Developing a

Research Proposal

A research proposal is a document which provides
a detailed description of an intended research
project. The research proposal is written for the
purposes of gaining the support of a sponsoring
institution. However, the research proposal also
serves as a valuable step to the researcher in
refining the terms of his or her work.
In this session, we will discuss how to develop and
refine a research proposal.
The research proposal is an important step in
developing a research project. As a researcher, it
helps you define and clarify research question
and enables you to show your audience how you
intend to find and develop insightful answers. Your
research proposal also gives an overview of your
overall project so that other people understand its
scope and significance as well as the methodology
and methods which will support the work.
The research proposal is also a formal aspect of
the research process. Funding agencies, ethical
boards, educational and research institutions will
all require it as a prerequisite for sponsorship and
will use the proposal to evaluate and assess the
research project and make decisions on funding,
support and other issues. Proposals are subject
to a great deal of scrutiny, so they should be well
thought out and written.
SMART means that your proposal is specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.
Lets unpack this a bit within the context of your
proposal:
Specific asks precisely what you hope to achieve
from undertaking the research. Are we focused on
one industry or one place? Are we examining one
tool or many tools?
Measurable asks what measures you will use
to determine whether you have achieved your
objectives. Are there steps we can take, questions
we can ask and people we can speak with in order
to find answers?
Attainable asks if the targets you have set for
yourself are achievable given all the possible
constraints. Is your research target too extreme?
Realistic asks if you will have the time, energy and
resources to complete the research on time given
all the other demands upon your time. Are we
required to use tools that we dont have access to?
And finally, timely asks if you will have time to
accomplish all your objectives in the time frame
you have set? Can you gather all the data you need
in the amount of time that is available to you?
5 KEY POINTS
1. Research design refers to the
process undertaken by researchers
to ensure that the evidence
produced in results answers the
initial question as unambiguously as
possible.
2. Your research design validates your
research decisions and justifies
them based on your research
question and objectives.
3. An exploratory study clarifies how
we understand a problem and
examines the problems nature.
4. Descriptive studies are descriptive
of a particular situation.
5. Explanatory studies are research
projects which explore the
relationship between variables and
dig into the intricacies of how they
relate.

Not including a title page and references, a

research proposal usually contains the following
main parts:
An abstract summarising the details of your
proposed research.
A literature review section which contextualises
the research and says what others have done
about it up to now.
A research aims and objectives section which
outlines why the problem area warrants further
research. Here you will highlight the limitations or
weaknesses of other studies and identifying what
is necessary to address these limitations. You will
also state your research questions in this section.
A research methodology section, which outlines
your overall plan of attack in terms of methods for
data acquisition and analysis.
Now lets summarise. Weve been discussing how
to develop a research proposal. As we established,
a research proposal is an important step in
S M A R T
advancing the process of a research project, both
for your sake as a researcher and as a step towards
having institutional sponsorship and support.
A typical research proposal contains several parts
which discuss the existing problem within context
and suggests why and how the problem can be
addressed through research. Because research
proposals are heavily scrutinised, it is advisable
to assess your research proposal using the SMART
criteria we discussed.

A good way to evaluate the effectiveness of your

proposal is to use the SMART criteria.