Purpose of Research Proposal + Definition, Importance, & Writing Steps

The purpose of a research proposal is to convince the reader of your project’s significance. This is a piece where you must prove that:

1. You have a plan for your work.
2. There is a solid chance that your project will be successful.

Your reader has to be sure that it is a profound research work that has clear outcomes and practicality. K. Sudheesh et al. (2016) emphasize that a proposal must follow clear logic, from the introduction to the appendices, showing the author’s knowledge of the field and methods.

Yet, many students don’t fully understand why research proposals are significant. That is why the experts of Custom-Writing.org created this guide. Here, we thoroughly explain the importance of a research proposal and how to make it step-by-step.

🔤 What Is Research Proposal?

A research proposal is a document that proposes a particular research project, usually in academia or sciences, intending to get funding from an institution. A typical research proposal addresses a range of points:

• A research question(s) that the proposed research seeks to answer
• The data & methods that will be used to answer the questions
• The time and financial costs for the research
• The prior research in the field
• Potential benefits for the sponsoring institution

Research proposals are usually required when one plans to write a thesis, dissertation, or research paper. The format is similar to that of a research paper, with an introduction, a literature review, a methods section, and a conclusion.

A well-crafted research proposal must not only comprise the listed elements but also demonstrate the value of the study to the scientific community. Writing such a proposal from scratch requires careful planning and a deep understanding of the field. Sounds challenging? No worries: our research proposal writing service is here to help. Get assistance at any step of the process, from formulating a research question to outlining methods.

🎯 Purpose of Research Proposal

The primary goal of any research proposal is to convince a sponsoring institution that a particular research project is worthwhile. The document usually aims to cover the aspects below.

In other words, the purpose of a research proposal is to answer the following questions about your research project:

• What do you want to achieve? Try to be as clear as possible in defining the research problem and what aspect of it you intend to investigate.
• Why do you want to do it? You must thoroughly analyze the literature and present compelling evidence that the topic is worth researching.
• How are you going to do it? Make sure you have the time, finances, and competence to complete what you want to accomplish.

❗ Importance of Research Proposal

A research proposal is important for several reasons:

• It helps identify the research focus. A research proposal defines the topic, outlines methods, and clarifies your research objectives.
• It assists in research planning. You can use a research proposal as an overview of the work to be done, making the research process smoother and easier.
• It allows researchers to secure funding. Research proposals are essential for getting money to fund research projects. These documents help persuade internal and external agencies of the project’s significance and feasibility.
• It demonstrates the student’s communication skills. The way a proposal is worded and structured shows the student’s ability to organize their thoughts and communicate complex ideas.
• It shows the researcher’s competence. The research proposal demonstrates a scholar’s ability to select appropriate methods, justify the choice of topic and methodology, conduct a literature review, and address ethical and budget considerations.

🤔 How Long Should a Research Proposal Be?

Research proposal length varies by academic level and discipline. Here is a standard breakdown of word counts for different types of proposals:

• Arts and humanities proposals (1,000-1,500 words). This word count usually takes 4-5 pages and allows you to cover the gist of your planned study, including the research aims, questions, and planned design.
• Law and social sciences (1,500-2,500 words). These subjects usually required a more detailed presentation of the planned study’s specifics, relevant theories, and underlying assumptions.
• Sciences and engineering (2,000-3,000 words). Such studies typically involve more complex experiments and advanced methodologies using sophisticated tools. The proposal should outline these details to convey the study’s significance and feasibility.
• PhD proposals (2,000-3,500 words, all disciplines). Proposals for a PhD-level study are expected to present the research objectives, the methodology, and a literature review that justifies the study’s significance, original contribution, and research gaps.

✏️ Research Proposal Outline

The core components of any research proposal are:

To organize all this data into a readable and impactful proposal, you may use the following structuring tips and outline suggestions:

• Introduction. The opening section introduces readers to the background and context of your study. It should set the stage by explaining the key concepts and outlining the significance of the research.
• Literature review. This section presents the outcomes of your systematic preliminary research. It should give a proper account of seminal studies and recent findings. Conclude with a summary of research gaps you have identified and are planning to address in your study.
• Research objectives. Clearly define the research aims, hypotheses, and questions. These should logically stem from the identified gaps.
• Research design and methods. Next, you need to outline how you will answer your questions, what data you need for that, where you will get it, and how you will analyze it.
• Ethical considerations. All research should be conducted in full compliance with ethical academic conduct principles. So, your proposal needs to clarify how you will address ethics, such as getting informed consent from study participants, anonymizing data, storing it in a restricted-access repository, etc.
• Budget estimates. Calculate the financial needs of your project, such as buying specific software, hiring people for data collection, study participant compensations, and any other expenses. Make sure your study is financially feasible.
• Appendices (optional). In this section provide your data collection methods, consent forms, and other documents relevant to the study. Appendices doesn’t add to the proposal’s word count but serve as a technical section with vital supplements.
• References. Give credit to all sources you’ve relied on and format the citations in the assigned referencing style.

👣 Writing a Research Proposal in 10 Steps

1. Determine your research area. The first and probably the easiest thing to do is to identify a general study topic or subject area to investigate.
2. Study literature. At the second stage, you need to read as much literature on the general topic as possible. Make notes and summarize each study’s purpose and findings.
3. Find the gap in the literature. The purpose of the previous step is to determine what studies have already been done on the subject of your research proposal and then identify any obvious gaps in the literature. Find where you can add to the existing body of knowledge.
4. Make a purpose statement. The purpose of the research proposal is to sell your idea to the funding agency. At this stage, the task is to explain why you are investigating this topic, what you propose to do, and why others should be interested in your research.
5. Formulate a question and hypotheses for your study. Research hypotheses determine what you will investigate and what you expect to find in your study. They are your supposed answers to the research question.
6. Write an introduction. The research proposal’s introduction should include the components that you created at the previous stages: a problem statement, a summary of the literature (you can use our summary maker for that), a concise description of the gap in the literature, a purpose statement, and a research question.
7. Enumerate your methods. In your methods section, you should outline the procedures you plan to follow to complete the proposed study. The section generally includes an explanation of the research design and some information on the data collection process.
8. Describe your research design. Outline the research design of your academic research proposal. You should describe two or three possible alternatives for each part of the design.
9. Introduce your data collection procedures. In this section, describe how you are going to collect your data. Explain the scheme of analyzing the collected data and reporting the results.
10. Provide a timeline and budget. At the final stage, you need to give some information on the estimated budget and schedule of your research.

