A research proposal is a document written with the goal of describing a proposed research topic and convincing an audience that such a study is worth conducting—that is, that it would add to existing knowledge and understanding of the topic. The writer not only describes the project and its merits but also provides a broad overview of their proposed methodology, or how they plan to conduct their research. Depending on your field and the scope of your proposed project, this might involve simply detailing the sources you plan to consult, or it might also involve describing an experiment you could conduct, including notable variables, how data will be collected, if living participants will be involved, and how the research may be spread after the experiment. As always, you should consult your instructor’s assignment description, as your instructor might have additional expectations.

In most cases, research proposals are constructed for universities, research committees, or supervisors. When completed as part of a class, the audience may be the instructor, with the purpose of outlining the writer’s intentions for their research before starting it. Research proposals take a lot of detail and often require scrutiny upon completion since many proposals involve requesting time and money. Because of the stakes and subject matter, the tone of a research proposal should rely on factual information without providing direct opinion. Diction should be clear and concise.

State clearly, towards the beginning, what purpose your project fulfills: Is it building on the research that’s come before? Is it addressing a gap in prior research? This statement of purpose will guide your proposal—and it will make an early contribution to your audience’s understanding of the value your project offers. 

Especially for projects that would require commitments of time, money, or other resources, you must explain why your research is worth pursuing. Depending on your discipline, common justifications may include future societal benefits, monetary benefits, or breakthroughs in current knowledge within a field. Justifications usually appear early in any proposal to give the audience immediate reasons to support the proposal. 

To demonstrate the merit of your proposed project—that is, how it contributes to the existing scholarly conversation—you need to help your audience see what has been done before. You need, therefore, to research your topic thoroughly and present a synthesized version of what your research uncovers.

It might be beneficial to discuss how relevant your research is to everyday life, a specific group of people, or a specific area. Often, researchers will incorporate this into the introduction or include it as a research justification. However, the contents of the study can impact how significant the scope of the problem is.

A hypothesis is an educated prediction based on known and expected information. Presenting a hypothesis gives some direction for how the researcher believes their experiment will unfold. Often, experimental proposals will incorporate a hypothesis, whereas literature-based ones will ignore it since they typically have no need to predict an outcome.

Many concepts are discussed in the Research Design section of a research proposal, but some factors depend on the context of a study. A few of the most significant outstanding discussion points include an experiment’s timeframe, limitations, and neutrality. Timeframe refers to an expected timeline of events for the study’s progression. Limitations refer to potential setbacks throughout the experiment, such as time constraints or errors. Neutrality addresses ethical concerns, especially for studies involving animals or specific groups of people.

If you intend to publicly share what is discovered in your experiment or literature findings, be sure to specify how exactly you want to disseminate the information. Typically, the explanation falls within the Analysis Procedure section of a research proposal.

A research proposal may end with a summary of the study, its significance, and the primary objectives within the proposal and procedure. Summarizing helps readers end with the most important takeaways in mind.

 In some cases, you may be required to propose an experiment. In such cases, you’ll need to describe your experiment. This may include variables used, data collection methods, and how data will be processed or analyzed. Ideally, there should be enough detail to allow any researcher to mimic the experiment themselves, so any information that can influence the experiment should be mentioned. Often, this comes as part of the Research Design section of an experimental proposal.

This is your reader’s first impression of your project, so you need to convey its interest and value. Express what you want to accomplish in your research and what resources you need to do it. Consider expressing your passion for the project or its perceived benefits, as that will help gain your audience’s support early on.

This is where you put forward all your supporting sources to the reader. This section is supposed to help the reader comprehend your argument in relation to what other researchers and sources have to say about it. Use paraphrasing to highlight the most important details related to your topic and avoid quoting sources too often. Keep in mind that a good research proposal will include sources that not only support its topic but also sources that show disagreement. (For more information on literature reviews, see the Writing Center’s guide to writing them.)

What is it you want to achieve through this research? That is the question you are answering here. You want to convey in detail the aim of your project. Keep in mind that your aim may also be your hypothesis. The objectives of your research are generally related to your working parameters in addition to the resources/tools that you would need to achieve your objective.

This section is your final pitch to the reader. You need to convince them that your research design will accomplish your aim. Additionally, you need to demonstrate that the methodology that you chose helps support your research. Keep in mind that not all research papers will contain the same components. To help you begin, here are some examples of components that can be included:

As the creator of this research plan, you need to keep track of predicted costs for all aspects of your project. Additionally, you should plan an additional amount in case of unexpected issues or situations. In this section, you should not only break down the budget but you also need to justify each cost and its importance.

Appendices include the documents that you used throughout your research that helped support your objective. There aren’t specific documents for all research proposals since they vary depending on your research design. Some examples of documents included in this section are consent forms, questionnaires, and measurement tools.

This section is probably the most common in pieces of writing. Just like any other scholarly paper, you need to cite your sources properly. This section is also commonly known as the references and bibliography section.