Preparing the proposal is both challenging and exciting because it’s the first real opportunity to describe your research project from beginning to end. This is also what makes it challenging; you need to weave together all of the different aspects of the project so that it tells a coherent story. The proposal should be a persuasive document, in that it needs to achieve a specific purpose. In most cases, it is about convincing a panel or committee that the project has some kind of value. You will use it to argue persuasively for the need for this project.

Since many of the topics below are presented in more detail elsewhere in the module, the sections below provide only a short overview, and focuses instead on the relationship between different sections. We provide links to the longer sections where appropriate. While those sections provide more detailed descriptions of the concept, this section tries to explain how these ideas all link together as part of the proposal writing process.

Abstract

The abstract presents the reader with an overview of the study, going into enough detail to orientate the reader to the project, with respect to the knowledge domain, the main problem of interest, the aim of the study, the methods related to the aim, including any instruments to be used, the data collection process and steps for analysing the data. While the abstract is presented first, it is usually written last because it must include detail that sometimes changes over time.

Introduction

The Introduction (sometimes called the Background) establishes the context in which the study will be conducted. It describes the general knowledge domain that the reader needs to be familiar with, through a brief review of the relevant literature. This is not the same as an extensive literature review though (see the next section).

• Problem statement: The problem statement is a concise description of the problem that the study aims to address. It should have been described (or at least, alluded to) in the main section of the introduction. This should therefore only be a summary of the problem. You can read more about problem statemets here.
• Reseach aim: The aim of the project (including the objectives, if the aim is sufficiently complex to require multiple, smaller steps) is to address, in some way, the problem just described. It should be clear how achieving the aim will address the problem.
• Research question: The research question is closely linked to the problem statement and study aim. In many cases, the question is simply a restatement of the aim.
• Significance of the study: This is an attempt to explain why the study matters. What will the findings contribute to the domain of knowledge presented in the earlier section of the introduction. There is a tendency to try and make the study seem more important than it actually is, or to extend the reach of the findings far beyond what they are capable of. Science proceeds in small steps; there is no problem with your project being one of those small steps.

Literature review

The review of literature may sometimes be included with the Introduction, although it often makes sense to present it separately. This may depend on the depth and breadth of the review. If it is extensive, it may make more sense to include it as a separate section. There are different ways to structure the review and it is beyond the scope of this overview to discuss them in more detail. What is important to note is that the review must be structured in a way as to lead the reader towards a conclusion. The specific structure may depend on the purpose of the review (again, there may be different purposes that the review aims to achieve). It should not include too much detail about topics and concepts that are far removed from those introduced in the Introduction. In fact the literature review may be used to expand on the concepts and to argue for them in more detail.

You can read more about the literature review here.

Methods

As you may have noticed, the vast majority of the content in the proposal is related to the study methods. This makes sense when you consider that the proposal is about convincing someone else of the value of the study. The study only has value if the methods are well-described and internally consistent because that is one of the major ways that we can increase confidence in the findings. The proposal is about explaining, in detail, what you want to achieve, and how you intend achieving it, in a way that the reader can trust your conclusion. You can read more about establishing trust in your findings here.

Research design

The design section aims to establish an overarching world view that is consistent with the type of question being asked in the Introduction. There is no point in using a subjective / interpretive design to answer a question about intervention efficacy, for example. The design paradigm must therefore be aligned with the type of problem described, the specific question, and the aim of the study.

You can read more about research design here.

Research setting

The setting in which the research will take place must also be described in detail because the reader must understand the limitations and advantages associated with working in specific contexts. Are there any structural barriers that prevent certain activities being carried out? Local regulations or policies that influence the kinds of interactions that can happen? Customs and social norms that impact on the type of questions that can be asked? Again, it is important that the setting be described in full so that the reader can determine if it will influence (bias) the study outcomes in any way.

Population and sampling

It is essential that you make appropriate choices about who will be approached to participate in your study. The sample will, in most cases, be determined by your setting. Who are the people likely to be available in the setting you describe? What characteristics do they have (in the case of non-random sampling) that makes them likely to have the answers to the questions you want to ask them? In thinking about your sample, you must not only link it back to the setting described in the previous section, but also tie it in to the next section on data collection. In other words, it must be clear to the reader that the sample you describe will actually be able to provide the data you aim to gather.

You can read more about sampling here.

Instrumentation

The specific tools used to gather data must be described in detail in this section. If you are using a valid and reliable tool that you’ve obtained from the literature, then this is simplified because you do not need to pilot your instrument. Of course, if the valid and reliable tool has been used in a different context, you cannot simply assume that it will be valid and reliable in your own context. In this case you will need to conduct a pilot study that aims to determine the validity and reliability of the tool in your specific context. If there is no existing instrument that will enable you to gather your data, you will need to design it from scratch. Instrument design is beyond the scope of this guide but you are encouraged to do further reading on your own.

Data collection

In describing the collection of data, you should keep your study aim and research question close by in order to keep asking if the data you will collect will actually enable you to answer the question you asked, and thereby achieve your aim. It is not unusual for students to end up with data that is interesting but which cannot be used to answer the question they asked. This may be because in designing the questionnaire you became distracted by certain questions without realising that they don’t really relate to the study aims. When describing the methods of data collection, make sure there is a link to the instrument (i.e. can the instrument actually be used to gather the data that is important to answer the research question), as well as to the data analysis (i.e. will you be able to interpret the data you gathered, with the methods you described).

You can read more about collecting the data here.

Data analysis

Now that you’ve described how you will gather your data, you must present a comprehensive overview of how you will analyse and interpret it. This is an important aspect because it tells the reader what your plans are up front and prevents things like p-hacking (which is where you trawl through your data looking for statistically significant findings). If you have presented your analysis up front in the proposal, the reader can be more confident that your findings truly are significant.

You can read more about analysing the data here.

Ethics considerations

During all the previous sections you must always remain aware of your responsibility to ensure that your research participants (who are usually vulnerable populations) are protected. One of the major purposes of a proposal is to ensure that you plan your study in such a way as to prevent (or at the very least, reduce the potential for) harm to come to your participants. Ethics considerations are not simply a short description at the end of the proposal document, but should in fact be in your mind throughout your design process.

You can read more about the ethics for your study here.

References

Finally, you should ensure that your reference list and in-text citations are aligned. In other words, you must check that every in-text citation has an associated reference in the list at the end. You should ensure that your references are correctly formatted using the style guide that is appropriate in your faculty or department. But above all, you must make sure that the reader can use your reference list to track down your source material so that they can check the claims you’ve made as part of your proposal.