writing

Writing the Proposal Arguments presented in a proposal: • What do readers need to better understand the topic? • What do readers need to know about the topic? • What do you propose to study? • What is the setting, and who are the people you will study? • What methods do you plan to use to collect data? • How will you analyze the data? • How will you validate the findings? • What ethical issues will your study present? • What do preliminary results show about the practicability and

value of the proposed study?

C resw

ell,R esearch D

esign 5e S

A G

E P

ublishing, 2018 1

Structure of a proposal u Introduction

u statement of the problem (issue, existing literature about problem, deficiencies in literature)

u purpose of the study u The research questions or hypothesis

u Review of the literature (include theories) u Methods

u Type of research design (experiment, survey) u Population, sample and participants u Data collection instruments, variables and materials u Data analysis procedures u Anticipated ethical issues

u References u Appendixes (instruments, budget)

2

Writing Ideas u Write ideas down early in the process rather than talking about them u Work through several drafts of a proposal rather than trying to polish

the first draft u Do not edit at the early draft stage

– Start with an outline – Write a draft and shift and sort ideas – Finally, edit and polish each sentence

u Make writing a daily activity u Write in small, regular amounts u Schedule writing tasks u Share your writing with supportive, constructive peers before going

public u Describe an object by its parts and dimensions u Write a conversation between two people u Take a subject and write about it three different ways u Choose a physical location for writing that is not a distraction

C resw

ell,R esearch D

esign 5e S

A G

E P

ublishing, 2018 3

Writing Ideas • Eliminate unnecessary words • Delete the passive voice and use active voice

u Sue changed the flat tire. (active) The flat tire was changed by Sue. (passive)

u We are going to watch a movie tonight. (active) A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. (passive)

• Scale down qualifiers, eliminate overused phrases • Reduce excessive quotations, italics, and parenthetical

comments • Pay close attention to the tense of your verbs • Edit and revise drafts of a manuscript to trim fat • Write, review, edit

C resw

ell,R esearch D

esign 5e S

A G

E P

ublishing, 2018 4

Ethical Issues to Anticipate • Develop trust with research participants • Avoid deceiving participants • Avoid going native – taking sides or disregarding data • Avoid disclosing only positive results – reflect the statistical tests and

diversity of perspectives • Respect norms and charters of indigenous cultures • Respect the privacy of participants:

– Protect anonymity of participants – Remove names from responses – Qualitative researchers use aliases and pseudonyms

• Do not falsify authorship, evidence, data, findings or conclusions • Do not plagiarize • Avoid disclosing information that would harm participants • Communicate in clear straightforward, appropriate language

C resw

ell,R esearch D

esign 5e S

A G

E P

ublishing, 2018 5

Proposal introduction u The introduction is the initial passage in a study or proposal

that – Sets the stage for the project – Creates reader interest in the topic – Establishes the problem leads to the study – Places the study within the larger literature – Reaches out to a specific audience

6

Proposal introduction u Proposal introduction has five components:

– Establishing the problem leading to the study – Reviewing the literature about the problem – Identifying deficiencies in the literature about the problem – Targeting an audience and noting the significance

– Identifying the purpose of the proposed study

7

Research problem • Begins with narrative hook – that pique interest, convey distinct

research problem and engages and hooks the reader into the study

• Easily understood by many readers • Builds readers’ interest through reference to study participants or

posing questions • Clearly identify the issue(s) or problem(s) that lead to a need for

the study • Indicate why the problem is important by citing numerous

references • Opening sentence should stimulate interest while conveying the

issue • Do not use quotations to avoid confusion • Avoid idiomatic expressions • Consider numeric information for impact • Clearly identify the research problem

8

Literature review in the introduction • Not a complete literature review as in the full literature review

(Chapter 2) • The literature review in the introduction serves to

– Justify the importance of the problem – Create distinctions between past studies and the proposed study – Set the research problem within ongoing dialogue in the

literature • Summarize groups of studies not individual ones • Use in-text referencing to remove the emphasis on any one study When identifying deficiencies in past literature: • Cite several deficiencies • Identify specifically the deficiencies of the other studies • Write about areas overlooked by past studies • Discuss how proposed study will

– Remedy or address the deficiencies – Provide a unique contribution

9

Significance of a study for audiences • Describe the significance of the study for select audiences • Consider including:

– 3–4 reasons the study adds to the scholarly literature – 3–4 reasons the study helps to improve practice – 3–4 reasons the study will improve policy

• End with a statement of the purpose of the study

10