Research proposal

development
What is a research proposal ?
How do we identify a research topic?
What are the components of a research
proposal?

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 Research Proposal Development
1. Identifying a research topic
Defining the problem is the first step and one of the most
difficult in research undertaking.
There is a tendency for the beginner in research to ask
questions that are usually diffuse or vague.
 Each topic that is proposed for research has to be judged
according to certain criteria.
There may be several ideas to choose from. Before
deciding on a research topic, each proposed topic must
be compared with all other options.
 Criteria for selecting a research topic:
Relevance/Significance
Avoidance of duplication
Urgency of data needed (timeliness)
Feasibility of study
Applicability of results
Interest to the researcher
Ethical acceptability

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 Identify the following topics as good and bad

 A. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cell phone use in

schools?
 B. How does restricting cell phone use in school affect student
social interaction?
 A. Which effective education strategies prevent drug abuse in
teens?
 B. Are illicit drugs bad for teens?
 A. What are the role of religious Leaders for peaceful co-existence?
 B. How do Religious Leaders contribute for peaceful co-existence?
 A. Does men have a role in women empowerment?
 B. How can men play productive roles in women empowerment?
 C. Why are men against women empowerment?

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 2. Research Proposal (RP)
 RP is the detailed plan of study.
The intent of the written RP is to present a focused and
scholarly presentation of a research problem and plan.
The objective in writing a proposal is to describe what
you will do, why it should be done, how you will do it
and what you expect will result.
Being clear about these things from the beginning will
help you complete your research in a timely fashion.
A vague, weak or fuzzy proposal can lead to a long,
painful, and often unsuccessful research writing exercise.
A well-thought out and well-written proposal can be
judged according to three main criteria.
Is it adequate to answer the research question(s), and
achieve the study objective?
 Is it feasible in the particular set-up for the study?
 Does it provide enough detail that can allow another
investigator to do the study and arrive at comparable results?
3. Components of a Research Proposal
Although there are slight differences among different
disciplines, the essential/basic components of a research
proposal are similar.
Different academic institutions (HLIs) may have their
own postgraduate manuals (guidelines) that depict the
basic components and procedures that postgraduate
students needs to adhere to them while developing their
proposals and writing research reports.
For e.g., HU’s postgraduate guideline (SGS guideline)
depicts the following basic components of a research
proposal. Refer to it!
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 PRELIMINARY PARTS
I. Title page ( Cover page)
 The title page identifies the proposal and provides
the endorsement of appropriate body (advisor).
 Contains the title of the research
 the title should state the topic exactly with few words
 All words in the title should be chosen with great care,
and association with one another must be carefully
managed.
 A good title is defined as the fewest possible words
that adequately describe the contents of the study.
 Title is a label: it is not a sentence (Not > 15 words)
 Titles should almost never contain abbreviations.
The tile page also contains
The names (your name, department/ faculty/college, the
name of your advisor(s)), and date of submission, etc.
The title page has no page number and it is not counted in
any page numbering.
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 II. Acronyms and
Abbreviations
An abbreviation is a short form of a word or phrase
that is usually made by deleting certain letters.
Example: Dr., Prof., Eth., etc., e.g.
Acronyms are usually formed using the first letter (or
letters) of each word in a phrase. When they are read,
some are pronounced as if they are words (such as
OPEC, USA, ETRSS (Ethiopian Remote Sensing
Satellite).

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 Acronyms and
Abbreviations…
Used only when they have to appear several times in the text.
should be defined in full when they are first used in the
proposal followed by abbreviation or acronym in parenthesis,
e.g.; Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
Should not be used in the title.
Should be provided in alphabetical order.

