Sample Title Page for Research Proposal

(Title)
e.g. Purchase Behaviour of Personal
Computers: A Cross-Cultural Study of
Urban Malaysian Consumers

A Proposal Submitted

by

(Author)

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Bachelor of Science/Arts (Hons)

in ………(major)……………..

Asia Pacific University College of Technology & Innovation

(Month, Date, Year)

Student Name:
Student No:
Email Address:
Programme Name:
Title of Project:
Proposed Supervisor (if known):
Please state which modules your topic is related to:

A Format for Research Proposals

A research proposal is a written specification of an intended research, which clearly

outlines the context of the study as well as why and how it will be conducted.
However, these should only be seen as guidelines, meaning that deviations are
possible, if necessary/appropriate and according to the supervisor(s) advice.

Title
The title (topic) of the proposal should ‘accurately’ reflect the scope and content of
the study in not more than 20 words. It should be concise yet precise and able to
outline the core issue of the study. There are cases where a subtitle is added to define
the scope.

Introduction
Introduce the topic, the sector of business or industry concerned and how the project
relates to it

Statement of the problem

Identify the problem(s) that the researcher wants to address: magnitude, relationship
and question(s) the researcher wants to answer or solve.

Project Background
Background to the Problem
Build up the case. Describes the context from which the research idea has emerged,
provide evidence and facts to support the problem(s) or concerns put forward, explain
the need for solutions/answers for the(se) problem(s) or the need for a
similar/alternative method. This info should be about 1.5 pages. The information
provided in this section should clearly make a reader understand the need for this
research, its significance and the degree any problem put forward. Information from
other researchers has to be included as evidence.
Project Aims and Objectives
Research Objectives
The research objectives are statement(s) of the specific aims arising directly from the
purpose of the study. It should spell out what the research is supposed to accomplish
at the end of the day.

Research Questions
The research questions should arise directly from the research objectives and state the
investigative curiosity underlying the intended study.

Significance of this project

This refers to the relevance of the study in terms of academic contributions, practical
use that might be made of the findings and any potential to take this research outcome
to the next level for implementation or commercialization.

Research Programme
Research Design and Justifications/Limitations
Must provide scope of research, which includes depth of investigation, content,
sample size, geographical and theoretical coverage as well as the time scope
(longitudinal vs. cross-sectional) and limits. This section explains about the data
needed to be collected – primary or secondary; quantitative/ qualitative or a mix;
descriptive, explanatory or experimental; case based or representative. The methods
used to collect these data and justifications applied, research instruments and methods
(sampling methods).
Please do state the limitations or delimitations, if any. The limitations might be due to
method, location and or other contextual factors.
Provide a stage by stage plan of the work for the project showing the activities to be
undertaken, the milestones and the deliverables.

Deliverables
Expected Results
This section should give a brief explanation of what is the expected outcome of this
research. How these data will be analysed, used and presented. It should also explain
how the research would allow you to answer the problems or questions put forward.

Resources
References
This is a list of all works cited in the proposal and should be written according to the
recognised format and must be consistent throughout the chapter.
The referencing must follow the Harvard system of referencing. You may visit
http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing website for details.

Appendices
This section consists of any materials such as design or time-line and etc that you
would like to summit to support the proposal.
 General requirement on Proposals

 The proposal should be minimum 4 and maximum 10 pages of main

text body (excluding title page, table of contents, list of tables and
figures, list of abbreviations, list of references and appendices if any).
 The proposal must be formatted with a font size of 12 if Times New
Roman or a font size of 11 if Arial and 1.5 line spacing. Please ensure
the paragraphs are properly aligned/ justified.
 The title page should be as the example shown above.
 A proposal should not be in chapters and the structure should not go
beyond the second level. Instead of adding subsections at the third
level you may use bullets if required.
 All information provided must be straight to the point, precise and all
information must be accordingly cited and well presented. Please
avoid plagiarism.
 All figures and tables must have a title and referenced i.e. indicate the
source.
 There might be slight variations in the order and content required,
please do approach your relevant lecturer for future assistance.