The Research Proposal

84 Summary

Research proposals take a lot of time to prepare, even after one has undertaken the literature review.  As the research proposal serves as the map for your research study, it is critical to take your time in researching, thinking, and writing your research proposal. At the end of the day, you want to leave the readers of your research proposal with the feeling that, “Wow, this is an exciting idea and I cannot wait to see how it turns out!”

To help you make sure your research proposal is clearly and logically written, here are some common mistakes to avoid:

  1. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for undertaking the proposed research.
  2. Failure to be concise. Not making the purpose clear and being “all over the map.”
  3. Failure to cite landmark (significant) pieces of work in your literature review
  4. Failure to set forth the contextual boundaries of your research (i.e. time, place, people, etc.)
  5. Failure to stay focused on the research problem (i.e. going off on unrelated tangents);
  6. Sloppy or imprecise writing, including grammatical mistakes;
  7. Too much detail on minor issues, and not enough detail on major issues

Key Takeaways

  • A research proposal provides persuasive evidence of the need for and the rationale for the proposed research. Research proposals can take a variety of formats. Make sure you check with your instructor as to the contents of your research proposals.

References

Martin, C. H., & Fleming, V. A. (2010). 15-step model for writing a research proposal. British Journal of Midwifery, 18(2), 791-798. doi:10.12968/bjom.2010.18.12.791

Krathwohl, D. R.  (2005). How to Prepare a Dissertation Proposal: Suggestions for Students in Education and the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Retrieved on November 12, 2018 from http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/researchproposal

Sheppard, V. A., & Williams, P. W. (2016). Factors strengthening tourism resort resilience. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management (28)September, 20-30. doi:1 0.1016/j.jhtm.2016.04.006

Whitmore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: updated methodology [PDF]. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546-553. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.465.9393&rep=rep1&type=pdf

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An Introduction to Research Methods in Sociology Copyright © 2019 by Valerie A. Sheppard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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