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• Araştırma / Tez Önerisi nas...

Araştırma / Tez Önerisi nasıl yazılır?

Ele Alınan Konular

Akademik kariyer hedefliyorsanız, bir tez önerisi, araştırma önerisi ya da diğer deyişle research proposal sunmanız gerekebilir. Bunu nasıl yazacağınızla ilgili sorularınız varsa, bu yazı tam size göre!

Her kurum, araştırma önerisi yazısından hemen hemen aynı beklentisi bulunur. Bu araştırma önerisini bir iş başvurusu gibi görmek ve ne kadar iyi bir araştırmacı olduğunuzla, araştırdığınız konuyu açık bir ifade ettiğinizi göstermeniz gerekir. İstenilen yapıya ve niteliğe uygun bir şekilde yazılmış öneriyle kendinizi ve ne yapmak istediğinizi net bir şekilde kuruma iletirsiniz. Konu üzerinde uzman olmanız gerekmez ancak ilgi alanlarınızı ve araştırma konusunun çerçevesini iyi bildiğinizi göstermeniz gerekir.

University of Exeter , Birmingham University , University of Westminster ve daha birçok üniversite için yaptığımız araştırmaya göre, Research Proposal’ın barındırması gereken maddeler:

Araştırma sorusu / konusu / içeriği

Araştırma yöntemi

Araştırma süresi

Bibliyografi

Genellikle 6 – 7 seçeneğe sığdırılmış bu maddeleri gelin detaylarıyla inceleyelim!

Kısaca, araştırmanıza nasıl bir isim vereceğinizle ilgilidir. Başlık, araştırma konunuzun ne olacağına dair ilk sinyali vereceğiniz kısımdır. Konunuzun anahtar kelimesini ya da kelimelerini iyi belirlemeniz ve buna göre bir başlık oluşturmanız gerekir.

Bu kısımda araştırma konunuzu açıklamanız gerekir. Konunuzun neden önemli olduğunu, neden üzerinde durmak istediğinizi ve araştırma konunuzun arka planında yatan mantığı en etkili bir şekilde sunmalısınız. Hipoteziniz nedir? Araştırma sorunuz nedir? Araştırmanız dünyada ne gibi bir farkındalık/farklılık oluşturabilir?

Bütün bu sorular, araştırmanızın da temelini oluşturacak ve size bir başlangıç noktası sunacaktır. Gerçekçi beklentiler ve isteklerle oluşturulan araştırma önerisi yazısı bütün olarak tutarlı olmalıdır. Bu yüzden araştırmanızı destekleyeceğiniz kısımları, eksik kalabilecek ve sizin bunu tamamlamanız gereken noktaları iyi gözlemlemeniz gerekir.

Unutmayın, araştırma önerinizi nasıl destekleyeceğiniz, araştırmanızın sonucuna ulaşmanız için ne kadar zaman gerekeceği, hangi methot ve araştırma yöntemini kullanacağınız gibi sorulara cevap verebilmeniz, sunduğunuz araştırma önerisine ve buna bağlı literatür hakkında da bilginiz olduğunu gösterecektir.

3 – Araştırma sorusu / konusu / içeriği

Araştırma konunuzu net bir şekilde belirtmeniz gereken bu bölümde, sizi bu soruyu araştırmaya itecek temel bilgilerinizi de göstermeniz gerekmektedir. Araştırma sorunuz kimleri, neleri ya da hangi çalışma alanlarını etkilemekte? Araştırma öneriniz, bu öneriyi sunduğunuz kurumla neden, nasıl bağlantılı? Bu alan sizin konu içeriğine, bu sorunun cevabına ulaşmak için başvurduğunuz kurumun yardımcı olacağı noktalara hakim olduğunuzu bildirecektir.

4 – Araştırma Yöntemi

Metodolojinizi burada belirtmeniz gerekmekte. Sorunun yanıtına nasıl ulaşacaksınız? Survey, anket mi gerçekleştireceksiniz? Literatür taraması yaparak mı bulacaksınız? Odak grupları oluşturup bu odak gruplar üzerinden mi sorunuzu yanıtlayacaksınız?

Bu alanı rasyonel bir biçimde doldurabilmek için nicel ve nitel araştırma yöntemlerini en iyi şekilde bilip, tanımlayabiliyor olmanız gerekmektedir. Sorunuzu cevaplayabileceğiniz en iyi araştırma yöntemini ya da yöntemlerini (birden fazla yöntem kullanmanız da gerekebilir) belirlemelisiniz. Araştırmanızı nerede, nasıl bir ortamda gerçekleştireceğiniz, kaç örneklem belirleyeceğiniz, hangi araçları kullanacağınız ve bu araçların neler olacağıyla ilgili belirtmeniz gereken birçok şey olacak. Belirlediğiniz methotları nasıl belirlediğinizi ve neden belirlediğinizi de bu kısım içerisinde yazıyor olmanız gerekir.

5 – Araştırma Süresi

Araştırma önerisinde bulunduğunuz konu, ne kadarlık bir süreyi kapsamakta? Doktoranızı yapacağınız süreç içerisinde araştırma aşamalarınız neler olacak? Araştırma süreniz için bir zaman tablosu oluşturduğunuzda, bu hem araştırmanızın aşamalarını belirlemenize hem de kendinizi buna göre planlamanızda yardımcı olacaktır. Bu oluşturduğunuz zaman tablosu ile birlikte, buna uymanızda etkili olacak stratejileriniz neler olacağını belirlemeniz gerekir.

Örnek vermek gerekirse, eğer lise öğrencileri üzerine geniş kapsamlı bir anket çalışması yapmak istiyorsanız eğitim – öğretim akademik takvimini belirlemeniz, anket çalışmasını yapabilmek için almanız gereken izinler ve bu izinleri nasıl alabileceğiniz ile ilgili stratejileri belirtmeniz gerekir.

6 - Bibliyografi

Araştırma konunuzu dayandıracağınız kaynaklar, bilim insanları ve yöntemleri ana hatlarıyla belirlemeniz gerekmektedir. Eğer araştırma önerinizde ya da sorunuzda Alman filozof olan Hegel’in idealizminden bahsetmeniz gerekiyorsa, bunu bibliyografi’de belirtmeniz gerekir. Bir nevi, araştırmanızın mantığını ve geçerliliğini güçlendirecek tanıkları, delilleri ve kaynakları göstermelisiniz. Böylece araştırma sorunuz hakkında temel bilgiye sahip olduğunuza dair sağlam göstergelere sahip olduğunuzu başvurduğunuz kuruma gösterebilirsiniz.

Araştırma öneriniz ne üzerine olursa olsun, araştırma öneriniz üzerine çalışmak ve bu aşamaları dikkate alarak kendinize bir çerçeve oluşturmak size bir başlangıç noktası belirlemeye yardımcı olacak ve başvuracağınız kurumlar tarafından kabul edilmenizi bir o kadar kolaylaştıracaktır.

Eğer yurt dışı eğitimi düşünüyorsanız, IDP’nin uzman danışmanları araştırma konunuz üzerine olamasa da, iyi bir research proposal konusunda sizlere daha ayrıntılı bilgiler vererek üniversiteye başvurunuzu ücretsiz bir şekilde gerçekleştirebilir! Üniversiteler ve konularla ilgili daha detaylı bilgi almak için sayfanın sağ tarafında bulunan formu doldurabilir, Whatsapp hattımızdan bize ulaşabilir ya da [email protected] adresine email gönderebilirsiniz!

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Home » How To Write A Research Proposal – Step-by-Step [Template]

How To Write A Research Proposal – Step-by-Step [Template]

Table of Contents

How To Write a Research Proposal

Writing a Research proposal involves several steps to ensure a well-structured and comprehensive document. Here is an explanation of each step:

1. Title and Abstract

• Choose a concise and descriptive title that reflects the essence of your research.
• Write an abstract summarizing your research question, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes. It should provide a brief overview of your proposal.

2. Introduction:

• Provide an introduction to your research topic, highlighting its significance and relevance.
• Clearly state the research problem or question you aim to address.
• Discuss the background and context of the study, including previous research in the field.

3. Research Objectives

• Outline the specific objectives or aims of your research. These objectives should be clear, achievable, and aligned with the research problem.

4. Literature Review:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant literature and studies related to your research topic.
• Summarize key findings, identify gaps, and highlight how your research will contribute to the existing knowledge.

5. Methodology:

• Describe the research design and methodology you plan to employ to address your research objectives.
• Explain the data collection methods, instruments, and analysis techniques you will use.
• Justify why the chosen methods are appropriate and suitable for your research.

6. Timeline:

• Create a timeline or schedule that outlines the major milestones and activities of your research project.
• Break down the research process into smaller tasks and estimate the time required for each task.

7. Resources:

• Identify the resources needed for your research, such as access to specific databases, equipment, or funding.
• Explain how you will acquire or utilize these resources to carry out your research effectively.

8. Ethical Considerations:

• Discuss any ethical issues that may arise during your research and explain how you plan to address them.
• If your research involves human subjects, explain how you will ensure their informed consent and privacy.

9. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

• Clearly state the expected outcomes or results of your research.
• Highlight the potential impact and significance of your research in advancing knowledge or addressing practical issues.

10. References:

• Provide a list of all the references cited in your proposal, following a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA).

11. Appendices:

• Include any additional supporting materials, such as survey questionnaires, interview guides, or data analysis plans.

Research Proposal Format

The format of a research proposal may vary depending on the specific requirements of the institution or funding agency. However, the following is a commonly used format for a research proposal:

1. Title Page:

• Include the title of your research proposal, your name, your affiliation or institution, and the date.

2. Abstract:

• Provide a brief summary of your research proposal, highlighting the research problem, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.

3. Introduction:

• Introduce the research topic and provide background information.
• State the research problem or question you aim to address.
• Explain the significance and relevance of the research.
• Review relevant literature and studies related to your research topic.
• Summarize key findings and identify gaps in the existing knowledge.
• Explain how your research will contribute to filling those gaps.

5. Research Objectives:

• Clearly state the specific objectives or aims of your research.
• Ensure that the objectives are clear, focused, and aligned with the research problem.

6. Methodology:

• Describe the research design and methodology you plan to use.
• Explain the data collection methods, instruments, and analysis techniques.
• Justify why the chosen methods are appropriate for your research.

7. Timeline:

8. Resources:

• Explain how you will acquire or utilize these resources effectively.

9. Ethical Considerations:

• If applicable, explain how you will ensure informed consent and protect the privacy of research participants.

10. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

11. References:

12. Appendices:

Research Proposal Template

Here’s a template for a research proposal:

1. Introduction:

2. Literature Review:

3. Research Objectives:

4. Methodology:

5. Timeline:

6. Resources:

7. Ethical Considerations:

8. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

9. References:

10. Appendices:

Research Proposal Sample

Title: The Impact of Online Education on Student Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study

1. Introduction

Online education has gained significant prominence in recent years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research proposal aims to investigate the impact of online education on student learning outcomes by comparing them with traditional face-to-face instruction. The study will explore various aspects of online education, such as instructional methods, student engagement, and academic performance, to provide insights into the effectiveness of online learning.

2. Objectives

The main objectives of this research are as follows:

• To compare student learning outcomes between online and traditional face-to-face education.
• To examine the factors influencing student engagement in online learning environments.
• To assess the effectiveness of different instructional methods employed in online education.
• To identify challenges and opportunities associated with online education and suggest recommendations for improvement.

3. Methodology

3.1 Study Design

This research will utilize a mixed-methods approach to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The study will include the following components:

3.2 Participants

The research will involve undergraduate students from two universities, one offering online education and the other providing face-to-face instruction. A total of 500 students (250 from each university) will be selected randomly to participate in the study.

3.3 Data Collection

The research will employ the following data collection methods:

• Quantitative: Pre- and post-assessments will be conducted to measure students’ learning outcomes. Data on student demographics and academic performance will also be collected from university records.
• Qualitative: Focus group discussions and individual interviews will be conducted with students to gather their perceptions and experiences regarding online education.

3.4 Data Analysis

Quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical software, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analysis. Qualitative data will be transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns and themes.

4. Ethical Considerations

The study will adhere to ethical guidelines, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of participants. Informed consent will be obtained, and participants will have the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

5. Significance and Expected Outcomes

This research will contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the impact of online education on student learning outcomes. The findings will help educational institutions and policymakers make informed decisions about incorporating online learning methods and improving the quality of online education. Moreover, the study will identify potential challenges and opportunities related to online education and offer recommendations for enhancing student engagement and overall learning outcomes.

6. Timeline

The proposed research will be conducted over a period of 12 months, including data collection, analysis, and report writing.