Research Proposal Topics

1. A research proposal on staff attitudes to physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST).
2. Research the aspects of corporate social responsibility integration for multinational companies.
3. Explore the efficacy of speaker recognition technology for the crime rate reduction.
4. Analyze the peculiarities of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the problems it faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. Marketing research proposal: study the skill deficiencies of the students of the current occupational training programs and their influence on the job perspectives.
6. Write a research proposal on the examination of asthma risk factors for African immigrants.
7. Research proposal on the connection between hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
8. Conduct research on cyber terrorism as a political weapon.
9. Explore the effective programs for asthma education among adolescents.
10. Research proposal on the controversy of the second amendment.
11. Examine the impact of Nokia’s marketing strategy on its product popularity and the company’s share price.
12. Analyze the current situation of VEGA medical center and the necessity to implement sustainable change.
13. Formulate a research proposal on the sustainable innovation strategy implementation methods for logistics companies.
14. Research proposal on homeland security in the United States.
15. Study the most efficient ways to implement a harm reduction approach in healthcare practice.
16. Research the efficacy of current procedures of early ventilator-associated pneumonia diagnostics.
17. Explore and compare the consumer behavior of generation Y in the USA and China.
18. Research proposal on the usefulness of the mobile app English at Hands implementation in educational establishments’ curricula.
19. Justice in healthcare: a research proposal.
20. Analyze whether watching movies can be considered an effective method of foreign language practice.
21. Examine the most widespread reasons for medical personnel shortage in low-income countries.
22. Research proposal on the current state of McDonald’s company.
23. Study the effect of lowering high-calorie food consumption on human health and life quality.
24. Write a research proposal on the effect of technology on human health and living conditions.
25. Explore the connection between congestive heart failure and air travel.
26. Study the role of government in enhancing the sustainable innovation strategy implementation rates.
27. Research the use of BMP in improving e-government security.
28. Analyze the necessity of health teaching to middle-aged women.
29. Research proposal on the online buying site ViaBela.
30. Examine the current methods of suicide prevention among geriatric patients.
31. Write a research proposal on the investigation of the COVID-19 lockdown on people with mental health issues.
32. Explore and compare consumers’ corporate social responsibility awareness in different countries.
33. Study the use of the national DNA database for law enforcement.
34. Research the specifics and the ways to eliminate narcoterrorism in Mexico.
35. Examine the contemporary ways to prevent Clostridium difficile infection.
36. Research proposal on the advantages and disadvantages of skin-to-skin contact after labor.
37. Explore the reasons for inadequate nurse staffing and its impact on the level of healthcare service.
38. Anasarca and acute renal failure: a research proposal.
39. Analyze whether telephone follow-ups will help to improve the satisfaction and life quality of diabetic patients.
40. Write a research proposal on the safety and efficiency of fad diets.
41. Research proposal on capital punishment application.
42. Examine the benefits and drawbacks of wireless technologies for modern business organizations.
43. Research the reasons that influence the participation rates of African Americans in clinical trials.
44. Study how motivational interviews can reduce childhood obesity rates.
45. Research proposal on the role of e-marketing strategies in business development.
46. Analyze the connection between critical thinking and mass media literacy.
47. Explore the benefits of medicine computerization.
48. Research proposal on green supply chain management.
49. Examine the impact of computer technology development on criminology.
50. Conduct intersectionality research on prejudices against Asian American women.

💡 Research Proposal Writing Tips

If you’re new to research proposal writing, you are sure to benefit from these pro tips. Bring your proposal’s quality and impact to a new level by following these recommendations:

💯 How Are Research Proposals Evaluated?

By understanding how your proposal will be evaluated, you can organize the writing process to meet the assessment requirements and increase your chances approval. Here are the key criteria by which proposals are judged:

• Research contribution. Any advanced research should aim to make an original contribution and present valuable findings. Your proposal will be evaluated based on its significance to the broader research field and the potential advancements it offers to the academic discipline.
• Research design. The choice of methodology is a practical aspect of your study. You need to develop a clear research design that proves your project is feasible and can answer the research question within the available time using the resources you have at hand.
• The study sample. The population you’re going to study is a crucial factor in your project’s feasibility. It should be approachable and appropriately sized so that you can obtain an optimal sample within your research timeframe. It’s also best to exclude vulnerable populations to prevent ethical complexities.
• Time resources. The proposal should lay out the time required for data collection and analysis. Your professor will check this point to determine whether your proposed project is realistic and if you can manage time effectively.
• Research data management. Methods of accessing and managing data are also the backbone of realistic, doable research. Remember to detail your planned procedures for collecting, storing, analyzing, and disseminating research data.

🔗 References

1. Writing a Research Proposal (USC Library Guides)
2. Writing a research proposal – Research & Learning Online
3. How to write a research proposal? – NCBI
4. How to Write a Research Proposal – University of Birmingham
5. How To Write an Academic Research Proposal
6. How to write a research proposal (Yale College)
7. How to write a research proposal for a strong PhD application (University of Sydney)