Students can have their research proposals questioned or rejected for a number of reasons, including poor writing style, incomplete methodology, and not taking current literature into account. There is a multitude of factors to consider when writing your proposal, and using a research proposal example can be a quick aid. The key is to choose the right one for your specific needs, both in terms of topic and structure.
What to Look Out for in Proposal Examples
Once you have decided on your topic and the purpose of your research, you have to find a proposal example that matches. If you're planning on making a quantitative study on the effects of a certain compound, then you're not going to choose an example that uses a qualitative study. The methodologies will be too different, and you'll end up with a poorly structured proposal.
You also need to be able to check the sources used in any research proposal example. This is because writing the literature review is quite involved, and requires an up to date knowledge of findings on your research topic. If there are no sources or poorly researched sources in the sample, then it's not a good example proposal.
The abstract should be a one-page summary of the question you are dealing with, why your research will be of value, the hypothesis, methods and what you expect to find. The introduction is where you go into more detail.
A discussion of limitations sets out foreseeable problems due to time, finances, or lack of available knowledge.
The main parts you should check in a sample proposal are:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Discussion of Limitations
Where to Find Sample Proposals
An academic library is your safest source of published proposals. Find an appropriate structure and outline for your research proposal here, again focusing on your field and type of research. You can even check which publications were used for the review of the literature. Be careful not to incorporate the conclusions or assumptions of the published proposal in your own work. Not only can this skew your research problem, but also it can lead to your professor rejecting the proposal.
Once you have identified a proposal that suits your project, if necessary, you can source examples of how to write specific sections of the proposal online, such as the discussion of possible research limitations or the abstract.
Introduction to the Research Proposal
As with any form of essay, the introduction to a research proposal should do more than sum up the contents. A certain level of skill is required to write a successful introduction. Professors will judge your proposal by this section, so you should judge the research proposal examples accordingly.
Make sure the introduction sample you choose accomplishes the following:
- Supplies a purpose for the study
- Identifies the research objectives
- Demonstrates gaps in previous studies and current knowledge
- Specifies what part of the field you will focus on
- Shows why you are undertaking the research
Reliable Sources
You do have to be careful when using online resources for sample proposals, but there are good academic samples available. The safest way is to find a published proposal structure and then use online samples to check your chapters are complete.
