How To Write A College Research Proposal | Structure & Guide

Guide: How To Write A College Research Proposal With Ease

Writing a college research proposal aims at justifying the need to study a research problem. This proposal also shows the methods, procedures, and research dynamics to be used to study the topic. Before writing this, we should answer the basic question that comes along about how to write a college research proposal;

Firstly, provide a research problem.
Secondly, tell why the problem is worth exploring.
Thirdly, assess all the sources supporting your rationale.
Finally, determine the structure you are going to use.

A Research Proposals Tests Your:

Ability to do deep research questions.
Skills in doing a wide assessments of literature and connecting them to the research question.
Skills in conducting deep research.
Proficiency in applying the different methods of data analysis.
Critical thinking capacity and problem solving methods.

Research Proposal Structure

The topic – your topic must relate with the research question to maintain the flow.
Objectives – state the reason for your proposal. This should justify the reason for your research.
An abstract has a paragraph or two, which tells the reason and how the project will be done. An abstract may be a summary of all the information written in the main body. Write the paragraph last to get every idea.
The research question – You must write the research question because this shows the focus of your proposal.
Methodology – This is an important stage in a proposal. It shows your understanding of the topic. Also, it reflects on your skill in data analysis. You can either use qualitative or quantitative assessment. Additionally, you have the freedom to do an actual experiment to justify your rationale.
Literature review – at this point, you give an in depth analysis of some scholarly sources. These must relate with your research question. Your choice will tell the direction the paper takes. Therefore, use articles that support your question.

Others include:

Ethical consideration – this section must confirm that all information used is not plagiarized. By this, the writer tells the reader that the information presented was used after getting informed consent. Also, it gives an assurance of confidentiality and zero copyright breaches.
Limitations – This paragraph explains the limitations of your research. It shows the assumptions you may have made in making claims. Or, it can be a good method you used to put your claims that need additional study.
Reflection (optional) – this should only appear in your proposal if your instructor asked for it. It is a personal account of what motivated you to do the search. Also, it may address your interests with regards to the topic in descriptions.
References – Your bibliography must appear on the last page. It should include all the sources you used to avoid plagiarism. Also, cite them correctly to avoid failing.

Common Drawbacks When Writing A College Proposal

Cliches – A research proposal should focus on answering the reasons for the study. It should have only issues that build your question.
The omission of citations – Bibliographies and citations are included last. For this reason, it is very possible to forget this part. However, this puts you at risk of plagiarism. Cite any ideas in your paper. If not, your work may have copyright issues that lead to poor grades.
Failure to indicate the limits of your research – Many research studies advises on additional research at the end. This means that research work is progressive and revolving each time. When you remember this, you will make sure you write your limits.
Inconsistency within the paper – Just like a custom essay, your paper must flow. So, use connectors or phrases when needed to connect your ideas together. A breaking proposal makes the paper ambiguous to read and not easy to understand.
Too much emphasis on minor issues – at times, students tend to focus more on one point than the other. Make sure that ideas are put within the same margin of words so that one is not over explained while the other is less. Have proportion in your paragraphs.

Quick tips.

Your proposal should well address what you want to attain. This will make sure that you explain the research problem and your claims on the research.
Tell why you are doing the research. You have to detail your research designs and a deep review of the literature you will use. Also, give pieces of evidence that support your point to avoid fumbling.
Explain the steps you will use to address the topic. All the methods must be included to make sure that the reader can see how the findings were arrived at.
Make sure that your research question is topical and correlates with your discipline. For instance, a research question on health should be within the medical discipline. This creates a safe space for you not to move away from your major.
Only use valid sources for your study. Well study sources to make sure they are scholarly. Peer reviewed journals give great information. This, in turn, seals your points to become more convincing and realistic.

Note: A good research proposal should highlight its importance. This helps explain how it adds to or challenges existing research of a subject. Also, it should justify the need for the final research. Therefore, it should hook the reader to make them want to know more about the subject in discussion. Additionally, it must show your competence in addressing the issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a research proposal? – It may range from 2000 -10,000 words. It should not go beyond 10,000 words. Approximately it should be from 7 – 20 pages, depending on your instructor’s descriptions.
What are the important parts of a proposal? – topic, research question, literature review. methodology, ethical considerations, research limitations, and bibliography. In simple terms. A research proposal should maintain the recommended structure, which is usually given in the paper descriptions.
Should I write my proposal in the past, present, or future tense? – Write a research proposal in the future tense.
Should a proposal have an introduction? – Many students think that the abstract can represent the introduction. However, it does not because the two are separate entities. A proposal should have an introduction if the assignment descriptions required one.
How does a research proposal outline help? – before writing a proposal, it is important to write an outline. Therefore, this draft will guide you on how to go through your searches to make an argument.

Qualities of a Good Research Question That Can Help You Write A Good College Research Proposal

The question should be concise and addresses what is to be done in the proposal.
It should not be too broad to avoid over-explanation.
It should not be too obvious. Overexploiting too simple questions brings about cliches. And this would not be good for a research proposal.
It should be researchable to enable you to access information from external sources.
The question should be analytical. This will help you develop an analysis, which primarily is the reason for the research.