A research proposal, in a nutshell, is a request for money. Research requires funding for labour and equipment, and most scientists must regularly go to government, business or private foundations seeking support for their work. A research proposal is somewhat similar to the Introduction and Methods of a research paper. You introduce the topic and explain how the study is going to be carried out, but of course no results are available yet. The difference comes in because you have to not only describe your ideas, but to argue that they have value and are worth funding, so a research proposal has more emphasis on argument and less emphasis on description than a research paper.
Choosing a topic:
Inspiration for a research project can come from many directions (see also here), but whatever the source of your idea, it will need to be shaped and refined (perhaps even completely revised) based on your review of the relevant scientific literature. Science works by building on existing knowledge, so finding the right question to ask always involves finding out what we already know about the subject. You will need to do considerable background research, perhaps starting with a general textbook, but ending up in the primary literature. As you read the papers, try to assess not only what we know about the subject, but what we don’t know. What questions remain unanswered? What is the next logical step in understanding this topic? This is fertile ground for your own research (Pechenik 2001).
Format of proposal:
Research proposals are typically fairly short because the reviewers who read them for the granting agencies may have hundreds or even thousands to go through. This makes it essential to present your ideas as concisely as possible, but background information can’t be omitted because reviewers often are not specialists in the field being addressed (Penrose and Katz 1998). The format for research proposals is not as universal as the format for research papers, but most can be divided into three main parts (Pechenik 1997, Penrose and Katz 1998).
Introduction:
The first section introduces the topic and explains briefly why it is worth studying. It may also lay out the objectives of the proposed study.
Background:
A background section sets out what we know about the subject going into the proposed research. It shows how the question being studied, and the hypothesis proposed, make sense in the light of previous knowledge. Your literature review tells readers about the subject you plan to study, but it also tells them about you — that you have done your homework and know your field thoroughly (Penrose and Katz 1998).
The first two sections together follow a similar logic to the four “moves” in the Introduction to a research paper (Swales 1984). However, showing how the proposed research builds on previous knowledge is more important in the research proposal. This is in part because it is typically written for a more general audience, but more importantly, if the readers are not convinced, the study will never take place!
Design:
Finally, an experimental design section lays out how the study will be carried out, and why this approach is the appropriate one. You should provide enough detail to convince readers you understand your study system well, and that your design will work, but not as much detail as in the Methods of a research paper. (Some of the details will inevitably change by the time the research is carried out). It is also essential to show clearly how your study will address the research question set out in the first two sections (what prediction are you testing and what are the predicted results?).
Notice the emphasis throughout on making an argument that your research is worth funding. You need to show that you have an interesting or important subject, a relevant question, a sensible and plausible hypothesis, and a workable experimental setup. Keep in mind that only arguments based on facts and logic bear weight in science. Another point worth noting is that you need not justify your research based on applied value. Applications with social or economic value are a valid way to justify scientific research, but not the only way. A great deal of research is carried out simply to increase our general understanding of the world.