The Proposal
Why Should I Care?
Your research project may need to be presented to a review board for academic approval, or for financial considerations. In this case you would be required to provide a proposal. This is a short text, where you map out what you would do if you got the green light on this research project. Reviewers will appreciate that some of the background research is on the right track. They might propose more documents, or to add sources from opposing view-points.
This lesson has 2 parts
- Proposal Details
- Annotated Bibliography
What is a Proposal?
A research proposal is a short text that outlines the aims of a research project, the main questions, the types of analysis used and the costs of the project. A great proposal needs to convince the decision makers that the research is important. A proposal does not have to specify the results of the research, but should show that the research results are important because they will help guide better policy, or find solutions to an important problem.
How to write a research proposal
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Proposal Details
The proposal should include the following details:
- Research Question
- Methodology: Population / Sample / Instrument
- Time needed and Total cost
- Potential sources of information
- Annotated Bibliography
- Tentative Table of Contents
Research Question
This is a statement that needs to be addressed with research. A business manager might have a problem with marketing a new product. They would need research on segments of the population that would be in favour of the product. A government official might have questions about demand for health services, such as which services are most needed.
Methodology
This has to do with how the research will be conducted. You might propose to focus mostly on available documents, and need time to read them. You might propose to collect fresh data from the field or contract this out to another firm. You should know who you are trying to understand (population), who is going to be measured (sample) and how the data will be collected (instrument).
Time and Cost
Estimate the time and total cost this project entails. Use tables and figures as needed to be explicit in the details of the costs and people/hours needed.
Potential sources of information
While you don't know yet what the information is in full detail, you should have a good idea of where it is located. Have a list of book titles and authors, government documents, websites, etc. ready to show that you can start right away.
When presenting the potential sources of information, you may be asked for an annotated bibliography. This is a very useful tool at the beginning of the research project.
Tentative Table of Contents
Draw a plan for the paper, as you would a table of contents. Consider the BEAM framework. Start with context and background, then present exhibits of information, cover arguments and opinions, and finally present issues with methodology. You can also use a historical timeline to organize the information, or divide the sections by topic such as business, geography, psychology, and political science.
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Annotated Bibliography
A list of sources with contextual notes about the authors and the content. Think of this as a regular bibliography, to which you add annotations, which are short summaries of the documents (about 80 words each).
This type of paper can be published as a stand alone journal article, which is very useful for other scientists and scholars. They will appreciate the time saved in finding all of these sources.
The annotated bibliography can also be regarded as a work-in-progress, which you can use as a tool during your research process, or as a complement to a research proposal.
Annotations include
Format
The reference is done in the style prescribed (APA or MLA). The Annotation follows under the same paragraph, using the hanging indent (CTRL-TAB). References are in alphabetical order.
Example of an annotation
Bergeron, L. (1971). The History of Quebec, a Patriote's Handbook. NC Press, Toronto.
A retired Concordia University History Professor, Bergeron is a Quebec historian and playwright. Other works include history-themed comic books, and Quebec-French language dictionaries. A translation from French, this handbook provides an account of Quebec history from a French-Canadian point of view.