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III. Table of Contents
This comes after the title page. Start pagination here
(in Roman numerals). Numerize the sub-headings
with the numbers of the chapters, e.g. 1.1 for the first
sub-heading in Chapter One. Sub-sub-headings should
similarly be numerized, e.g. 2.2.1 for the first sub-sub-
heading in Chapter Two.
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IV. List of tables
If you have any tables in the text, identify them using
numerals of their chapters and titles, e.g. Table 3.1 for
the first table in Chapter three. The title of the table
should be separated from its number using the colon.
Put the identity of the table at the top of the table.
Paginate using a continuation of Roman numerals
from the Table of Contents.
V. List of figures
If there are any figures, identify them as in IV above.
However, put the identity of each below the figure.
Continue pagination as in IV above.
I. Introductory Part of the Research Proposal
Introduction highlights readers with the background
information for the research proposal.
 Its purpose is to establish a framework for the
research, so that readers can understand how it is
related to other research.
Include a hook at the beginning of the introduction.
This is a statement of something sufficiently
interesting to motivate the reader to read the rest of
the proposal, it is an important/interesting scientific
problem that your study either solves or addresses.
 Introductory chapter
Comprises (some or all ):
1. Background of the study
2. Statement of the problem
3. Research Questions
4. Objectives/Purpose
5. Significance
6. Delimitations/Scope
7. Operational definition

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 (1) In the Background of the study,
we
1) summarize important and relevant research studies:
 What questions have researchers in this area been
interested in?
 What methodologies have the researchers used?
 What are the key findings?
2) criticize to indicate the gaps our study attempts to
address:
 What are some limitations or weaknesses of the research?
 How do these affect the conclusions that can be drawn
from the study?

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 3) synthesize
to show how the gaps can be filled:
What are the main ideas and conceptual distinctions
currently made in this research area?
What are some "open questions" or unresolved
debates?
What are some potential ways these questions might
be addressed in future studies?

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2. Statement of the Problem [SP]
It consists of the question/problem you are trying to
answer.
Proposals are usually written as a reaction/ response to
problems.
A problem could be defined as the issue that exists in
the literature, theory, or practice that leads to a need for
the study.
 The problem needs to be very focused because everything
else from research-in-practice logically flows from the
problem.
 If the problem is too big or too vague, it will be difficult to
scope out a purpose that is manageable, given the time to
execute and finish the project.
 Overall, the problem statement should do four things:
1. Specify and describe the problem (with appropriate
citations)
2. Provide evidence of the problem’s existence
3. Explain the consequences of NOT solving the problem
4. Identify what is not known about the problem that should
be known.
 3. Objectives
The objectives of a research delineate the ends or aim
which the inquirer seeks to bring about as a result of
completing the research undertaken.
 An objective may be thought of as either a solution to a
problem or a step along the way toward achieving a
solution; an end state to be achieved in relation to the
problem.
The objectives of a research project summarizes what is
to be achieved by the study.
 Objectives

Objectives should be
• simple (not complex),
• specific (not vague),
• stated in advance (not after the research is
done), and
• stated using “action verbs” that are
specific enough to be measured.
See the following examples
 Objectives

The objectives should start with words such as

‘to determine’,
‘to find out’,
‘to ascertain’,
‘to measure’,
‘to explore’
‘to describe’
‘to assess’
‘to investigate’
‘to identify’
‘to examine’ etc
The wording of objectives determines the type of research
(such as descriptive, co-relational, experimental…) and
the type of research design you need to adopt to achieve
them.
 Commonly, research objectives are classified into general objectives and
specific objectives.
 General objective
• The general objective of a study states what is expected to be
achieved by the study in general terms. For example, if the
problem identified is the low participation of youths in politics, the
general objective of the study could be: To identify the reasons for
the low participation of youths in politics in order to find solutions.
Specific Objectives
• Given that we have rightly stated the general objectives, it is
advisable to break it down into several smaller, logically connected
parts. These are normally referred to as specific objectives.
 Should systematically address the various aspects of the problem as defined
under ‘Statement of the Problem’ and the key factors that are assumed to
influence or cause the problem.
 4. Research Questions or
Hypothesis
Research questions (interrogative form) are the
alternative forms of research objectives (Affirmative
form).
A research question best describes the objective
of the research study. Such a question is needed
to define the nature and scope of research. The
way a particular research question is worded can
have a significant influence on how much and
what kind of research activities will be required.
 Research Hypothesis
A hypothesis states your predictions about what your
research will find. It is a tentative answer to
your research question that has not yet been tested.
A hypothesis is not just a guess – it should be based on
existing theories and knowledge.
It also has to be testable, which means you can support
or refute it through scientific research methods (such
as experiments, observations and statistical analysis of
data).

