Research proposal formatting

The purpose of the research proposal is to present and justify the need to study a research problem and to present the practical ways in which the proposed study should be conducted. The design elements and procedures for conducting the research are governed by standards within the predominant discipline in which the problem resides, so guidelines for research proposals are more exacting and less formal than a general project proposal. Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews. They must provide persuasive evidence that a need exists for the proposed study. a proposal describes a detailed methodology for conducting the research consistent with requirements of the professional or academic field and a statement on anticipated outcomes. The proposal introduces the problem, purpose, and significance of a study as well as the experimenter’s research question and hypothesis. It also gives a brief explanation of the theory guiding the study, a review of relevant literature pertaining to the theory, and the procedure for the experiment. The proposal should be written in APA format. Without a good introduction, the experimenter will leave his or her readers wondering what exactly the purpose of the experiment. The introduction is a crucial part since it explains several components that must be included in a proposal. After reading the introduction, the reader should conclude why the experimenter is conducting the research and how this research will affect the academic community and society at large. Note that most proposals do not include an abstract or summary before the introduction. You should clearly identify the goal of the study in one precise sentence.

A proposal should contain all the key elements involved in designing a completed research study, with sufficient information that allows readers to assess the validity and usefulness of your proposed study.  An effective proposal is judged on the quality of your writing. Therefore, your writing is coherent, clear, and compelling. The professor assigns their students with a research proposal for the following reasons. First, develops the skills in thinking about and designing a comprehensive research study. Besides, they learn how to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature to ensure a research problem has not already been answered. It is only this way that the student can become better at locating scholarship related to your topic. It improves your general research and writing skills. The practice identifying the logical steps that must be taken to accomplish one's research goals. Critically review, examine, and consider the use of different methods for gathering and analysing data related to the research problem. The common mistakes that the students should avoid include:

• Failure to be concise; being "all over the map" without a clear sense of purpose.
• Failure to cite landmark works in your literature review.
• Failure to delimit the contextual boundaries of your research e.g., time, place, people.
• Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research.
• Failure to stay focused on the research problem; going off on unrelated tangents.
• Sloppy or imprecise writing, or poor grammar.
• Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues.