How to Write a Research Proposal for Masters Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

The more organized you are, the better your finished product, and the less worry you'll have throughout the process. Consult your department and supervisors often throughout the process to ensure you're writing a proposal that conforms to departmental standards and covers every pertinent detail of your proposed research. Ask supervisors or mentors to look over drafts and to give comments throughout the process. It should clearly indicate your research topic in a concise phrase keep it less than 20 words long and be as specific as possible.

Introduce the topic in one to two sentences as an issue you're going to examine or problem you'll solve. Write a short background on previous research or circumstances leading to your study, and show how your research will contribute something original to your field. Indicate whether your topic extends an idea, takes a next step or re examines a previously studied area in a new light or in greater detail, for instance. Include a section on how you'll gather, present and analyze your information this is your research method. Identify which techniques you'll use throughout your research and explain why those techniques are the best choices for this study. Make references to similar research that uses the same techniques to justify your method, but highlight how your work is different.

In your writing stages, include time for research, for writing your literature review, which aggregates previous research on the topic, and for presentations, training and seminars necessary for your research. Include where you're obtaining these resources, whether it's through the school or independently. Break down costs into categories like travel, equipment rental and material and supplies. If you have more than one supervisor for your research, detail how each one will contribute and what role she will fulfill. Universities have different requirements, but you may have a coordinating supervisor who overlooks administration and reporting, a primary supervisor for your research and a secondary supervisor for a specialized area of your study. Specify how many times you'll meet with a given supervisor and what she's responsible for. To be considered for registration for a research degree, prospective candidates must submit a proposal that outlines their intended research.

Proposals should be presented under headings that provide the title and summary of the study as well as addressing each of the points listed below. purpose of the study 150 a clearly focused statement of the overall purpose of the proposed research. relevant background literature 150 a section outlining key research that has already been carried out in the particular area.

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research questions or hypotheses 150 clearly focused research questions/hypotheses that are worth asking and capable of being answered. definitions of key terms 150 precise definitions of the key terms in the research question/s or hypotheses, enabling unequivocal observation, measurement and identification throughout the study. significance of the research 150 a statement that illustrates why the research question or hypothesis is worth asking. ethical considerations 150 consideration of ethical issues involved in carrying out the research such as whether informed consent needs to be obtained and, if so, how this will be done. timetable for the research 150 a proposed timetable is extremely important because it gives an indication as to the feasibility of the proposal. anticipated problems and limitations 150 a section that highlights any anticipated problems and limitations in the proposed study, including threats to reliability and validity and how these will be countered.

resources required for the research 150 a proposed budget for the research if appropriate should be included under this heading, which is important because it gives an indication of how realistic the proposal may be in terms of financial requirements and whether the research might need to be adapted. bibliography 150 a list of references relating to the proposal. appendices 150 if appropriate , which contain any material that will be used or adapted for the study, including any permission that might need to be obtained to use it. They are taken from stevens and asmar 19 , doing postgraduate research in australia.

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Immerse yourself in the literature, use your library, read the abstracts of other recent theses and dissertations, check dissertations on the web at, for example, networked digital library of theses and dissertations and proquest dissertations publishing alternatively, fisher library holds a subscription to the proquest database service, so computers in the library can access it. Be able to answer the question 'why am i doing this project and not a different one ?' read up to date materials to ensure your idea is achievable and no one else has done it or is doing it. The faculty directory categorises staff under eight major research specialties and more than 40 sub specialties. Attend specialised conferences in your area so that you can observe where contemporary research is focused and learn from the experts in your field. Work through the implications of your research question by considering the existing materials and ideas on which it is based. Condense your research question into two sentences: write it down, with pride, above your working area. Ask yourself: 'what will we know at the end that we did not already know?'

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your research proposal should be divided into sections and formatted according to our guidelines to prepare research proposals.

Once completed, you will submit your research proposal and research proposal coversheet for approval by a member of the board of the graduate research school. Most research degrees require you to submit a research proposal with your application. If you are applying for a specific, advertised research project, particularly where the research project is already defined, you may only need to include the project title, the identified supervisor and description instead of a proposal. Please refer to the programme entry on course finder or the advertisement on whether you need to provide a research proposal. A research proposal forms a crucial part of your application for a research degree and where possible should be developed in conjunction with your proposed supervisor. This is to ensure that you have a project in mind that is appropriate for the research degree and that the relevant school has the necessary expertise to provide adequate supervision. The length and structure of the proposal depends on the school and the research degree you are applying for.