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Writing an Academic Research Proposal

What is a research proposal?

Research is a type of scientific inquiry that involves the search for evidence in order to expand understanding. It entails recognizing a need for information, gathering and confirming that information, and drawing conclusions from it. A research proposal is a document designed to persuade others that you have a viable study topic and that you have the expertise and work plan to properly accomplish it. The main purpose of a proposal is to persuade a committee of experts that your study shines brightly in three crucial areas: conceptual novelty, methodological rigour, and rich, significant substance. Other characteristics frequently evaluated when accepting a research proposal include research viability, identification of the study problem, research relevance, clarity of research objectives, and so on.

The research proposal is designed to answer several basic problems, some of which are as follows:

1. What is the research question to be investigated?

2. Why is the research problem worthwhile to investigate?

3. What goals will be achieved as a result of the research?

4. How will the research procedures be implemented?

5. What are the anticipated outcomes of the research?

6. Who are the research’s prospective beneficiaries?

Components of a research proposal

A research proposal must have the following essential components:

Introduction/Background of the Study: This refers to the preliminaries preceding the major topic matter. The study’s background aids in illuminating an entry into the thesis. For example, if your thesis/project begins in 1970, the backdrop may focus around issues in the pre-1970s period. The context may also assist us in placing a single occurrence inside a bigger context. It progresses from the generic to the specific. In certain circumstances, the backdrop might be theoretical.

Problem Statement: This is simply uncovering a gap in the research or current scholarship. In other words, in this part, we attempt to problematize our subject matter. For example, earlier research has concentrated on ABCDE, but experts have not paid enough attention to THIS and THAT. The statement should answer the question, “What problem will the research address?” As the main focus of every research project, the statement of problem (SOP) must describe the gap that you want to address. The gap might be a societal or disciplinary issue, and it must be large enough to contribute to the current body of study.

Aim and Objectives:  These are the tasks that the researcher plans to do. For example, the aim of the study should not be mentioned in too many words (simply summarize the title of your project), such as this research intends to emphasize; to investigate (your topic). Your objectives should however indicate the tasks you want to complete as well as your chapter plan/structure. Avoid naming too many unattainable goals (keep to a maximum of four).

Significance of Study: This indicates why you believe a certain research is vital and how your work will contribute to our understanding of that issue. It may also include an explanation of how your research will help to fill a gap in that field. The significance of study discusses how your research seeks to further our understanding of that particular subject of study. It poses the question, “Does it help to fill a yearning gap?” What significance does your research have? What is its contribution to knowledge in that field? In this part, you may also discuss how other people might benefit from reading your study and how this endeavor contributes to the development of a body of knowledge. The importance is the point at which the researcher persuades the audience that the research is worthwhile. The significance of the study also highlights what fresh views the researcher will bring to the issue and how the study is related to other bodies of knowledge.

Scope of Study: It refers to the parameter under which the study will operate, i.e. the scope of the research. You should make it as clear as possible what you will be examining and what aspects are within your study’s acceptable range. When creating a scope, the two important elements to consider are the spatial or geographical scope and the time or chronological space. The geographical space is concerned with the region or location that your study plans to cover as well as the significance of that area for research. The time or chronological space, on the other hand, is concerned with the timeframe and inquires as to what era your work plans to span as well as the significance of that time period. The temporal scope must have a start and end date, both of which must have historical importance.

Sources: Sources are data generating and analysis tools. Primary and secondary sources are the two categories of sources. Primary sources include relics and other first-hand items with direct participant links, such as archival materials and oral sources. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are used resources and reference materials, such as published books, journal articles, online sites, and so on.

Research Methodology: Research methodology is the process of gathering information and data for the purpose of research. It inquires as to the strategy you intend to employ in conducting your research, as well as how your study data will be acquired and analyzed. The technique through which historians acquire data and construct opinions about the past is referred to as historical methodology. It includes the methods, norms, principles, tactics, and recommendations that historians employ to use their sources (analytical approach).

Conceptual Clarification: Conceptual clarification can be used to introduce new concepts or to expand on previously established notions. It is used to clarify ambiguous concepts. It presents in narrative style the major concepts, ideas, and phrases to be studied, as well as their relationships. Conceptual clarity should be based on the following:

Technical knowledge: broad meaning and layman comprehension;

Background research: that is, based on what previous academics have published and how other scholars have defined that topic;

Personal experience: what the notion will imply in this research as well as what it means to you.

Conceptual clarification is essential, especially when utilizing a concept with various meanings, so that your readers understand the notion on which your work is founded. In other words, if your study incorporates ideas with numerous meanings and interpretations, it is vital that you clarify what those concepts imply in the context of your research to your readers.

Theoretical Framework (Optional): The theoretical framework of a research study is the structure that may hold or support a hypothesis. It introduces and outlines the theory that explains why the current research problems exists.

Literature Review: A literature review is a thorough examination of the existing literature on a certain topic’s history, research, concepts, ideas, and academic perspectives. It defines what is known about that issue, how it relates to your study, and the gap in current knowledge that your study will address. The literature review is at the heart of each research project. However, the books you should be reviewing should be relevant to your research and have a specific dimension. A literature review is intended to offer an overview of sources you have investigated when studying a specific issue in order to illustrate that there is a gap and to show your readers how your research fits into a bigger area of study. It is critical to use a thematic approach rather than just summarizing the material. It is also critical that the material you evaluate is up to date and credible.

Project Timeline (Optional): A project timeline is a graphic list of tasks or activities organized chronologically that helps the reader/supervisor comprehend the sequence of actions required to accomplish the project on schedule. Your project’s timeline should include the start and end dates, as well as key milestones.

References

Popoola, L, Adetimirin, O., & Olorunnisola, O. 2009. Eds. Planning and writing grant-oriented proposals: Proceedings of a training of trainers workshop. Ibadan, Nigeria: University of Ibadan Postgraduate School.

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