The estimated budget for this research includes expenses related to data collection, software licenses, participant compensation, and research assistance. A detailed budget breakdown will be provided in the final research plan.

8. Conclusion

This research proposal aims to investigate the impact of online education on student learning outcomes through a comparative study with traditional face-to-face instruction. By exploring various dimensions of online education, this research will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and challenges associated with online learning. The findings will contribute to the ongoing discourse on educational practices and help shape future strategies for maximizing student learning outcomes in online education settings.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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How To Write A Research Proposal

A Straightforward How-To Guide (With Examples)

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewed By: Dr. Eunice Rautenbach | August 2019 (Updated April 2023)

Writing up a strong research proposal for a dissertation or thesis is much like a marriage proposal. It’s a task that calls on you to win somebody over and persuade them that what you’re planning is a great idea. An idea they’re happy to say ‘yes’ to. This means that your dissertation proposal needs to be   persuasive ,   attractive   and well-planned. In this post, I’ll show you how to write a winning dissertation proposal, from scratch.

Before you start:

– Understand exactly what a research proposal is – Ask yourself these 4 questions

The 5 essential ingredients:

• The title/topic
• The introduction chapter
• The scope/delimitations
• Preliminary literature review
• Design/ methodology
• Practical considerations and risks 

What Is A Research Proposal?

The research proposal is literally that: a written document that communicates what you propose to research, in a concise format. It’s where you put all that stuff that’s spinning around in your head down on to paper, in a logical, convincing fashion.

Convincing   is the keyword here, as your research proposal needs to convince the assessor that your research is   clearly articulated   (i.e., a clear research question) ,   worth doing   (i.e., is unique and valuable enough to justify the effort), and   doable   within the restrictions you’ll face (time limits, budget, skill limits, etc.). If your proposal does not address these three criteria, your research won’t be approved, no matter how “exciting” the research idea might be.

PS – if you’re completely new to proposal writing, we’ve got a detailed walkthrough video covering two successful research proposals here . 

How do I know I’m ready?

Before starting the writing process, you need to   ask yourself 4 important questions .  If you can’t answer them succinctly and confidently, you’re not ready – you need to go back and think more deeply about your dissertation topic .

You should be able to answer the following 4 questions before starting your dissertation or thesis research proposal:

• WHAT is my main research question? (the topic)
• WHO cares and why is this important? (the justification)
• WHAT data would I need to answer this question, and how will I analyse it? (the research design)
• HOW will I manage the completion of this research, within the given timelines? (project and risk management)

If you can’t answer these questions clearly and concisely,   you’re not yet ready   to write your research proposal – revisit our   post on choosing a topic .

If you can, that’s great – it’s time to start writing up your dissertation proposal. Next, I’ll discuss what needs to go into your research proposal, and how to structure it all into an intuitive, convincing document with a linear narrative.

The 5 Essential Ingredients

Research proposals can vary in style between institutions and disciplines, but here I’ll share with you a   handy 5-section structure   you can use. These 5 sections directly address the core questions we spoke about earlier, ensuring that you present a convincing proposal. If your institution already provides a proposal template, there will likely be substantial overlap with this, so you’ll still get value from reading on.

For each section discussed below, make sure you use headers and sub-headers (ideally, numbered headers) to help the reader navigate through your document, and to support them when they need to revisit a previous section. Don’t just present an endless wall of text, paragraph after paragraph after paragraph…

Top Tip:   Use MS Word Styles to format headings. This will allow you to be clear about whether a sub-heading is level 2, 3, or 4. Additionally, you can view your document in ‘outline view’ which will show you only your headings. This makes it much easier to check your structure, shift things around and make decisions about where a section needs to sit. You can also generate a 100% accurate table of contents using Word’s automatic functionality.

Ingredient #1 – Topic/Title Header

Your research proposal’s title should be your main research question in its simplest form, possibly with a sub-heading providing basic details on the specifics of the study. For example:

“Compliance with equality legislation in the charity sector: a study of the ‘reasonable adjustments’ made in three London care homes”

As you can see, this title provides a clear indication of what the research is about, in broad terms. It paints a high-level picture for the first-time reader, which gives them a taste of what to expect.   Always aim for a clear, concise title . Don’t feel the need to capture every detail of your research in your title – your proposal will fill in the gaps.

Need a helping hand?

Ingredient #2 – Introduction

In this section of your research proposal, you’ll expand on what you’ve communicated in the title, by providing a few paragraphs which offer more detail about your research topic. Importantly, the focus here is the   topic   – what will you research and why is that worth researching? This is not the place to discuss methodology, practicalities, etc. – you’ll do that later.

You should cover the following:

• An overview of the   broad area   you’ll be researching – introduce the reader to key concepts and language
• An explanation of the   specific (narrower) area   you’ll be focusing, and why you’ll be focusing there
• Your research   aims   and   objectives
• Your   research question (s) and sub-questions (if applicable)

Importantly, you should aim to use short sentences and plain language – don’t babble on with extensive jargon, acronyms and complex language. Assume that the reader is an intelligent layman – not a subject area specialist (even if they are). Remember that the   best writing is writing that can be easily understood   and digested. Keep it simple.

Note that some universities may want some extra bits and pieces in your introduction section. For example, personal development objectives, a structural outline, etc. Check your brief to see if there are any other details they expect in your proposal, and make sure you find a place for these.

Ingredient #3 – Scope

Next, you’ll need to specify what the scope of your research will be – this is also known as the delimitations . In other words, you need to make it clear what you will be covering and, more importantly, what you won’t be covering in your research. Simply put, this is about ring fencing your research topic so that you have a laser-sharp focus.

All too often, students feel the need to go broad and try to address as many issues as possible, in the interest of producing comprehensive research. Whilst this is admirable, it’s a mistake. By tightly refining your scope, you’ll enable yourself to   go deep   with your research, which is what you need to earn good marks. If your scope is too broad, you’re likely going to land up with superficial research (which won’t earn marks), so don’t be afraid to narrow things down.

Ingredient #4 – Literature Review

In this section of your research proposal, you need to provide a (relatively) brief discussion of the existing literature. Naturally, this will not be as comprehensive as the literature review in your actual dissertation, but it will lay the foundation for that. In fact, if you put in the effort at this stage, you’ll make your life a lot easier when it’s time to write your actual literature review chapter.

There are a few things you need to achieve in this section:

• Demonstrate that you’ve done your reading and are   familiar with the current state of the research   in your topic area.
• Show that   there’s a clear gap   for your specific research – i.e., show that your topic is sufficiently unique and will add value to the existing research.
• Show how the existing research has shaped your thinking regarding   research design . For example, you might use scales or questionnaires from previous studies.

When you write up your literature review, keep these three objectives front of mind, especially number two (revealing the gap in the literature), so that your literature review has a   clear purpose and direction . Everything you write should be contributing towards one (or more) of these objectives in some way. If it doesn’t, you need to ask yourself whether it’s truly needed.

Top Tip:  Don’t fall into the trap of just describing the main pieces of literature, for example, “A says this, B says that, C also says that…” and so on. Merely describing the literature provides no value. Instead, you need to   synthesise   it, and use it to address the three objectives above.

Ingredient #5 – Research Methodology

Now that you’ve clearly explained both your intended research topic (in the introduction) and the existing research it will draw on (in the literature review section), it’s time to get practical and explain exactly how you’ll be carrying out your own research. In other words, your research methodology.

In this section, you’ll need to   answer two critical questions :

• How   will you design your research? I.e., what research methodology will you adopt, what will your sample be, how will you collect data, etc.
• Why   have you chosen this design? I.e., why does this approach suit your specific research aims, objectives and questions?

In other words, this is not just about explaining WHAT you’ll be doing, it’s also about explaining WHY. In fact, the   justification is the most important part , because that justification is how you demonstrate a good understanding of research design (which is what assessors want to see).

Some essential design choices you need to cover in your research proposal include:

• Your intended research philosophy (e.g., positivism, interpretivism or pragmatism )
• What methodological approach you’ll be taking (e.g., qualitative , quantitative or mixed )
• The details of your sample (e.g., sample size, who they are, who they represent, etc.)
• What data you plan to collect (i.e. data about what, in what form?)
• How you plan to collect it (e.g., surveys , interviews , focus groups, etc.)
• How you plan to analyse it (e.g., regression analysis, thematic analysis , etc.)
• Ethical adherence (i.e., does this research satisfy all ethical requirements of your institution, or does it need further approval?)

This list is not exhaustive – these are just some core attributes of research design. Check with your institution what level of detail they expect. The “ research onion ” by Saunders et al (2009) provides a good summary of the various design choices you ultimately need to make – you can   read more about that here .

Don’t forget the practicalities…

In addition to the technical aspects, you will need to address the   practical   side of the project. In other words, you need to explain   what resources you’ll need   (e.g., time, money, access to equipment or software, etc.) and how you intend to secure these resources. You need to show that your project is feasible, so any “make or break” type resources need to already be secured. The success or failure of your project cannot depend on some resource which you’re not yet sure you have access to.

Another part of the practicalities discussion is   project and risk management . In other words, you need to show that you have a clear project plan to tackle your research with. Some key questions to address:

• What are the timelines for each phase of your project?
• Are the time allocations reasonable?
• What happens if something takes longer than anticipated (risk management)?
• What happens if you don’t get the response rate you expect?

A good way to demonstrate that you’ve thought this through is to include a Gantt chart and a risk register (in the appendix if word count is a problem). With these two tools, you can show that you’ve got a clear, feasible plan, and you’ve thought about and accounted for the potential risks.

Tip – Be honest about the potential difficulties – but show that you are anticipating solutions and workarounds. This is much more impressive to an assessor than an unrealistically optimistic proposal which does not anticipate any challenges whatsoever.

Final Touches: Read And Simplify

The final step is to edit and proofread your proposal – very carefully. It sounds obvious, but all too often poor editing and proofreading ruin a good proposal. Nothing is more off-putting for an assessor than a poorly edited, typo-strewn document. It sends the message that you either do not pay attention to detail, or just don’t care. Neither of these are good messages. Put the effort into editing and proofreading your proposal (or pay someone to do it for you) – it will pay dividends.

When you’re editing, watch out for ‘academese’. Many students can speak simply, passionately and clearly about their dissertation topic – but become incomprehensible the moment they turn the laptop on. You are not required to write in any kind of special, formal, complex language when you write academic work. Sure, there may be technical terms, jargon specific to your discipline, shorthand terms and so on. But, apart from those,   keep your written language very close to natural spoken language   – just as you would speak in the classroom. Imagine that you are explaining your project plans to your classmates or a family member. Remember, write for the intelligent layman, not the subject matter experts. Plain-language, concise writing is what wins hearts and minds – and marks!

Let’s Recap: Research Proposal 101

And there you have it – how to write your dissertation or thesis research proposal, from the title page to the final proof. Here’s a quick recap of the key takeaways:

• The purpose of the research proposal is to   convince   – therefore, you need to make a clear, concise argument of why your research is both worth doing and doable.
• Make sure you can ask the critical what, who, and how questions of your research   before   you put pen to paper.
• Title – provides the first taste of your research, in broad terms
• Introduction – explains what you’ll be researching in more detail
• Scope – explains the boundaries of your research
• Literature review – explains how your research fits into the existing research and why it’s unique and valuable
• Research methodology – explains and justifies how you will carry out your own research

Hopefully, this post has helped you better understand how to write up a winning research proposal. If you enjoyed it, be sure to check out the rest of the Grad Coach Blog . If your university doesn’t provide any template for your proposal, you might want to try out our free research proposal template .

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

30 Comments

Thank you so much for the valuable insight that you have given, especially on the research proposal. That is what I have managed to cover. I still need to go back to the other parts as I got disturbed while still listening to Derek’s audio on you-tube. I am inspired. I will definitely continue with Grad-coach guidance on You-tube.

Thanks for the kind words :). All the best with your proposal.

First of all, thanks a lot for making such a wonderful presentation. The video was really useful and gave me a very clear insight of how a research proposal has to be written. I shall try implementing these ideas in my RP.

Once again, I thank you for this content.

I found reading your outline on writing research proposal very beneficial. I wish there was a way of submitting my draft proposal to you guys for critiquing before I submit to the institution.

Hi Bonginkosi

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, we do provide a review service. The best starting point is to have a chat with one of our coaches here: https://gradcoach.com/book/new/ .

Hello team GRADCOACH, may God bless you so much. I was totally green in research. Am so happy for your free superb tutorials and resources. Once again thank you so much Derek and his team.

You’re welcome, Erick. Good luck with your research proposal 🙂

thank you for the information. its precise and on point.

Really a remarkable piece of writing and great source of guidance for the researchers. GOD BLESS YOU for your guidance. Regards

Thanks so much for your guidance. It is easy and comprehensive the way you explain the steps for a winning research proposal.

