Writing a Research Proposal: Quick Tips for Students

Many students who have never written a research proposal often ask themselves what it is, and in simple terms, it is a piece of writing that talks about what a person is investigating, how they will go about it, and why. It is a blueprint of how a person intends to go about their research paper and there are different ways to go about writing it.

Even the most experienced writers in the world have a few problems writing a proposal for a research paper sometimes and will go as far as hiring a professional company such as CustomWritings research proposal writing service to help them with it. This article will be a guide on how to write a good proposal whether it is for a Master’s degree program or Ph.D.

What Should Be Explained in a Research Proposal?

A good research proposal will defend and explain some of the good choices a student has made by providing valid reasons. Everything will be backed up with a great example and with the tips that will be highlighted below, writing a research proposal like a professional will be a breeze.

How to Write a Research Proposal Paper Like a Professional

It needs to be relevant

Anyone that is writing a research proposal needs to make sure that what they are producing is important and relevant to the field they are writing on to convince people to read it. On top of that, the content has to be original because stealing other people’s work is a serious offense. Writers should always make sure they try to convince their audience that their piece is worth reading in the literature review and introduction.

It needs to have context

Context is where one shows that they have the knowledge and understanding of the topic they are writing about by understanding current events. This understanding can go beyond basic academic knowledge, it can also include personal opinions.

Needs to have a good approach

For a research proposal to be easily followed, it needs to have the correct approach. This means showing readers that data was collected properly and the correct procedures were followed. Any points made need to be defended properly and the research needs to be well presented.

It needs to be feasible

A writer needs to make sure that their proposal can be completed on time and will meet all the requirements. Before beginning the writing process, one needs to make sure that time and resources are on their side.

Understanding Research Proposal Format

A good-quality research proposal will have an introduction, a literature review in the middle, and a list of references that were used at the end. It can be anything from 500- 1500 words depending on the college or university a student is in, however, Ph.D. proposals are longer.

It is important to remember that a research proposal needs to be concise and clearly outline all the things that are going to be accomplished. One’s ability to produce something that readers can enjoy while expressing themselves can be put to the test.

Eight Easy Steps in Writing a Research Proposal

• Follow the tutor’s written instructions

Any student no matter how brilliant they are should never begin writing a research proposal without following the instructions. This is suicide because they will end up failing the paper because they ignore what the tutor expects from the piece. Every single proposal a student writes needs to meet the criteria set by their tutor.

• Break the proposal down

When a student looks at the instructions of their proposal, it can be intimidating at first but the best approach is to break it down into small pieces. Giving a proposal heading, subheadings, methodology, introduction, and so on makes it easier to tackle and get through. It is important to note that any headings that are picked need to be carefully selected with the instructions in mind.

• Write for the target audience

The language that needs to be used in a proposal needs to be clean without any jargon being used. On top of that, any student writing a proposal needs to make sure that there are no grammar errors because the audience reading the paper can be anyone from tutors to experts in the field one is studying. Keeping things nice and simple is the best approach compared to overcomplicating things.

• Have impactful sentences in the text

When writing the introduction, a student needs to make sure that it grabs the reader’s attention. When the introduction and the sentences that follow are full of fluff, readers can lose interest leading to a low grade. Displaying enthusiasm also helps massively because it is known to be contagious. The research needs to be focused, straight to the point, and well-integrated. The way that the research proposal will be approached should not be missed out.

• A proper title is needed

There is no way a research proposal can get off the ground without an amazing title. Sometimes titles are provided to students by their tutor but in some cases, a student needs to think of a title on their own. A student needs to pick a title that is easy to understand with its main goal being to attract interest and spell out what the content will be about.

• Display feasibility

When people are reading a research proposal, they are curious about how the writer managed to gather all the information they have put in their text. Students writing this paper need to carefully show how they were able to accomplish their goals as well as the resources at their disposal.

• Have other people look at the work

When a student is so caught up with their proposal, it can be easy to overlook mistakes made in the paper. It is highly advised to get feedback from others whether it is writing services, tutors, fellow students, or family, and then make changes accordingly. The more people look at one’s paper, the better it is when it is finally finished because it will have benefited from diverse opinions and criticism.

• Always look for ways to improve the project

It is important to note that nothing is set in stone when it comes to writing a research proposal. If a student feels something is worth adding even if the final draft is almost completed, they can add it. It is all about flexibility and as long as anything added meets the guidelines set by a tutor, everything should be ok.

Final Thoughts

A common mistake that many students make when they are working on their proposal is the make it too wordy. As already pointed out above, the content in the research proposal needs to be concise and should express the ideas and goals a student wants to get across. Any quotes that have been used in the paper need to be properly referenced with the source being credited other a student’s work will be flagged for plagiarism which is a very serious offense.