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 Types of hypothesis
 Null hypothesis
A null hypothesis proposes no relationship between two
variables. Denoted by H0, it is a negative statement like “ The
number of lectures attended by students has no effect on their
final exam scores.”
Here, the author claims physiotherapy sessions have no effect
on on-field performances.
 2. Alternative hypothesis
Considered to be the opposite of a null hypothesis, an
alternative hypothesis is donated as H1 or Ha.
 A good alternative hypothesis example is “The number of
lectures attended by students has a positive effect on their final
exam scores.”
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 Variables in hypotheses
Independent variables are those that (probably) cause,
influence, or affect outcomes.
They are also called treatment, manipulated, antecedent,
or predictor variables.
 Dependent variables are those that depend on the
independent variables; they are the outcomes or results
of the influence of the independent variables.
Locate the dependent and independent variable in in
the following topics:
The number of lectures attended by students has a
positive effect on their final exam scores.
Divorce has significant effects on children.
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 5. Significance of the Study
 By including this section, the writer creates a clear rationale for the
importance of the study.
 The more audiences that can be mentioned, the greater the
importance of the study and the more it will be seen by readers to
have wide application
 The significance of the study answers the questions:
- Why is your study important?
- To whom is it important?
- What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?

- Examples
 We develop theory to explain how...
 Our most important contribution is...
 This study advances our understanding of...
 To date, no systematic investigation has considered…
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 6. Scope/Delimitation of the study
• Delimitations define the parameters of the investigation.
They are in essence the limitations consciously set by the
researchers themselves. They are concerned with the
definitions that the researchers decide to set as the
boundaries or limits of their work so that the study’s aims
and objectives do not become impossible to achieve.
 Delimitations are those characteristics selected by the
researcher to define the boundaries of the study. The
researcher makes conscious exclusionary and inclusionary.
 Decisions regarding the sample (including such information
as geographic location), the variables studied, the theoretical
perspectives, the instruments, the generalizability, etc…

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 You need to also delimit:
 population/sample,
 treatment(s),
 setting,
 instrumentation
 the literature you will not review (and why not).
 the methodological procedures you will not use (and why
you will not use them).
 things that a reader might reasonably expect you to do but
that you, for clearly explained reasons, have decided not to
do.

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 7. Operational Definitions of Key
Terms
Scientific research requires operational definition that
define constructs or concepts in terms of how they
will be empirically measured.
It should not, necessarily, be dictionary
definitions/meanings of the terms/words.
Citations are not used unless otherwise it is
mandatory.
• For example: domestic violence should be defined in
terms of whether the study is interested in physical
violence or sexual violence or psychological violence
or neglect, etc.
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 II. Review of Related Literature
chapter
What is literature review?
Why do we have a literature review?
Where do we do LR?
How do we select materials (books, articles, etc) to
review?

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 What is a Literature Review?
A “review of the literature” is a classification and
evaluation of what accredited scholars and researchers
have written on a topic.
In other words, a literature review is an account of
previously published materials by experts and
researchers in a particular area of interest.

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 Why to do a literature review?
To make connections between what you are
investigating and what has already been investigated in
your subject area.
To engage in a type of conversation with other
researchers in your subject area.
To identify previous research on the topic.
To show a gap in the literature which your study can
fill.
To serve as the driving force and jumping-off point for
your own research investigation.

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 General Problems
1. Some reviews consisted only of a largely unrelated
annotated list of studies.
2. Many of the studies listed in the reviews were not
relevant to the new study.
3. Many theories were mentioned or described in the
reviews, but often without a clear, logical connection
among the theories and without clearly pointing out
the relevance of each description.

