increase the efficiency of the research process of explaining what results he is obtaining and why. The estimated results would be summarized at the end of the proposal expected on what the study is trying to achieve. This is coherently done to identify the significance of his study. Data and Rand (2006) has recommended a PhD student to example a research proposal of a senior republication because of the high level of expectancy during the research period. This will minimize misuse of time resources trying to figure out what to do next and possible obstacles that could affect the study at hand. Time and grants are costly and students are trying to conserve as much as possible. By him going through steps in the proposal, he will have a good idea on how to design his own studies and avoid all those anticipated problems. This will give some improvisation in trying to improve the quality of research in a cost-effective and efficient manner. This will eventually be a good learning path for the future of what and how any research should be done.

2. Benefits of Research Proposal Examples

It is evident that a research proposal serves a number of explicit and implicit functions. An explicit function of the document is to get you an offer to do a project; the proposal must convince the audience that there is a project worth working on. The document informs the reader whether the researcher is familiar with the current state of the art in a particular area, as the proposal generally contains a review of the literature and the available knowledge. An implicit function of the proposal is that it helps you to see how viable is the project and whether it is interesting to the researcher. This is the best possible way to judge the document work plan. Of course, the document is not being written with the explicit intention of helping the researcher introspect, but people always find they have lots of new ideas while writing a proposal. The most important function of the proposal is to prove that the research can be carried out. This in itself is quite a tough task as writing a research proposal is quite different from writing an essay at school or a dissertation. It should be more formal in its tone and more logical in its development. This goes a long way to proving that an area of research is an essential area of study. With the above functions in mind, it is obvious that one main aspect of the research proposal is that it is a formal way for a particular research idea in mind to be known to others.

3. Key Components of a Research Proposal

A research proposal is an outline that can guide the researcher through the project. The information that has to be obtained to conduct the research is relatively easy to obtain and can be obtained in a few days or a few weeks. The real value of this outline is so the researcher can focus on obtaining data motivated by the research problem. Often scientists and researchers spend more time doing additional studies or just surfing the web for information because they lost their focus propelled by the research question and have paid for it in an increase in the time it would take to complete the project. This delay in the completion of the project may also result in a loss of funding. A focused research plan saves time and effort in the long run, as the proposal will allow the researcher to identify if the project is feasible in the time restrictions on better know how to divide the research project into manageable parts.

Importance of the research proposal The research proposal is a document that offers a detailed description of a specific research project. It is an integral part of the university research degree application process, and it is used to evaluate the expertise of a candidate to carry out a specific research project. In short, a research proposal has to sell the science to a selection committee. The proposal itself is a planning tool. It helps you to organise your thoughts and your planned project. It helps the researcher to articulate problems in a more logical fashion and to build up a ‘story’ around the research project. The proposal will also be used to assess your expertise in the area in which you would like to conduct research, your knowledge of the existing literature, and how your research project will advance this knowledge. A successful research project will advance current knowledge by using a combination of new and existing ideas to interpret data.

Introduction For the completion of this assignment, the writer will be discussing the importance of the research proposal, will break down the necessary contents of the proposal, and conduct a brief comparison of research articles and research proposals. The writer has found various sources in the four different types of research methods, which will also be discussed.

4. How to Use Research Proposal Examples

You should consider looking for research proposal examples in books first, since the example is more likely to be of high quality and it is a very common place to find them. If you found a research proposal example related to your field, you can take the example as a clear and easy way to understand the various components that you need to include in your own research proposal. If there are some parts in the example that you don’t understand, you can refer to the textbooks on research methodology to learn more. After you have grasped a good understanding of how the research proposal should be written, you can start writing your own research proposal with more confidence.

Considering the importance of research proposal examples, many would have gone to the internet to find free research proposal examples. If you have also found a high quality example to use and had no time to look for it on the internet, you have made a wise decision. Although not all research proposal examples downloaded from the internet can be used, as some are not high quality examples, but if you take your time looking for them in books, it can be used as a very valuable tool to learn the various components of a research proposal. Thus, it will greatly help you in writing your research proposal.

5. Conclusion

It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of a good research proposal. It is the key to convincing someone to invest time or money in your work. Putting it at its most basic, it is the document that says if you do this research, it will lead to this result and we will fund this research. In any case, it is vitally important to the success of your research. If the proposal is not good, then neither will the research outcome or the thesis result. If the research does not have significance or impact then it’s unlikely to be funded. In actual fact, the research approach is a very important part of your research degree and the phrase “you need to sell your research” could not be more true. You need to show not only that you have the required intellectual ability, but also that you have the right idea, at the right time. This might involve an interest-inducing tale of a major breakthrough, or a complete about-face from something previous that no one else has picked up. The point here is that you have to be convincing. A proposal that is well presented and has a sound methodology is half the battle, and a high-quality research degree can in many cases be judged from the approach not just the results. Also, having a solid proposal can also be a great factor in part-time study in that often there are no defined resources, and your ability to sell the idea will be the only means of funding.