How to Write a Research Proposal Paper
This Resource Page will help you:
- Learn what a research proposal paper is.
- Understand the importance of writing a research proposal paper.
- Understand the steps in the planning stages of a research proposal paper.
- Identify the components of a research proposal paper.
What is a Research Proposal Paper?
A research proposal paper:
- includes sufficient information about a research study that you propose to conduct for your thesis (e.g., in an MT, MA, or Ph.D. program) or that you imagine conducting (e.g., in an MEd program). It should help your readers understand the scope, validity, and significance of your proposed study.
- may be a stand-alone paper or one part of a larger research project, depending on the nature of your assignment.
- typically follows the citation format of your field, which at is APA. į
Your instructor will provide you with assignment details that can help you determine how much information to include in your research proposal, so you should carefully check your course outline and assignment instructions.
Why Write a Research Proposal Paper?
Writing a research proposal allows you to
- develop skills in designing a comprehensive research study;
learn how to identify a research problem that can contribute to advancing knowledge in your field of interest;
further develop skills in finding foundational and relevant literature related to your topic;
critically review, examine, and consider the use of different methods for gathering and analyzing data related to the research problem;
see yourself as an active participant in conducting research in your field of study.
Writing a research proposal paper can help clarify questions you may have before designing your research study. It is helpful to get feedback on your research proposal and edit your work to be able to see what you may need to change in your proposal. The more diverse opinions you receive on your proposal, the better prepared you will be to design a comprehensive research study.
How to Plan your Research Proposal
Before starting your research proposal, you should clarify your ideas and make a plan. Ask yourself these questions and take notes:
What do I want to study?
Why is the topic important? Why is it important to me?
How is the topic significant within the subject areas covered in my class?
What problems will it help solve?
How does it build on research already conducted on the topic?
What exactly should I plan to do to conduct a study on the topic?
It may be helpful to write down your answers to these questions and use them to tell a story about your chosen topic to your classmates or instructor. As you tell your story, write down comments or questions from your listeners. This will help you refine your proposal and research questions.
This is an example of how to start planning and thinking about your research proposal assignment. You will find a student’s notes and ideas about their research proposal topic - "Perspectives on Textual Production, Student Collaboration, and Social Networking Sites”.
Structure of a Research Proposal Paper
A research proposal paper typically includes:
Start your introduction by giving the reader an overview of your study. Include:
- the research context (in what educational settings do you plan to conduct this study?)
- the research problem, purpose (What do you want to achieve by conducting this study?)
- a brief overview of the literature on your topic and the gap your study hopes to fill
- research questions and sub-questions
- a brief mention of your research method (How do you plan to collect and analyze your data?)
- your personal interest in the topic.
Conclude your introduction by giving your reader a roadmap of your proposal.
To learn more about paper introductions, check How to write Introductions.
A theoretical framework refers to the theories that you will use to interpret both your own data and the literature that has come before. Think about theories as lenses that help you look at your data from different perspectives, beyond just your own personal perspective. Think about the theories that you have come across in your courses or readings that could apply to your research topic. When writing the theoretical framework, include
- A description of where the theories come from (original thinkers), their key components, and how they have developed over time.
- How you plan to use the theories in your study / how they apply to your topic.
The literature review section should help you identify topics or issues that will help contextualize what the research has/hasn’t found and discussed on the topic so far and convince your reader that your proposed study is important. This is where you can go into more detail on the gap that your study hopes to fill. Ultimately, a good literature review helps your reader learn more about the topic that you have chosen to study and what still needs to be researched
To learn more about literature reviews check What is a Literature Review.
The methods section should briefly explain how you plan to conduct your study and why you have chosen a particular method. You may also include
- your overall study design (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) and the proposed stages
- your proposed research instruments (e.g. surveys, interviews)
- your proposed participant recruitment channels / document selection criteria
- a description of your proposed study participants (age, gender, etc.).
- how you plan to analyze the data.
You should cite relevant literature on research methods to support your choices.
The conclusion section should include a short summary about the implications and significance of your proposed study by explaining how the possible findings may change the ways educators and/or stakeholders address the issues identified in your introduction.
Depending on the assignment instructions, the conclusion can also highlight next steps and a timeline for the research process.
To learn more about paper conclusions, check How to write Conclusions.
List all references you used and format them according to APA style. Make sure that everything in your reference list is cited in the paper, and every citation in your paper is in your reference list.
To learn more about writing citations and references, check Citations & APA.
Research Proposal Examples
These are detailed guidelines on how to prepare a quantitative research proposal. Adapted from the course APD2293 “Interpretation of Educational Research”.
This is a research proposal paper written by an student on the relationships between textual production, student collaboration and social networking sites. Hover over the highlighted parts to find annotations and comments about the structure and content of this research proposal.