Assignment on Research Proposal

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Introduction
Proposal is a vital part of research study. When a research
methodologist have decided to pursue a particular study, he/she
needs to develop a written plan or protocol as a guide for the
study. Such a plan is called a research proposal.
Definition of research proposal A
document written by a researcher
description of the proposed program.
entire research process that gives a
information discussed in a project.

research proposal is a
that provides a detailed
It is like an outline of the
reader a summary of the

In a narrower point of view in Business perspective a research

proposal is a an individual's or research firm's formal offer to
produce a product or render a service to a client in response to a
request from the client.
From a general point of view research proposal is a
document that is typically written by a scientist or academic
which describes the ideas for an investigation on a certain topic.
The research proposal outlines the process from the beginning to
end
and
may
be
used
to
request
financing for
the project, certification for performing certain parts of research
of the experiment, or as a required task before beginning a
college dissertation.
A proposal is also known as a work plan, prospectus, outline and
statement of intent. It is an agreement between a client and a
researcher.
In a proposal an explanation of the purpose of the study and
definition of the problem must be stated. It systematically
outlines the particular research methodology and details the
procedures that will be followed at each stage of the research
process.

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The phrasing of research proposals has many similarities to

that of scientific articles. Research proposals are written in future
tense and have different points of emphasis. Like scientific
articles, research proposals have sections describing the research
background, significance, methods, and references. The method
section of research proposals is far more detailed than those of
scientific articles, allowing profound understanding of the price
and risks of the study and the plans for reducing them. Instead of
a section describing the results, research proposals have a section
describing the hypotheses or the expected results.

Communication by a good Proposal

A good proposal must communicate to us the following things to
us:
(1) What information will obtained ?
(2) Where it will be obtained ?
(3) How it will be obtained ?
(4) Why it will be obtained ?

Importance of a good Research Proposal

Because a research proposal is a clearly outlines plan submitted
to a client for acceptance or rejection, it allows the client to
access the seriousness and sincerity of the researcher's purpose,
adequacy of his design , the extent of his background
information , his competence and commitment in undertaking the
study. A poorly written and faulty organized proposal damages
researcher's reputation.

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In writing a good research one need to follow a step by step

approach. Even after writing a good proposal it could take as long
as a year to procure funds to run the proposed research actions.
And even a perfectly devised and written proposal might be
rejected without any substantive reason.
However for a research to be successfully accepted and funded
within due time and for its timely carrying out the research
proposal must be well written and organized to convince the
authority and donors sufficiently.
The qualities of a good research proposal are implied in
implementing the perfect step by step description and
explanation of the research proposals. Each step should be clearly
structured and logically stated. If prepared on the basis of a
request the research proposal must be written in a way that best
serves the requested objects of the request senders. And if for
purpose of funding then the research proposal should convince
the donors and patrons.
Research proposal should be clearly stated and no ambiguity
should be present. As a research proposal is written the research
donors and contributors may not communicate with the research
group by other means to clear his/ her idea being self guided. So
the research proposal must be stated clearly within the boundary
of written form and none other communication should be
expected except the acceptance and rejection.

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Principles of Good Research

All research is different but the following factors are common to
all good pieces of research :
(1) There is a clear statement of research aims, which defines
the research question.
(2) There is an information sheet for participants, which sets out
clearly what the research is about, what it will involve and
consent is obtained in writing on a consent form prior to research
beginning.
(3) The methodology is appropriate to the research question. For
example, if the research is into peoples perceptions, a more
qualitative, unstructured interview may be appropriate. If the
research aims to identify the scale of a problem or need, a more
quantitative, randomized, statistical sample survey may be more
appropriate. Good research can often use a combination of
methodologies, which complement one another.

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(4) The research should be carried out in an unbiased fashion. As

far as possible the researcher should not influence the results of
the research in any way. If this is likely, it needs to be addressed
explicitly and systematically.
(5) From the beginning, the research should have appropriate
and sufficient resources in terms of people, time, transport,
money etc. allocated to it.
(6) The people conducting the research should be trained in
research and research methods and this training should provide:
(a) Knowledge around appropriate information gathering
techniques,
(b) An understanding of research issues,
(c) An understanding of the research area ,
(d) Those involved in designing, conducting, analyzing and
supervising the
research should have a full understanding of the subject
area.
(e) In some instances, it helps if the researcher has experience of
working in the
area. However, this can also be a negative factor, as
sometimes research
benefits from the fresh eyes and ears of an outsider, which
may lead to less
bias.
(f) If applicable, the information generated from the research will
inform the
policy-making process.

