Crafting a Research Proposal: Structure and Key Components

Proposal Structure

A research proposal seeks resources (human, financial, material) for a specific project. It's a written document outlining activities, specifications, and parameters.

Introduction

This section establishes the relevance, importance, and purpose of the investigation. It includes the working hypothesis and a summary of the methodology, emphasizing the study type, research design, population identification, and sampling method. The final paragraph should summarize the document's structure, outlining chapters and their content.

Theoretical Framework

This section elaborates on the problem's theory, integrating it with research and their interrelations. It analyzes and presents relevant theories, approaches, and background research.

Problem Statement

This section refines and formally structures the research idea.

Problem Tree

This technique identifies a negative situation (main problem) to be solved through the project, using a cause-and-effect relationship.

Hypothesis

This is an assumption of an unestablished truth, a conjecture about an unknown reality, formulated specifically for investigation. It's a tentative explanation of the phenomenon under investigation, presented as a proposition.

Objectives

General Objective: A clear and precise statement of the research's purposes, which must be achievable. It states what you want to know, what you want to find, and what is sought in the investigation.

Specific Objectives: These are defined for each stage of the research.

Justification

This section discusses the reasons for conducting the research and the benefits derived from it.

Delimitation

This section assesses the research's viability and feasibility. It sets limits on the research and specifies the scope of those limits, considering the availability of human, institutional, economic, and time resources.

Impact

Ethical Impact: Influence on moral values that enable people to make decisions and determine appropriate behavior, based on what is right.

Social Impact: Changes caused in a society or group of people organized for a purpose.

Technological Impact: Impact on technology, including technical, scientific, and construction aspects that adapt the environment and meet people's needs.

Economic Impact: Effects beyond production, exchange, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, considering human needs and societal performance.

Environmental Impact: Favorable or unfavorable changes produced in the environment or its components.

Methodology

The methodology is the core of the plan, describing the units of analysis, observation techniques, data collection instruments, procedures, and analysis techniques. These models are not rigid, as not all research requires every step.

Schedule

Schedule diagrams are used to display the timing of each activity, especially when multiple activities occur simultaneously.

Resource Assurance

This section details the technical equipment, materials, and financial resources available or required for the investigation. It includes descriptions of technical equipment, researchers' resumes, and the budget or cost of the investigation.

Information Sources

The bibliography lists the books and resources used and consulted for the research. It is always the last chapter, placed before any appendices.