1、Week 5 Preparing a Research Proposal/GrantDr.Zhencong LiuContentsw What is a research proposal?w Why proposals?w General guidelinesw Detailed guidelinesw Sample proposalsw Creating a posterw Oral presentationResearch Proposalw Research Request or Proposal(RFP)nDocument that describes a potential res
2、earch project,its benefits to the organization,and estimated costs.Typically,a project does not begin until the research request has been formally approved.Why do we write research proposals?w Types of proposals:for degrees,for getting research grantw Considerations for both:Can the research plan be
3、 implemented within the environment you select,the scope of time given,and the facilities available?General Guidelines for Writing a Research Proposalw Generally,a research proposal should contain all the key elements involved in the research process and include sufficient information for the reader
4、s to evaluate the proposed study.All research proposals must address the following questions:n(1)What do you plan to accomplish?n(2)Why do you want to do it?n(3)How are you are going to do it?Your MA Research Proposalw Length:about 2000-7000 wordsw Necessary components:Title;Introduction;Literature
5、Review;Methods;Expected Results;Difficulties that may arise and how you would tackle them;Research schedule;References;Appendix w ExampleDETAILED GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALSComponents of a Research Proposal w background w objectivew scopew methodology w approachw facilitiesw budgetw deliverablesw progr
6、am schedulew references Titlew Title:Provides sufficient focus for the research and a point of departure,indicating the authors name and the degree programme for which the proposal is submitted.It should be specific,descriptive and comprehensive.Introduction:Aims/purposes and rationale/justification
7、w Aims/purposes-State the research problem,which is often referred to as the purpose or aim of the study.-Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to be addressed by your research.w Rationale/justification:To place the intended study in context,and to show why the research questions and th
8、e proposed study are important.Rationale/justificationw The value of the study for the researcher:The researcher is interested in a question.How can you develop an interest?w The value of the study for a research community:This often takes the form of a theoretical justification of a study,showing t
9、hat its intended to add to existing knowledge,or to challenge existing assumptions,in ways that will contribute to current theory-building or theory-testing within a community.w The possible value of applied forms of research to others:Possible benefits to others may itself contribute to the value o
10、f your research.Literature review:Ensures that you are not reinventing the wheel.w Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for your research.w Demonstrates your knowledge of the research problem and your understanding of the theoretical and research issues involved.w Demonstrates your ab
11、ility to integrate and synthesize the existing literature and your ability to critically evaluate the relevant literature.Problems to Avoid in Literature Revieww Lacking organization and structure w Lacking focus,unity and coherencew Being repetitive and verbose w Failing to cite influential papers
12、w Failing to keep up with recent developments w Failing to critically evaluate cited papers w Citing irrelevant or trivial references w Depending too much on secondary sources Methodsw Methods:Very important!It is an opportunity to display a capacity to organize your proposed research.It should cont
13、ain sufficient information for the reader to determine whether your methodology is sound.There are typically four components for quantitative studies:design,participants/subjects,instruments/material and procedure.Methodsw Design:Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment?What kind of de
14、sign do you choose?w Subjects/participants:Who will take part in your study?How any subjects are you going to have?What kind of sampling procedure do you use?w Instruments:What kind of measuring instruments or questionnaires do you use?Why do you choose them?Are they valid and reliable?w Procedure:H
15、ow do you plan to carry out your study?What activities are involved?How long does it take?w Is it necessary to consider possibilities?Resultsw Results:none at the stage of the research proposal,but you should indicate what kind of data you will be collecting and what statistical procedures you will
16、use to answer your research questions.Possible difficultiesw Possible difficulties:A way to show the depth of your thinking.A way to enlist guidance.Schedulew Schedule:Set out the planned schedule for the different stages of the proposed research.Why must we schedule our work?Why is it necessary to
