How to Write a Phd Research Proposal | A Brief Guide

Generally, students face great difficulty when they have to write a research proposal during their academics.

In most of the universities, foreign students who are also doing part-time jobs to bear their living expenses prefer to get services from a reputable company to write research proposals which may get guaranteed approval from their professors.

In this article, you will learn how to start writing such a research proposal from scratch along with do’s and donts.

What Should be the Approach While Writing a PhD Research Proposal?

Your approach is very important while proposing a research problem. Below you will learn how to shape up your approach for writing a research proposal which may get guaranteed approval.

The main objective of a research proposal writing is to investigate the research problem and suggest a methodology for the solution. Moreover, you will have to stick to specific industry standards.

The guidelines of research proposals are often informal as compared to general project proposal. So, try to maintain the same tone in your write up. Research proposals are usually comprised of detailed literature reviews.

The core purpose is to emphasize the need for the proposed study research. Moreover, methodology and requirements should be discussed in detail in a research proposal.

Why A Professor Assigns Research Proposal?

Your professor may assign you to write a research proposal for the following reasons:

• Development of design and critical thinking skills required for comprehensive research.

• Develop skills to conduct comprehensive literature review to ensure that problem has not already answered.

• Build research writing skills among students.

• To encourage logical thinking among students so that they may achieve research goals in the right direction.

A PhD. research proposal should contain detailed information about every aspect, so that students may come to know about the usefulness and validity of the study.

Key findings and results analysis are the only two things which are usually found missing in most of the research proposals. Research proposal write up is normally judged on quality, so make sure to write a compelling, coherent and clear proposal.

Key Questions To Address in Research Proposal:

Irrespective of the the problem and the methodology , research proposal should answer the following questions:

Mistakes to Avoid in Writing Research Proposal:

Following are the mistakes which students should avoid while writing a research proposal:

• Being general instead of demonstrating a clear purpose.

• Absence of cite landmark works in the literature review section.

• Ignoring contextual limits of research such as place, time, people, etc.

• Lackness of persuasive and coherent argument for the proposed study.

• Focussing out of the research problem.

• Grammatical mistakes in the proposal.

• Failure to cover major issues.

How Should be the Structure and Writing Style?

Structure and writing style is another most important part in the research proposal. Follow the below guidelines to write a research proposal which will win a guaranteed approval.

Start of Process:

In most of the social science disciplines, research proposals are organized the same way. Length varies between 10 and 25 pages.

You must read the assignment carefully before starting the process. If you have any confusion in mind, do clear it with your professor.

You Should ask Yourself Following Questions Before Taking a Start:

• What actually i want to research on?

• Why this topic is significant?

• Will it solve any problem?

• Can it be accomplished in the allocated time?

Generally, Following Sections Should be Included in Research Proposal:

Introduction:

It is a general perception that only scholars write a research proposal for getting grant funding for a research project. Yes, it’s true that first step in writing a doctoral dissertation is to write a Phd research proposal but academic writing is the need of students in many other situations and levels as well.

Introduction should be written by keeping in mind that after reading it your passion behind the research should be clearly understood. Introduction generally contains 1 to 3 paragraphs.

Ask Yourself Following Questions When Writing an Introduction for Research Proposal:

• What is the topic related to problem?

• Which methods are preferable for analyzing research problem?

• Why should someone read the outcomes of proposed study?

Background:

This section can be covered in the introduction as well. Here you will have to explain context of proposal and its significance in detail. Try to explain the goals of the research in this section.

Key Points To Discuss in Background Section:

Following are the key points which should be discussed in background section:

• Give a more detailed idea of the purpose of study which you have already stated in introduction section. If you are going to work on a complex problem, then the significance of this section becomes more important.

• Emphasis on explaining that why your study is important.

• Explain major issues which you are going to focus in study.

• Explain what will be your contribution to the analysis of the topic.

• Explain what resources which you are  intending to use?

Literature Review Section:

In this section you will give an idea about what’s the current status, how much it has been explored. You may also challenge conclusions of prior research. You may breakout the whole literature into conceptual categories.

Following are the 5cs which which help you in framing the literature review section:

1.Cite:

Cite such that your primary focus remains on literature pertinent to research problem,

2. Compare:

Have comparative analysis of different methodologies, theories and findings which are expressed in the literature. What’s the point of agreement. Who is applying the same methodology for analysis?

3. Contrast:

Look in contrast different methodologies arguments and controversies that are expressed in the literature. What were the major disagreements? Just see in contrast.

4. Critique:

Now it’s time to critique the literature. Which are the most valid arguments and why. Please give attention to verbs used.

5. Connect:

Now relate the literature to your own researched conclusion. Does you research add an extra mileage to already proposed conclusion? Or it affirms only the previous findings?

Research Design and Methodology Section:

Pay extra attention while writing this section. Remember your reader must be sure enough before reading that this write up is worth reading.The purpose of this section is to ensure the reader that the research and methodologies are going to address the problem correctly.

Moreover, the methods will help the correct interpretation of potential results. Draw examples by a review of literature.

Include methods which were used and even those which were not used but could be worthwhile. Be precise about methodological approaches, techniques, and tests of external validity.

What to Describe?

Be precise about research operation and the the interpretation of results with respect to research problem. Describe briefly not the methods only but the way you will adopt as well.

Never forget that methodology is not only the name of tasks list in fact it’s an argument that why the tasks leads to best way for investigating research problem,

Identify the hurdes carrying in research design and how you’re going to address them. Preliminary suppositions and implications section:

This section is basically intended for analytical process and potential implications. You have to argue here about your belief that how research will refine existing study. Also describe how anticipated results will impact future research.

Ask Yourself Following Questions While Thinking About Potential Implications:

• Will results influence forms of intervention or methods?

• Will results influence policy decisions? what recommendations will arise from potential outcomes of the research?

• What will be changed after the purpose research?

Conclusions Section:

A conclusion is about explaining the significance of the proposal and provides a brief summary of the research. It must not be longer than 2 paragraphs.

After Reading This Section, Your Reader Must Get Clear Understanding About Following Things:

• Why this research is required.

• The goal behind this research and the questions which will be answered.

• Solid reasons why the chosen methods were better than the available options.

• Implications from the proposed study.

Citations Section:

Here comes the last section to discuss. You should cite sources used in composing the proposal. Citations section can be in 2 different forms. They are as follows:

1. Bibliography

List down every single source you used or additional links which can help in understanding the content.

2. References

Only list the sources which you used.Your professor will confirm that which one is acceptable.

Writing style should be education=APA and history=chicago. This section does not include the total length of the research proposal.

Here the article comes to end. If you are following different practices share in the comments section.

Writing a research proposal is a quiet time to consume and detailed oriented task. You must cross check the checklist as discussed in the above article to get guaranteed approval.

If you are having trouble in a Writing Research Proposal. visit the link and drop your inquiries.