Thank you guys so much for the rich post. I enjoyed and learn from every word in it. My problem now is how to get into your platform wherein I can always seek help on things related to my research work ? Secondly, I wish to find out if there is a way I can send my tentative proposal to you guys for examination before I take to my supervisor Once again thanks very much for the insights

Thanks for your kind words, Desire.

If you are based in a country where Grad Coach’s paid services are available, you can book a consultation by clicking the “Book” button in the top right.

Best of luck with your studies.

May God bless you team for the wonderful work you are doing,

If I have a topic, Can I submit it to you so that you can draft a proposal for me?? As I am expecting to go for masters degree in the near future.

Thanks for your comment. We definitely cannot draft a proposal for you, as that would constitute academic misconduct. The proposal needs to be your own work. We can coach you through the process, but it needs to be your own work and your own writing.

Best of luck with your research!

I found a lot of many essential concepts from your material. it is real a road map to write a research proposal. so thanks a lot. If there is any update material on your hand on MBA please forward to me.

GradCoach is a professional website that presents support and helps for MBA student like me through the useful online information on the page and with my 1-on-1 online coaching with the amazing and professional PhD Kerryen.

Thank you Kerryen so much for the support and help 🙂

I really recommend dealing with such a reliable services provider like Gradcoah and a coach like Kerryen.

Hi, Am happy for your service and effort to help students and researchers, Please, i have been given an assignment on research for strategic development, the task one is to formulate a research proposal to support the strategic development of a business area, my issue here is how to go about it, especially the topic or title and introduction. Please, i would like to know if you could help me and how much is the charge.

This content is practical, valuable, and just great!

Thank you very much!

Hi Derek, Thank you for the valuable presentation. It is very helpful especially for beginners like me. I am just starting my PhD.

This is quite instructive and research proposal made simple. Can I have a research proposal template?

Great! Thanks for rescuing me, because I had no former knowledge in this topic. But with this piece of information, I am now secured. Thank you once more.

I enjoyed listening to your video on how to write a proposal. I think I will be able to write a winning proposal with your advice. I wish you were to be my supervisor.

Dear Derek Jansen,

Thank you for your great content. I couldn’t learn these topics in MBA, but now I learned from GradCoach. Really appreciate your efforts….

From Afghanistan!

I have got very essential inputs for startup of my dissertation proposal. Well organized properly communicated with video presentation. Thank you for the presentation.

Wow, this is absolutely amazing guys. Thank you so much for the fruitful presentation, you’ve made my research much easier.

this helps me a lot. thank you all so much for impacting in us. may god richly bless you all

How I wish I’d learn about Grad Coach earlier. I’ve been stumbling around writing and rewriting! Now I have concise clear directions on how to put this thing together. Thank you!

Fantastic!! Thank You for this very concise yet comprehensive guidance.

Even if I am poor in English I would like to thank you very much.

Thank you very much, this is very insightful.

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Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to write a research proposal

What is a research proposal?

What is the purpose of a research proposal , how long should a research proposal be, what should be included in a research proposal, 1. the title page, 2. introduction, 3. literature review, 4. research design, 5. implications, 6. reference list, frequently asked questions about writing a research proposal, related articles.

If you’re in higher education, the term “research proposal” is something you’re likely to be familiar with. But what is it, exactly? You’ll normally come across the need to prepare a research proposal when you’re looking to secure Ph.D. funding.

When you’re trying to find someone to fund your Ph.D. research, a research proposal is essentially your “pitch.”

A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research.

You’ll need to set out the issues that are central to the topic area and how you intend to address them with your research. To do this, you’ll need to give the following:

• an outline of the general area of study within which your research falls
• an overview of how much is currently known about the topic
• a literature review that covers the recent scholarly debate or conversation around the topic

➡️  What is a literature review? Learn more in our guide.

Essentially, you are trying to persuade your institution that you and your project are worth investing their time and money into.

It is the opportunity for you to demonstrate that you have the aptitude for this level of research by showing that you can articulate complex ideas:

It also helps you to find the right supervisor to oversee your research. When you’re writing your research proposal, you should always have this in the back of your mind.

This is the document that potential supervisors will use in determining the legitimacy of your research and, consequently, whether they will invest in you or not. It is therefore incredibly important that you spend some time on getting it right.

Tip: While there may not always be length requirements for research proposals, you should strive to cover everything you need to in a concise way.

If your research proposal is for a bachelor’s or master’s degree, it may only be a few pages long. For a Ph.D., a proposal could be a pretty long document that spans a few dozen pages.

➡️ Research proposals are similar to grant proposals. Learn how to write a grant proposal in our guide.

When you’re writing your proposal, keep in mind its purpose and why you’re writing it. It, therefore, needs to clearly explain the relevance of your research and its context with other discussions on the topic. You need to then explain what approach you will take and why it is feasible.

Generally, your structure should look something like this:

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Research Design
• Implications

If you follow this structure, you’ll have a comprehensive and coherent proposal that looks and feels professional, without missing out on anything important. We’ll take a deep dive into each of these areas one by one next.

The title page might vary slightly per your area of study but, as a general point, your title page should contain the following:

• The proposed title of your project
• Your supervisor’s name
• The name of your institution and your particular department

Tip: Keep in mind any departmental or institutional guidelines for a research proposal title page. Also, your supervisor may ask for specific details to be added to the page.

The introduction is crucial   to your research proposal as it is your first opportunity to hook the reader in. A good introduction section will introduce your project and its relevance to the field of study.

You’ll want to use this space to demonstrate that you have carefully thought about how to present your project as interesting, original, and important research. A good place to start is by introducing the context of your research problem.

Think about answering these questions:

• What is it you want to research and why?
• How does this research relate to the respective field?
• How much is already known about this area?
• Who might find this research interesting?
• What are the key questions you aim to answer with your research?
• What will the findings of this project add to the topic area?

Your introduction aims to set yourself off on a great footing and illustrate to the reader that you are an expert in your field and that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge and theory.

The literature review section answers the question who else is talking about your proposed research topic.

You want to demonstrate that your research will contribute to conversations around the topic and that it will sit happily amongst experts in the field.

➡️ Read more about how to write a literature review .

There are lots of ways you can find relevant information for your literature review, including:

• Research relevant academic sources such as books and journals to find similar conversations around the topic.
• Read through abstracts and bibliographies of your academic sources to look for relevance and further additional resources without delving too deep into articles that are possibly not relevant to you.
• Watch out for heavily-cited works . This should help you to identify authoritative work that you need to read and document.
• Look for any research gaps , trends and patterns, common themes, debates, and contradictions.
• Consider any seminal studies on the topic area as it is likely anticipated that you will address these in your research proposal.

This is where you get down to the real meat of your research proposal. It should be a discussion about the overall approach you plan on taking, and the practical steps you’ll follow in answering the research questions you’ve posed.

So what should you discuss here? Some of the key things you will need to discuss at this point are:

• What form will your research take? Is it qualitative/quantitative/mixed? Will your research be primary or secondary?
• What sources will you use? Who or what will you be studying as part of your research.
• Document your research method. How are you practically going to carry out your research? What tools will you need? What procedures will you use?
• Any practicality issues you foresee. Do you think there will be any obstacles to your anticipated timescale? What resources will you require in carrying out your research?

Your research design should also discuss the potential implications of your research. For example, are you looking to confirm an existing theory or develop a new one?

If you intend to create a basis for further research, you should describe this here.

It is important to explain fully what you want the outcome of your research to look like and what you want to achieve by it. This will help those reading your research proposal to decide if it’s something the field  needs  and  wants,  and ultimately whether they will support you with it.

When you reach the end of your research proposal, you’ll have to compile a list of references for everything you’ve cited above. Ideally, you should keep track of everything from the beginning. Otherwise, this could be a mammoth and pretty laborious task to do.

Consider using a reference manager like Paperpile to format and organize your citations. Paperpile allows you to organize and save your citations for later use and cite them in thousands of citation styles directly in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or LaTeX.

Your project may also require you to have a timeline, depending on the budget you are requesting. If you need one, you should include it here and explain both the timeline and the budget you need, documenting what should be done at each stage of the research and how much of the budget this will use.

This is the final step, but not one to be missed. You should make sure that you edit and proofread your document so that you can be sure there are no mistakes.

A good idea is to have another person proofread the document for you so that you get a fresh pair of eyes on it. You can even have a professional proofreader do this for you.

This is an important document and you don’t want spelling or grammatical mistakes to get in the way of you and your reader.

➡️ Working on a research proposal for a thesis? Take a look at our guide on how to come up with a topic for your thesis .

A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research. Generally, your research proposal will have a title page, introduction, literature review section, a section about research design and explaining the implications of your research, and a reference list.

A good research proposal is concise and coherent. It has a clear purpose, clearly explains the relevance of your research and its context with other discussions on the topic. A good research proposal explains what approach you will take and why it is feasible.

You need a research proposal to persuade your institution that you and your project are worth investing their time and money into. It is your opportunity to demonstrate your aptitude for this level or research by showing that you can articulate complex ideas clearly, concisely, and critically.

A research proposal is essentially your "pitch" when you're trying to find someone to fund your PhD. It is a clear and concise summary of your proposed research. It gives an outline of the general area of study within which your research falls, it elaborates how much is currently known about the topic, and it highlights any recent debate or conversation around the topic by other academics.

The general answer is: as long as it needs to be to cover everything. The length of your research proposal depends on the requirements from the institution that you are applying to. Make sure to carefully read all the instructions given, and if this specific information is not provided, you can always ask.

• Ücret Politikası

Research Paper Nasıl Yazılır? [5 Research Paper Örneği]

Research paper, yazarın bir konu hakkında gerek kendi verilerini topladığı gerekse literatürden verileri alarak bu verileri incelediği, analiz ettiği ve bir sonuca vardığı, Türkçe’de araştırma makalesi ya da bilimsel makale olarak adlandırılan, akademik bir makale türüdür.

Research paper, akademik olarak yazılan makalelere (essay) benzer, ancak genellikle daha uzun ve daha ayrıntılı olarak yazılan bir makale türüdür. Bir research paper yazmak, yazacağınız konunuz hakkında detaylı araştırma yapmayı, bulduğunuz çeşitli kaynaklar arasında bağlantı kurmanızı ve literatüre özgün bir katkıda bulunmanızı gerektirir.

Bir paper yazmak bazen biraz korkutucu olabilir. Ama Essay Sepeti’nin uzman hocaları yanınızda. Size burada en ince detayına kadar research paper yazmayı anlatacağız. Ama yazmakta zorluk çekiyorsanız ve bu konuda danışmanlık almak isterseniz bize sağ aşağıda bulunan mesaj butonundan, iletişim bölümünden ya da [email protected] adresinden ulaşabilirsiniz. Hadi başlayalım : )

İçindekiler

• 1.1 Research paper konusunu seçmek
• 1.2 Konunuzu daraltın
• 2.1 Bulduğunuz araştırma notlarını organize edin.
• 3 Research Paper Structure – Research Paper Formatı
• 4 Research Paper Thesis Statement Nasıl Yazılır?
• 5 Research Proposal
• 6.1 Research Paper Introduction (Giriş) Bölümü Nasıl Yazılır?
• 6.2 Issue (Problem) Bölümü
• 6.3.1 Literature Review Outline
• 6.4.1 Research Question Nasıl Yazılır?
• 6.4.2 Research Method Outline
• 6.5.1 Result bölümü
• 6.5.2 Discussion Bölümü
• 6.5.3 Results and Discussion Outline
• 6.6.1 Conclusions and Recommendations Outline
• 6.7 References (Referans) Bölümü
• 7 Editing ve Proofreading 
• 8.0.1 Research Paper Content Checklist
• 8.0.2 Research Paper Grammar Checklist
• 9.1 Research paper örneği
• 9.2 Research paper örneği PDF

Research Paper Konusu Nasıl Seçilir?

Research paper konusunu seçmek.

Bilimsel makale yazmaya başlarken en önemli adımlardan biri sizi en çok ilgilendiren ve üzerine içerik üretebileceğiniz bir research paper konusu seçmektir. Eğer sizi ilgilendiren ve merak duyduğunuz bir konu seçerseniz yazma süreciniz çok kolaylaşacaktır.

Bilimsel makale yazarken konu seçerken ne çok geniş ne de çok dar bir konu seçmelisiniz. Örneğin dinler üzerine yazacaksanız, sadece din üzerine bir  yazamazsınız. Bu çok geniş bir konu olacaktır. Konuyu “Din”den “Dünya Dinleri”ne ve “Budizm”e daraltmalısınız.

