How to Write a Research Proposal Outline

May 25, 2018

Some students consider writing research proposal projects too complicated. However, if you know some tips on writing a research proposal outline, the task is much easier. Here is a guideline for you.

Introduction

In this part, you have to present your topic and explain why it is important. Make sure to describe the general area of the study and explain the reason, which makes it significant to the overall area under the study.

Background

At this stage of the research proposal outline, describe what is already known in the field of study and provide a brief discussion of why the existing background studies are not sufficient. Summarize the basic background information on the issue, extracted from the literature review. Write a short description of several critical studies about this issue. Explain which question is left unresolved, and why you want to study it. Select at least one question that you would like to pursue yourself.

Rationale

At this stage, your goal is to describe the questions you are going to examine and explore the claims. You have to present the questions studied and explain in which way they concern bigger issues that you have mentioned in the introductory part. Also, describe what certain claim or hypothesis you are going to evaluate. Eventually, explain which conclusions can be made about the psychology of language if this concrete hypothesis is confirmed or disconfirmed.

Method and Design

In this part of the research proposal outline, you must present a description of the way you would collect the data and test the examined questions. No one expects you to come up with an original method. Read some journal articles to find out which methods are usually applied in this area.

• Method:

  How would you collect the data? Explain the methodology you would use for the study and explain why you have chosen it.

• Participants:

  In this chapter, you have to describe the tested sample and explain why you have chosen it. Let the reader know whether there are any participants you would exclude and why.

• Design:

  Here, include the information about each kind of manipulation you would make to test your hypothesis. Present the information about the factors you would change if you were presenting someone with stimulus sentences. You have to show how varying them would provide you with an opportunity to confirm or disconfirm your hypotheses. Explain which differences you would have to find for confirming or disconfirming your hypothesis.

• Controls:

  In this part of your research proposal, you must describe which effects would originate to make your results appear to confirm or to disconfirm your hypothesis. This is one of the most complicated parts for many students, who are working on research proposals.

• Analysis:

  In what way will you analyze the results? Which results of your study would confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis you have chosen for this work? Make sure to analyze the writing thoroughly.

Conclusion

Generally, discuss the way your proposed research would provide a considerable improvement over the existing studies and the way it would benefit the field. Simply put, explain why somebody should care.

References

Make sure to include all references in the required academic format.