What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research. It

sets out the central issues or questions that you intend to address. It outlines the
general area of study within which your research falls, referring to the current state of
knowledge and any recent debates on the topic. It also demonstrates the originality of
your proposed research.

The proposal is the most important document that you submit as part of the
application process. It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate that you have the
aptitude for graduate level research, for example, by demonstrating that you have the
ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely and critically. The proposal
also helps us to match your research interest with an appropriate supervisor.

What should you include in the proposal?

Regardless of whether you are applying for the MJur, MPhil or PhD programmes,
your research proposal should normally include the following information:

1. Title

This is just a tentative title for your intended research. You will be able to revise your
title during the course of your research if you are accepted for admission.

Examples of the thesis titles of some of our current and recent research students can
be seen on our Current Projects page.

2. Abstract

The proposal should include a concise statement of your intended research of no more
than 100 words. This may be a couple of sentences setting out the problem that you
want to examine or the central question that you wish to address.

3. Research Context

You should explain the broad background against which you will conduct your
research. You should include a brief overview of the general area of study within
which your proposed research falls, summarising the current state of knowledge and
recent debates on the topic. This will allow you to demonstrate a familiarity with the
relevant field as well as the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

4. Research Questions
The proposal should set out the central aims and questions that will guide your
research. Before writing your proposal, you should take time to reflect on the key
questions that you are seeking to answer. Many research proposals are too broad, so
reflecting on your key research questions is a good way to make sure that your project
is sufficiently narrow and feasible (i.e. one that is likely to be completed with the
normal period for a MJur, MPhil or PhD degree).

You might find it helpful to prioritize one or two main questions, from which you can
then derive a number of secondary research questions. The proposal should also
explain your intended approach to answering the questions: will your approach be
empirical, doctrinal or theoretical etc?

5. Research Methods

The proposal should outline your research methods, explaining how you are going to
conduct your research. Your methods may include visiting particular libraries or
archives, field work or interviews.

Most research is library-based. If your proposed research is library-based, you should

explain where your key resources (e.g. law reports, journal articles) are located (in the
Law School’s library, Westlaw etc). If you plan to conduct field work or collect
empirical data, you should provide details about this (e.g. if you plan interviews, who
will you interview? How many interviews will you conduct? Will there be problems
of access?). This section should also explain how you are going to analyse your
research findings.

6. Significance of Research

The proposal should demonstrate the originality of your intended research. You
should therefore explain why your research is important (for example, by explaining
how your research builds on and adds to the current state of knowledge in the field or
by setting out reasons why it is timely to research your proposed topic).

7. Bibliography

The proposal should include a short bibliography identifying the most relevant works
for your topic.

How long should the proposal be?

The proposal should usually be around 2,500 words. It is important to bear in mind
that specific funding bodies might have different word limits.
Writing Effective Proposals
Guidance for preparing applications for funds.

Are you writing an application, plan, or proposal in response to state or federal

requirements? This information will help you make it readable and educationally sound.

General Suggestions | Effective Technical Writing | Narrative of the Plan

General Suggestions
Starting well is half the job.

-- Korean proverb

An application, plan, or proposal (plan) should not be written in isolation. Begin by

seeking cooperation from people who understand the needs of students, teachers, and
others for whom the program is proposed. They can help you create a realistic plan that
can be implemented if funded.

Planning Together
A high-quality plan reflects the ideas of students, parents, educators, community
members, and other service providers. Consider forming a team of interested
individuals to develop the plan. Team members should be committed to designing and
implementing improvements. If several people do the writing, one should serve as the
editor who creates a unified document with consistent tone and style.

Reviewing Requirements
Review thoroughly any legal statutes, regulations, and guidelines related to the plan and
refer to them frequently as you write and design the project. Make sure that the
proposed program is consistent with the requirements.

Do not simply restate the plan requirements such as, "We will involve parents in
important decisions." Instead, give examples of promising strategies you have chosen
from your experience or research. Present illustrations of how you will implement the
program. If a requirement or regulation does not seem applicable to your plan or local
situation, explain why you do not address it.

Committing to Equity and Excellence

Most educational plans are focused on improving equity and excellence for each
student in the program. Therefore, all major provisions of the plan should be directed at
improving student performance and conditions at school and at home.

Use the team's planning efforts to develop a consensus about the focus of the plan and
your commitment to implement it. You may think you have good ideas, but your plan
should persuade the reader that the ideas are well researched, thoughtfully designed,
and supported by committed staff, students, parents, and members of the community.
Further, the plan should demonstrate that the proposed improvements have a realistic
chance of success.

