6+ Sample Postgraduate Research Proposal

What Is a Postgraduate Research Proposal?

It is a written or printed document that students submit to their professors as part of their postgraduate research proposal process. In it, you will find information on the proposed Research Plan, in-depth research, relevant issues, and a list of research papers and articles that will assist you in investigating the study problems that are pointing towards the research topic. It serves as the overview for a research project, outlining the steps involved in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting theoretical frameworks. It is written in the first person. It also discusses topics that are presented in a variety of situations that give a glimpse into a student’s educational experiences. Furthermore, the postgraduate research proposal includes a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) to stress the topic’s significance and the need for additional investigation. To explain the logic, describe and justify underlying procedures and emphasize their importance to the subject matter and future research, students employ a variety of processes.

Other templates are available on our website, and you can use them whenever you need them. They are as follows:  business proposal, action research proposal, work contract, clinical research proposal, position agreement, research report, employer agreement, market research report, permanent employment contract, market research proposal, disclosure agreement, and other similar templates are available. This post will not only provide you with templates but will also provide you with important information that you need to know in order to complete your template.

Elements of a Postgraduate Research Proposal

The framework of a postgraduate research proposal acts as a road map for the researcher to follow. Following the sequence of events leading up to the discovery of a clear answer, it enables students to conceptualize and provide a full response to the study’s central challenge. Postgraduate research proposals, in contrast to essays or research papers, have a precise framework that participants must adhere to in order to attain clarity and persuasion in their suggestions. The framework of your research proposal enables readers to gain a sufficient comprehension of the sequence of events described in the research proposal, which is essential. The following are the elements that can be found in a postgraduate research proposal.

Title Page: The title page is the initial piece of your research proposal, and it contains information on the study topic, student researchers, and any additional information that will assist in identifying the research project. The title of your research proposal must be concise, precise, and immediately understandable to the reader. A normal research title is a statement of no more than ten words in length that does not contain any acronyms or technical terms. Depending on the requirements of the university, research titles are written in either the Harvard style or the APA style of writing. You should also see our quantitative research proposal.Abstract/Summary: As a mandatory section of the research proposal, the abstract should explain or express the student’s scientific idea, interpretation of the proposed research’s objective and rationale, and possible outcomes of the study, as well as the names and expertise of the researchers who will be involved in the study. Research proposals are also supplemented with a concise text that runs from beginning to conclusion, resulting in an abstract that acts as a condensed version of all of the proposal’s many components. The section begins with a simple description and relevance of the study challenge, objectives, methodology, and findings, followed by a summary of the findings. Typically, the summary of a research proposal is between 100 and 200 words long. You should also see our medical research proposal.Introduction/Background: When writing an introduction, it is important to convey the significance of the study problem statement as well as the techniques and strategies that the researchers intend to use in order to resolve the problem. Also included are introductions to the people who will be working to address the challenge and conduct the research. An important notion is highlighted at the beginning, which includes bringing related studies to the primary issue or topic to provide a concrete foundation that will capture the attention and interest of readers while also contributing to the significance of the research. Approximately 20% of the entire word count of the plan is devoted to this part, which is titled. You should also see our IT services proposal.Preliminary Investigations: A number of scenarios relating to undergraduate research projects involve students gathering suitable resources and putting together material that is appropriate for the topic. Past research and experiments are included in the preliminary studies, as is a description of the team’s accomplishments after conducting relevant experiments and prior research as evidence of the likelihood of the study paper’s success. The preparation of the section allows viewers to experience the dedication put forth by the researcher, encouraging them to devote even more time and resources to the research project itself. You should also see our nursing research proposal.Methodology/Approach to the Research: The methodology section provides a high-level overview of the procedures that must be followed by the researchers. It serves as the research’s foundation, and it includes a description and justification of the corresponding procedures that were available during the study’s duration. The methodology’s components include the study timetable, a description of the potential trials, and countermeasures or action plans in the event that obstacles or hurdles develop during the research process. It is preferable to cite all of the necessary methods that researchers intend to implement, as well as any supporting justifications that justify selecting one technique over another. The research timeline must clearly describe and reflect the potential length of the study, as well as write down the schedules of research activities in collaboration with the appropriate researcher, in order to be effective. Disagreements, setbacks, and challenges occur at every stage of the research process, and it is vital to reassure your viewers that they will occur. Provide sufficient information about prospective actions or plans so that the researcher or researchers can deal with these situations in a way that is still significant and substantial. You should also see our qualitative research proposal.Consequences and Additions: Researchers declare the viable indications or findings that will change, upgrade, or develop current sciences and facts about the research issue in this portion of the project. Moreover, it aids in the comprehension and application of research objectives by elaborating upon how the findings of the study will influence future research and theory as well as practice and processes, among other things, in terms of their methodological, theoretical, and substantive significance. Also included is a section that encourages researchers to consider potential gaps or understudied resources in addition to existing studies and literature to determine the significance of the contributions your study makes, resulting in plausible new understandings for researchers to consider when conducting their research. You should also see our Sharing Agreement.Ethical Standards: Writing styles for research projects are diverse, and there is no one style that is better or worse than another. When it comes to distributing information, however, there are standardized techniques that can be used. This section is based on the scholarly disciplines and publication styles that have been selected by the sponsoring agency or institution. When conducting research and writing, ethical standards serve as a guide. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) recommendations published in 2014, content should be designed to preserve intellectual property rights, protect the welfare of study participants, and ensure the authenticity of scientific research and knowledge in order to achieve these goals. You should also see our research investigation report.Budget: The budget part, which is presented in a tabular manner, contains information about the estimated expenditures of the research study. The budget rationale for research is included with the budget proposal. The justification goes into greater depth on the rationale for incorporating specific items and the necessity of those materials in order to complete the experiments and other tasks. It is vital to identify the individuals who will be required to do the research. A budget’s direct and indirect costs are the two categories of costs that act as the budget’s primary constituents: direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are expenses that are incurred that have a direct impact on the project. Salary, benefits, materials, supplies, instruments, and travel expenditures are all included in this category. In contrast, indirect expenses are facilities or administrative costs that are obtained by the institution or organization that employs researchers in order to support the activities of the researchers. Further, these costs are divided into two categories: total direct costs (TDC) and modified total direct costs (MTDC). Total direct costs (TDC) cover a percentage of all direct costs associated with the research, with the funding agency responsible for determining and managing the prices of the costs. You should also see our academic research statement.Conclusion: When drafting the conclusion of a research proposal, it is best to go back and provide the various outcomes that were discussed in the abstract portion of the project. Every predicted inference that the researchers are expected to reach must be included in this section. Using the conclusion, the audience will be more aware that the expected outcome is based on preliminary research studies conducted by the researchers, and they will be more likely to believe that the results will be different once the research study has been completed. Researchers should consider writing an example of a possible outcome to demonstrate to the readers that they have given consideration to expressing prospective conclusions as part of the investigation. You should also see our Data Sharing Agreement.Appendix: This part contains extra material and papers that are not directly related to the core element of the research idea but are nonetheless relevant to expanding the knowledge, points of view, and arguments presented in the research proposal. The appendix contains a variety of documents, including data tables and charts, consent reports, research protocols, and data collection tools, among other things. Researchers can add their curriculum vitae, as well as any relevant academic or extracurricular activity, if required by their lecturers, in this portion of their application. You should also see our research accomplishment report.