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(g) All research should be ethical and not harmful in any way to
the participants.

Request for proposal (RFP)

For most outside contract, proposals are usually submitted in
response to as request for bid, or a request for proposal
(RFP). An RFP is a formal document issued by a corporate
research department, a decision maker or some other sponsor to
solicit services from researchers. Proposals are prepared in
accordance with the terms of reference (TOR) provided by the
client or sponsor and included in the RFP. It becomes in almost an
obligation on the part of the bidder to follow this TOR in the
preparation of the proposal. Non-compliance with the
specification as outlined in the TOR may lead to automatically
disqualifying the proposal. If, however the researcher can
demonstrate superior understanding of the problem, and can
convince the sponsor that their understanding will be beneficial to
the study, the conditions laid down in the TOR may be revised
accordingly. If the sponsor finally agrees with the proposal after
reviewing , it is accepted and is approved for execution. The
following page will describe a layout of RFP.

Example of an RFP (Request For Proposal)

Request For Proposal (RFP) for the selection of Consultation Services
To
________________
________________

Date : __________

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Dear Sir/Madam
1. The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh under technical
assistance from UNFPA has allocated funds for the cost of "Support for Policy ,
Planning and Program Implementation Research for Population and Development,
NIPORT" and intends to apply a portion of the funds to eligible payments under the
contract for which the Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued.
2. The project director , "Support for Policy , Planning and Program Implementation
Research for Population and Development, NIPORT" , with the approval of Director
General now invites proposals to provide the following consulting services to
conduct three research activities :
Study 1 : Dowry and Discrimination towards Women and Girls.
Study 2 : Identification of Management Approaches for Reproductive Health
(RH) Programs in Bangladesh .
Study 3 : Reproductive Health Commodity Projection.
This letter of Invitation and the RFP have been issued to the following short-listed
Consultants (research firms) :
1. .....................
2. .....................
3. .....................
3. A firm will be selected under Quality and Cost-based selection (QCBS) and
procedures for selection are described in the RFP.
4. Please inform us in writing, preferably through e-mail at the following address
whether you will submit a proposal in alone or in association with any other firm :
:::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::
5. Please note that each firm is eligible to submit proposals for one or more topics
assigned in the TOR. However , for each topic separate technical and financial
proposals will have to be submitted as mentioned in section (*) of the proposal data
sheet (PDS) for separate evaluation.
Yours Sincerely
......................

Example of a TOR (Terms of Reference)

TOR for conducting research studies on "Dowry and
Discrimination Towards Women and Girls"

Background :

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Although dowry demand is illegal under the "Women and Children

Repression Act ,2000 " amended in 2003 and the "Dowry
Prohibition Act" 1980, the practice still persists as a custom,
especially in rural areas of Bangladesh. As a consequence of
unpaid dowry, women are tortured by their husband and in-laws,
burnt by acid or even murdered. There is growing concerns within
government about this issue and initiative are being taken to
raise the anti-dowry campaign as a social movement. Different
civil society groups have also started to organize seminars,
symposiums and other social awareness programs to boycott
dowry in the society. Despite all these activities practice of dowry
has not been completely eradicated. It is therefore important to
undertake a study for exploring possible ways to stop
discrimination toward women and girls due to dowry.

Objective :
(a) To analyze the various types of discrimination or violence
against women and girls as a result of dowry.
(b) Analyze pattern of discrimination of violence.
(c) Assess men's attitude toward women in general and dowry
system.
(d) Assess the attitude of family members including in-laws
toward dowry.
(e) Find out ways to stop violent behavior of men toward women.

Scope of Services:
An integrated approach combining both qualitative and
quantitative methods may be adopted to conduct the study. The
study may use the information derived mostly from male
respondents and in few cases from women and girls. Statistical
representation is not a consideration in deciding on the sample
size. In-depth interview, case studies and focus group discussion
could be organized to obtain study information.

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List of reports, schedule of deliveries and period of

performance :
A report on the study undertaken should be submitted by June
2007. Following schedules should be followed :
Deliverables
Schedule
5 Drafts reports
June 15, 2007
10 Final reports
June 25, 2007
The study should be completed by 25 June 2007.

Data, personnel, facilities and local services to be

provided by the client :
NIPORT will provide only published data to the subcontracted
agency for the above mentioned research study.
Institutional Arrangements:
(1) Upon being selected, the agency will sign a contract with
NIPORT to undertake the assignment. The selected agency should
be flexible to incorporate necessary changes in methodology.
(2) The selected agency will work closely with concerned officials
of NIPORT to achieve the objective of the study.
(3) No advance payment will be made to the agency. After
receiving 10 (ten) copies of the final report, the payment will be
made in favor of the agency.

