Practical Research:

Writing research proposals

Hannah Jones
SO914 week 9 2013/14

Writing a research proposal

Research design
Presentation and language
Resourcing, budgeting and
timetabling
Ethics
Research impact and dissemination
Working with partners

Research design

Research field
Research questions
Aims
Objectives
Methodology
Methods
Analysis
Dissemination

Presentation and language

Clarity
Originality, innovation, excitement
Gaps in the existing research
Feasibility (resources, money, time,
people)
Your skills and track record
Outputs (engagement, impact,
collaboration)

Resourcing, budgeting and

timetabling
Money
Skills
Time
Access

Ethics

Data collection
Data management
Analysis
Dissemination
Impact
Collaboration

Research impact and dissemination

Who is the research for?
What will it change?
What will you do to share the
research findings?
What will you do with the raw data?

Working with partners

Other researchers
Other research organisations
Research users
Research participants
Partners/stakeholders?

Writing
Feedback, collaboration and advice
Format
Think of the reader

Exercise 1
Write an abstract of your planned
research project. This should be
between 200 and 250 words, and set
out:
(a)The general issues and debates that
your study will engage with
(b)Your specific aims and objectives
(c)The research strategy you will follow
to meet these objectives

Exercise 2
In groups of no more than two or three, take it in turn to
be one anothers critical friend.
Person A spends 10-15 minutes asking Person B about her
research project. [e.g. What are your research questions?
What are your aims? What are your objectives?]
Help and encourage Person B to refine the abstract s/he
has written by asking further questions and reflecting on
the answers together.
Then swap roles.