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1、Guide to writing a research proposalA formal proposal is required for admission to a research degree. It is one means by which university committees assess and approve your research candidature.The process of developing the proposal can be a valuable exercise, one which can help you determine your f
2、ocus, clarify what is involved in your research project and plan its development. A developed proposal is an important way in which you can demonstrate your understanding of research and communicate your research thinking to others.These guidelines are provided to help you draw out your ideas. They
3、state the requirements of a sound proposal. 1 Topic and problematicThe research topic formulates a problem that is worthy of research. The topic should: be stated clearly and succinctly in one or two sentences. be determined after consultation with potential supervisors.The topic is usually framed a
4、s a problem or question in need of an answer. The topic statement will invite your reader to ask why it is significant and worth doing. A good research proposal identifies in the research topic a problematic to be investigated. Needless to say, your statement of this will result from discussion of y
5、our area of interest with potential supervisors, mentors and others.Framing the question is not always easy, and you need to ask yourself whether your proposed problem or research question is really the question to be asked and answered. The framing of the problematic is crucial in setting up the re
6、search, though it is a common for researchers to revise and reformulate this as the research progresses.An important issue is how you theorise or conceptualise the topicwhat needs to come through is your understanding of the problematic you are exploring. 2 Background and context Your research topic
7、 needs to be located in its context and background. In sketching this background, you need to show how and why does the topic come to be important and why is it worth researching? This means: contextualising the research problemhow does it arise? outlining its significancewhat will be the outcomes,
8、and for whom? referring to key issues that are associated with the topicBackground can be provided in several ways. Your theoretical interests or concerns may have generated the research, and its justification is to be found in a theoretical developments or related literature. Where professional pra
9、ctice is the focus, you may want to describe and analyse the context of policy or organisational changes. In any case, you should summarise the influences which come into play to shape your research. The analysis should lead you to interrogate your own assumptions about why the problem is significan
10、t. You need to ask what interests are driving the research, from whose point of view the problem is significant? 3 Conceptual framework and related literature A conceptual framework elaborates the research problematic in relation to relevant literature. It should deal with such matters as: existing
11、research and its relevance for your topic relevant theoretical perspective or perspectives key ideas or constructs in your approach possible lines of inquiry you might pursueYour proposal needs to show how the proposed research relates to a body of related studies, or literature. The orthodox way to
12、 do this is to write a brief version of the literature review on a traditional science model. This is not always possible, especially if there is little related past research. Another is to outline the kinds of theoretical sources that will inform your researchthe available research perspectives. Th
13、ough not all proposals need to include an elaborated conceptual framework, a well-developed proposal will do so. This can take up so-called conceptual issues which express your understanding of the topic and the problems in researching it. 4 Methodology and ethicsMethodology put simply is the resear
14、ch methods you intend to develop or employ and their justification. It is more than a description of the techniques or procedures proposed, and should outline the key assumptions your approach makes. It may foreshadow some of the methodological issues which you anticipate will arise in developing yo
15、ur research approach.How you describe your methodology will depend on what kind of approach you are taking. The methodology section typically might: refer to a accepted method or approach highlight problems in developing a suitable approach (methodological issues) describe how information will be ge
16、nerated, analysed and reported document ethical issues in view of UTS Ethics Committee requirements (see the guidelines on ethics included in this handbook)If you plan a quantitative study, you will refer to method, data collection and analysis. Qualitative methodology will need to describe issues in managing qualitative data. An action research methodology needs to be described in t