Types of Proposal

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A research proposal is of two types. They are (i) Internal (ii)

External.
Internal proposals are used within companies to plan or
propose new projects or
products. External proposals are used to offer services or
products to clients
outside the company. Both external and internal proposals tend to
have the
following features:

Introduction
Description of the current situation
Description of the project plan
Review of qualifications
Discussion of costs and benefits
Graphics
Budget

Proposals are also classified as solicited or unsolicited,

depending on whether they were requested or not. Solicited
proposals are proposals requested by the readers. For example,
a companys management might ask a team to submit a proposal
for a new project. Or, a team might be asked to write a proposal
that answers a request for proposals (RFP) sent out by a client.
Unsolicited proposals are proposals not requested by the
readers. For example, a team might prepare an unsolicited
internal proposal to pitch an innovative new idea to the
companys management. Or, a team might use an unsolicited
external proposal as a sales tool to offer a companys clients a
product or service.

Planning and Researching Proposals

Because proposals are difficult to write, it is important that we
follow a reliable

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writing process that will help us develop our proposals content,

organization,
style, and design. An important first step in this process is to start
with a planning
and researching phase. During this phase, we will define the
rhetorical situation
and start collecting the content for the proposal.

Planning
A good way to start planning our proposal is to analyze the
situations in which it
will be used. Begin by answering the Five-W and How Questions:
(1) Who will be able to say yes to our ideas, and what are their
characteristics?
Why is this proposal being written?
(2) What information do the readers need to make a decision?
(3) Where will the proposal be used?
(4) When will the proposal be used?
(5) How will the proposal be used?
Once we have answered these questions, we are ready to start
thinking in-depth
about our proposals subject, purpose, readers, and context of
use.

SUBJECT
Defining exactly what our proposal is about. Where are the
boundaries of
the subject? What information do our readers expect us to include
in the proposal? What need-to-know information must readers
have if they are going to say yes to our ideas?

PURPOSE
Clearly state the purpose of your proposal in one sentence. What
should

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the proposal achieve? What do we want the proposal to do? By

stating our purpose in one sentence, we will focus our writing
efforts while making it easier for readers to understand what we
are trying to accomplish. Some key words for your purpose
statement might include the following action verbs:
to
to
to
to
to
to

persuade
convince
provide
describe
argue for
advocate

to
to
to
to
to
to

present
propose
offer
suggest
recommend
support

READERS
More than any other kind of document, proposals require us to
fully understand our readers and anticipate their needs, values,
and attitudes. Primary readers (action takers) are the people
who can say yes to our ideas. They need good reasons and solid
evidence. They also hold values and attitudes that will shape how
they interpret our ideas. Meanwhile, we should keep in mind that
economic issues are always important to primary readers, so we
consider carefully any money-related issues that might influence
them. Secondary readers (advisors) are usually experts in our
field. They wont be the people who say yes to our proposal, but
their opinions will be highly valued by our proposals primary
readers. So, we need to satisfy these advisors by offering enough
technical information to demonstrate our understanding of the
current situation and the soundness of our project. Tertiary
readers (evaluators) can be just about anyone else who might
have an interest in the project. These readers might include
lawyers, journalists, and community activists, among others. We
need to anticipate these readers concerns, especially because
tertiary readers can often undermine the project if we are not
careful. Gatekeepers (supervisors) are the people at our own
company who will need to look over our proposal before it is sent

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out. Our immediate supervisor is a gatekeeper, but we will likely

also need to let other gatekeepers, such as the companys
accountants, lawyers, and technical advisors, look over the
proposal before it is sent.

CONTEXT OF USE
The documents context of use will also greatly influence how our
readers will interpret the ideas in our proposal.
Physical context: It concerns the places our readers may read
or use our proposal. Will readers look over our proposal at their
desks, on their laptops, or in a meeting? Where will they discuss
it?
Economic context: This involves the financial issues that will
shape readers responses to our ideas. How much money is
available for the project? What economic trends will shape how
our readers perceive the project? What are the financial
limitations of the project?
Ethical context: It involves the ethical decisions that we and our
readers will need to make. Where does the proposal touch on
ethical issues? How might these ethical issues be resolved so they
dont undermine the project? What are the legal issues involved
with the proposal?
Political context: It concerns the people our proposal will affect.
Who stands to gain or lose if our proposal is accepted? How will
the proposal change relationships that are already in place?
Would any larger political trends shape how the proposal is
written or interpreted?
Something to keep in mind is that proposals, especially external
proposals,

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are de facto legal contracts. They are legal documents that can
be brought
into court if a dispute occurs. So, we need to make sure that
everything we
say in the proposal is accurate and truthful, because the proposal
may be
used in a court case to prove (or disprove) that our company
completed the
promised work to the level proposed.