Kapsamlı bir araştırma yapmadan önce yazacağınız research question (araştırma sorusu) ve thesis statement için profesörünüzden onay almalısınız. Onay alınmadan başlanan research paper, term paper veya bitirme tezlerinde profesörünüzün konuyu değiştirmesiyle hayal kırıklığına uğrayabilirsiniz. Yazdığınız onca içerik boşa gidebilir.

Research paper, term paper veya bitirme tezine başlarken sizden ne beklendiğinden emin değilseniz, öğretmeninize sorun. Üzerine yazabileceğiniz bir konu seçin. Çok teknik veya çok uzmanlık gerektiren konulardan kaçının. Üzerine çok az kaynak materyal bulabileceğiniz konuların üzerine eğilmekten kaçının.

Öğrencilerin sevdikleri ve daha iyi bildikleri research paper konuları üzerine yazmaları esastır. Konuyu iyice inceleyen ve okuyan öğrenciler, yazdıkları araştırma yazılarının güzel bir sonuca ulaşması için detaylara dikkat etmelidirler.

Güzel bir research paper veya bilimsel makale yazmak, diğerlerinin yanı sıra araştırma soruları, yöntemleri, analizleri ve tartışmaları gibi her bir research paper bölümünün gereksinimlerine dikkat etmeyi de gerektirir. Research paper formatının nasıl olacağına da ilerki bölümlerde değineceğiz.

Başarılı bir research paper yazmak için atmanız gereken ilk adımlar, konu hakkında bilgi edinmek için biraz başlangıç ​​araştırması yapmak, outline çıkarmak, thesis statement veya research question (tezin araştırma sorusu ya da tez hipotezi) hakkında düşünmektir.

Yazacağınız konu hakkında geçmişte hangi araştırmalar yapıldığını ve bilimsel makaleler yazıldığını araştırarak işe başlayabilirsiniz. Henüz keşfedilmemiş, literatürde olmayan hangi konular var? Hangi research topic ile aha önce literatürde olmayan bir konuyu inceleyebilirsiniz? Bunları düşünmeniz gerekir.

Konunuzu daraltın

Üzerine yazmak istediğiniz konuyla ilgili gerekli miktarda bilgi, veri ve literatürü inceledikten sonra, research topic daraltmanın zamanı geldi. Seçtiğiniz research topic birkaç alt kola ayrılabileceği için seçilen konunun çok geniş olması uygun değildir. Geniş bir research topic seçmek konuyu çok geniş bir biçimde ele almak manasına geleceği, bu konuların hepsini tek bir araştırma makalesinde ele almak iyi bir çözüm olmayacaktır.

İlginizi çeken benzersiz bir research topic veya research question seçmelisiniz. Bu benzersiz research konusu literatüre katkıda bulunduğu için hem araştırmanın değerini arttıracak hem de sizin insanlığa bir katkıda bulunmanıza yarayacaktır. Önceden çalışılmış konular üzerine bir research paper yazmanın kimseye faydası yoktur. Bu aşamada yazdığınız research paper veya bitirme tezinin neden önemli olduğunu açıklamalı ve araştırmanızın önemini ayrıntılı olarak okuyucuya anlatmalısınız.

Bilimsel Makale İçin Araştırma Nasıl Yapılır?

Research paper veya term paper yazmak için, öncelikle, bir research paper outline oluşturmanız gerekmektedir. Bunu için gereken genel bilgiler veya background information için;

• Firmaların web sitelerine, yıllık raporlarına, hakkımızda kısımlarına,
• Britannica gibi çevrimiçi ansiklopedilere;
• JSTOR, Science Direct, Springer, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ProQuest, eLibrary, Wiley, IEEE Xplore ya da EBSCOhost gibi veri tabanlarına
• Euromonitor, TUİK, Statista ya da EMIS gibi istatistik veri sağlayabilecek kaynaklara
• Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Financial Times, BBC gibi saygın online gazetelere

başvurabilirsiniz. Wikipedia akademik bir kaynak değildir ve bilimsel makaleler için kullanılamazlar. Buradan genel olarak bilgi edinebilirsiniz ama Wikipedia’yı akademik kaynak olarak kullanmamalısınız.

Başlangıç ​​noktası olarak arama motorlarını veya diğer arama araçlarını kullanabilirsiniz. Alan adı uzantılarına, .edu (eğitim kurumu), .org (kar amacı gütmeyen kuruluş) veya .gov (hükümet) dikkat edin. Bu siteler kurumları temsil eder ve daha güvenilirdir.

Halk ve üniversite kütüphanelerine, işletmelere, devlet kurumlarının web sitelerine de göz atabilirsiniz. Bu kaynakları okuyup ve değerlendirin, ana hatlarıyla konuyu şekillendirin. İlgili bilgilerin çıktısını ve fotokopisini alabilir veya not tutabilirsiniz.

Kaynaklarınızı toplarken, tam bibliyografik bilgileri (yazar, başlık, yayın yeri, yayıncı, yayın tarihi, sayfa numaraları, URL’ler, Web sayfalarında oluşturma veya değiştirme tarihleri ve erişim tarihiniz) çalışma sayfanıza, çıktınıza not edin veya daha sonra aradığınızda bulmak için bilgisayarınıza bu bilgileri kaydedin.

Kaynak olarak gösteremeyeceğiniz için bibliyografik bilgisi olmayan bir makalenin faydasız olduğunu unutmayın.

Bulduğunuz araştırma notlarını organize edin.

Topladığınız malzemeler research outline yapısına göre düzenlenmelidir. Araştırma verilerinizi eleştirel olarak analiz edin. Elinizde mevcut olan ve ulaşabileceğiniz en iyi kaynakları kullanarak verilerin doğruluğunu kontrol edin ve bilgilerin gerçek, güncel ve doğru olduğundan emin olun.

Araştırma yazısındaki argümanınızı desteklemeye yardımcı oluyorlarsa, karşıt görüşler de not edilmelidir. Bu, bir bilimsel araştırma makalesi yazısı en önemli aşamasıdır. Bu bilgiler daha sonra discussion bölümünde ele alınıp araştırmanız sonucunda bulduğunuz bulgularla (findings) karşılaştırılarak tartışılacaktır.

Ayrıca düşüncelerinizi, fikirlerinizi, argümanlarınızı ve araştırma bulgularınızı bir sunum sunuyormuşçasına akıcı bir tonda raporda, bir essay parçasında, bir research paper veya term paper ödevin ifade etmelisiniz. Düşüncelerinizi akıcı bir şekilde paper ödevine aktarmazsanız okuyucular sıkılacaktır ve bu da paper kalitesini düşürecektir.

Research question ile ilgili olmayan hiçbir bilgiyi araştırmanıza dahil etmeyin. Not ettiğiniz bilgilerin dikkatli bir şekilde kaydettiğinizden ve mümkünse kendi kelimelerinizle yazdığınızdan emin olun. Kendi kelimelerinizle anlatamadığınız bir bilgiyi anlamamışsınız demektir.

Plagiarism (intihal) kesinlikle söz konusu olmamalıdır. Araştırmalardan ve literatürden alınan tüm fikirleri veya kullanılan alıntılara doğru bir şekilde referans verin. Notlarınızı sınıflandırırken, alıntı yapılan her bilgi için ayrıntılı reference ve citation bilgileri not edin ve onu Works Cited (references) kısmında okuyucuya verilmek üzere hazır hale getirin.

Research Paper Structure – Research Paper Formatı

Research paper belli başlı bazı bölümlerden oluşur. Bunlar:

• Introduction (giriş) bölümü
• Issue (problem) bölümü
• Literature review (literatür araştırması) bölümü
• Research Method (Araştırma Metodu) bölümü
• Results and Discussion (Sonuçlar ve Tartışma) bölümü
• Conclusions and Recommendations (Sonuç ve Öneriler) bölümü
• References (Referans) bölümü

gibi bölümlerden oluşur. Bu formata aynı zamanda outline da denir. Outline nasıl yazılır ayrıntılı olarak öğrenmek isterseniz makalemizi ücretsiz olarak ziyaret edebilirsiniz.

Research paper outline resmi veya gayri resmi olabilir. Kabataslak bir outline (çalışma taslağı), yazarların fikirlerini yazmalarına ve düzenlemelerine yardımcı olan bir araçtır. Biçime çok dikkat edilmeden revize, ekleme ve iptallere olanak tanır. Yazarların kilit noktalarını netleştirmelerine ve düzenlemelerine yardımcı olur.

Bazen öğrencilerden araştırma yazılarıyla birlikte resmi outline sunmaları istenir. Resmi bir outline, konuları ve alt konuları düzenlemek için sayılar ve harfler kullanır. Aynı türden harfler ve sayılar doğrudan birbirinin altına yerleştirilmelidir. Başlıkları ve alt başlıkları ile belirtilen konular mantıklı bir sıraya göre gruplandırılmalıdır.

Research paper structure veya research paper formatı

Research Paper Thesis Statement Nasıl Yazılır?

Çoğu bilimsel bilimsel makale, outline oluşturma aşamasında bile, normalde bir thesis statement gerektirir. Gerektirip gerektirmediği konusunda emin değilseniz, öğretmeninize ödevinizin gerektirip gerektirmediğini ve araştırma ödevi thesis statement kısmında neyi görmeyi beklediklerini sorun. Thesis statement nasıl yazılır ve örnekleri nelerdir daha ayrıntılı bilgi almak için thesis statement yazımızı okuyabilirsiniz.

Kısacası, thesis statement, research paper yazarken oluşturacağınız araştırmanın ana fikirdir, araştırma makalenizin merkezi noktasıdır. Makalenizde sunduğunuz argümanlar bu ana fikre dayanmalıdır, bu yüzden çok önemlidir.

Thesis statement tek bir cümle ile yazılmalıdır. Research paper yazarken thesis statement, savunduğunuz pozisyonun bir beyanı gibidir. Makalenizin ana kısmı, bu pozisyonu ve fikri desteklemek ve savunmak kurulan için argümanlardan oluşacaktır.

Makalenizin başında – giriş bölümünde yani introduction paragrafında bir thesis statement ile savunduğunuz argümanı okuyucuya vermelisiniz. Paper yapmaya yeni başladığınızda hemen bir thesis statement oluşturmanız mümkün değildir. Ana hatlarıyla birlikte bir thesis statement yazmadan önce konu hakkındaki materyalleri toplamalı, savunacağınız argümanı şekillendirmeli, organize etmeli ve analiz etmelisiniz.

Genel, çok belirsiz ifadelerden ve argümanlardan uzak durmalısınız. Belirli bir konuyu seçmeli ve ona odaklanmalısınız. Yazdığınız essay, okuyucular için yeni bir şey sunmalı; okuma sürecini okuyucularınız için ilginç ve eğitici hale getirmelidir.

İyi bir thesis statement;

• Okuyuculara araştırma konusunu nasıl yorumladığınızı ana hatlarıyla belirtmeli ve açıklamalıdır.
• Okuyuculara makalenizden ne beklemeleri gerektiğini söyleyin.
• Size sorulan soruyu cevaplayın.
• Başkalarının itiraz edebileceği bir thesis statement yazın. Thesis statement yanlışlanabilir olmalıdır.

Bilimsel makale yazarken thesis statement güçlü oluşturulmalıdır. Vaktiniz ve fırsatınız varsa, thesis statement cümlenizi hocanıza gösterin, thesis statement hakkında yorumları alın, bu yorumlara göre revize edin, zayıf noktaların iyileştirilmesi için çalışın.

Bunun yanı sıra, thesis statement yazarken şunlara dikkat etmelisiniz:

• Thesis statement research question cevap veriyor mu?
• Thesis statement yeterince kesin mi? Yazdığınız thesis statement genel ve belirsiz olmamalıdır.
• Essay body paragrafları thesis statement cümlesini destekliyor mu? Bunları karşılaştırın ve gerekirse değiştirin. Yazma ve gözden geçirme sürecinde çalışmanızın değişen unsurlarının olması normaldir.
• Thesis statement üzerinden savunduğunuz argüman itiraz edilebilir veya karşı çıkılabilir nitelikte mi? Değilse, belki bir argüman oluşturmak yerine bir özet cümlesi yazmış olabilirsiniz.
• Thesis statement “ne olmuş” testini geçiyor mu? Okuyucular için yeni/ilginç bilgiler sağlıyor mu yoksa sadece genel bir gerçeği mi ifade ediyor?

İyi hazırlanmış bir thesis statement, iyi şekillendirilmiş bir fikir demektir. Essay yazı parçasının güvenilirliğini artırır ve yazarı hakkında iyi bir izlenim bırakır.

