MMN230181 Research Design and Research Project Management Research Proposal

Aims of lecture

• Identify the purpose and value of writing a research proposal.
• Discuss the common issues with writing research proposal, regardless of the reason for the work.
• Identify and discuss the parts of an effective research proposal.

What is a research proposal?

Normally a summary of proposed research work which identifies the following:

The key areas of the proposed research in order to identify the specific areas to be investigated;

• The research aim and objectives;
• The key literature which underpins the work to be undertaken;
• The research philosophy of the work;
• The main data collection tools and the sample;
• Possible ethical issues and areas of potential bias.

Overall, it should identify the research work as achievable and realistic.

Common concerns when writing a research proposal includes:

• I have never written anything like this before
• Isn’t a research proposal just an extended essay?
• What if my research idea is not ‘good’ enough?
• How can I write about research I haven’t yet started?
• I can’t find anything written about my topic…
• I don’t like statistics so how can I understand quantitative studies enough to write about them?
• Why am I writing a proposal if I don’t intend to ever undertake the research?
• See reading no 1 for further discussion of common fears as this may help with your own confidence.

Presenting Your Research Idea within a Research Proposal

When writing your research proposal, always remember how the work will be read by the next person. As a researcher, it is your job to ensure clarity throughout your work.

So, consider does your research proposal specifically answer the following questions?:

1. What is the point/purpose of your study?
2. What does your research attempt to investigate?
3. What research question(s) are you trying to answer?
4. Why is this specific research worth doing?
5. What is the importance or significance of the research to the wider topic area? (Remember, it is very unlikely that your work is the first of its kind so ensure you identify how it ‘fits’ within the wider topic area. This is achieved through reading and referencing).

At this stage, take 5 minutes and consider how your work would answer each of the 5 issues….

Research Proposal Design Considerations

1). Read the assessment strategy and structure contained within the module handbook.

• Your work will be assessed against the criteria identified within
  the module handbook. Therefore, read the relevant sections
  and ensure your work addresses each part.

2). Ensure your work follows a logical path from beginning to end.

• This can include using consistent language and terminology throughout the work.
• Remember, this is your story so ensure it has a relevant beginning, middle and end.
• What specifically do you intend to investigate, including academic theories and concepts? Why this specific research topic? How will the work be undertaken and why is this method the best for the topic?

3). Identify the ‘gap’ in the literature for your work, if relevant.

• If you believe you have identified an area which is missing from wider literature, state this specifically. However, remember that the most common method to identify and justify this ‘gap’ is by offering referenced discussion of the work which has been completed and published in related areas.
• Stating a gap exists does not prove this to be true. This could be due to limitations of your literature searching which has not identified the relevant sources.
• So, be careful to only state a gap exists if you are sure you can defend this statement.

Critiquing & Evaluating Literature/Secondary Sources

Starting point is to critically examine each source and evaluate using 5 key questions:

• Who? (authors – individuals? Company?)
• Why? (stated purpose/research aim)
• How? (research design and data collection)
• When? (date published and also date of data gathering as they may differ)
• Where? (where was the data collected and where was it published?)

Key author debate… how is this term measured?

5 ‘C’s while writing a literature review

1. Cite
2. Compare
3. Contrast
4. Critique the Literature
5. Connect

From reading 2 Sudheesh et al 2016.

4). Synthesise ideas, themes and concepts from a range of relevant sources and authors.

Researchers evidence their understanding of the chosen topic area through referencing relevant readings and secondary sources. However, must not be a summary of sources but a logical, critical discussion of the themes and concepts from these pieces of work. Work which is descriptive will not evidence your understanding of the secondary sources you then reference.

Therefore, identify the main themes which will address your research aim. Then critically discuss these themes
and concepts whilst referencing the original work to offer evidence of its place within current wider academic discussion.