GUIDE TO WRITING RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND THESIS
STRUCTURE I
Doctor of Philosophy (BA)
Master of Science (BA)
CENTRE FOR GRADUATE STUDIES
SEPTEMBER 2009
INTRODUCTION
All students pursuing a postgraduate programme under Structure I shall submit a thesis for examination as a requirement for the award of the degree. This would entail the preparation of a research proposal which is later developed into a thesis. This document provides guidelines for writing the research proposal and the thesis. WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research proposal is a document written to inform others including your supervisor or graduate committee and your examiners of a proposed piece of research you intent to do. You should be aware that a research
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* Discuss the issue that you intend to study in terms of problem statement and show that there is an issue that needs to be addressed or a “gap” in the body of knowledge that you want to fill. When you are able to identify the issue or gap, than the research questions will fall in place naturally. Think of the Introduction as follows:
Imagine a group of academics discussing in general the area of study you are interested in. You join in the conversation (assuming they allow you to!) and draw their attention to your specific problem of interest. You tell them that there is something that has not been resolved or there is a gap or problem. You argue that this gap or problem has to be addressed and go on to describe it in detail. Then you tell your listeners the objectives of your study and how it will attempt to answer the research questions.
Title Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background to the Study 1.2 Problem Statement 1.3 Objectives of the Study 1.4 Research Questions and Hypotheses (if any) 1.5 Significance of the Study 1.6 Scope of the Study 1.7 Definitions of Terms Chapter 2 Review of Literature 2.1 Previous Studies 2.2 Methodological Issues 2.3 Conceptual Framework Chapter 3 Methodology 3.1 Theoretical Framework 3.2 Research Design 3.3 Framework for Data
Conduct research for, and write a research essay on a topic related to one of the three previous sections of Module 1:
At the end of Week 3 you will submit a Topic Proposal in which you will identify the topic you selected for the Course Project. Within this Topic Proposal, you will also include the annotated bibliography for your sources. You are required to have five to seven outside sources for this project. The Topic Proposal will consist of a one page, typed, and single spaced paper.
A research plan is intended to encourage others that you have a valuable research assignment and that you have the intelligence to see it though. A research plan should include all the essentials in the research method and contain enough information for the reader to assess the proposed subject. Your research and the method you prefer, the research must address the following questions: What you plan to achieve, why you desire to do it and how you are going to do it. The plan should have enough details to persuade the reader that you have a solid research plan; you have an understanding of the important information and that your approach is sound. The value of your research plan depends not just on the quality of your assignment, but also on the quality of your research plan. A good research assignment could be subject to scrutiny or rejection just because the plan is not written well. This motivates me to develop a research plan that is logical, understandable, and convincing. This paper focuses on proposal writing rather than on the development of research
What do you already know about the topic? What is your level of expertise? Spend a moment here jotting down what
In your own words, provide background information (two sentences) that sets up the purpose of the study. This information will likely be found in the Introduction.
In the first introductory paragraph, you should discuss what prompted this research questions in about 3-4 sentences. This should lead into you stating your research question.
* What is the big picture for the problem you are working with? b. State the research Question
Step 3: Create your research question. State your full question. For example: For new students entering an online program would a mandatory orientation course improve retention by increasing computer literacy and professional writing proficiency?
An important issue in my research is how am I going to go about it?
State all of your research questions. There are generally 3-5 depending on the nature of your study. They should be clearly linked to your Purpose.
How do you research a topic? The way I conduct research is by first selecting a topic I collect data or statistical information from (articles, books, online
Nwaorgu (1991), research questions are these questions posed by the researcher, seeking answers to which would lead to the solution of the problem. Research questions have to provide focus and direct attention to the major issues in the study.
Write a research proposal will need a lot of relevant information. We can use many methods to find the relevant and useful information, in can include: questionnaires、books、textbooks、magazines、newspapers、internet and all kind of medias.
In a few sentences, describe your research plan. Think about the instrument you will use in your research.
A research prospectus is a brief overview of the key components of a research study. These components together form the DNA of the research methodology design. The purpose is to build quality into the proposal process by getting this DNA right before launching into developing a full blown proposal. Experience suggests that if the DNA is right, the proposal comes together much easier, is more likely to be in ternally consistent, and requires