Response 3

Response should be 250 words with 2 references

Before discussing the items that should go into both an introduction and an abstract, it is essential to understand the purpose of each within a research proposal. The abstract paragraph comes before the introduction and is a summary of the research. This is important as it provides the reader with a basic idea of the entirety of the article, so they know if they want to keep reading. This is especially useful for readers in determining relevance as not all journal articles are free to read. Abstracts are also crucial for indexing purposes as keyword searches can be used to search and locate articles by the keywords in the abstract. Knowing the utility of the abstract is essential for both the reader and the author to utilize its purpose most effectively (Abstracts, n.d.). The introduction is a short paragraph that introduces the reader to the problem and outlines the objectives of the research proposal. It is meant to introduce the problem to the reader and explain why the following proposed research is needed.

There are two different kinds of abstracts: descriptive and informative. The abstract used in a research proposal determines the type of information that is included. A descriptive abstract is typically briefer, between 100-150 words. Descriptive abstracts will describe the work to include the purpose of the study, the problem that the research addresses, and an outline or scope of the research that will be conducted. Specific details are included as to the methods and instruments used to conduct the study and information related to the participants in the study. Descriptive abstracts do not include the results or conclusions made as a result of the completed research. Informative abstracts are typically more extended than descriptive abstracts. They include the same type of information as in descriptive abstracts but can be considerably more detailed. In addition to the purpose, problem, and scope of the research, informative abstracts usually include a summary of the related research that has already been completed and can include any conclusions and key findings drawn from the previously completed research (Abstracts, n.d.).

The introduction of a research proposal is meant to introduce the overall purpose of the research and present a hypothesis or problem statement. It may open with a narrative hook; a sentence meant to grab the reader's attention on the subject matter and bait his or her interest to continue reading. Standard narrative hook methods are statements of fact or rhetorical questions. In scholarly writing, a good narrative hook is often a fact or statistic related to the research topic that the research can build upon. As discussed in previous weeks, rhetorical questions are not recommended in scholarly writing as questions can invoke bias in the reader, which should be avoided altogether when writing for scholarly purposes. After the narrative hook, the introduction should build the background information related to the topic by presenting the subject matter, related research, and any gaps or inconsistencies within previous research related to the subject matter. This information should build the case as to why the current research proposal is needed or what information gaps the research proposal is intended to fill. The introduction should also clearly define the objectives for the study, the research design, and the hypotheses of the study (Ellis et al., 2009).