How to write a research proposal

Purpose of a research proposal

A research proposal is your plan for the research you intend to conduct. It should describe:

• what you will investigate, 
• why it is important to the discipline and 
• how you will conduct your research.

Your research proposal also needs to persuade someone about how and why your intended project is worthwhile. 

In your proposal you will need to explain and defend your choices. Always think about the exact reasons why you are making specific choices and why they are the best options available to you and your project.

Your research proposal should focus on: 

• Relevance - You want to convince the reader how and why your research is relevant and significant to your field and how it is original. This is typically done in parts of the introduction and the literature review.
• Context - You should demonstrate that you are familiar with the field, you understand the current state of research on the topic and your ideas have a strong academic basis (i.e., not simply based on your instincts or personal views). This will be the focus of your introduction and literature review. 
• Approach - You need to make a case for your methodology, showing that you have carefully thought about the data, tools and procedures you will need to conduct the research. You need to explicitly defend all of your choices. This will be presented in the research design section. 

Feasibility - You need to show that your project is both reasonable and feasible within the practical constraints of the course, timescales, institution or funding. You need to make sure you have the time and access to resources to complete the project in a reasonable period.

Writing a Research Proposal workshop: book here

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Proposal format

The format of a research proposal varies between fields and levels of study but most proposals should contain at least these elements: 

• introduction, 
• literature review, 
• research design and 
• reference list.

Research proposals usually range from 500-1500 words. However, proposals for larger projects, such as a PhD dissertation or funding request, may be longer and more detailed.

Introduction

The introduction to your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why. In other words, this is where you answer the reader’s “so what?” 

It should typically include: 

• introducing the topic, 
• outlining your research question(s) and 
• giving background and context. 

Some important questions to shape your introduction include: 

• Who has an interest in the topic (e.g. scientists, practitioners, policymakers, particular members of society)?
• How much is already known about the problem and why is it important?
• What is missing from current knowledge and why?
• What new insights will your research contribute?
• Why is this research worth doing?

If your proposal is very long, you might include separate sections with more detailed information on the background and context, aims and objectives, and importance of the research.

Literature review 

It’s important to show that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review convinces the reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory (i.e. how it relates to established research in the field).

Your literature review will also show that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said. This is also where you explain why your research is necessary. 

You do not need to conduct a full literature review, as you will do that later during the research project, but you do need to provide an overview of the key research and ideas relating to your topic.

You might want to consider some of the following prompts:

• Comparing and contrasting: what are the main theories, methods, debates and controversies?
• Being critical: what are the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches?
• Showing how your research fits in: how will you build on, challenge or synthesise the work of others? 
• Filling a gap in the existing body of research: why is your idea innovative? 

Visit How to write a literature review for detailed information.

Research design and methods

Following the literature review, you can restate your main objectives to bring the focus back to your own project. 

The research design/ methodology section should describe the overall approach and practical steps you will take to answer your research questions. You also need to demonstrate the feasibility of the project, keeping in mind time and other constraints.

You should include:

• Research type
  • Qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods research?
  • Will you collect original data or work with primary/secondary sources? 
  • Is your research design descriptive, correlational or experimental? Something completely different?
  • If you are undertaking your own study, when and where will you collect the data? How will you select subjects or sources? Exactly what or who will you study?
• Research Methods 
  • What tools and procedures will you use (e.g. systematic reviews, surveys, interviews, observation, experiments, bibliographic data) to collect your data? 
  • What tools/methods will you use to analyse your data? 
  • Why are these the best methods to answer your research question(s)? This is where you should justify your choices. 
• Practicalities 
  • How much time will you need to collect and analyse the data? 
  • How will you gain access to participants and sources?
  • How will you address any ethical issues?
  • What problems might you encounter? How will you address them?

Do not simply compile a list of methods. Explain why this is the most appropriate, valid and reliable way to approach answering your question. Remember you should always be defending your choices! 

You might also need to include a schedule or a budget - check what is required for your proposal. 

Implications and contributions to knowledge

To finish your proposal on a strong note, emphasise the potential implications of the research. This means: what do you intend to contribute to existing knowledge on the topic?

Although you cannot know the results of your research until you have actually done the work, you should have a clear idea of how your work will contribute to your field. 

This section is very important because it expresses exactly why your research is necessary. 

Try to cover at least some of the following topics:

• Ways in which your work can challenge existing theories and assumptions in your field. 
• How your work will create the foundation for future research and theory. 
• The practical value of your findings for practitioners, educators or other academics in your field. 
• The problems or issues your work can potentially help to resolve. 
• Policies that could be impacted by your findings. 
• How your findings can be implemented in academia or other settings and what difference this will make.

This part is not about stating the specific results that you expect to obtain but rather, this is the section where you explicitly state how your findings will be valuable. 

Conclusion

This section should tie your whole proposal together. It is just like the concluding paragraph that you would structure and craft for a typical essay. You should briefly summarise your research proposal and reinforce why your research is important. 

Reference list

Your research proposal must include proper citations and full references for every source you have included. Follow your department’s referencing style.

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Writing style

You should write in an academic style. 

Your proposal is a piece of persuasive and critical writing. Although you are presenting your proposal in an academic and objective manner, the goal is to get the reader to say ‘yes’ to your work. Make sure you emphasise the strengths of your proposal and why your research is important.

Resources on how to write critically:

• How to write critically
• The Manchester academic phrasebank includes some examples of phrases you can use when being critical.

Academic writing does not need to be flowery or pretentious. Aim to write in a concise and accessible style.

Book a writing advisory service appointment for advice and feedback on your style and other aspects of your proposal.

Make an appointment

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Checklist for a strong proposal 

Once you have written your proposal, read back through it with the following questions in mind.

• Have you made a strong and persuasive argument for the value of your research?
• Have you focused on key information? Avoid unnecessary details.
• Is your proposal easy to understand? Have you expressed your ideas clearly?
• Have you included references for all the sources you cite?
• Is your reference list formatted correctly?

Check for spelling, grammatical or stylistic errors. Visit How to proofread your work for more information.

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After submitting your proposal

Once you get to the stage of carrying out your research project, you may find our 

Research Writing workshop useful. This workshop will look at some of the main writing challenges associated with writing a large-scale research project and look at strategies to manage your writing on a day-to-day basis. It will identify ways to plan, organise and map out the structure of your writing to allow you to develop an effective writing schedule and make continuous progress on your dissertation project.

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Next steps

• How to plan a dissertation or final year project
• How to write a literature review
• How to identify your research methods

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Further Resources

• Applying essentials – PhD study