Research Proposal

Research proposal, research paper yazmadan önce bu yazının nasıl olacağını anlatan kısa bir akademik makaledir. Araştırma yazısına benzer bölümlerden oluşur. Bu bölümler üniversitenize ve profesörünüzün istediklerine göre değişiklik gösterse de şu bölümlerden oluşabilir:

• Research question ile uyumlu başlık atmalısınız.
• Araştırmanızın neden önemi olduğunu anlatmalı (rationale veya justification); ve araştırmanız hakkında genel bilgiler veren background bölümünü yazmalısınız.
• Research problem ile uyumlu bir research question formüle etmelisiniz.
• Araştırmanın hangi metot ile yapılacağını anlatmalısınız.
• Araştırmanın hangi zaman çizelgesini izleyeceğini ve bu araştırma süresince neler yapacağınızı bu bölümde anlatmalısınız.
• Araştırma içinde kullandığınız referansları bu bölümde belirtmelisiniz.

Research proposal hemen her üniversite tarafından istenen bir yazı parçasıdır. Bu konuda danışmanlık almak için bize sağ aşağıda bulunan mesaj butonundan, iletişim bölümünden ya da [email protected] adresinden ulaşabilirsiniz.

Research Paper Nasıl Yazılır?

Research paper formatı birçok farklı formatta veya yapıda olabilir. Bizim bu yazıda kullanacağımız veya yapısı şu şekildedir:

Research Paper Introduction (Giriş) Bölümü Nasıl Yazılır?

• Üzerine çalıştığınız konuya hakkında okuyucuya genel bir bakış sunun – ana iddianızı veya argümanınızı ekleyin (thesis statement)
• Bu tezi neden yazdığınız hakkında kısa bir gerekçe (justification of the research) verin – okuyucularınıza araştırma makalenizin neden önemli olduğunu açıklayın (importance of the study)
• Research question kapsamı (research scope) ve planlanan yöntemin kısaca açıklayın (research method)

Issue (Problem) Bölümü

• Üzerine çalıştığınız konuyu ve problemin geçmişi hakkında bilgi verin.
• Bu problemin toplumu nasıl etkilediğini anlatın.
• Problemi tetikleyen sorunlar ve faktörler hakkında bilgi verin.
• Problemi çözmek için göstereceğiniz olası çözümler hakkında kısaca bilgi verin.

Research Paper  Literature Review (Literatür Araştırması) Bölümü Nasıl Yazılır?

Bilimsel makale yazarken kullanılan araştırma eylemi, kendi içinde birikimli bir süreçtir. Bu, kişinin araştırma sürecinde topladığı bilgilerle literatüre bir şeyler katması anlamına gelir. Ve bu beklenti nedeniyle, literature review (literatür tarama) sürecinin konuyu daraltmada ve ayrıca konuyla ilgili background information sağlamada çok yardımcı olduğu yer burasıdır.

Bir literature review (literatür taraması) yapmak, araştırma yaptığınız konu hakkında hali hazırda bilinenleri belirlemeye yardımcı olur. Kapsamlı bir literature review yapmak, aynı zamanda size research probleminize her açıdan bakma fırsatı da sağlayacaktır.

Literature review birkaç yolla yapılır. Bunlar:

• İnternette anahtar kelime taraması : Literatürün gözden geçirilmesine başlamak için en iyi yerlerden biri online databaselerde anahtar kelime araması yapmaktır. Daha önce online databaselerin JSTOR, JSTOR, Science Direct, Springer, Web of Science, Google Scholar gibi siteler olduğunu belirtmiştik. Bu sitelerde, bir öğrenci, anahtar kelime araması ile, akademik dergileri ve akademik makaleleri inceleyebilir ve bulardan kendi araştırması için bilgiler alabilir. Burada amaç güvenilirliği yüksek olan, güncel ve saygın akademik yayınlardan bilgileri almaktır. Dergilerin bağımsız olması ve peer reviewed hakemli dergiler olması da önemlidir.
• Önceki araştırmaların kontrol edilmesi: Arama sürecinin bir sonraki adımı, güvenilir ve saygın kuruluşların konu ile ilgili yaptığı çalışmalara bakmaktır. Bu kuruluşlar araştırma konunuz hakkında ne buldular, ne paylaşıyorlar ve yayınlıyorlar? Araştırma özel olarak mı yoksa kamu tarafından mı finanse ediliyor? Araştırmacılar bir şirket veya vakıfla mı bağlantılı, yoksa üniversite araştırma kurumlarına mı bağlı? Finansman kaynaklarına veya olası çıkar çatışmalarına bakmak esastır çünkü araştırma çalışmasının güvenilirliğini tartarken bulgulardaki doğal önyargının dikkate alınması gerekir.
• Üniversite kütüphanesindeki kitapların incelenmesi: Artık üzerinde çalışılacak epeyce background information sahibi olduğunuza göre, üniversite kütüphanelerine de bir göz atabilirsiniz. Araştırma konunuzla ilgili akademik dergi makalelerini veya diğer primary kaynakları aramak için research database kullanın. Bu tür kütüphane araştırması, araştırmak istediğiniz konuyu (uzmanlıklardan alt uzmanlıklara kadar) araştıran kurumlardan ve akademisyenlerden işinize yarayacak çok bilgi almanıza yarayabilir.
• Akademik kaynakları kullanın: Hakemli akademik dergiler, özellikle kör hakemli değerlendirme sürecine (blind peer-review process) dahil olan hakemli dergiler araştırma çalışmasının kalitesini değerlendirmede altın standart olarak bilinir; ve akademik araştırma makalelerinde en yüksek güvenilirliğe sahiptirler. Bu tarzda değerlendirilmiş akademik yayınlardan alacağınız akademik bilgiler en yüksek güvenilirliğe sahip olacaktır. Ayrıca, araştırdığınız ve hakkında yazdığınız konuyla ilgili tanınmış araştırmacılar ve akademisyenler tarafından yayınlanan bazı kitapları da kullanabilirsiniz. Çalışmanız bir konferansta yayınlanır veya kabul edilirse, takip ettiğiniz alandaki diğer araştırmacılar tarafından sonraki çalışmalarda alıntılanma veya alıntılanma şansınız yüksektir.

Literature Review Outline

Research paper literature review kısmına bir outline çıkarmamız gerekirse, outline şu şekilde olacaktır:

• Sorunu açıklamak için kullanılan ilgili teorileri veya konuya bir çözüm önermek için kullanılan teorileri tanımlayın
• Kavramlar veya teorik yapıları tanımlayın
• Konuyu açıklamak için kullanılan başlıca teorileri ve konu ile ilgili alaka düzeylerini anlatın
• Bugüne kadar yapılmış ilgili ampirik çalışmalara genel bakış
• Metodolojinin özeti
• Çalışmanızın ana bulguları nelerdi?
• Çalışmanın bulgularına ilişkin sınırlamalar nelerdi?
• Kendi araştırmanızda (varsa) kimin kavram(lar)ını ve tanım(lar)ını kullanacaksınız?
• İnceleyeceğiniz konunun benzersiz yönlerini açıklayın
• Şimdiye kadar okuduklarınıza dayanarak, kendi araştırmanız için en uygun yöntemi tanımlayın.

Research Method (Araştırma Metodu) Bölümü

Research paper için bilgi toplarken kullanabileceğiniz çeşitli research method türleri bulunmaktadır. Sizin için en doğru yöntemi belirlemek için research problem’ı iyi anlamalısınız.

• Focus group: Amaç, zaman ve paraya fazla yatırım yapmadan küçük bir grup insandan çok fazla bilgi elde etmekse focus group kurmak participant kişilerden bilgi almak için iyi bir yöntemdir. Katılımcıları (participant), bir yerde toplamak ve onlardan research question maddelerine ilişkin bilgi sağlamalarını istemek iyi bir yöntemdir. Kolaylık açısından uygun olsa da, focus group yönteminden elde edilen bulgular, katılımcılar keyfi olarak seçildiğinden, tüm popülasyona genelleştirilemez. Araştırmacı eğer research paper için nokta atışı bilgiler istiyorsa purposive sampling metodunu kullanıp katılımcıları kendi belirlediği kıstaslar ile seçebilir. Böylece katılımcıların research problem hakkında yeteri kadar bilgisi olduğu için katılımcılar sorulara güvenilir yanıtlar verebilir.
• Survey veya questionnaire (anketler): Rastgele seçilen katılımcılarla büyük bir örneklem kullanılarak yürütülen araştırmalar, literatürde yaygın olarak görülmektedir. Bununla birlikte, survey veya questionnaire metotlarının da zayıf yönleri olduğunu unutmamak gerekir çünkü katılımcılar araştırma problemi hakkındaki fikirlerini dürüstlükle beyan etmeyebilirler (yani, politik cevaplar verebilirler). Bunun için de survey veya questionnaire sorularına cross-check yapılabilecek validity ve reliability skorlarını arttıracak sorular koyulur.
• Field experiments (saha deneyleri): Field experiment, bazı katılımcıları sabit tutarak diğer grupta oynamalar yaparak yapılan oynamaların nasıl sonuçlar vereceğini görmek için yapılır. Mesela, bir ilaç firması yeni çıkan bir baş ağrısı ilacının etkinliğini ölçüyor olsun. Başı ağrıyan iki gruptan birine gerçek ilaç verilirken ötekine ilaç yerine etkisi olmayan bir hap verilir. Etkisiz hap verilen gruba placebo grubu denir. Araştırmacılar burada ilacın etkisini (oynama burada ilaçtır) anlamak için bir gruba ilaç verirken placebo grubuna vermez ve ilacın gercekten işe yarayıp yaramadığını ölçmeye çalışır. Bu deney, field experiment olarak adlandırılır. Bunun yanı sıra, içerik analizi, deneyler, doğrudan gözlem veya katılımcı gözlemler gibi yöntemler de araştırmacılar tarafından araştırma sorularına cevap bulmak için kullanılan geleneksel yöntemlerdir.

Research Question Nasıl Yazılır?

Research question ve research method bir bilimsel araştırma makalesindeki en önemli kısımlardır. İlk olarak, research question belirlenmesinde kapsam (scope) ve zaman çerçevesi açısından spesifik olmalıdır. Bilimsel araştırmalarda, research question nicel, nitel veya karma bir metot aracılığı ile ölçülebilir olmalıdır.

Örneğin, araştırma sorunuz, seçmenlerin kadın bir başkan adayını destekleyip desteklemediğini göstermek istiyorsa, belki de en iyi yöntem, field interview yapmak veya bu seçmenlerle rastgele bir örnekleme yöntemi (random sampling method) kullanarak bir telefon anketi yapmaktır. Sorularınıza yanıt almanıza yardımcı olabilecek birçok yol vardır. Bununla birlikte, her yöntemin kendine özgü güçlü ve zayıf yönleri olduğunun farkında olmak çok önemlidir.

Research Method Outline

Research paper methods kısmına bir outline çıkarmamız gerekirse, outline şu şekilde olacaktır:

• Bilimsel araştırma makalenizdeki research question cümlelerini okuyucuya tanımlayın.
• Kullanacağınız research method (araştırma yöntemini) tanımlayın.
• Research sample (araştırma örneklemi) tanımlayın.
• Data analiz metodunuzu tanımlayın.
• Neden bu research method (araştırma metodunu) seçtiğinizi belirtin (research method justification).
• Study limitation (araştırma yazısındaki kısıtlamalar) bahsedin.

Results and Discussion (Sonuçlar ve Tartışma) Bölümü

Research methods (araştırma yöntemleri) ile veri topladıktan sonra sıra elinizdeki bilgileri anlamlandırmaya geldi. Results ve discussion bölümü, araştırmacının çalışmasındaki bulguları sunduğu ve önceki literatür ile karşılaştırarak yorumladığı bölümdür. Araştırmacı bu kısımda aynı zamanda konu üzerinde gelecekte yapılacak olası araştırmalar için yol da gösterir.

Result bölümü

İlk olarak, çalışmanızın bulgularından bahsetmek büyük önem taşır. Result kısmını yazan bir araştırmacı şu soruları kendine sormalıdır:

• Araştırmanızdaki bulgular research question (araştırma sorularını) yanıtladı mı?
• Eğer araştırmanıza paralel olarak hipotezler oluşturduysanız, araştırma sonuçları hipotezleri destekledi mi?

Ayrıca, okuyucunun verilerinizi ve bilgilerinizi anlamaya ve anlamlandırmaya çalışmasına yardımcı olmak için araştırma bulgularınıza tablolar, grafikler, istatistiksel şekiller ve diğer görsel temsiller biçiminde destek sağlamanız okuyucularınız için yararlı olacaktır.

