The research proposal

The research proposal is an integral part of the Research Degree (PhD) application process. Hence, it  is worth investing time and energy to ensure clarity and effectiveness in your proposal. Research proposals are evaluated on the cost (time and money), the potential impact (significance to research and to practice), and rigour (the plans for carrying it out). Generally, the research proposal consists of the following components: the rationale of the study, the research aims and objectives, the research questions, the significance of the research, and a Gantt chart. Researchers may add other section headings within their research proposals to present the plans more clearly, however in this blog I shall present the key components of the research proposal for a PhD thesis to inform the reader about the necessary elements that should be discussed at this early stage. I have suggested a list of references for students on the Facebook page of the blogging site (https://www.facebook.com/RCELbyDjamel/), so they can find out how to write a research proposal (I list some references too in this blog; see bibliography below). Today, I explain the questions I received from students and illustrate with examples.

The key components

• The rationale of the study

The rationale is of paramount importance in the research proposal. To be able to talk about this, PhD students have to identify the literature gap by reviewing the existing body of relevant research. In the section of the rationale of the study, PhD students have to present succinctly the literature they have read, with the aim of showing the areas that have been given less attention or the areas that have not substantiated with empirical research (maybe just presented in blogs). Students are not supposed to write an annotated biography, but writing a synthesis. Thus, establishing the gap is the first task. While reading the existing literature, researchers also may have to pay attention to the methods used for data collection and data analysis, because they need to present the plans for carrying out the proposed research as well (see section objectives below). The following examples – taken from research I previously conducted – show what should be included in the rational of the study.

Example 1:Two growth areas of student:staff engagement within HE are: (1) students as co-creators of curriculum, (2) students as full partners in research. In both areas students become seen      as equal stakeholders in research/development processes: ‘A stakeholder of research is considered to be any person or body who has a direct interest in its framing and success’ (BERA 2018).  The involvement of students as partners, rather than just as participants, in research and innovation is increasing throughout Higher Education, and this raises new questions for practitioners.

Example 2: The BERA guidelines state that: ‘Payment for participation in educational research is generally      discouraged’. However if students are partner members of a research project team –             contributing a dedicated input over an extended period of time – then their terms and conditions should mirror those of academic staff in the project. The newly amended ‘Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research’ (BERA 2018) do not specifically address this possibility of staff:student partnerships, as the guidelines intentionally have a broader focus to encourage researchers to ‘…adhere to their spirit and underlying principles … and apply them with integrity in their research activities so that their actions can be seen to be ethical, justifiable and sound’.

• The research aims and objectives

Aims and objectives are two different research terms that must not be confused. The aims are what the researcher is trying to find out and the objectives are what the researcher will do in order to achieve the aims. The following example illustrates the difference between the aims and objectives:

Aim: to publish a set of guidelines concerning ethics and integrity in staff: students research and academic innovation partnerships, which will be of value within the wider HE sector, and which will enable others to follow this path.

Objective: to collect the experiences of staff and students who have been involved in previous projects, and from these rich and deep accounts to develop dissemination activities and an interim set of guidelines relating to ethics and integrity abstracted from the findings.

The researcher should specify the aims, based on the review of the relevant research (the rationale). That is, there should be some motivations (from literature) for the aim. For the objectives, the researcher may adopt the existing models of conducting the research (how to collect and analysed data), or may develop a different model provided that it should be supported by the literature and fit in with context of the research.

• The research questions

Indeed, there should be a research question or questions within your research proposal. The mistake students often make is they become worried about the number of the research questions they should list. Two research questions do not make your research bad quality, and more than two research questions does not make your research impressive. You should not leave ambiguity, that is, each analysis should be guided by a research question or questions.

Each research question should have a purpose. If the research involves mixed method approaches (quantitative and qualitative), we are supposed to see a question or more that relates the quantitative analysis and a question or more that relates to the qualitative analysis. questions such as ‘to what extent’ relate to quantitative analysis, questions such as ‘what are the perceptions…’ and ‘what are the functions…’ may relate to thematic analysis or discourse analysis (qualitative analysis). For clarity, in a table you can summarise each research question with the analysis that relates to, or you may find any better way of clarifying.

• The significance of the research

This has to do with the importance of your research and with who may benefit for your research. There are two types of significance that your research may have: significance to research and significance to practice. The former refers to the research implications that may cerate a gap for other researchers, and the latter refers to the use of the research implications to inspire other areas of knowledge. You may need to explain these two in case your research has any significance.

• A Gantt chart

Here you are visualising your schedule plans, so the Research Degree Boards or your supervisors gains some trust and see you management skills.  A Gantt chart is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, and a vertical axis representing the tasks that make up the project. The following example illustrate this:

This is just an example taken from a research project. You can find out other Gantt charts, and you can be creative. However, you should remember that the chart is clear and represent the research.

Your PhD research should reflect a contribution or contributions, and that could be extending the current understandings, filling the gap, blending, and confirming. The contributions can be theoretical (e.g. developing theory, a conceptual framework, an insight, etc.), methodological  (developing a method, a measurement (quantitative model), establishing a new methodological orientation), and/or practical (e.g. benefitting other areas; significance to practice).

Bibliography

Bentley, P. (2006). The PhD application handbook. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Berry, D. (2010). Gaining funding for research: a guide for academics and institutions. Maidenhead, Hampshire: Open University Press.

Berry, R. (2004). The research project: how to write it. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

Denscombe, M. (2012). Research Proposals: A Practical Guide. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Moore, N. (2006). How to do research: a practical guide to designing and managing research projects. 3rd rev. ed. London: