development of a research proposal

DEVELOPING
AND
PRESENTING
A RESEARCH
PROPOSAL

A research proposal is an outline of the research idea, which
helps in communicating this idea to faculty or the funding
agency, so that an approved project can be implemented.
Development of the research proposal start when the research
problem is sufficiently specified to begin work and the
researcher is satisfied that the problem is feasible. Research
proposal serves strong foundation for the actual research
study, which is conducted after a due approval by the experts
from faculty or funding agency. A well written research
proposal should convince members of the scientific
community that the research is significant. The clearer
and more precise the research proposal, the smoother
is the actual conduct of a research project. In academic
institution, the research proposal is commonly known as
synopsis.

A research proposal is a written document specifying what the
investigator proposes to study, and is, therefore written before
the project has commenced. Proposal serves to communicate
the research problem, its significance and planned procedure
for solving the problem to the interested party. That party may
be a funding agency, a faculty advisor, or institutional officers
depending upon the circumstances.

• Research proposal provide an opportunity to the
researcher and the expert to think through project
carefully and clarify and define what exactly to study.
• It serves as a blue print and guiding path for the
researcher to carry out the research project.
• Research proposal helps the researcher to
communicate to the supervisor, faculty, department and
funding agency what he or she is going to study, so that
the desired suggestions and support to carry out the
research project can be obtained.

•Proposal also helps the department to make a right
decision about allotment of guide for the candidate
pursuing a particular project.
•It also gives an opportunity to receive feedback from
supervisor and other in the academic community as
well as possible funders.
•Research proposal also serves as a contract between
researchers, guide, and university.

•Research proposal also can be used to seek ethical
approval from the institutional, regional, or national
level research ethical committee.
•research proposal are generally submitted to a
scholarship committee or other funding agency to seek
the financial grants for implementations of the
research project.

Development of research proposal involves:-
Choosing a topic
Narrowing down and focusing on the topic
Formulating research objectives or questions and ideas for
analysis
Outlining the key literature in the topic area
Deciding on research methodology, research design, and
methods
Proposing an approach to data analysis
Proposing a format eg.how many chapters and suggested
chapter headings.
Developing a timeline
Developing a budget and resources required for the project
Organizing references and bibliography

A research proposal usually consists of the following elements
1.Tittle:-
This should be specific and precise. It should not
be more than two to three lines long, and should
indicate what one intends to do or find out.
For example, validation of an algorithm on the
management of urethral discharge in CMCH,
Ludhiana Punjab

The title is usually only formulated after the
research problem and sub problems have been
stated in a more or less final format. The research
project title should demarcate the following;
⁂Who or /and what is researched
⁂Where
⁂When
⁂How
⁂An indication of the envisaged solution or
possible new product

About Investigators
☻Full names, qualification, academic titles of all the
investigators, including trainees and their institutional
/departmental affiliation.
☻The principal/main investigator should be the first
one. If there are co-investigators, these should be
indicated as appropriate with their qualifications,
academic titles, and institutional affiliation.
☻Brief up to date curriculum vitae of each of the
investigators and co-investigators should be provided.

Institutions under whose umbrella the research
project will be conducted
For example:
World health organization
College of nursing, All India Institute of medical
sciences, Rishikesh
Indian council medical research

2.Background information and introduction
This should include:
♫A review of the relevant literature. It should be most
recent. (Majority being in the past 5-10 years at most)
♫Locally available information published or
unpublished. It may include clinical or laboratory
observations.

Rationale/justification for the research project
There should be a statement explaining why the
researcher feel the research project is important and
therefore should be carried out. It should not be more
than a photograph or two.

3.Objectives of the study
Broad objectives: The man issues that are being
looked at/for are laid down in the broad objective.(e.g.
survey the socio-demographic and reproductive
profiles of patients with acute gonococcal urethritis)
Specific objectives: The specific issues that are being
looked at/for. These must be measurable either
qualitatively or quantitatively and from a guide to the
research methodology, data analysis, and presentation
of results. For instance:
‽To survey the age distribution of patients presenting
with acute gonococcal urethritis.
‽To assess the sexual behaviour of such patient.

