How to Write a Successful Research Proposal | Scribbr 🎓

Summary

This video by Jessica from Scribbr offers a clear guide on how to write a compelling research proposal. It covers essential elements such as the title page, introduction, literature review, research design, and reference list. Key aspects like understanding the research problem, setting clear research questions, and planning the methodology are highlighted. The video also emphasizes the importance of feasibility, including timelines and budgets, as well as editing and proofreading. Tailored for students, this guide ensures you create a strong proposal to impress supervisors or funding bodies.

Takeaways

• 📝 Most research projects begin with a proposal, and you’ll likely need one for your thesis or dissertation.
• 📑 A research proposal aims to convince others (like your supervisor or a funding body) that your project is valuable and feasible.
• 📋 Key elements of a research proposal include: title page, introduction, literature review, research design, and reference list.
• 🎓 The title page should contain the project title, your name, your supervisor’s name, and your institution's details.
• 📚 The introduction should present the context, relevance, and significance of your research problem, as well as the key research questions.
• 📖 A strong literature review demonstrates your knowledge of the field and shows how your research builds upon existing studies.
• 🛠️ The research design outlines your methodology, including the research type, sources, methods, and potential challenges.
• 🔎 It's crucial to explain the implications of your research and how it contributes to existing theories or practices.
• 🔗 Don’t forget to include proper citations and a reference list for all sources used in your proposal.
• 📅 Depending on your program, you may need to provide a timeline and budget to demonstrate the feasibility of your research.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a research proposal?

A research proposal is designed to persuade someone, such as a supervisor or funding body, that your project is worthwhile.

Who is Jessica from the video?

Jessica is from Scribbr, and she is there to help achieve academic goals.

What does a research proposal aim to reflect?

A research proposal aims to reflect the relevance, context, approach, and feasibility of your project.

What are the typical sections found in a research proposal?

Most research proposals should contain at least the following elements: Title page, Introduction, Literature review, Research design, Reference list.

What should be included in the title page of a research proposal?

The title page should include the proposed title of your project, your name, your supervisor’s name, the institution and department, and it's advisable to check with your department for specific requirements.

Why is the introduction section important in a research proposal?

The introduction is important because it hooks the reader and demonstrates the relevance of your research problem, showing that your project is interesting, original, and important.

What are some guiding questions for writing the introduction of a research proposal?

Guiding questions for the introduction include: How much is already known about the problem? For whom is this interesting? What are the key research questions you aim to answer?

How does a literature review in a research proposal contribute to the project?

A literature review convinces the reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory and shows that you are familiar with the field.

What should be described in the research design or methodology section of a research proposal?

In the research design section, you should describe the research type, sources, research methods, and practicalities such as any foreseeable obstacles in terms of timescale or resources required.

Why is it important to include proper citations and a reference list in a research proposal?

Including proper citations and a reference list is important to give credit to the sources used and to demonstrate academic integrity.

What additional elements might be required in a research proposal depending on the program's requirements?

Depending on the requirements of your program, you might have to include a detailed timeline and budget of the project to show that the research is feasible.

How can one ensure their research proposal is free from language errors and has a strong academic style?

One can ensure their research proposal is free from language errors and has a strong academic style by editing and proofreading it, and considering using a professional proofreading service.

What is the typical length of a research proposal for a bachelor’s or master’s thesis compared to a PhD dissertation or research funding proposal?

A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations and research funding are often very long and detailed.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Research Proposal Writing

This paragraph introduces the concept of a research proposal, emphasizing its necessity at the beginning of most research projects, particularly for theses and dissertations. It outlines the purpose of a research proposal, which is to persuade stakeholders like supervisors or funding bodies of the project's value. The paragraph sets the stage for a detailed discussion on how to craft an effective research proposal, promising to cover the key elements and strategies for success.

Keywords

💡Research proposal

A research proposal is a document designed to convince someone, such as a supervisor or funding body, that a project is worthwhile. In the video, it’s emphasized as the first step before starting a thesis or dissertation, outlining the relevance, context, and feasibility of a research project.

💡Introduction

The introduction is the section of the research proposal where the writer hooks the reader by demonstrating the relevance of the research problem. It sets the context, highlights why the project is important, and introduces key research questions, as shown in the video when describing how to engage the reader early on.

💡Literature review

A literature review is a critical section of the research proposal that establishes the project's foundation in existing knowledge. The video explains that it shows familiarity with the field and positions the project within ongoing conversations, thereby strengthening its credibility.

💡Research design

Research design refers to the methodology section of the proposal, where the researcher explains the approach and steps they will take to answer the research questions. The video emphasizes the importance of detailing whether the research is qualitative or quantitative, the sources of data, and the methods used.

💡Title page

The title page of a research proposal includes essential information such as the proposed title, the researcher's name, supervisor's name, and the institution. The video highlights that the format of the title page can vary based on departmental guidelines.