Integrating Elements
Remember that any successful educational program contains interdependent parts such
as instruction, assessment, professional development, and family involvement. You
should propose a program that addresses the elements of effective education. Consider
organizing your plan with sections such as:

Curriculum
What are the needs of students and other participants? How does your plan help
students attain the content standards adopted by the California State Board of
Education? What research-based teaching strategies will you use?

Assessment
What standardized and alternative assessments do you plan to use? What actions will
you take if outcomes do not meet expectations?

Professional Development
How does your plan support teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators? How
does professional development address the needs of students?

Family and School Support

How will you strengthen partnerships between educators and families? How does the
plan address the health and safety needs of students and their families?

Funding
How will funds be coordinated to support the plan?

The content of one section of your plan should reinforce the content in other sections.
For example, your assessment approaches should be based on the standards and
curriculum. Similarly, the funding section should show how professional development is
supported.

Following Instructions
Pay attention to the guidelines for the plan in the applicable statute, regulations, and
official guidance: e.g., page limit, double-spacing, and average size of grant awards for
the categories. The more you deviate from requirements set by the funding agency, the
more you need to justify your decisions. Otherwise, your plan may be rejected.

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Effective Technical Writing

All our words from loose using have lost their edge.

-- Ernest Hemingway

The quality of your plan and your competence to implement it will be judged largely on
how well it is written. Some reminders:

Audience
Write for the people who will read your plan for the state or federal program. Because
you cannot be sure about the readers' backgrounds, assume that they do not have in-
depth knowledge about your agency, students, or community. Do not write for
specialists like yourself. Instead, write as though you were explaining your program to a
friend or relative who is not an educator.

Organization/Format
Organize your plan according to the requirements contained in the statute, regulations,
or instructions from the funding agency. Headings and subheadings break up the
narrative, identify important content, and make your plan easy to read and understand.
Choose font sizes and types that enhance the text, but try to avoid excessive variety. Be
sure to include a table of contents with page numbers.

Style/Usage
Style and usage affect the credibility of your plan. Here are some suggestions for
making your writing clear and correct.

 Consult a dictionary and a style manual (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style) to
help you with spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Choosing a common style helps
establish consistency in the document, especially when there is more than one
writer.
 Use shorter sentences. Sentences of more than fifteen words are difficult to read.
 Avoid passive voice. "Teachers will visit parents at home" is more direct and
informative than "Parents will be visited."
 Rely on simple language. Use is simpler than utilization, because more direct
than due to the fact that. Don't make your document unnecessarily complex with
long words and wordy phrases.
  Delete any words, sentences, or phrases that do not add to the meaning. Make
every word fight for its life.
 Break lengthy paragraphs into smaller sections. Try to limit paragraphs to four or
five sentences.
 Use specific and concrete terms, rather than jargon like conceptualize,
empowerment, restructuring, interface, and articulate.
 Develop summaries at the beginning or end of sections. Help the reader navigate
your document.
 Insert headings and subheadings in the text to reflect the main ideas.
 Use facts and statistics to prove your case.
 Unless directed to do so by the funding agency, avoid hardcover bindings,
tabbed dividers, and other fancy touches. Keep the presentation simple and the
content strong and meaningful.

Length
Find the balance between making your plan too long or too short. It should address all
requirements with some redundancy without providing unnecessary information.
Redundancy exists in the plan because of the interdependency of its sections. Strictly
follow any page limits set by the plan requirements.

Accuracy
Check and recheck the facts and figures in the plan. Incorrect information, outdated
statistics, or irrelevant research will undermine your credibility.

Consistency
Be sure that facts and figures in one section of the plan are consistent with what you
present in other sections.

Acronyms
Use acronyms and abbreviations sparingly because they may be unfamiliar to many
readers. Be sure to spell them out the first time they are used; e. g., California uses the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program for assessment and
accountability.

Visuals
Use illustrations such as charts, tables, and graphs to highlight key points. Be sure to
introduce the graphic and explain how it supports the information in the narrative. Don't
make the reader figure out what the chart or table means.

Proofreading
Read and reread each draft of your plan before you submit it. Readers judge your
credibility based on the quality of your writing. Ask colleagues to review and comment
on drafts. Include as reviewers people who do not have a strong background in
education or in the particular program you are designing. They will help you avoid
jargon and complex writing.

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Narrative of the Plan

Yes, there is a Nirvana; it is leading your sheep to a green pasture, and putting your
child to sleep, and writing the last line of your poem.

-- Kahlil Gibran

Writing the last line of the narrative of your plan is the completion of the collaborative
planning described at the beginning of this document. The following will help make your
plan complete and readable.