Discussion Bölümü

Analiz yaparken, bir yazar ve araştırmacı olarak, çalışmanızın bulgularını yorumlamanız gerekecektir. Bu bağlamda şu soruları kendinize sormanız önemlidir:

• Sonuçlarınız akademik literatüre bir katkı sağlıyor mu
• Sonuçlarınız akademik literatür için önemli mi?
• Bulgular önceki literatürü destekliyor mu?

Mevcut kanıtlarla, bir araştırmacı olarak, ortaya çıkardığınız bilgilerin önceki literatür ile bağlamını kurmak ve önemini açıklamak size düşüyor. Discussion bölümü bulgularınızın önceki bulgularla karşılaştırıldığı ve analiz edildiği bölümdür.

Results and Discussion Outline

• Bulgulardan (findings) bahsedin.
• Bulgulardan bahsederken grafikler, chartlar ve illustration’lar kullanın.
• Araştırmanızın daha önceki araştırmalarla olan benzerliklerini ve ayrı düştüğü kısımları anlatın.
• Sizi şaşırtan araştırma sonuçlarını anlatın. Bazen research hypothesis (araştırma hipotezi) ile ters düşen sonuçlar elde edebilirsiniz.
• Study limitation (araştırma yazısındaki kısıtlamalar) bahsedin. Neler sizi zorladı? Neler araştırma yapmanızı kısıtladı?

Conclusions and Recommendations (Sonuç ve Öneriler) Bölümü

Conclusion and recommendations bölümü, yazarın her şeyi özetlemesi ve tutarlı bir anlatıya bağlamasını sağlar. Bir conclusion tipik olarak research question, methods, results gibi araştırmanın önemli bölümlerine değinir. Conclusion bölümü, okuyucuların çalışmanızın özünü tekrar hatırlamasını sağlar. Bu bölüm özellikle okuyucuların yeterli zamanları olmadığında veya hızlıca göz atmak istediklerinde hızlı bir şekilde araştırma yazınızı okumalarına yarar.

Conclusions and Recommendations Outline

• Kısaca research question (araştırma sorusu), research method (araştırma metodu) ve önemli bulgulardan bahsedin.
• Okuyuculara bu çalışmanın asıl amacını ve araştırma yazınızda neler başardığınızı kısaca hatırlatın.
• Gelecekteki araştırmacıların çalışmanızı nasıl genişletebileceğini veya geliştirebileceğini açıklayın.
• Research problem (araştırma problemi) çözmek için hazırladığınız önerilerini okuyucularla paylaşın.

References (Referans) Bölümü

Referanslar (references) araştırma makalelerinde kulladığınız kaynakları belirttiğiniz bölümdür. Referans tarzı araştırmanızın alanına veya üniversitenizin gereksinimlerine bağlı olarak değişebilir.

Tipik olarak kullanılan birkaç referans stili vardır. En yaygın kullanılanları APA stili ve MLA stilidir. Ancak, Harvard, Chicago, American Medical Association (AMA), APSA (American Political Science Association), ASA (American Sociological Association), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) gibi birçok referans yöntemi vardır. References bölümünü yapmadan ve research paper için citation vermeden önce üniversitenizin stil kılavuzlarını kontrol edin ve sizden hangi yöntemi kullanmanızı istediğini iyice öğrenin.

APA (American Psychological Association) stili daha çok sosyal bilimler alanındaki kaynaklara atıfta bulunmak için kullanılmaktadır. Ayrıntılı bilgi American Psychological Association Handbook’da bulunabilir (6. baskı, 2. baskı).

MLA (Modern Language Association) stili en çok liberal sanatlar ve beşeri bilimler için kullanılır. Üzerindeki en son basılı kılavuz MLA Handbook’tur (8. baskı). Bu basım, her bir paper formatı için (basılı, çevrimiçi, e-kitaplar, vb.) bireysel öneriler sunmak yerine, yazarların her türlü kaynağa uygulayabilecekleri tek bir evrensel yönergeler setidir. Ayrıca, MLA stili ile research paper formatı ile yazarken parantez içindeki alıntıları doğru kullanmayı unutmayın.

Research Paper Nasıl Yazılır ? Essay Sepeti

Editing ve Proofreading 

Term paper veya araştırma yazınızı yazdıktan sonra yaptığınız hataları gözden geçirmelisiniz. Yazma aşaması hızlı sürdüğü için gözden kaçan birçok yanlış olabilir. Bunlar,

• Yazım Hataları (Spelling Hataları)
• Dilbilgisi Hataları (Grammar Hataları)
• Noktalama Hataları (Punctuation Hataları)
• Yanlış Kelime Kullanımı (Incorrect Word Usage)
• Tutarsız Ton (Inconsistent Voice)
• Tire ve Büyük Harf Kullanımı Hataları (Capitalization and Hyphenation Hataları)
• Fiil Zaman Hataları (Verb Tense Hataları)
• Cümle Yapısı Hataları (Sentence Structure Hataları)
• Biçimlendirme Hataları (Formatting Errors)
• Deyim Hataları (Idiom Errors)

gibi hatalar olabilir. Proofreading konusunu daha ayrıntılı öğrenmek için tıklayabilir, ya da proofreading ve editing hizmeti almak isterseniz bize sağ aşağıda bulunan mesaj butonundan, iletişim bölümünden ya da [email protected] adresinden ulaşabilirsiniz.

Bunun dışında editing yaparken soruları kendinize sormalısınız:

• Thesis statement açık ve net mi?
• Makaleniz iyi organize edilmiş mi ve başından sonuna kadar mantıksal geçişlerle kolay bir okuma sağlıyor mu?
• Fikirleriniz her paragrafta mantıklı bir sıra izliyor mu?
• Somut ayrıntıları ve gerçekleri kullandınız ve genellemelerden kaçındınız mı?
• Argümanlarınız thesis statement veya research question destekliyor ve kanıtlıyor mu?
• Tekrardan kaçındınız mı?
• Kaynaklarınız düzgün bir şekilde alıntılanmış mı?
• Yanlışlıkla intihal (plagiarism) olup olmadığını kontrol ettiniz mi?
• Diliniz açık ve net mi?
• Cümleleriniz akıcı ve anlaşılır mı?
• Sırf kelime veya sayfa tamamlamak için laf salatası yapmaktan kaçındınız mı?
• Dilbilgisi, yazım ve noktalama işaretlerini kontrol ettiniz mi?

Research Paper Checklist ve İlk Draft

Draft, araştırma makalenizin ilk taslağıdır ve olası değişikliklerin ilk gerçekleşeceği safhadır.

Research paper outline kısmındaki ilk bölümle başlayın. Yazdığınız, her şeyi okuyun. Paper yazarken kullanmayı planladığınız her fikri özetleyin, paraphrase edin veya quotation (alıntılar) yapın.

İlk outline, hele ilk kez term paper veya araştırma makalesi yazıyorsanız, hiçbir zaman mükemmel olmaz. Term paper veya araştırma yazınızı göndermeden önce research question’ı cevapladığından  emin olmak için en az üç kere review edin ve inceleyin. Bir arkadaşınızdan veya bir profesyonelden draft’ınızı okumasını isteyin. Anlamakta güçlük çektiği yerleri sorun.

Burada size term paper outline yazarken dikkat etmeniz gereken bir research paper checklist vereceğiz. Bunları en az iki kez kontrol etmenizi öneririz.

Herhangi bir içerik hatası olup olmadığını bulmak için araştırma makalenizi okuyun. İstatistikleri ve rakamları iki kez kontrol edin. Argümanlarınızı outline biçiminize uyacak şekilde düzenleyin. Gerekirse draft’ı yeniden düzenleyin.

Research Paper Content Checklist

• Thesis statement kısa ve net mi?
• Yazdığım outline formuna uydum mu?
• Argümanlarım mantıklı bir sırayla sunuyor muyum?
• Plagiarism yaptım mı?
• Tüm kaynaklara uygun şekilde atıfta bulunuyor muyum?
• Referans yöntemine uydum mu?
• Tezimi güçlü argümanlarla kanıtladım mı?
• Niyetlerimi paper yazarken açıkça belirttim mi?

Research Paper Grammar Checklist

• Her paragrafa uygun bir topic sentence ile başladım mı?
• Argümanlarımı kanıtlarla veya örneklerle destekledim mi?
• Devam eden veya bitmeyen cümleler var mı?
• Gereksiz veya tekrarlanan kelimeler var mı?
• Cümle uzunlukları farklı mı?
• Bir paragraf veya fikir diğerine sorunsuzca akıyor mu?
• Herhangi bir yazım veya dilbilgisi hatası var mı?
• Alıntılar kaynak, yazım ve noktalama açısından doğru mu?
• Tüm alıntılarım doğru ve doğru biçimde mi?
• Contractions kullanmaktan kaçındım mı? “Can’t” yerine “cannot”, “don’t” yerine “do not” kullanın.
• Mümkün olduğunca third person ifade tarzı kullandım mı? “I think”, “I guess”, “I suppose” gibi ifadeler kullanmaktan kaçının.
• Argümanlarımı açık ve akıcı bir hale getirdim, ancak nesnel kalabildim mi?
• Bilimsel makalenin sonunda okuyucularımın aklında bir soru işareti bıraktım mı?

Research Paper Örnekleri

Bu bölümde size research paper örnekleri vereceğiz. Siz de eğer research paper yazmak isterseniz Academia’da hazırladığımız bu research paper PDF outline dosyasını kullanabilirsiniz. Ayrıntılı olarak İngilizce makale örnekleri okumak isterseniz tıklayabilirsiniz.

Research paper örneği

Bu research paper örneği, Obama’nın eski tweet’lerine content analizi yapan bir research paper örneği olarak verilmiştir. Daha önceki research paper örneği incelenirse, aşağıdaki örneğin yukarıda verilen formata uyduğu görülecektir. Siz de verdiğimiz araştırma makalesi formatına uygun olarak bu şekilde research paper yazabilirsiniz.

Research paper örneği – Essay Sepeti

Bu research outline amacı, yazmaya başlamadan önce konunuzu dikkatlice düşünmenize ve mantıklı bir şekilde düzenlemenize yardımcı olmaktır. İyi bir research outline, iyi bir research paper yazmanın en önemli adımıdır. Anlatmak istediğiniz noktaların mantıksal olarak birbirini izlediğinden ve tamamladığından emin olmak için research outline formatınızı iyice kontrol edin. Araştırma taslağınıza (research paper outline) bir introduction, body paragrafları ve bir conclusion paragrafı ekleyin. İlk taslağı draft olarak oluşturabilir ve bir araştırma yazısı (research paper) yazarken düzenleyebilirsiniz.

Introduction paragrafı: Thesis statement ve research aim noktalarını (araştırma amacı) açıkça belirtin. Bu paper’ı yazmanızın nedeni nedir? Araştırmada ele alacağınız soruna nasıl yaklaşmayı planladığınızı da belirtin. Bu araştırmanızın metod kısmını oluşturacaktır. Bu research, bir olgusal rapor mudur, bir kitap incelemesi midir, bir karşılaştırma makalesi midir yoksa bir problemin analizi midir? Paper üzerinde ele alacağınız ana noktaları ve okuyucuların neden araştırma konunuzla ilgilenmesi gerektiğini kısaca açıklayın.

Body paragrafları: Thesis statement (tez cümlesini) desteklemek için argümanlarınızı sunduğunuz yer burasıdır. Bu bölüm, bölümünüze, profesörlerinizin gereksinimlerine vb. bağlı olarak değişebilen birçok bölüme ayrılmıştır. Bu bölüm genellikle bir literatür taraması (literature review), metodoloji (methods), analiz (analysis), sonuçlar (results) ve tartışmadan (discussion) oluşur.

Conclusion paragrafı: Bu bölümde thesis statement ya da research question yeniden ifade edilir ve argümanlarınızı özetlenir. Elde edilen bulgulardan neden bu sonuca vardığınız açıklanır. Araştırmanızın neden değerli olduğu ve elde edilen sonuçların gelecekteki araştırmalar için nasıl kullanılabileceği de gözler önüne serilir.

Research paper örneği PDF

Bu kısımda ise size ayrıntılı olarak hazırlanmış bir research paper (PDF) örneği vereceğiz. Linke tıklayarak Academia sayfamızdan örneğe ulaşabilirsiniz.

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What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is a type of text which maps out a proposed central research problem or question and a suggested approach to its investigation.

In many universities, including RMIT, the research proposal is a formal requirement. It is central to achieving your first milestone: your Confirmation of Candidature. The research proposal is useful for both you and the University: it gives you the opportunity to get valuable feedback about your intended research aims, objectives and design. It also confirms that your proposed research is worth doing, which puts you on track for a successful candidature supported by your School and the University. 

Although there may be specific School or disciplinary requirements that you need to be aware of, all research proposals address the following central themes:

• what   you propose to research
• why   the topic needs to be researched
• how  you plan to research it.