💡Feasibility

Feasibility refers to whether the research project can be realistically completed within the available time and resources. In the video, feasibility is discussed in terms of planning the timeline and budget, ensuring that the research can be accomplished within the proposed limits.

💡Reference list

The reference list is a crucial part of the research proposal where all sources cited are listed. The video underlines the importance of including proper citations and managing sources from the beginning of the project, to avoid missing important references.

💡Research questions

Research questions are the key queries that a project aims to answer. The video explains that the introduction should include these questions to show the direction of the research and why it is significant, helping to clarify the project's aims.

💡Implications

Implications refer to the potential impact of the research on theory or practice. In the video, implications are discussed as a way to conclude the proposal by exploring how the results could confirm or challenge existing theories, or lead to further research.

💡Supervisor

A supervisor is the person who oversees and guides the research process. The video mentions the supervisor as someone the researcher must often convince of the project's worth and from whom they receive approval for the research proposal.

Highlights

A research proposal is designed to persuade someone of the project's worth.

A research proposal reflects the relevance, context, approach, and feasibility of a project.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields.

Title page should include the project title, your name, supervisor's name, and institution.

Introduction should demonstrate the research problem's relevance and originality.

Literature review shows a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory.

Research design describes the approach and practical steps to answer research questions.

Research type should be specified as qualitative, quantitative, primary, or secondary.

Sources for the research should be identified.

Research methods involve the tools and procedures to be used.

Practicalities include potential obstacles in terms of timescale or resources.

Proposal should explore potential implications for theory or practice.

Proper citations and a reference list are mandatory for every source used.

A detailed timeline and budget may be required to show the research's feasibility.

Editing and proofreading are essential before submission.

The length of the research proposal depends on the requirements of the program.

A bachelor's or master's thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while PhD proposals are often longer.

Subscribe for more videos on conducting research and writing academic papers.

Transcripts

Most research projects start with a proposal.

You’ll probably have to write one before you start your thesis or dissertation.

A research proposal is designed to persuade someone that your project is worthwhile, for

example, your supervisor or funding body.

If you want to know how to write a proper research proposal, then stay tuned.

--- Hi, I'm Jessica from Scribbr, here to help

you achieve your academic goals.

A research proposal aims to reflect the relevance, context, approach and feasibility of your

project.

Big words, but what do they mean?

Let's find out with some concrete examples.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals should contain

at least these elements: Title page

Introduction Literature review

Research design Reference list

Now, let’s go through what you should include in each element!

The title page of your proposal should include: The proposed title of your project

Your name Your supervisor’s name

The institution and department You should also check with your department

to see if there are specific requirements.

The introduction is where you hook the reader and demonstrate relevance.

Here you should introduce the context of your research problem and show that your project

is interesting, original and important.

Here are some questions to guide your introduction: How much is already known about the problem?

For whom is this interesting?

(e.g. policymakers or scientists) What are the key research questions that you

aim to answer?

A strong literature review convinces the reader that your project has a solid foundation in

existing knowledge or theory.

It also shows that you’re familiar with the field.

In this section, you're explaining how your project will contribute to conversations on

your topic.

If you're not sure where to start, we have a playlist on how to write a literature review,

where you'll learn about searching for relevant literature, outlining the structure, and more!

The research design or methodology section should describe the overall approach and practical

steps you will take to answer your research questions.

Here are things you should describe in the research design section:

Research type, so is it qualitative or quantitative, primary or secondary?

Sources, who or what will you actually study?

Research methods, what tools and procedures will you use?

Practicalities, any foreseeable obstacles in terms of timescale or resources required?

Click here to dive deeper into this section!

To finish your proposal on a strong note, you can explore the potential implications

of the research for theory or practice, and emphasize again what you aim to contribute

to existing knowledge on the topic.

For example, your results might have implications for:

Confirming or developing a theory Challenging current assumptions

Creating a basis for further research

Of course, your research proposal must include proper citations and a reference list for

every source you've used.

It’s important to keep track of your sources right from the beginning.

You can create and manage your sources easily with Scribbr's free citation generator!

Depending on the requirements of your program, you might have to include a detailed timeline

and budget of the project.

This aims to show that the research is feasible.

Within the timeline, you'll explain what you will do at each stage, how long it will take

and how much it will cost.

We have an example research schedule in our article, you can take a look here.

As in any other piece of academic writing, it’s essential to edit and proofread your

research proposal before you submit it.

For the best chance of approval, you might want to consider using a professional proofreading

service to get rid of language errors, check your proposal’s structure, and improve your

academic style.

As for how long the research proposal should be, it really depends.

A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for

PhD dissertations and research funding are often very long and detailed.

So check with your supervisor!

Before you go and start writing, make sure to subscribbr for more videos on how to conduct

research and write academic papers!

Thanks for watching and I'll see you soon!