Research Works
Research works includes the followings :
(1) Do Background Research ,
(2) Ask Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) ,
(3) Pay attention to causes and effects ,
(4) Find similar proposals ,
(5) Collect Visuals.

Components of a Proposal
Any project proposal may be structured under the following
headings :
(a) Executive summary or abstract,
(b) Problem statement,
(c) Research Objectives,
(d) Literature review,
(e) Benefits of the study,
(f) Methodology,

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(g) Data collection,

(h) Work plan,
(i) Plan for data analysis,
(j) Qualification of the key persons,
(k) Project management,
(l) Budget,
(m) Limitations and,
(n) Appendix.
Now these components are describes in a summarized form as
follows

(a) Executive Summary

This part of the proposal is the most important section of the
entire document. Although it usually appears at the first section of
the proposal, it is not written until all the sections are completed.
Here we provide the reader with the segments or chapters of the
detailed topics throughout the proposal document. Here one thing
should be kept in mind that this summary should not be teeming
with unnecessary information and should never exceed two
pages. Here we provide a simple and brief statement of the
problem, objectives, expected implications, methodologies used
and resources needed.

(b) Problem Statement

The statement of the problem deals with such elements as
problem identification, prioritizing the problem, analysis and
justifying the problem in response to such questions as "What is
the problem and why it be studied".

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Justification of a research problem is an important part of any

proposal. The problem statement when narrated in a logical
manner and sequence enables the reader to learn more about the
issue we are addressing. It presents the facts and evidence,
background and consequences that justify the need for the study
and enhances the chances for final approval. In presenting any
arguments the following are important :
(i) Decide which facts or statistics best support the study
(ii) Be sure that the data we present are as far as up-to-date and
accurate.
(iii) Avoid overstatement and overly emotional appeals
(iv) Determine whether it is reasonable to present the need as
acute
(v) Decide whether we can demonstrate that our proposal
addresses the need
differently or better than others that precedes it.

(c) Research Objectives

This module represents an important section of the research
proposal focusing on what is being planned in the proposed
investigation. Specifically research objectives describe what will
be demonstrated, tested, evaluated, confirmed or compared.
They communicate
(i) Why do we carry out the research ?
(ii) What do we hope to achieve from such a research ?
Objectives should be closely related research problem statement.
In addition to research objectives, all proposals should contain a

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formal and explicit statement of the research questions or

hypothesis wherever applicable.

(d) Literature review

Review of pertinent literature prompts and strengthens the
researchers. A literature review is an account of what has been
published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. We
are asked to write one here as an integrated part of research
proposal (sometimes in the form of an annotated
bibliography), but more often it is part of the introduction to an
essay, research report, or thesis. In writing the literature review,
our purpose is to convey to our reader what knowledge and ideas
have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and
weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must
be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., our research objective, the
problem or issue we are discussing, or our argumentative thesis).
It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of
summaries. To summarize, literature review we focus on the
following points :
(i) It explains the needs for the proposed study
(ii) It avoids duplication of works
(iii) It appraises the shortcomings of the others' works
(iv) It highlights the appropriateness of the earlier studies
(v) It examines the weakness (if any) of the methodology used in
other studies.

A literature review must do the follows:

1.

Be organized around and related directly to the thesis or

research question we are developing

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Synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not

known

3.

Identify areas of controversy in the literature

4.

Formulate questions that need further research

(e) Benefits of the study

This section of the proposal should focus on the importance and
urgency of data needed. It must therefore explicitly in two to
three paragraphs what benefit will be accrued from the proposed
study. In describing this section, we must take care that we can
convince the sponsor our plan can meet its needs.

(f) Methodology
This section should aim at addressing four broad questions :
(i) What additional information do we need to collect for
answering the research questions implied in our research
objectives ?
(ii) What approach we will follow to collect this information ?
(Research design)
(iii) What techniques and tools we will follow to collect it. (Data
collection techniques and tools such as questionnaire, observation
check-list)
(iv) Where we want to collect the data, how we will select our
sample, and how many subjects will be included in the study ?
(Coverage, Targe Population sample design)

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When there are more than one way exists to approach the design,
discuss the methods we discarded and justify the method we
implemented.

(g) Data Collection

The method for data collection should be clearly specified in the
research proposal. These methods may vary from simple
observation to a large-scale field survey. The specific method or
methods to be used for collecting data largely depends on the
objectives of the survey, the research design and the availability
of time, money and personnel. With the variation of data
(qualitative or quantitative) the method of data collection also
varies.

