Research Proposal: Guidelines
Your research proposal should be about 250 words long; divide the proposal explicitly into the following headings. It needs to give those assessing your proposal an impression of the strength and originality of your proposed research, and its potential to make a contribution to knowledge. It should be written in clear and precise prose. Avoid grammatical mistakes and typographical errors. You should make sure you cover the following areas:
▪ Working title: this may change by the time you complete the paper
▪ Outline the area and topic of your research
Provide brief background /context, explore past research (they say /counter-argument), and relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields; this is a chance to show your understanding of the background against which your research will be defined.
▪ The contribution you will make
This is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research, and how it contributes to knowledge and to the practice of your subject.
▪ Proposed thesis structure:
Include your argument/thesis and the proposed major points of your argument.
▪ The sources you will use
Give examples of the sort of evidence you might consider, and of the questions it might help you to raise. Mention the secondary resources of central relevance to your project.
▪ How the research has wider implications
You should show how your work will make a contribution to knowledge and to the practice of your area of research.
