Chapter 14 Writing a Research Proposal.ppt

Writing a Research Proposal

1. Planning an
Applied Research
Project
Chapter 14 – Writing the Research
Proposal
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

2. Learning Objectives
»Explain the reasons for preparing a comprehensive
proposal
»Identify the elements of a proposal
»Describe the voice that should be used in a
proposal
»Distinguish between an abstract and an executive
summary
»Read a proposal for research and determine its
merits
»Evaluate a proposal using specific criteria
»Write a coherent and focused proposal
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

3. Key Terms
»Abstract
»Appendices
»Audience
»Clarity
»Coherence
»Comprehensiveness
»Creativity
»Contribution
»Credibility
»Executive Summary
»Feasibility
»Point of view
»Research questions
»Voice
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

4. Reasons for Proposal
»Obtain support from a funder or your professor
»Clarify what it is that you want to do and how you
will do it
»Obtain approval to conduct the research from the
appropriate governing bodies
»Improve your chances of being successful
»Provide information to colleagues
»Find partners for the research
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

5. Complete Proposals Contain
»Information about access to sources
»Sample of documents to be used
»Plan for conducting the research
»Documents indicating support for the research
»Value or significance of the research to be
conducted
»Approval – or plan for it – to interview, observe or
survey respondents
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

6. Elements of a Proposal
»Executive summary
»Introduction
»Purpose, research questions, and significance
»Literature review and insights
»Research design (data collection method, sampling,
plan for analysis of the data)
»Expected findings
»Possible limitations
»Applications and next steps
»Conclusion
»Appendices of supporting documents
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

7. Elements of a Proposal for
Funding
»Cover sheet
»Executive summary
»Introduction
»Purpose, research questions, and significance
»Literature review and insights
»Research design (data collection method, sampling,
plan for analysis of the data)
»Expected findings
»Strategy for disseminating findings
»Possible limitations and next steps
»Conclusion
»Appendices of supporting documents
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

8. Audience and Perspective
»Persons who may approve it
»Persons who need to approve research with human
subjects
»Colleagues and scholars interested in your
research
»Colleagues who can help you
»Potential partners in the research
»Persons who you need to participate
»Other persons interested in your research
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

9. Prefatory Documents
Abstract
»One to two
paragraphs
»Brief and succinct
»Explanation of the
proposal
»Prepared for scholars
and their colleagues
Executive Summary
»One to two page
document
»Clear and
comprehensive
»Information about
contents of the
proposal
»Prepared for
managers and
decision makers
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

10. Executive Summary Answers…
»What is the proposal about?
»How will the research be conducted?
»What is the researcher likely to find?
»How useful will the study results be?
»Why should the study be undertaken?
»What is the significance of this study?
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

11. Characteristics of an Executive
Summary
»Well-written
»Comprehensive
»Tightly organized
»Carefully focused
»Positive tone
»Enthusiastic
»Brief – not detailed
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

12. Useful Appendices
˃Budget for the project
˃Travel plans
˃Publication or dissemination of results plans
˃Timeline
˃Curriculum vita of the principal investigator
˃Permission to conduct research on human subjects
˃Letters of support from organizations and
companies involved
˃Review of deliverables
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

13. Useful Appendices (cont’d)
»Plan for disseminating the findings
»Sample forms
»Information about statistical methods to be used
»Information about staff to be involved in the
research
»List of approvals
»Annotated bibliography (sometimes included in an
appendix and sometimes a separate document)
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

14. Introduction
»Prepares reader for the proposal
»Orients reader to the topic and its value or
significance
»Reviews the contents of the proposal
»Alludes to the purpose statement
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

15. Conclusion
»Restates purpose and research questions
»Explains need for this research
»Reviews key elements of the literature review
»Describes the research design
»Summarizes expected findings
»States significance and usefulness of the research
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

16. Seven Criteria for a Research
Proposal
1.Clarity
2.Coherence
3.Comprehensiveness
4.Creativity
5.Contribution
6.Credibility
7.Feasibility
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.

17. Review of Class Session
»Anything unclear?
»One thing that delighted me to learn from this class
is …
© 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights reserved.