Note: Be sure to respond to the statute, regulations, and guidelines that are related to
the plan you are developing. Use the wording contained in the requirements and follow
any sequence implied in the instructions. Make it easy for readers to find information in
your plan. Check the requirements of the plan you are developing and follow the
instructions. Here are possible sections and a sequence for presenting them.

Abstract
Most plans are improved by an abstract at the beginning of the narrative. Generally it
should be limited to two 1.5-spaced pages. Describe each major section of the plan.
Focus on goals of the plan, number and type of project participants, staff members, and
key parts of the program. Remember that first impressions are important, so make the
abstract informative, well written, and readable.

Needs Assessment
Explain the needs of your agency and people who will benefit from the proposed
project. Present needs for each objective and each major part of the Implementation
section. For example, if you are proposing to use computer-assisted instruction, explain
the needs of the agency that led you to select this approach.

Describe the needs of all the groups who may be considered project participants (e.g.,
students, staff, and parents). Indicate how services will be delivered to students and
families most in need of assistance and schools in need of improvement.

State the needs of your agency and participants in positive terms. If your situation
sounds too bleak, you may appear to lack even the basic conditions for building a new
project. For example, assessment results may indicate that students are achieving at
low levels in English, but have high levels of proficiency in their native language.
Present the needs according to effective parts of the existing programs, changes that
will lead to improvements, and potential obstacles to reform.
Present evidence of having had direct contact with people who know the prospective
participants. Include suggestions from some participants themselves as well as other
parents, students, teachers, administrators, and members of the community.

Explain how needs of the participants have been analyzed to determine what you have
written in the Implementation section. For example, if family education activities are
proposed, why did you select this component? How did you identify the project
participants? What did you learn from prospective parent participants and other people
knowledgeable about families to help you design this component? Identify methods to
assess needs (e.g., surveys, interviews, standardized tests, and meetings).

Program Description
Describe the nature of the project and its consistency with provisions of the applicable
statute or regulations. Show how the project will lead to improving student performance
and conditions at school and at home (e.g., a more challenging curriculum based on
content standards). Remember to keep the focus of the project limited so that it can be
implemented effectively within the time and budget constraints of the project.

Include goals and objectives. Goals are general statements of what you expect to
achieve after some specified time. Your objectives should be clear statements of what
seems possible to achieve during the project. Objectives represent your definition of a
successful project and provide the framework for the evaluation.

Keep the number of objectives small. For example, write one or two objectives for each
major part of the project. The objectives should be based on the content standards.
Ensure that the objectives include important specifications:

 Learners and other participants in the project

 Measurable outcomes
 Tests and other assessment measures
 Expected timeline for attainment
 Staff members responsible for the objectives

You should reference these objectives in other sections of the plan, especially in the
Implementation and the Evaluation sections. Be sure to describe how the proposed
project is consistent with statutory requirements.

Give the reader a clear understanding of the kind of program you are currently
implementing and funding sources that support it. Next, present the proposed project
and explain how it will improve, upgrade, or reform services you are already offering.
Describe what you think the project will look like at the end of the funding period.

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Implementation
Explain how you will refine and implement the goals and objectives throughout the
project. This section illustrates the project design: i.e., the objectives, activities,
instructional methods, materials, and assessments that are essential for the
implementation and evaluation of the project. Be sure that you reference the objectives
as they appear in other sections of the plan.

Describe the sources of information used to design the instructional program, such as
staff experience, proven instructional models, and theory and research related to the
proposed program. Explain how you will assess the effectiveness of instruction. For
example, state-required tests may be only part of your evaluation. What other
assessments might be used to measure student progress?

Illustrate how the proposed parts of the project will be integrated and made mutually
supportive. For example, if there are components on science education, technology,
and family education, explain how science instruction in the classroom will be linked
with parent-child activities at home and how the students' use of technology will be
enhanced by family education and science instruction.

Indicate how the instructional program will meet the participants' needs throughout the
project. For example, what is proposed for the first year, second year, and so on? How
will the instructional program be adjusted as participants' needs change? How will you
ensure that services will continue to focus on students most in need?

Describe strategies that you will use to build the capacity of your agency to continue
project services after the funding period. Some examples include gradually assuming
costs for budget items originally supported by the project; establishing a task force to
seek funding for the future; training project staff members who will continue to deliver
services; and improving your agency's policies for promoting equity and excellence for
each student. Demonstrate that you will employ these strategies throughout the funding
period.

Describe the staffing plan for the project. What staff will be assigned to the components
of the project? How will the project facilitate coordination between project staff and
those staff members who work with the participants but are not funded by the program?