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 How to Begin?
Finding Appropriate Sources of Information
Know what is appropriate:
 – Scholarly, academic, peer-reviewed material
 – Material that presents empirical data/evidence to back up
claims, not just opinions
 – Material that presents an introduction, purpose, background
literature, method, procedures, findings, discussion, implications,
conclusion
Know where to begin searching:
 – Book catalogues
 – Library databases

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 Use books as a beginning point
Why books first?
They gather a lot of information on one topic in one
place.
They can provide a good overview or good background
information on a topic.
They often offer extensive bibliographies/references

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 Look for journal articles second
 Journal articles discuss one perspective.
Each article makes a unique contribution.
Articles can supplement information found first in
books.
Articles can offer more up-to-date information.

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 Putting It All Together
• You have found a lot of literature. Now what?
You need to organize what you have found:
▫ By theme?
▫ Chronologically?

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 Avoid Plagiarism
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas
as your own, with or without their consent, by
incorporating it into your work without full
acknowledgement.
All published and unpublished material, whether in
manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered
under this definition.
Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or
unintentional.
 Under academic conventions, intentional or reckless
plagiarism is a disciplinary offence. Plagiarism
allegations can cause a student to be suspended or
expelled.

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 Citation and referencing
• Effectively integrating source material from the experts
with your own ideas via.
• Direct quoting
• Paraphrasing
• Providing complete references
• Just as you expect to receive credit for your work, other
authors expect and deserve credit for theirs.

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Quotations: Paraphrasing:
• match the source word for • does not match the source word
word; for word;
• are usually a brief segment of • involves putting a passage from a
the text; source into your own words;
• appear between quotation • changes the words or phrasing of
marks; a passage, but retains and fully
• must be attributed to the communicates the original meaning;
original source • must be attributed to the original
e.g.; X (2015: 12) source.
e.g.; X (2015)

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1. Quoting
 When directly quoting, remember the following points: for
a short quotation, use quotation marks “… " to indicate
that these are someone else’s words.
 For example: In fact, Rumelhart suggests that schemata
"truly are the building blocks of cognition" (1981: 33).
 For quotations longer than three lines, take a new line and
indent the quote to separate it from the main text (in this
case you do not require quotation marks)
 If you want to add words to the original quote use square
brackets [ ]
 2. Paraphrasing
 Paraphrasing means formulating someone else’s ideas in
your own words. To paraphrase a source, you have to
rewrite a passage without changing the meaning of the
original text.
 Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting, where you copy
someone’s exact words and put them in quotation marks. In
academic writing, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead
of quoting, because it shows that you have understood the
source and makes your work more original.
 You also have to be careful not to use wording that is too
similar to the original. Otherwise, you could be at risk of
committing plagiarism.
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 Paraphrasing (Cont’d)
5 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1. Read the passage several times to fully understand
the meaning
2. Note down key concepts
3. Write your version of the text without looking at the
original
4. Compare your paraphrased text with the original
passage and make minor adjustments to phrases that
remain too similar
5. Cite the source where you found the idea

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 Paraphrasing example
 Original passage
 “The number of foreign and domestic tourists in the Netherlands
rose above 42 million in 2017, an increase of 9% and the sharpest
growth rate since 2006, the national statistics office CBS reported on
Wednesday” ([Link], 2018:20).
 Paraphrased version
 According to the national statistics office, the Netherlands
experienced dramatic growth in tourist numbers in 2017. More than
42 million tourists travelled to or within the Netherlands that year,
representing a 9% increase—the steepest in 12 years ([Link],
2018).
 The text is rewritten in your own words
 The meaning of the text did not change
 The source is cited correctly according to APA in-text citation rules

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In-text citations
 An in-text reference comprises author surname/s, and the
publication date of the source (in brackets), within the
body of the essay or report.
 When you cite the work of other authors, you may choose
to focus either on the information provided by that author,
or on the author him- or herself.
 The first focus is called information prominent because
the information is given primary importance: For
example:
 “Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially
when it was their first time" (Jones,1998:199).
In-text citations(Cont’d)
In the second type, author-prominent citation, the
author's name is given more emphasis. It serves as the
subject of the sentence, followed by the date or citation
number in parentheses, and then by the information.
For example:
According to Jones (1998), "students often had
difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their
first time" (p. 199).
Activity
Which of the following are correct?. Why?
1) According to Brown (2001), he states that the Internet is a
useful research tool.
2) Brown(2001), he states that the Internet is a useful
research tool.
3) Brown (2001) states that the Internet is a useful research
tool (p.16).

