Research Proposals

Connors Writing Center Dimond Library 329 . UNH . w[email protected]du 603-862-3272

NOTE: Each discipline and granting agency has its own guidelines for writing research proposals, so be sure

to consult your professor or advisor as well as any specific guidelines you have received. It is also helpful to

locate sample proposals in your discipline or from the agency to which you are applying.

The purpose of the research proposal: The research proposal is your chance to explain the significance of

your project to organizations who might wish to fund or otherwise support it. Ideally, it will demonstrate the

quality and importance of your project as well as your ability to conduct the proposed research. The proposal

also gives you the opportunity to think through your research project, to refine your focus, and to predict any

challenges that may arise. It may be helpful to consult your proposal at various stages in your research process

to remind yourself of your focus and to chart how your project has progressed.

Components of a Research Proposal

 Title page: Give your project a working title, which may or may not change.

 Statement of Purpose: Explain what you hope your research will find or show. State your research

question or a series of research questions that you hope to answer.

 Background: Explain your interest in an experience with this topic. Describe any previous research

you have conducted on this or related topics, any classes you have taken on this or related topics or any

reading you have done in the field. If you have personal experience that has led to you want to do more

research, describe that here.

 Significance: Explain why this topic is worth considering or why this question or series of questions is

worth answering. What do you hope to learn from it? How or what will you contribute to the field of

knowledge that exists on this topic? What new perspective will you bring? What use might your final pa-

per be for others in the field or in the general public? With whom might you share your findings once the

project is complete?

 Methodology: Describe the kind of research you will conduct this project (library research, internet re-

search, interviews, observations, ethnographies, etc.). Explain how you will conduct your research in as

much detail as possible. If you will consult other sources (such as a statistician, an ethnographer, or a li-

brarian) explain what role they will serve and how you hope they will enhance your development of an

appropriate methodology for this project. Discuss the kinds of sources you hope to consult and the

methods you will use to extract and process the information you gather in as much detail as possible.

Once the project is underway, you might find you need to revise your methodology or adopt new meth-

ods of gathering and processing data.

 Problems: Describe problems you expect to encounter and how you hope to solve them. For example,

texts might be unavailable, necessitating travel to other libraries or use of inter-library loan facilities; the

time frame may limit the amount of research or the quality or specificity of research you are able to do;

people you had hoped to interview might be unavailable or unwilling to participate. Try to anticipate

every major problem and make contingency plans so that the project doesn’t become derailed.

 Bibliography: Make a list of texts you plan to consult. You may modify this list as you conduct your re-

search.