Purpose and audience

Before venturing into writing a research purposal, it is important to think about the  purpose  and  audience of this type of text.  Spend a moment or two to reflect on what these might be.

What do you think is the purpose of your research proposal and who is your audience?

The purpose of your research proposal is:

1. To allow experienced researchers (your supervisors and their peers) to assess whether

• the research question or problem is viable (that is, answers or solutions are possible)
• the research is worth doing in terms of its contribution to the field of study and benefits to stakeholders
• the scope is appropriate to the degree (Masters or PhD)
• you’ve understood the relevant key literature and identified the gap for your research
• you’ve chosen an appropriate methodological approach.

2. To help you clarify and focus on what you want to do, why you want to do it, and how you’ll do it. The research proposal helps you position yourself as a researcher in your field. It will also allow you to:

• systematically think through your proposed research, argue for its significance and identify the scope
• show a critical understanding of the scholarly field around your proposed research
• show the gap in the literature that your research will address
• justify your proposed research design
• identify all tasks that need to be done through a realistic timetable
• anticipate potential problems
• hone organisational skills that you will need for your research
• become familiar with relevant search engines and databases
• develop skills in research writing.

The main audience for your research proposal is your reviewers. Universities usually assign a panel of reviewers to which you need to submit your research proposal. Often this is within the first year of study for PhD candidates, and within the first six months for Masters by Research candidates.

Your reviewers may have a strong disciplinary understanding of the area of your proposed research, but depending on your specialisation, they may not. It is therefore important to create a clear context, rationale and framework for your proposed research. Limit jargon and specialist terminology so that non-specialists can comprehend it. You need to convince the reviewers that your proposed research is worth doing and that you will be able to effectively ‘interrogate’ your research questions or address the research problems through your chosen research design.

Your review panel will expect you to demonstrate:

• a clearly defined and feasible research project
• a clearly explained rationale for your research
• evidence that your research will make an original contribution through a critical review of the literature
• written skills appropriate to graduate research study.

Research and Writing Skills for Academic and Graduate Researchers Copyright © 2022 by RMIT University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Research Proposal vs. Research Report

What's the difference.

A research proposal and a research report are both essential components of the research process, but they serve different purposes. A research proposal is a document that outlines the objectives, methodology, and significance of a research project. It is typically submitted to gain approval and funding for the research. On the other hand, a research report is a detailed account of the research findings, analysis, and conclusions. It presents the results of the research in a structured and organized manner, often including tables, graphs, and references. While a research proposal focuses on the planning and design of the study, a research report focuses on the actual execution and outcomes of the research.

Further Detail

Introduction.

Research is an essential component of academic and professional endeavors, providing a systematic approach to gather and analyze information. Two crucial elements of the research process are the research proposal and the research report. While both serve distinct purposes, they share common attributes that contribute to the overall success of a research project. This article aims to explore and compare the attributes of research proposals and research reports, highlighting their significance in the research process.

Research Proposal

A research proposal is a document that outlines the objectives, methodology, and potential outcomes of a research project. It serves as a blueprint for the research, providing a comprehensive plan that guides the researcher throughout the process. The key attributes of a research proposal include:

• Introduction: The research proposal begins with an introduction that provides background information on the topic, highlights the research problem, and establishes the significance of the study.
• Research Questions or Objectives: The proposal clearly states the research questions or objectives that the study aims to address. These questions or objectives guide the entire research process and help in formulating a focused approach.
• Literature Review: A research proposal includes a literature review that critically analyzes existing research and identifies gaps in knowledge. This review helps to establish the rationale for the proposed study and demonstrates the researcher's familiarity with the subject area.
• Methodology: The methodology section outlines the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques that will be employed. It provides a detailed plan for how the research will be conducted, ensuring transparency and replicability.
• Timeline and Budget: A research proposal often includes a timeline that outlines the expected duration of the study and a budget that estimates the required resources. These elements help to assess the feasibility and practicality of the proposed research.

Research Report

A research report is a comprehensive document that presents the findings, analysis, and conclusions of a research study. It serves as a means of communicating the research outcomes to the intended audience, whether it be academic peers, industry professionals, or policymakers. The key attributes of a research report include:

• Abstract: The research report begins with an abstract that provides a concise summary of the study, including the research questions, methodology, key findings, and conclusions. It allows readers to quickly grasp the essence of the research.
• Introduction: Similar to the research proposal, the research report includes an introduction that provides background information and establishes the context for the study. It also outlines the research problem and objectives.
• Methodology: The methodology section in the research report describes in detail the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques employed. It allows readers to assess the validity and reliability of the study.
• Results and Analysis: The research report presents the findings of the study, often accompanied by statistical analysis, graphs, and tables. It provides a detailed account of the data collected and the outcomes of the analysis.
• Discussion and Conclusion: The discussion section interprets the results in light of the research objectives and compares them with existing literature. It highlights the significance of the findings and their implications. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and offers recommendations for future research or practical applications.
• References: A research report includes a comprehensive list of references cited throughout the document. This allows readers to access the sources and verify the accuracy of the information presented.

Comparing Attributes

While research proposals and research reports have distinct purposes, they share several common attributes that contribute to the overall success of a research project. These attributes include:

• Clarity and Structure: Both research proposals and research reports require clear and logical organization. They should be well-structured, with headings and subheadings that guide the reader through the document.
• Research Objectives: Both documents clearly state the research objectives or questions that guide the study. This ensures that the research remains focused and addresses the intended goals.
• Methodology: Both research proposals and research reports describe the research methodology, including the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques. This transparency allows others to assess the validity and reliability of the research.
• Relevance and Significance: Both documents establish the relevance and significance of the research. They provide a rationale for why the study is important and how it contributes to existing knowledge or addresses a research gap.
• Evidence-Based Approach: Both research proposals and research reports rely on evidence-based approaches. They draw upon existing literature, theories, and empirical data to support their arguments and findings.

In conclusion, research proposals and research reports are integral components of the research process, each serving distinct purposes. While the research proposal outlines the plan and objectives of the study, the research report presents the findings and conclusions. However, both documents share common attributes such as clarity, structure, research objectives, methodology, relevance, and evidence-based approaches. Understanding and effectively utilizing these attributes contribute to the success of a research project, ensuring that it is well-planned, executed, and communicated to the intended audience.

Comparisons may contain inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. Please report any issues.

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• Indian J Anaesth
• v.60(9); 2016 Sep

How to write a research proposal?

Department of Anaesthesiology, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Devika Rani Duggappa

Writing the proposal of a research work in the present era is a challenging task due to the constantly evolving trends in the qualitative research design and the need to incorporate medical advances into the methodology. The proposal is a detailed plan or ‘blueprint’ for the intended study, and once it is completed, the research project should flow smoothly. Even today, many of the proposals at post-graduate evaluation committees and application proposals for funding are substandard. A search was conducted with keywords such as research proposal, writing proposal and qualitative using search engines, namely, PubMed and Google Scholar, and an attempt has been made to provide broad guidelines for writing a scientifically appropriate research proposal.

INTRODUCTION

A clean, well-thought-out proposal forms the backbone for the research itself and hence becomes the most important step in the process of conduct of research.[ 1 ] The objective of preparing a research proposal would be to obtain approvals from various committees including ethics committee [details under ‘Research methodology II’ section [ Table 1 ] in this issue of IJA) and to request for grants. However, there are very few universally accepted guidelines for preparation of a good quality research proposal. A search was performed with keywords such as research proposal, funding, qualitative and writing proposals using search engines, namely, PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus.

Five ‘C’s while writing a literature review

BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A proposal needs to show how your work fits into what is already known about the topic and what new paradigm will it add to the literature, while specifying the question that the research will answer, establishing its significance, and the implications of the answer.[ 2 ] The proposal must be capable of convincing the evaluation committee about the credibility, achievability, practicality and reproducibility (repeatability) of the research design.[ 3 ] Four categories of audience with different expectations may be present in the evaluation committees, namely academic colleagues, policy-makers, practitioners and lay audiences who evaluate the research proposal. Tips for preparation of a good research proposal include; ‘be practical, be persuasive, make broader links, aim for crystal clarity and plan before you write’. A researcher must be balanced, with a realistic understanding of what can be achieved. Being persuasive implies that researcher must be able to convince other researchers, research funding agencies, educational institutions and supervisors that the research is worth getting approval. The aim of the researcher should be clearly stated in simple language that describes the research in a way that non-specialists can comprehend, without use of jargons. The proposal must not only demonstrate that it is based on an intelligent understanding of the existing literature but also show that the writer has thought about the time needed to conduct each stage of the research.[ 4 , 5 ]

CONTENTS OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

The contents or formats of a research proposal vary depending on the requirements of evaluation committee and are generally provided by the evaluation committee or the institution.

In general, a cover page should contain the (i) title of the proposal, (ii) name and affiliation of the researcher (principal investigator) and co-investigators, (iii) institutional affiliation (degree of the investigator and the name of institution where the study will be performed), details of contact such as phone numbers, E-mail id's and lines for signatures of investigators.

The main contents of the proposal may be presented under the following headings: (i) introduction, (ii) review of literature, (iii) aims and objectives, (iv) research design and methods, (v) ethical considerations, (vi) budget, (vii) appendices and (viii) citations.[ 4 ]

Introduction

It is also sometimes termed as ‘need for study’ or ‘abstract’. Introduction is an initial pitch of an idea; it sets the scene and puts the research in context.[ 6 ] The introduction should be designed to create interest in the reader about the topic and proposal. It should convey to the reader, what you want to do, what necessitates the study and your passion for the topic.[ 7 ] Some questions that can be used to assess the significance of the study are: (i) Who has an interest in the domain of inquiry? (ii) What do we already know about the topic? (iii) What has not been answered adequately in previous research and practice? (iv) How will this research add to knowledge, practice and policy in this area? Some of the evaluation committees, expect the last two questions, elaborated under a separate heading of ‘background and significance’.[ 8 ] Introduction should also contain the hypothesis behind the research design. If hypothesis cannot be constructed, the line of inquiry to be used in the research must be indicated.

Review of literature

It refers to all sources of scientific evidence pertaining to the topic in interest. In the present era of digitalisation and easy accessibility, there is an enormous amount of relevant data available, making it a challenge for the researcher to include all of it in his/her review.[ 9 ] It is crucial to structure this section intelligently so that the reader can grasp the argument related to your study in relation to that of other researchers, while still demonstrating to your readers that your work is original and innovative. It is preferable to summarise each article in a paragraph, highlighting the details pertinent to the topic of interest. The progression of review can move from the more general to the more focused studies, or a historical progression can be used to develop the story, without making it exhaustive.[ 1 ] Literature should include supporting data, disagreements and controversies. Five ‘C's may be kept in mind while writing a literature review[ 10 ] [ Table 1 ].

Aims and objectives

The research purpose (or goal or aim) gives a broad indication of what the researcher wishes to achieve in the research. The hypothesis to be tested can be the aim of the study. The objectives related to parameters or tools used to achieve the aim are generally categorised as primary and secondary objectives.

Research design and method

The objective here is to convince the reader that the overall research design and methods of analysis will correctly address the research problem and to impress upon the reader that the methodology/sources chosen are appropriate for the specific topic. It should be unmistakably tied to the specific aims of your study.

In this section, the methods and sources used to conduct the research must be discussed, including specific references to sites, databases, key texts or authors that will be indispensable to the project. There should be specific mention about the methodological approaches to be undertaken to gather information, about the techniques to be used to analyse it and about the tests of external validity to which researcher is committed.[ 10 , 11 ]

The components of this section include the following:[ 4 ]

Population and sample

Population refers to all the elements (individuals, objects or substances) that meet certain criteria for inclusion in a given universe,[ 12 ] and sample refers to subset of population which meets the inclusion criteria for enrolment into the study. The inclusion and exclusion criteria should be clearly defined. The details pertaining to sample size are discussed in the article “Sample size calculation: Basic priniciples” published in this issue of IJA.

Data collection

The researcher is expected to give a detailed account of the methodology adopted for collection of data, which include the time frame required for the research. The methodology should be tested for its validity and ensure that, in pursuit of achieving the results, the participant's life is not jeopardised. The author should anticipate and acknowledge any potential barrier and pitfall in carrying out the research design and explain plans to address them, thereby avoiding lacunae due to incomplete data collection. If the researcher is planning to acquire data through interviews or questionnaires, copy of the questions used for the same should be attached as an annexure with the proposal.

Rigor (soundness of the research)

This addresses the strength of the research with respect to its neutrality, consistency and applicability. Rigor must be reflected throughout the proposal.