17、meet the deadlines?How can we exploit the tension between openness and growth of the research on the one hand and the completion on the other hand?Referencesw References:Advisable to get it right from the start,as early as possible.You can have a file on bibliography from the very beginning.The reco
18、mmended format:APA style(See Slade 2000).For your own purpose,you may also consider arranging the references according to subject areas.15 Steps in the grant-writing processw 1.Prove that you have a significant need or problem in your proposal.w 2.Deliver an answer to the need,or solution to the pro
19、blem,based on experience,ability,logic,and imagination throughout your proposal.Make sure your proposal describes a program/project for change.w 3.Reflect planning,research and vision throughout your proposal.w 4.Research grantmakers,including funding purposes and priorities,and applicant eligibilit
20、y.w 5.Determine whether the grantmakers goals and objectives match your grantseeking purposes.15 Steps in the grant-writing processw 6.Target your proposal to grantmakers appropriate to your field and project,but do not limit your funding request to one source.w 7.Contact the grantmaker,before you w
21、rite your proposal,to be sure you clearly understand the grantmakers guidelines.w 8.Present your proposal in the appropriate and complete format,and include all required attachments.w 9.State your organizations needs and objectives clearly and concisely.Write well.Do not waste words.Use active rathe
22、r than passive verbs.Use proper grammar and correct spelling.Be clear,factual,supportable,and professional.A well-written proposal is a key factor in the grantmakers decision-making process.w 10.Be clear about why you are seeking a grant,what you plan to do with the money,and why you are a good fit
23、with the grantmakers priorities.Prepare an interesting,persuasive and unique proposal.15 Steps in the grant-writing processw 11.Always cover the following important criteria:project purpose,feasibility,community need,funds needed,applicant accountability and competence.w 12.Answer these questions:Wh
24、o are you?How do you qualify?What do you want?What problem will you address and how?Who will benefit and how?What specific objectives will you accomplish and how?How will you measure your results?How does your funding request comply with the grantmakers purpose,goals and objectives?w 13.Demonstrate
25、project logic and outcome,impact of funds,and community support.Be specific about broad goals,measurable objectives,and quantified outcomes.w 14.Always follow the exact specifications of the grantmakers in their applications,Requests for Proposals(RFPs)and guidelines.w 15.Follow-up with the grantmak
26、er about the status,evaluation,and outcome of your proposal,after it is submitted.Request feedback about your proposals strengths and weaknesses.Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question.Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for res
27、earch.Failure to cite landmark studies.Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions by other researchers.Failure to stay focused on the research question.Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research.T
28、oo much detail on minor issues,but not enough detail on major issues.Too much rambling.Too many citation lapses and incorrect references.Too long or too short.Failing to follow a certain style.Slopping writing.Sample Proposalsw Examine the proposals in the handouts and decide if they are well-writte
29、n.In what ways can the proposal be improved?nChinese proposals at all levelsnEnglish proposalsSample Proposal 1w 国家社科基金项目国家社科基金项目申报书：申报书：基于三维视角的服务企业战略能力、国际化行为模式与绩效机制研究Sample Proposal 2w 全 国 教 育 科 学 规 划课题申请评审书w 课题名称：构建我国中小学外语课堂互动形成性评估模式的研究Sample Proposal 3w 硕士研究生学位论文开题报告硕士研究生学位论文开题报告w 合作学习与非英语专业大学生英语
30、课堂参与度的相关性研究Sample Proposal 4w proposal sample_787_Kang.docAssignment1.Research Proposal Writing:Keep the instructions about research proposal writing in mind and write a proposal of your thesis/term paper.Hand in the first draft of your proposal next week.Assignment2.Proposal Evaluation:Please evalu
31、ate the proposal by Prof.Wang(2016年规划项目申请书（杨老师）)for a national grant with the instructions about research proposal writing in mind.What are its strengths and demerits?How would you improve it?Referencesw Coburn,T.G.(1978).Criteria for Judging Research Reports and Proposals.Journal for Research in Ma
32、thematics Education,9(1):75-78.w Krug,J.F.(1967).Writing Research Proposals.ALA Bulletin,61(11):1314-1318.w Altman,M.(2009).Funding,Funding.Political Science and Politics,42(3):521-526.(funding processes,management and resources)w Cavers,D.F.(1970).The evaluation of research proposals.Journal of Leg
33、al Education,23(1):212-217.w Porter,A.L.,and Rossini,F.A.(1985).Peer Review of Interdisciplinary Research Proposals.Science,Technology,&Human Values,10(3):33-38.w Beins,B.C.and McCarthy,M.A.(2012).Research Methods and Statistics.Boston:Pearson Education,Inc.,Appendix A,pp.329-386;Appendix B,pp.387-388;Appendix C,pp.389-392.