Steps in Writing a Postgraduate Research Proposal

To ensure that your research proposal gets approved, it is vital to write an effective proposal. It is prudent to remember that postgraduate research proposals must contain specific sections, as indicated above. This section will teach you how to construct a thorough undergraduate research proposal that you can use for all of your academic research and writing, quantitative or qualitative. Carry on reading below.

  • 1. Select a Research Subject and Conduct Literature Reviews

    Determine the broad subject of your research to investigate. The research proposal is organized around the student’s or student’s chosen research topic, which serves as the foundation for the remainder of the content. Professors or advisers assign research subjects. After picking a topic, the researchers do a literature search on the issue. It is prudent to jot down notes on the research topic, summarizing the objective and results pertinent to the subject that resulted in the Research Proposal.

  • 2. Identify Literature Gaps and Define the Study’s Purpose

    The goal of doing literature reviews is to gain a thorough grasp of relevant studies and to identify substantial gaps in the body of knowledge. This enables scholars to identify gaps in their knowledge and to enhance and deepen their understanding of the subject. The researchers formulate their research problem in response to insufficient information gleaned through a survey of the current literature, highlighting its significance to the field. Ascertain that the issue is compelling enough for your audience to recognize its significance.

  • 3. Construct the Study’s Introduction, Hypothesis, and Research Questions

    Researchers draft an introduction after defining the research challenge and framing the study’s objective. The introduction of the research proposal should include the research problem, a synopsis of the literature review, a description of the gaps in the literature, and a declaration of the research aim. Draft a research hypothesis immediately following the introduction to indicate what the researchers want to undertake to investigate the topic, including the expected outcomes of the study. Quantitative research requires the development of a research hypothesis; qualitative research is guided by research questions. These two components must always be connected to the results of the literature review.

  • 4. Outline the Methods of Investigation and the Research Design

    In academic writing, identifying Investigation Methods aids in comprehension of the study’s flow. It details the processes that researchers will use to conduct the research. This section discusses the research strategy, sample size, and characteristics of the sample, as well as data collection and analysis methodologies. Each research design incorporated into the proposal must provide at least two or three alternatives with justifications for selecting one over the other.

  • 5. Indicate the Sample Size, as well as the Characteristics of the Sample

    It is vital to clarify how the researchers determine the sample size and features of the group while describing the sample size and characteristics of the group. This includes the commonalities in their attributes that qualify them for participation in the research study.

  • 6. Outline the Data Collection and Analysis Procedures That Are Required

    When researchers write the protocols for data collection and analysis, they must indicate how they intend to acquire data, whether through surveys, interviews, or questionnaires. Following data gathering, researchers detail the data analysis method. In quantitative research, it is preferable to process the data through Excel or SPSS. For Qualitative Research, there are computer systems such as ATLAi that assist in producing a tangible story by filtering the replies’ topics.

Regularly, reviewers provide informative suggestions that aid in the improvement of the study’s quality and data collecting. The study’s premise is regularly modified in response to pre-execution criticism. Students should communicate with their professors prior to making any changes to their course of study. Researchers who believe the proposal should be modified should communicate their concerns to members of the research committee. The committee members may advise the investigators that they may proceed with the study or that they must first obtain approval for the changed plan.

FAQs

How long is a research proposal?

A three-page postgraduate research proposal is required by UC San Diego.

How should a postgraduate research proposal be formatted?

The undergraduate research proposal format differs depending on the lecturer or adviser’s structure. The problem description, study objectives, research technique, and probable findings are key components of an undergraduate research proposal.

What should a postgraduate research proposal include?

The proposal must highlight its distinctiveness and relevance to the field. It must also state how the study adds to or challenges existing knowledge and literature. It is also necessary to emphasize the research’s importance and the person’s suitability to complete it.

Writing a relevant and complete undergraduate research proposal requires an understanding of the research process. A literature review should support the research concept, students should know. In addition to satisfying graduation requirements, undergraduates must assess the relevance and significance of their study to future studies on their chosen topic. After reviewing the preceding information, start your investigation by downloading the samples in the formats accessible.