A research proposal is an official document requesting support to undertake a project. It convinces your supervisor and other readers that you have enough reason to do a study on an issue. The first there chapters of the final research are the research proposal.
Read more on proper organization, structuring and formatting of a research paper
Research Proposal Outline
- Title Page
It should be concise and describe the research. Use words such as “an analysis…, an investigation…
- Table of Contents
It is an arrangement of chapters and subheadings of your research. It gives the reader a brief structure of your proposal.
- Abstract
Use the APA citation style guidelines. It is a summary of the research project. It highlights the research question, the research problem, the methodology and the main findings.
- Introduction
- Topic area
- Research question
- Significance of knowledge
- Literature review
- Previous research done on the topic
- Interlocking results and unanswered problems
- Your primary work on the topic
- The remaining inquiries and connecting logic
- Recap of your study question(s) in this framework
- Methodology
- Approach
- Data used
- Analytic methods applied
- Plan for construing results
- Predictable results
- Budget
- References
Most Common Research Proposal Topics
- Gender and Adolescents
- Business systems and models
- Culture and ethics
- Marketing strategies
- Climate change
- Health
- Cybercrime and technology
Summary
Drafting a concept paper is the most dizzying process. You have to think and rethink about what you want to write about. What will it add to the previously available knowledge base? The research questions should be the cornerstone of your research. Creating a thesis statement and laying out a clear roadmap in your research proposal will go a long way in ensuring your research is clear, concise and coherent. The literature review will show how much research you have undertaken. The more book, publications, journals and articles you read the more informative your research will be.
