Proposal is an outline on a topic that one intends to take on and includes steps, the sources, and most importantly, key research questions, “the problems” they are going to tackle or proposing solutions.
Proposal
- Topic
- Why? Reason for choosing this topic
- Questions that need to be answered in your research
- Sources-bibliography
Choosing your Topic
Very often students/researchers think wrongly that everything has been researched, as far as their intention to researching a particular topic. In fact, this is a false presumption and does not beat up with reality. Therefore, researchers who are about to embark on a research have to ask themselves the following:
- Is it possible to write something on this very particular topic?
- Do I like this topic? Do I feel for it? Am I comfortable with it?
- Do I have the ability and the required strength both intellectually and materially to take on such a task?
- Does this topic deserve the effort and time?
- Is this an original contribution?
- Am I going to add something new to what is being done already?
What makes a Successful Research?
- Wide and deep reading
- Meticulous, or exact, understanding of others arguments’ and avoid misunderstandings.
- Do not except others opinions arguments as an absolute truth
- You research should at least come up with new facts which will add to what’s already known in the realm of art and science.
- You must examine in-depth what you read and you do not necessarily have to except others results.
- You must read events and causes of such results and allow your opinion to rise above other opinions.
- When you come to writing, your style must be persuasive, but convincing to the reader, coupled with as many proves/reasons but must guard against exaggerations and ambiguity.
The Make-Up of a Proposal
The size of the proposal differs from one page to ten pages, but must include the following.
- Define your subject matter better
- Determine the points by shedding light on problems, key questions; you will have to endure course to find solutions and answers.
- You must decide on your sources (bibliography) whether they are primary or secondary, but also the quality and quantity of the raw materials that you would be treating.
- Deciding on what research methodology you would adopt and employ in your work.
- Analytical approach
- Comparative approach
- Chronological approach
- Descriptive approach
- Synthetic approach
- Statistical approach
- Etc….
But also you must be ready to discuss established theories and concepts and be willing and able to carry out any subsequent field research.
- Must have an initial list of the most important bibliographies you intend to use for this research. But this obviously will be subject to expansion, as well as change.