Structuring Your Research Proposal

A brief overview of the question you’re investigating and your proposed research framework. Although this will probably be the section that you write last, it should not be treated as an afterthought. It will be the section that grabs your readers’ attention, getting them excited to learn more about your project, given the significance and context of the larger problem.

This section should engage with the themes that have emerged from the major
pieces of literature you’ve reviewed. Some questions to consider answering include, how is the question that you’re researching situated within the broader discipline it sits in? What are the gaps in research thus far? How will your project build upon and contribute to the scholarly conversation within your discipline or field?

Even if there is little to no previous scholarship on your particular topic, you should connect it to other similar or parallel subjects.

One of the most critical parts of the proposal where you answer the “how” of your research project. Questions to answer include, what methods will you be using to collect your data? Through interviews, lab research, archival research, etc.? Have you begun IRB training if working with human subjects? How many people will you be interviewing? What’s your timeline? How much time will be spent during each stage of the research? Once you’ve collected your data, how will you be sorting through and analyzing it?

The key words to keep in mind while writing this section are scope + length.

Show, don’t tell. Demonstrate how the projects you’ve previously undertaken, courses you’ve taken, and/or internships and other research opportunities you’ve completed have helped you develop the necessary skills to conduct your proposed research project.

Some questions to answer include: what are your relevant skills? What skills will need to be developed through this process? Are there any necessary skills that you don’t yet possess but that you will be honing before beginning your project?

Don’t provide a laundry list of all the skills that you’ve ever developed in your academic career. Focus on only the experiences and skills that are relevant to this particular project.

Your proposed project should build upon your academic and professional experiences thus far and set the stage for what is to follow. Questions to consider include, how does this fit in with your professional and/or academic trajectory? What kind of development will this research opportunity help facilitate?