How to write your research proposal
What is your research proposal used for and why is it important?
It is used to establish whether there is expertise to support your proposed area of research
It forms part of the assessment of your application
The research proposal you submit as part of your application is just the starting point, as your
ideas evolve your proposed research is likely to change
How long should my research proposal be?
It should be 2,000–3,500 words (4-7 pages) long.
What should be included in my research proposal?
Your proposal should include the following:
1. TITLE
Your title should give a clear indication of your proposed research approach or key question
2. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
You should include:
the background and issues of your proposed research
identify your discipline
a short literature reviews
a summary of key debates and developments in the field
3. RESEARCH QUESTION(S)
You should formulate these clearly, giving an explanation as to what problems and issues are to
be explored and why they are worth exploring
4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
You should provide an outline of:
the theoretical resources to be drawn on
the research approach (theoretical framework)
the research methods appropriate for the proposed research
a discussion of advantages as well as limits of particular approaches and methods
5. PLAN OF WORK & TIME SCHEDULE
You should include an outline of the various stages and corresponding time lines for developing
and implementing the research, including writing up your thesis.
For full-time study your research should be completed within three years, with writing up
completed in the fourth year of registration.
For part-time study your research should be completed within six years, with writing up
completed by the eighth year.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
You should include:
a list of references to key articles and texts discussed within your research proposal
a selection of sources appropriate to the proposed research
Research proposal structure
1. A summary or abstract
One or two paragraphs that summaries what you will do in the research project and
how you will do it.
2. Problem, question or hypothesis
The key details, approaches or framings the research project will focus on. If
hypotheses are appropriate, they should be stated along with a rationale. If a
hypothesis isn’t appropriate, the research problems or questions should be clearly
stated and examined.
3. Importance of the research topic
Your thesis must make an original contribution to knowledge. Thus, you must show
how your proposed research is important enough to justify your efforts (and the
efforts of anyone else involved in your research). You should also include a statement
about how the solution to the problem, or the answer to the question, can influence
educational theory or practice.
4. Significant prior research
This should comprehensively demonstrate that you are aware of the major relevant
sources of information in your chosen area. Most research projects arise out of
considerable prior research, which should be summarized. You also need to show the
relationship between your question or problem and this prior research.
5. Research methodology
The methodology section is one of the most important sections of your proposal. It
demonstrates your understanding of the steps and skills necessary to undertake your
intended research. It should be as explicit as possible, detailing how you will collect,
analyze and present your data or research.
Examples of methodologies include:
Quantitative or qualitative research
Experimental methods in psychological research
A specialized approach to analyzing concepts in philosophical research
Your choice of methodology should be justified by your research questions. For
example, if you are examining the relationship between two or more phenomena, a
correlational methodology would be appropriate. Alternatively, a case study
methodology would be appropriate for researching complex phenomena in their
natural setting.
Be sure to describe your intended data collection and analysis techniques with as
much detail as possible. They might change as you conduct your research, but you
must still demonstrate that you have given a lot of thought into the practicalities of
your research at this early stage. You should also note any major questions yet to be
decided upon.
If you are gathering a sample of people or documents, you should outline your
procedures for choosing this sample.
If you intend on giving interviews or handing out questionnaires, you should provide
examples of the types of questions you will ask.
If you intend on using experimental situations to collect data, you should describe as
many of its elements as possible. This could include:
Your chosen subject types (age, school level, quantity)
Types of materials to be used
What will be measured (achievement, attitudes, beliefs, etc.)
Data collection methods (self-reporting, observation, clinical diagnosis)
6. Ethical considerations
All university research is expected to conform to acceptable ethical standards and
proposals. Research involving human participants must also be approved before the
research commences by the University of Auckland Human Subjects Ethics
Committee.
Ethical concerns can arise in how research is conducted and the ways these research
findings may later be used. You must take into account any areas of responsibility
towards your research subjects at the planning stage, and provide strategies for
addressing them in the methodology.
Examples of areas of responsibility could include:
The securing of informed consent
Confidentiality
Preservation of anonymity
Avoidance of deception or adverse effects
A research proposal involving Māori and minority groups/communities should
demonstrate that the researcher has had adequate background preparation for working
in that area. It should also outline the extent to which members of that
group/community will be involved or consulted in the overall supervision of the
project and the dissemination of the research findings.
7. Analysis of information
How you intend to analyses your gathered information is a vital part of the assessment
of your research proposal. You should clearly describe how you can answer your
research questions based on the information you have gathered. In other words, "How
will you figure out what it all means?"
Be explicit. For example, if you plan to collect evidence by a questionnaire and
subsequent statistical analysis, you should describe the likely method of analysis and
possible outcomes.
In another example, if you plan to use a case study approach, describe how you plan
to identify the key themes and patterns in your data and the procedures you will use to
check the validity of your analysis.
8. Limitations and key assumptions
This section should contain a paragraph or two that defines the limits of your research.
It’s common for students to try to do too much. This section is useful in defining how
much you will undertake and the key assumptions that you will follow in building
your arguments, models, or experiments.
9. References or bibliography
This final section details the major readings cited in your proposal, or the literature
that contextualizes your proposed research.
