Proposal

The goals of a research proposal are to:

• Present and justify the need to study a research problem; and
• Describe a methodology to be conducted.

A research proposal is typically written for obtaining a grant, a fellowship, a scholarship, an internship, or an academic position. The structure of a proposal can vary between different funding programs and agencies. The following presents a typical structure of a proposal: 

• Project Summary or Abstract: A concise, half-page summary of the proposed work, which includes an introductory statement, hypotheses/goals, a description of the objectives and methods, and the implications of the work.
• Background or Review of Relevant Literature: Include introductory information relevant to your topic. This section should set the stage of the context of your proposal. Review the status of research in the proposed topic and gap areas, if any, which you would like to address. Emphasize the need for further research.
• Origin of the Proposal: Highlight the scientific rationale and significance of the proposed work. Include the hypotheses you aim to test.
• Objectives or Specific Aims: Outline the objectives of your proposed work and the purpose for each objective. These objectives must be brief, focused, and conceptual.
• Research plan: Describe the overall strategy to be used to accomplish the proposed work, including the methods and activities to be undertaken.
• Expected outcomes: Discuss possible results of your proposed studies. Discuss the significance of the work and the relevance of the results.
• References: Include a list of references that are cited in the main body of the text.

Before submitting a proposal, carefully review the requirements and structure of the proposal, as announced in the funding call.  

The following resources provide more information on preparing a research proposal:

Articles

• Eve, J. (2008). Writing a research proposal: planning and communicating your research ideas effectively. Library and Information Research, 32, 102, pp. 18-28. 
• Sudheesh, K., Duggappa, D.R., and Nethra. S.S. (2016). How to write a research proposal. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia, 60, 9, pp. 631-634. 

Books

• Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing effective research proposals. 3rd edition, SAGE Publications Ltd. ISBN: 9781473916388. IIT Gandhinagar Library Call number: 300.72 PUN (Browse shelf)
• Locke, L.F., Spirduso, W.W., and Silverman, S.J. (2013). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals. 6th edition, SAGE Publications Ltd. ISBN: 9781452216850
• Terrell, S.R. (2015). Writing a proposal for your dissertation: Guidelines and examples. The Guilford Press. ISBN: 9781462523023

Videos

• Boxman, R. (2017). Writing a winning research proposal. 
• University of Reading (2019). How to write a PhD research proposal.

Websites

• Monash University (2020). Writing a Research Proposal. 
• The University of Edinburgh (2020). Research proposals. 
• The University of Southern California (2020). Writing a Research Proposal. 
• The University of Sydney. How to write a research proposal.