dr. imtithal al-thumairi webpage:iaat100/ guide to the research proposal
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Imtithal AL-ThumairiWebpage:http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~iaat100/
Guide to the Research Proposal
Elements of the Research Proposal
Title
Abstract
Study problem
Relevance of the Project
Literature Review
Specific Study Objectives
Research Methods
Keys To Success To Writing A Good Proposal
Overall Quality of the Study
Good research question
Appropriate research design
Rigorous and feasible methods
Quality of the Proposal
Informative title
Self-sufficient and convincing abstract
Clear research questions
Scholarly and pertinent background and rationale
Relevant previous work
Appropriate population and sample
Quality control
Adequate sample size
Sound analysis plan
Ethical issues well addressed
Tight budget
Realistic timetableAppropriate measurement and intervention methods
Quality of the Presentation
Clear, concise, well-organized
Helpful table of contents and subheadings
Good schematic diagrams and tables
Neat and free of errors
Literature Review
A critical summary of research on a topic of interest, generally prepared to put a research problem in context or to identify gaps and weaknesses in prior studies so as to justify a new investigation.
Keys to Success
Thorough and complete Logical Recent Original research Primary sources Critical appraisal Building case for new study
Objectives/Research Questions/Hypotheses
Identifying the research problem and developing a question to be answered are the first steps in the research process. The research question will guide the remainder of the design process.
Research ObjectivesA clear statement of the specific purposes of the study, which identifies the key study variables and their possible interrelationships and the nature of the population of interest.
Research QuestionThe specific purpose stated in the form of a question.
HypothesesA tentative prediction or explanation of the relationship between two or more variables. A prediction of the answer to the research question.
How not to write a research proposal
Why research proposals?
Spot the difference:What to do in the final year of your postgraduate study?
Imperative for both:A carefully thought out, well presented plan that is very likely to end in success
A contribution to knowledge
What is research?
Discovering something that nobody knew before, AND
Telling the world about it!
It is incremental, not revolutionary
What is science?
A process of knowledge discovery
Based on:Observation
Hypothesis formation
Hypothesis testing
Where does technology fit?It doesn’t always…
Like many things in life…
Much is learned from looking at bad examplesMuch less from looking at good examples!
The key points are obviousSo the majority overlook them
Obvious but overlooked:You are making a case to do something in return for something else
The structure of this doesn’t vary much with the topic
Key points
WhatYou want to do; in research, what are you aiming to discover?
HowMethodology; how will you discover the it?
Why youWhy is it better for you to do it, rather than someone else?
Proposal 1
There is all this new technology in the worldWe will build something new
That hasn’t been built beforeMaybe using itMaybe like it
A wee bit different
The end
Proposal 2
Last time, we did a thing (X)
This time, we will make some amendments to X
Which will make it better
Proposal 3
There is intense commercial pressure to produce X
It so far doesn’t exist
We will build something like itand then become fabulously rich
Proposal 4
Company Y wants Z to exist
They would like us to develop Z
They will collaborate with us to do soAnd even give us some money
So – how to write one?
What is it?Contribution to knowledge
Otherwise, it’s not research…
What are the research questions?What are the proposed solution domains?
What do we already know?
How will we do itMETHODOLOGY
Who are we, anyway?!Why us, not someone else?
The what
Unfailing, rigorous format:
AbstractPara 1: context
Para 2: problem
Para 3: proposed solution
Wrt the scientific method, the above represents the observation only
The real what: questions
For us to believe the para 3 solution may be effective, what do we need to know?
A list ofThings that are required for the solution to work
Things that are currently unknown
Proposed solution domains
We do not invent new thingsWe incrementally improve and reapply old things
A list ofThings that are required for the solution to work
Things that are currently known
The How
This is researchWe don’t know what will happen during the investigation
And everyone knows it
However…!We do need an overall plan
Ideally, hypothesis-testing, ie an experiment
(And what happens if it fails, by the way?)
Why us?
Because we know the domain well
Because we are the first to have this significant new insight
ie thorough knowledge of the relevant literature and community
May also include previous stuff we have done
The competition
Not other researchers!If noone else is doing the same thing, it probably isn’t worth doingThere is lots of space for everyone
The industryDon’t try to do something that has significant short-term commercial benefit
That would be completely unconvincing as research
Those beneficiaries…Often regarded as the toughest competition, but…… if it’s worth doing, they exist!