4.Formulating hypotheses
Hypotheses give structure and direction to research.
The following aspects should be kept in mind when
formulating a hypotheses:

•Hypotheses can only be formulated after the researcher has
gained enough knowledge regarding the nature, extent, and
intensity of the problem.
•Hypotheses should figure throughout the research process in
order to give structure to the research.
•Hypotheses are tentative statements/solutions or explanations
of the formulated problem. Care should be taken not to
oversimplify and generalize the formulation of hypotheses.
•The research problem does not have to consist of one
hypothesis only. The type of problem area investigated and the
extent to which it enhances the research field are the
determining factors on how many hypotheses will be included
in the research proposal.

5.Methodology
It should provide relevant information on:
The type of research study: for eg. Randomized clinical trial,
descriptive, cross-sectional etc. This should reflect exactly
what the researchers intend to do.
Location of study/study settings: Where the study is going to
be conducted. All the area in/at which the survey/study will be
carried out must be indicated.
Study population: The subjects who are to be included in the
study or from which group of people of the study group going
to be drawn, for example patients presenting with multiple
pregnancy at the AIIMS,Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

Study period: The entire period of the study including
preparation of the proposal, submission and approval, training,
pretesting, data collection,
If the study is in phases each must be specified and the time
for each given.
Sample size:
•Details on the sample size and how it has been arrived
at/worked out.
•Its justification
•The selection/inclusion/exclusion criteria. For e.g.:- every
10th client, randomized, every patient who consent.
•The need for, and type of, consent must be specified, and how
it will be obtained. For e.g.:- written or verbal consent

Data collection: the following details should be provided:-
•What information is going to be looked for/collected?
•How that is going to be done(e.g. Laboratory test or with
provision of appropriate details)?
•Requirements for the study should be listed (e.g. reagents,
culture media, or blood samples and their relevant tests). It
should include the names of the people who will takes
responsibility for each of the aspects of data collection(e.g.
who will draw blood perform the tests, do the physical
examination, interview the study group etc)

Data management and analysis:-
•Details should be provided on how the collected data is going
to be managed(e.g. coding)
•Details on data analysis such as the computer package to be
used in data entry and analysis. For examples SPSS 25, EPI-
INFO 6.0 e.t.c
•The type of statistical test to be used, for e.g. regression
analysis or student ‘t’ test of significance

Results presentation: A brief explanation of the format of the
results as they will be presented, for example:-
•Pie chart
•Histograms
•Line graphs
•Tables

Dissemination of the results:-
•Indicate the person or institution to whom the report
is going to be submitted and why.
•How does/do the investigator propose to disseminate
their research findings, such as
-attendance at local, regional, or international
conference/ seminars, workshops
-holding of a dissemination seminar/ workshop
-publications in peer-reviewed journals etc

6.Ethical consideration
•What ethical issues need to be addressed?
•How are they going to be addressed?
•This should include protection of human subjects (client
rights).
Possible constraints
•Any envisaged problems in undertaking the study
•How these will be addressed, by whom, and when?

Requirements: details should be provided on the
requirements of the research project, for example:
Personnel: All the people who will be involved and
their individual roles
Training: of whom, why, when, where, by whom
Paper: for the questionnaires, report etc
Transport: what form and for what
Reagents: which, how much of each, for what, their
source
Space: how that will be obtained, where, when

7.Budgetary estimate
⸙Each lines item should be quantified in monetary
terms.
⸙The investigator should indicate the amount to be
asked for and for what the institution under which the
research project will be conducted will contribute.
⸙Each item should be quantified, if possible. If it is not
possible (e.g. premises or space), it should just be
mentioned as an institutional contribution. However,
small the institutional contribution is, it should be
indicated.
⸙Subtotals for each group should be indicated and then
the grand total.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE BUDGET
The investigators must indicate how they arrived at
the amount of money being asked for, and how it is
going to be disbursed.

The research proposal formally describes the
research process for the proposed problem
statement. A well written research proposal ensures
that scholars have done sufficient preliminary work
in the research committee of the organisation/
university/ funding agency. While writing the
proposal the researcher should aim to convince the
research committee that the proposal has scientific
merit and that she has identified the methodology
best suited to carry out the proposed study within
the given time frame and resources.

development of a research proposal

development of a research proposal

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