A research proposal is a document written by a scientist that describes in details the program for a proposed scientific investigation. A research proposal is similar in a number of ways to a project proposal; however, a research proposal addresses a particular project: academic or scientific research. The forms and procedures for such research are well defined by the field of study, so guidelines for research proposals are generally more exacting than less formal project proposals.
Research proposals are written for various reasons, such as budget request for the research they describe, certification requirements for research (e.g. from an ethics committee if the experiment is to be done on human beings or animals protected by animal rights laws), as a task in tertiary education (e.g. before performing research for a dissertation), or as a condition for employment at a research institution (which usually requires sponsor-approved research proposals).
Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews and must offer convincing support of need for the research study being proposed. Doctoral dissertations begin with research proposal; the proposal must be accepted by a panel of experts (usually professors) before the actual research can begin. In addition to providing rationale for the proposed research, the proposal must describe a detailed methodology for conducting the research--a methodology consistent with requirements of the professional or academic field. The links below offer explanations and examples of research proposals.
The phrasing of research proposals has many similarities to that of scientific articles. Of course, research proposals are written in future tense and have different points of emphasis. Like scientific articles, research proposals have sections describing the research background, significance, methods, and references. The method section of research proposals is far more detailed than those of scientific articles, allowing profound understanding of the price and risks of the study and the plans for reducing them. Instead of a section describing the results, research proposals have a section describing the hypotheses or the expected results. A typical research proposal includes an extensive but focused literature review. A research proposal may also include preliminary results.
Sources:
[1] Research proposal, wikipedia.org
[2] Writing the Research Proposal, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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