RESEARCH CONTENT

A Research Proposal is a piece of writing which sets out the broad topic one wishes to
research on, the aims and objectives one wishes to achieve and the methodology one wishes
to employee on how to go about the research. Therefore, in this assignment, we will briefly
outline and look at the features or rather salient features of a research proposal.

Research proposals will slightly differ from discipline to discipline. However, there is
enough overlap to make some general points for a research proposal to be well organized.
The following features must be present and outlined.

1.The Topic/Coverage

If one wishes to carry out a research, there is need to have a proper and concrete topic. This
part clearly outlines the problem statement, description of the problem, causes of the problem
and the consequences should the problem remain unresolved. It is this same part which
constitutes the area of research, your name, university name, specific department, the name of
supervisors and the degree level being attempted.

2. Table of Content

The table of content should list the sections of the research proposal in a hierarchical way,
using titles and subtitles and there should be accurate page references for each section.

3. Introduction

A research proposal must start with a background that orients the reader to the research’s
political, historical and educational context. This attempts at convincing the reader that the
research will be interesting, useful or significant for the academic community, and may be
suggestive of the research ‘gap’ which arises from the following literature review

4. Purpose and Aims

In this section you should be able to state unambiguously and concisely the purpose of the
research (and situating it in the broader context). outline the aims and key research questions
(make sure that you relate the aims to the purpose above and to the research questions which
follow on from this).

5 Literature Review
demonstrate to your readers that you have read enough to show that you are
aware of who the most significant writers or researchers are in your area of
research. specify which issues or concepts you will concentrate on in your review (this may
well change as you read more widely and deeply). show that you can exercise critical
judgement in selecting which issues to focus on and which to ignore. show that you can take
a critical approach to your area of research argue for the validity of your area of research in
terms of its need to address a ‘gap’. establish the theoretical orientation you are planning to
take.

6. Methodology
How the research will be carried out or how the hypothesis will be tested needs to be detailed.
Whether field survey, laboratory experimentation or computer simulation is required needs to
be a part of the proposal.

7.Significant/Benefits
A good research proposal will highlight the benefits of the research to the research
community and humanity in general.

8. Thesis Structure
Research efforts are generally aimed at validating a hypothesis or a set of hypotheses. a
description of each proposed chapter via a small paragraph which shows how it links to any
previous chapters, and how links to any chapters which may follow. a proposed table of
contents (following the same rules as given above).

9. Reference
a list of the sources or academic works that have been found and consulted up to
the present. use the Harvard referencing conventions, as adopted by most faculties.

The above listed points are the features of a research proposal which should be followed and
are guides to writing a good research proposal.

References

1. Royce, T 2009, Writing a research proposal, ELSSA Centre, UTS.

2. https://www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps
3. https://www.enotes.com/homeworkhelp
4. Frank Pajares, Elements of a proposal.
5. https://www.writting@Chalmers.com/basicfeatureofaresearchproposal