(h) Plan for data analysis

The appropriate methods of data analysis are determined by our
data types and variables of interest, the actual distribution of the
variables, and the number of cases. Different analyses of the
same dataset may reflect or represent different aspects of the
underlying data structure. Once a plan has been established, it
could contain any combination of the following types of data
analysis strategies:
Exploratory: This type of data analysis often occurs when a
program is new,
and it is unclear what to expect from the data.
Descriptive: The most common type of data analysis, this
approach will
summarize the findings and describe the sample.
Inferential: Inferential statistics allow us to draw conclusions
about the larger

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population from which the sample is drawn. These powerful

techniques may be able demonstrate if a change has occurred as
a result of your program. PDA's Statistics Division specializes in
many sophisticated data analysis techniques.
The data analysis plan that we are proposing is not a
commitment, rather it is an honest desire to fulfill the
commitment as outlined in the proposal.

(i) Work Plan

This section elaborates the work schedule of the proposed study
answering such questions as, who will answer the questions as,
who will do what and when it will be done. A work Plan has two
major components : Personnel and time schedule . The major
issues that a work plan includes are :
(i) Preparatory works/ questionnaire development,
(ii) Recruitment and training of Project personnel,
(iii) Question revision,
(iv) Field interviews/ data collection,
(v) Data editing and data coding,
(vi) Data analysis,
(vii) Report writing.
Each of these phases should have an estimated time and
personnel needed. A chart known as Gantt Chart may be used for
this purpose. A Gantt chart is a schematic display of different
work plan against estimated time of each phase.
A sample of Gantt chart for the production of one hundred teddy
bears. As we can see, it shows that several activities must be
completed before the bears are dressed: the fur has to be cut,
stuffed, and sewn; and the clothes and accessories must be

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made. Our Gantt chart tells us that by day six, all accessories and
clothing have been made. The stuffing and sewing, however
(which must be finished before the bears are dressed), isnt
scheduled for completion until the end of day eight.

Work Plan

(j) Reporting Findings

The proposal should indicate what reports and other means of
disseminating research findings are planned. The types of report
that are usually included for reporting are :
(i) Progress Report
(ii) Final report
(iii) Publications
(iv) Seminar, workshop, conference
(v) Discussion with policy makers or program managers

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(k) Qualification of the key Persons

Qualification of the key Persons involved in the study play a vital
role in the process of evaluation of the proposal. A proposal with
experienced researchers enhances the credibility and assures the
program managers and policy makers of a set of policy oriented
recommendations that can ultimately be implemented. This
section should begin with the key qualifications and experiences
of the research investigators and also that of the other research
personnel if the RFP requests so.

(l) Project management

All administrative activities should be outlined on a master plan.
This plan shows how the study team is organized. Project
management, is the application of knowledge, skills and
techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. Its a
strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie
project results to research goals. In other words, Project
management is the process and activity of planning, organizing,
motivating, and controlling resources, procedures and protocols to
achieve specific goals in scientific or daily problems.
A project management planning should demonstrate the follows:
(i) The relationship between the researchers and the assistants,
(ii) Who is to keep liaison with the sponsor.
(iii) Process of record control,
(iv) Progress report, progress reporting and project supervision.
(v) Mode of payment (time, number, frequency and instrument of
payment)

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(vi) Legal responsibilities , liabilities and involvement of the

sponsors during the entire period of the project.

(m) Budget
Budget is the plan in economic terms and expressed in currency
figure. The budget details should be submitted in the format the
sponsor requests. In some cases, the budget is submitted as a
separate proposal for sheer reasons of quality proposals, where
budget is somewhat of secondary importance, but in all cases a
realistic aspect. A budget includes an Income segment and a
cost segment. For a business the income/ revenue are determined
and shown first whereas for government the costs are determined
and shown first.

(n) Bibliography
Once one make a literature review he/she should provide citation
for it as a reference . This makes the previous study on the similar
research problem available to be analyzed by the sponsors.

(l) Limitations
If we anticipate any problem during the course of our study we
must disclose it. We must admit that every research has
limitations in some form or other. It may start with designing the
questionnaire to data analysis with intermediate problems in
sample size determination , selection of the sample and data
collection. It is best to recognize these limitations rather than to
pretend that these limitations do not exist. We should be
forthright and fair to mention any unprecedented or situational
factors that we might encounter during the execution of our study.

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(m) Appendix
Any additional informational information, charts, graphs or
summary that reinforce the body.

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