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III. Research Methodology
Core part of the research process and includes:
 Description of study area
 Research paradigm/approach/design
 Description of study participants/population
 Sample size and sampling methods/techniques
 Methods and tools of data collection
 Description of methods of data analysis
 Procedures of data collection
 Description of data quality assurance – piloting, validity
and reliability
 Research ethics
 Research methodology vs
Research methods
 Both are often used interchangeably but they carry
different meanings.
 Research method pertains to all those methods, which a
researcher employs to undertake research process, to
solve the given problem.
 The techniques and procedure, that are applied during
the course of studying research problem are known as
the research method.
 It encompasses both qualitative and quantitative method
of performing research operations, such as survey, case
study, interview, questionnaire, observation, etc.
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 Research Methodology
 Research Methodology, as its name suggest is the study
of methods, so as to solve the research problem.
 It is the science of learning the way research should be
performed systematically.
 It refers to the rigorous analysis of the methods applied
in the stream of research, to ensure that the conclusions
drawn are valid, reliable and credible too.
 Research methodology provides a logical explanation
behind the steps taken in the research.
 The scope of research methodology is wider than that of
research method, as the latter is the part of the former.
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Differences between Research Methods and Research Methodology

Research Method Research Methodology

• seeks to answer: what did the

• seeks to answer: how did the
researcher use to complete his
researcher complete his study.
research.

• explains and justifies the techniques

• is about the techniques and tools by
and tools by which you may proceed
which you research a topic.
with your research.

• involves the tasks of conducting • involves the learning of various

experiments, tests, surveys, etc. techniques to conduct research and
using the knowledge learned through acquiring knowledge to perform
research methodology. tests, experiments, and surveys.

• ensures the employment of the

• aims at finding solutions to research
correct procedures to solve the
problems.
problems.

• paves the way to choose appropriate

• is the end of any scientific or non-
research methods and thus is the
58 scientific research.
beginning of any research.
Research Site(Description of the
study area)
This section provides a detailed description of the
place where the research will take place, such as
location, climate, vegetation, the people, occupation,
health situation and education. However, you should
only include that information that is relevant to your
study.
Research Design
• Research design is the plan, structure and strategy of
investigation conceived, so as to obtain answers to research
questions and to control variants.
• Research design is the plan for conducting your research
project. It is the basic framework which provides guidelines for
the rest of research process.
• It constitutes the blue print for the collection, measurement and
analysis of data. It is the logical and systematic planning and
directing of a piece of research.
 This section describes the plan or strategy for conducting the
research. What type of study is it? What type of data will be
collected and how? How will the data be analyzed and how
will the findings be presented?
Study Population
This is also called the universe. It should be described
in detail.
Sample Population
Before you draw your sample from the study
population, you have to decide on your unit of
analysis. Unit is another term for the elements in
a sample. This means that units of analysis are
the social entities whose characteristics are the
focus of the study. In social research these may
include individuals, groups, programmes,
organizations and institutions, larger communities,
or cultural artefacts.
Sampling Procedure
• Sampling is an important and separate step in the research process.
The basic idea of sampling is that it involves any procedure that
uses a relatively small number of items or portions (called a
sample) of a universe (called population) to conclude to the whole
population.
• It contrasts with the process of complete enumeration, in which
every member of the population is included. Such a complete
enumeration is referred to as census.
• A population is the total collection of elements about which we
wish to make some inference or generalization while a sample is a
part of the population, carefully selected to represent that
population.
• If certain statistical procedures are followed in selecting the
sample, it should have the same characteristics as the population as
a whole. These procedures are embedded in the sample design.
Sample design refers to the methods to be followed in selecting a
sample from the population and the estimating technique, vis-a-vis
formula for computing the sample statistics.
 Data Collection Methods
 The researcher should describe how the data will be collected.
He/she should specify the methods to be used in collecting
both secondary and primary data.
 The method selected for data collection will largely determine
how the data are collected. The collection of data may range
from a simple observation at one location to an extensive
survey covering a wide area in any part of the universe.
 There are many different ways to collect data. The approach
selected largely depends on:
- The research question(s) to be addressed;
- The study design;
- The availability of time, money and human resources
• For example, you may collect data by conducting a survey, a
focus group discussion or undertaking an observation.
Data Processing and Analysis
This should start in the field, with checking for
completeness of the data and performing quality
control checks, while sorting the data by group of
informants.
The plan involves:
o Sorting data
o Performing quality-control checks
o Data processing
o Data analysis
 Ethical Considerations
 Here the researcher should describe how he/she will ensure
that ethical requirements are upheld in the study. The
major ethical issues of concern are:
o Informed consent
o Privacy and confidentiality
o Anonymity
o Researcher’s responsibility.
 In describing the ethical standards, the researcher:
o Names the ethical problem in the study. It must originate from the
methodology of the study.
o Explains its origin in the study.
o Explains how it will be managed in the study.
 IV. Work Plan
 Work plan is a schedule, chart or graph that
summarizes the different components of a research
proposal and how they will be implemented in a
coherent way within a specific time-span.
 It may include:
 The tasks to be performed;
 When and where the tasks will be performed;
 Who will perform the tasks and the time each person will spend
on them;
 It describes the plan of assessing the ongoing progress toward
achieving the research objectives;
 The plan specifies how each project activity is to be measured
in terms of completion, the time line for its completion;
 A good work time plan enables both the investigators and the
advisors to monitor project progress and provide timely
feedback for research modification or adjustments.
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 V. Budget Breakdown
Budget items need to be explicitly stated
• Cost for every budget item should be quantitatively
shown
• Their might be a need for budget justification of certain
costs whose requirement is not obvious
Typically, a proposal budget reflects direct and indirect
costs
Direct costs:
 Personnel; supplies, equipment; travel; communication;