Identify the needs of project staff members and describe the plan for professional
development of staff. Explain how the plan addresses the needs of staff, derived from
the students' needs identified in the Needs Assessment section.

Key Personnel
Identify the duties and responsibilities of not only staff funded by the proposed project
but of all staff who will implement the plan. Indicate the amount of time that staff
members devote to the project.

Describe the qualifications of the key staff members. Create a match between the
abilities required to implement the instructional program and the qualifications of the
staff. If the match is weak, explain how professional development will give staff
members the knowledge and experience they need to implement the project
successfully.

Demonstrate that the collective capacity of the staff includes ability to respond positively
to the project participants. For example, explain how the staff will be able to identify and
meet the linguistic and cultural needs of English learners.

Budget and Justification

If your plan requires a budget, remember to display clearly the proposed expenditures
for the project and justify the items in each line of the budget. For example, for the item
"Supplies: $10,000," include the calculation that led to this figure and explain how the
supplies are linked to activities in the Implementation section.

Ensure that the Implementation and the Budget sections are mutually supportive. If
parent education activities are proposed, the budget should include costs associated
with working with parents (e.g., presenters' fees and costs for child care and facilities)
and evaluating the success of the activities. Similarly, if there are budget items for
purchasing computers, the Implementation section should describe how the computers
will support instruction.

Explain how components of the project are supported by an integration of project funds
and other federal and state funds. Innovative programs are usually strengthened by
coordinating funds for the proposed project with other funding sources. Usually needs of
students, families, and staff members will not be met by the proposed program alone.
Explain how you will allocate new resources and re-allocate existing resources to
students and families most in need of services.

A decreasing budget over the life of the project is usually a good indicator of building
capacity for long-term implementation of the project. Explain how your agency will
contribute to the project from the outset; e.g., identify ways in which the agency will
manage state and federal funds, staff members, materials, and facilities to enhance
implementation. Also, demonstrate how the agency plans to assume the costs
supported by funds from the proposed project. Be sure to justify a budget that goes
above or below the average amount suggested for the program.

Evaluation
Describe the methods and measurement tools you will use to determine your progress
in attaining the project objectives. It is very important to connect the content of this
section to other sections of the plan. The elements of the evaluation design should refer
to the instructional program, staff members, and budget items described in other parts
of the plan. Weak evaluation designs are those that could be written for any set of
implementation activities, rather than are addressed to the unique characteristics of the
proposed project. Do not simply restate the evaluation requirements of the funding
agency. Describe how your project will be evaluated according to the applicable
requirements.
The evaluation section should illustrate strategies to determine the extent to which you
are attaining the objectives of the project. Be sure that you reference the objectives as
they appear in other sections of the plan. Each objective should include these
specifications:

 Data to be collected
 Assessment measures to be used
 Timeline for collecting data
 Methods for analyzing data
 Strategies for compiling and reporting evaluation results
 Methods for using the results to improve the project during the funding period
 Persons responsible for implementing and monitoring the evaluation

The evaluation design may include formal, standardized tests or informal surveys and
interviews. Describe how you will use state-required assessments as well as other tests
to measure the success of the project.

Delineate responsibilities of the evaluator, staff members, and participants in

implementing the evaluation design. Focus on how they will collaborate to ensure that
the evaluation meets the needs of the project.

Members of the team that began planning the project should actively participate in all
phases, including the evaluation. Their ongoing participation will ensure consistency
and coherence as the project evolves. What they learn should be used to improve the
current project and plan new programs for the future.

riting a Research Proposal

A PhD proposal is an outline of your proposed project that is designed to:

 Define a clear question and approach to answering it

 Highlight its originality and/or significance
 Explain how it adds to, develops (or challenges) existing literature in the field
 Persuade potential supervisors and/or funders of the importance of the work, and
why you are the right person to undertake it

We will use your research proposal to assess the quality and originality of your ideas, your skills in
critical thinking and the feasibility of the research project. Please bear in mind that our programme is
designed to be completed in three years (full time) or six years (part time), so think carefully about
the scope of your research and be prepared to explain how you will complete it within this timeframe.
The proposal should demonstrate that you have thought carefully about the topic and done some
preliminary investigation of its feasibility and suitability. It should include a review of the literature in
the field and outline the methodology to be adopted; for example: small-scale case-studies; larger-
scale surveys; historical analyses; biographical studies; policy analysis studies, etc. In addition, we
will be looking for the following elements:
 A clear research focus, with some researchable questions
 A topic that is theoretically interesting and/or practically important
 A literature review that is up to date
 Appropriate methodology
 Ideas on appropriate tools/participants/analysis
 A plausible timeline

Most proposals should contain references to some recent research. Here are some useful sources
of information:
Databases

 ERIC http://www.eric.ed.gov/
 British education INDEX http://www.leeds.ac.uk/bei/

Systematic reviews of research

 The Best Evidence Encyclopaedia www.bestevidence.org.uk

 The EPPI Centre http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms
 The Campbell Collaboration www.campbellcollaboration.org
 The What Works Clearinghouse http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
 The Promising Practices Network www.promisingpractices.net
 John Hattie's book reviews 800 meta analyses of studies in education: Hattie, J.
(2009). Visible Learning. Abingdon: Routledge.

