Research Proposal
Research proposal outline
Word Budget
Tip: A typical split, not a rule: programs, supervisors, and funders set their own headings and limits, so follow theirs where they differ. The reference list usually sits outside the word count; check whether your title page and abstract count.
| Section | Share |
|---|---|
| 1. Introduction and Background | 15% |
| 2. Literature Review and Rationale | 25% |
| 3. Aims and Research Questions | 10% |
| 4. Methodology | 30% |
| 5. Ethical Considerations | 5% |
| 6. Timeline | 5% |
| 7. Expected Outcomes and Significance | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
1. Introduction and Background
Tip: Target: about 15% of the proposal. Set out the problem and why it matters now, in the present tense.
Research problem
To write: State the problem in two or three sentences: what is happening, why it matters, and for whom.
To write: Give the context a reader needs: the setting, the key terms, and what prompted the study.
2. Literature Review and Rationale
Tip: Target: about 25% of the proposal. Organize by theme, not by author, and end on the gap your study fills.
To write: Summarize the main strands of research on the problem, grouped by theme, and cite each claim.
The gap
To write: Name the gap precisely: what existing studies have not done, or have done only with limits, that your study addresses.
3. Aims and Research Questions
Tip: Target: about 10% of the proposal. Each question should be answerable with the method in section 4.
To write: Write one overall aim, then two or three research questions or hypotheses that follow from the gap.
4. Methodology
Tip: Target: about 30% of the proposal. Justify every choice against your questions — reviewers read this section most closely.
Research design
To write: Decide whether a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods design fits your questions, and explain why.
Participants or data sources
To write: Describe who or what you will study, how you will select them, and how many.
Data collection
To write: Describe how you will collect your data and which instruments you will use.
Data analysis
To write: Explain how you will analyze the data to answer each question.
Limitations
To write: Name the main limitations of the design and how you will reduce their effect.
5. Ethical Considerations
Tip: Target: about 5% of the proposal. Show that you have anticipated the risks, not just listed rules.
To write: Explain how you will obtain informed consent, protect confidentiality, store data securely, and minimize risk — and which ethics committee will review the study.
- Informed consent and the right to withdraw
- Confidentiality or anonymity
- Secure data storage and retention
- Risk of harm to participants or researchers
- Approval from an ethics committee or IRB
6. Timeline
Tip: Target: about 5% of the proposal. Be realistic: ethics approval and recruitment usually take longer than planned.
To write: Break the project into phases with dates — ethics approval, data collection, analysis, writing — and leave time for delays.
7. Expected Outcomes and Significance
Tip: Target: about 10% of the proposal. Say what the study will add, without promising results you cannot guarantee.
To write: Say what you expect to find or produce, and who will benefit: researchers, practitioners, policymakers, or participants.
References
Tip: Cite every source from the literature review in your required style.
To write: Add your reference list here.