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 Indirect costs:
Those costs incurred in support and management of
the proposed activities that can not be readily
determined by direct measurement. Examples
includes;
Overhead costs for institutions or associations
General administrative cost
Operational and maintenance
Depreciation and use allowance

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 VI. References
Sources cited in your paper must appear on a reference
list. This page should meet the following guidelines:
 General Rule
A reference list appears as a separate page at the end
of your paper.
 Write out the last name and first initials for each
author of a given work.
Capitalize the first words of the title and subtitle of
each source on the reference list, as well as any proper
names.

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The items in the reference list are arranged alphabetically by
the authors' surname.
The details, or elements, which are included in most citations,
should be presented in this order:
For a journal paper give:
• the names of the authors,
• the year of publication,
• the title of the paper,
• the title of the journal,
• the volume number of the journal,
• the first and last page numbers of the paper.

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Example
Peters, M. (1992). Performance and Accountability in
Post-Industrial Society: the crisis of British
Universities. Studies in Higher Education, 17 (2) 123–
40.
Reference list (Cont…)
For books, record:
The author’s or editor’s name (or names)
The year the book was published
The title of the book
If it is an edition other than the first
The city the book was published in
The name of the publisher
Examples
Clark, A. (2000). Organizations, competition and the
business environment. London: Pearson.
Brown, G. and Atkins, W. (1990). Effective teaching.
London: Routledge.
Peters, G. (1990). Real-time processing. London:
Routledge.
Reference list (Cont…)
For electronic resources, record:
 the author’s name (if known);
 the date of publication;
 the full title of the document;
 the www homepage (if available);
 the author’s email address (if available);
 the date you accessed the information.
 Example:
Simons, P. (2001). ‘Audience Participation’. Theatre Reviews.
[Link] [Link]/frames_news.html (15 Oct. 2001)
 Appendices/Annexes
Include in the appendices of your proposal
any additional information you think might
be helpful to a proposal reviewer. For
example, include:
Questionnaire & other collection forms
Dummy tables
The consent form (if any)

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 Approval sheet
The last page of the research proposal and shows
where the student’s proposal gets formal approval of
the concerned individuals and offices.

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