Open Access journals

 http://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs-journals
 http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=home

Primary Components of a Research Proposal

Proposals for sponsored activities generally follow a similar format; variations depend upon whether
the proposer is seeking support for a research grant, a training grant, or a conference or curriculum
development project. The following outline covers the primary components of a research proposal.
Your proposal will be a variation on this basic theme.

1. Title Page: Most sponsoring agencies specify the format for the title page, and some provide
special forms to summarize basic administrative and fiscal data for the project. Titles are
brief but comprehensive enough to indicate the nature of the proposed work.
2. Abstract: The funder may use the abstract to make preliminary decisions about the
proposal. Therefore, an effective summary states the problem addressed by the applicant,
identifies the solution, and specifies the objectives and methods of the project. This summary
should also outline funding requirements and describe the applicant’s ability.
3. Table of Contents: Brief proposals with few sections usually do not need a table of
contents. Long and detailed proposals may require, in addition to a table of contents, a list of
illustrations (or figures) and a list of tables. If all of these sections are included, they should
 follow the order mentioned, and each should be numbered with lower-case Roman
numerals. The table of contents lists all major parts and divisions, including the abstract.
4. Introduction (including Statement of Problem, Purpose of Research, and Significance of
Research): The introduction of a proposal begins with a capsule statement and then
proceeds to introduce the subject to a stranger. It should give enough background to enable
an informed lay person to place your particular research problem in a context of common
knowledge and should show how its solution will advance the field or be important for some
other work. The statement describes the significance of the problem(s), referring to
appropriate studies or statistics. 
5. Background (including Literature Survey): Be sure to (1) make clear what the research
problem is and exactly what has been accomplished; (2) to give evidence of your own
competence in the field; and (3) to show why the previous work needs to be continued. The
literature review should be selective and critical. Discussions of work done by others should
lead the reader to a clear idea of how you will build upon past research and also how your
work differs from theirs. 
6. Description of Proposed Research (including Method or Approach): The comprehensive
explanation of the proposed research is addressed to other specialists in your field. This
section is the heart of the proposal and is the primary concern of the technical reviewers.
Remember as you lay out the research design to:

 Be realistic about what can be accomplished.

 Be explicit about any assumptions or hypotheses the research method rests upon.
 Be clear about the focus of the research.
 Be as detailed as possible about the schedule of the proposed work.
 Be specific about the means of evaluating the data or the conclusions.
 Be certain that the connection between the research objectives and the research method is
evident.
 Spell out preliminary work developing an analytical method or laying groundwork as Phase
1.

At the end of this phase you will be able to report that you have accomplished something and
are ready to undertake Phase 2.

7. Description of Relevant Institutional Resources: Generally this section details the

resources available to the proposed project and, if possible, shows why the sponsor should
select this University and this investigator for this particular research. Some relevant points
may be:

 the institution's demonstrated skill in the related research area

 its abundance of experts in related areas that may indirectly benefit the project
 its supportive services that will directly benefit the project
 and the institution's unique or unusual research facilities or resources available to the project

8. List of References: The style of the bibliographical item itself depends on the disciplinary
field. The main consideration is consistency; whatever style is chosen should be followed
carefully throughout the proposal. 

9. Personnel: This section usually consists of two parts: (1) an explanation of the proposed
personnel arrangements and (2) the biographical data sheets for each of the main
contributors to the project. The explanation should specify how many persons at what
percentage of time and in what academic categories will be participating in the project. If the
 program is complex and involves people from other departments or colleges, make clear the
organization of the staff and the lines of responsibility. Any student participation, paid or
unpaid, should be mentioned, and the nature of the proposed contribution detailed. If any
persons must be hired for the project, say so, and explain why, unless the need for persons
not already available within the University is self-evident.

10. Budget: Sponsors customarily specify how budgets should be presented and what costs are
allowable. The budget lays out the costs to be met by the funding source, including
personnel, non-personnel, administrative, and overhead expenses. The budget also
specifies items paid for by other funding sources. Includes explanations for requested
expenses.