The content of a good research proposal is of paramount importance, but the structure and presentation are important factors in making your proposal accessible to reviewers. You should carefully follow the funder’s suggested guidelines for structuring your proposal. If you are not given much structural guidance you should consider including the following sections in your proposal:
- Title and abstract.
- Introduction (background information) and literature review. Demonstrate that your research will make a worthy contribution to an existing body of literature, and that it has not been done before. Research proposals are often of limited length so only choose key research articles in your field. You should grab the reader’s attention by keeping your writing succinct and relevant.
- Statement of hypotheses and/or research questions. What key areas of research will your proposal test (hypotheses) or address (research questions)?
- Aim and objectives. These must be justified. Consider the requirements of your funding body – are you meeting these and not just addressing your own intellectual curiosity? The funder’s website usually provides the criteria against which your proposal will be judged.
- Methodology. You should justify the methodology you intend to use, and if space permits you could explain what alternatives you disregarded (this demonstrates that you have considered alternative approaches). You need to explain why the methodology you have chosen is the most appropriate means of addressing your research questions.
- Ethical considerations. Many funders will explicitly ask you to consider the ethical implications of your research; if not then you should still demonstrate that you have considered them (particularly if your research involves people or animals).
- Resources required. This section is particularly important if you have been asked to quantify any potential expenditure.
- Proposals for the dissemination of research findings and expected outputs (e.g. journal articles). Be aware of your funder’s requirements for how any research outputs should be disseminated.
- Summary. If appropriate (check the guidelines) a summary could be included – it is not unusual, for example, for a funder to ask for a summary of the proposal addressed to a lay audience.
Originally taken from:
0 Komentar
POST A COMMENT