It refers to the robustness of a research method against bias. The author should convey the measures taken to avoid bias, viz. blinding and randomisation, in an elaborate way, thus ensuring that the result obtained from the adopted method is purely as chance and not influenced by other confounding variables.

Consistency

Consistency considers whether the findings will be consistent if the inquiry was replicated with the same participants and in a similar context. This can be achieved by adopting standard and universally accepted methods and scales.

Applicability

Applicability refers to the degree to which the findings can be applied to different contexts and groups.[ 13 ]

Data analysis

This section deals with the reduction and reconstruction of data and its analysis including sample size calculation. The researcher is expected to explain the steps adopted for coding and sorting the data obtained. Various tests to be used to analyse the data for its robustness, significance should be clearly stated. Author should also mention the names of statistician and suitable software which will be used in due course of data analysis and their contribution to data analysis and sample calculation.[ 9 ]

Ethical considerations

Medical research introduces special moral and ethical problems that are not usually encountered by other researchers during data collection, and hence, the researcher should take special care in ensuring that ethical standards are met. Ethical considerations refer to the protection of the participants' rights (right to self-determination, right to privacy, right to autonomy and confidentiality, right to fair treatment and right to protection from discomfort and harm), obtaining informed consent and the institutional review process (ethical approval). The researcher needs to provide adequate information on each of these aspects.

Informed consent needs to be obtained from the participants (details discussed in further chapters), as well as the research site and the relevant authorities.

When the researcher prepares a research budget, he/she should predict and cost all aspects of the research and then add an additional allowance for unpredictable disasters, delays and rising costs. All items in the budget should be justified.

Appendices are documents that support the proposal and application. The appendices will be specific for each proposal but documents that are usually required include informed consent form, supporting documents, questionnaires, measurement tools and patient information of the study in layman's language.

As with any scholarly research paper, you must cite the sources you used in composing your proposal. Although the words ‘references and bibliography’ are different, they are used interchangeably. It refers to all references cited in the research proposal.

Successful, qualitative research proposals should communicate the researcher's knowledge of the field and method and convey the emergent nature of the qualitative design. The proposal should follow a discernible logic from the introduction to presentation of the appendices.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

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11.2 Steps in Developing a Research Proposal

Learning objectives.

• Identify the steps in developing a research proposal.
• Choose a topic and formulate a research question and working thesis.
• Develop a research proposal.

Writing a good research paper takes time, thought, and effort. Although this assignment is challenging, it is manageable. Focusing on one step at a time will help you develop a thoughtful, informative, well-supported research paper.

Your first step is to choose a topic and then to develop research questions, a working thesis, and a written research proposal. Set aside adequate time for this part of the process. Fully exploring ideas will help you build a solid foundation for your paper.

Choosing a Topic

When you choose a topic for a research paper, you are making a major commitment. Your choice will help determine whether you enjoy the lengthy process of research and writing—and whether your final paper fulfills the assignment requirements. If you choose your topic hastily, you may later find it difficult to work with your topic. By taking your time and choosing carefully, you can ensure that this assignment is not only challenging but also rewarding.

Writers understand the importance of choosing a topic that fulfills the assignment requirements and fits the assignment’s purpose and audience. (For more information about purpose and audience, see Chapter 6 “Writing Paragraphs: Separating Ideas and Shaping Content” .) Choosing a topic that interests you is also crucial. You instructor may provide a list of suggested topics or ask that you develop a topic on your own. In either case, try to identify topics that genuinely interest you.

After identifying potential topic ideas, you will need to evaluate your ideas and choose one topic to pursue. Will you be able to find enough information about the topic? Can you develop a paper about this topic that presents and supports your original ideas? Is the topic too broad or too narrow for the scope of the assignment? If so, can you modify it so it is more manageable? You will ask these questions during this preliminary phase of the research process.

Identifying Potential Topics

Sometimes, your instructor may provide a list of suggested topics. If so, you may benefit from identifying several possibilities before committing to one idea. It is important to know how to narrow down your ideas into a concise, manageable thesis. You may also use the list as a starting point to help you identify additional, related topics. Discussing your ideas with your instructor will help ensure that you choose a manageable topic that fits the requirements of the assignment.

In this chapter, you will follow a writer named Jorge, who is studying health care administration, as he prepares a research paper. You will also plan, research, and draft your own research paper.

Jorge was assigned to write a research paper on health and the media for an introductory course in health care. Although a general topic was selected for the students, Jorge had to decide which specific issues interested him. He brainstormed a list of possibilities.

If you are writing a research paper for a specialized course, look back through your notes and course activities. Identify reading assignments and class discussions that especially engaged you. Doing so can help you identify topics to pursue.

• Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) in the news
• Sexual education programs
• Hollywood and eating disorders
• Americans’ access to public health information
• Media portrayal of health care reform bill
• Depictions of drugs on television
• The effect of the Internet on mental health
• Popularized diets (such as low-carbohydrate diets)
• Fear of pandemics (bird flu, HINI, SARS)
• Electronic entertainment and obesity
• Advertisements for prescription drugs
• Public education and disease prevention

Set a timer for five minutes. Use brainstorming or idea mapping to create a list of topics you would be interested in researching for a paper about the influence of the Internet on social networking. Do you closely follow the media coverage of a particular website, such as Twitter? Would you like to learn more about a certain industry, such as online dating? Which social networking sites do you and your friends use? List as many ideas related to this topic as you can.

Narrowing Your Topic

Once you have a list of potential topics, you will need to choose one as the focus of your essay. You will also need to narrow your topic. Most writers find that the topics they listed during brainstorming or idea mapping are broad—too broad for the scope of the assignment. Working with an overly broad topic, such as sexual education programs or popularized diets, can be frustrating and overwhelming. Each topic has so many facets that it would be impossible to cover them all in a college research paper. However, more specific choices, such as the pros and cons of sexual education in kids’ television programs or the physical effects of the South Beach diet, are specific enough to write about without being too narrow to sustain an entire research paper.

A good research paper provides focused, in-depth information and analysis. If your topic is too broad, you will find it difficult to do more than skim the surface when you research it and write about it. Narrowing your focus is essential to making your topic manageable. To narrow your focus, explore your topic in writing, conduct preliminary research, and discuss both the topic and the research with others.

Exploring Your Topic in Writing

“How am I supposed to narrow my topic when I haven’t even begun researching yet?” In fact, you may already know more than you realize. Review your list and identify your top two or three topics. Set aside some time to explore each one through freewriting. (For more information about freewriting, see Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” .) Simply taking the time to focus on your topic may yield fresh angles.

Jorge knew that he was especially interested in the topic of diet fads, but he also knew that it was much too broad for his assignment. He used freewriting to explore his thoughts so he could narrow his topic. Read Jorge’s ideas.

Conducting Preliminary Research

Another way writers may focus a topic is to conduct preliminary research . Like freewriting, exploratory reading can help you identify interesting angles. Surfing the web and browsing through newspaper and magazine articles are good ways to start. Find out what people are saying about your topic on blogs and online discussion groups. Discussing your topic with others can also inspire you. Talk about your ideas with your classmates, your friends, or your instructor.

Jorge’s freewriting exercise helped him realize that the assigned topic of health and the media intersected with a few of his interests—diet, nutrition, and obesity. Preliminary online research and discussions with his classmates strengthened his impression that many people are confused or misled by media coverage of these subjects.

Jorge decided to focus his paper on a topic that had garnered a great deal of media attention—low-carbohydrate diets. He wanted to find out whether low-carbohydrate diets were as effective as their proponents claimed.

Writing at Work

At work, you may need to research a topic quickly to find general information. This information can be useful in understanding trends in a given industry or generating competition. For example, a company may research a competitor’s prices and use the information when pricing their own product. You may find it useful to skim a variety of reliable sources and take notes on your findings.

The reliability of online sources varies greatly. In this exploratory phase of your research, you do not need to evaluate sources as closely as you will later. However, use common sense as you refine your paper topic. If you read a fascinating blog comment that gives you a new idea for your paper, be sure to check out other, more reliable sources as well to make sure the idea is worth pursuing.

Review the list of topics you created in Note 11.18 “Exercise 1” and identify two or three topics you would like to explore further. For each of these topics, spend five to ten minutes writing about the topic without stopping. Then review your writing to identify possible areas of focus.

Set aside time to conduct preliminary research about your potential topics. Then choose a topic to pursue for your research paper.

Collaboration

Please share your topic list with a classmate. Select one or two topics on his or her list that you would like to learn more about and return it to him or her. Discuss why you found the topics interesting, and learn which of your topics your classmate selected and why.

A Plan for Research

Your freewriting and preliminary research have helped you choose a focused, manageable topic for your research paper. To work with your topic successfully, you will need to determine what exactly you want to learn about it—and later, what you want to say about it. Before you begin conducting in-depth research, you will further define your focus by developing a research question , a working thesis, and a research proposal.

Formulating a Research Question

In forming a research question, you are setting a goal for your research. Your main research question should be substantial enough to form the guiding principle of your paper—but focused enough to guide your research. A strong research question requires you not only to find information but also to put together different pieces of information, interpret and analyze them, and figure out what you think. As you consider potential research questions, ask yourself whether they would be too hard or too easy to answer.

To determine your research question, review the freewriting you completed earlier. Skim through books, articles, and websites and list the questions you have. (You may wish to use the 5WH strategy to help you formulate questions. See Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” for more information about 5WH questions.) Include simple, factual questions and more complex questions that would require analysis and interpretation. Determine your main question—the primary focus of your paper—and several subquestions that you will need to research to answer your main question.

Here are the research questions Jorge will use to focus his research. Notice that his main research question has no obvious, straightforward answer. Jorge will need to research his subquestions, which address narrower topics, to answer his main question.

Using the topic you selected in Note 11.24 “Exercise 2” , write your main research question and at least four to five subquestions. Check that your main research question is appropriately complex for your assignment.

Constructing a Working ThesIs

A working thesis concisely states a writer’s initial answer to the main research question. It does not merely state a fact or present a subjective opinion. Instead, it expresses a debatable idea or claim that you hope to prove through additional research. Your working thesis is called a working thesis for a reason—it is subject to change. As you learn more about your topic, you may change your thinking in light of your research findings. Let your working thesis serve as a guide to your research, but do not be afraid to modify it based on what you learn.

Jorge began his research with a strong point of view based on his preliminary writing and research. Read his working thesis statement, which presents the point he will argue. Notice how it states Jorge’s tentative answer to his research question.

One way to determine your working thesis is to consider how you would complete sentences such as I believe or My opinion is . However, keep in mind that academic writing generally does not use first-person pronouns. These statements are useful starting points, but formal research papers use an objective voice.

Write a working thesis statement that presents your preliminary answer to the research question you wrote in Note 11.27 “Exercise 3” . Check that your working thesis statement presents an idea or claim that could be supported or refuted by evidence from research.

Creating a Research Proposal

A research proposal is a brief document—no more than one typed page—that summarizes the preliminary work you have completed. Your purpose in writing it is to formalize your plan for research and present it to your instructor for feedback. In your research proposal, you will present your main research question, related subquestions, and working thesis. You will also briefly discuss the value of researching this topic and indicate how you plan to gather information.

When Jorge began drafting his research proposal, he realized that he had already created most of the pieces he needed. However, he knew he also had to explain how his research would be relevant to other future health care professionals. In addition, he wanted to form a general plan for doing the research and identifying potentially useful sources. Read Jorge’s research proposal.

Before you begin a new project at work, you may have to develop a project summary document that states the purpose of the project, explains why it would be a wise use of company resources, and briefly outlines the steps involved in completing the project. This type of document is similar to a research proposal. Both documents define and limit a project, explain its value, discuss how to proceed, and identify what resources you will use.

Writing Your Own Research Proposal

Now you may write your own research proposal, if you have not done so already. Follow the guidelines provided in this lesson.

Key Takeaways

• Developing a research proposal involves the following preliminary steps: identifying potential ideas, choosing ideas to explore further, choosing and narrowing a topic, formulating a research question, and developing a working thesis.
• A good topic for a research paper interests the writer and fulfills the requirements of the assignment.
• Defining and narrowing a topic helps writers conduct focused, in-depth research.
• Writers conduct preliminary research to identify possible topics and research questions and to develop a working thesis.
• A good research question interests readers, is neither too broad nor too narrow, and has no obvious answer.
• A good working thesis expresses a debatable idea or claim that can be supported with evidence from research.
• Writers create a research proposal to present their topic, main research question, subquestions, and working thesis to an instructor for approval or feedback.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a research plan and a research proposal.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

Frequently asked questions: Writing a research paper

A research project is an academic, scientific, or professional undertaking to answer a research question . Research projects can take many forms, such as qualitative or quantitative , descriptive , longitudinal , experimental , or correlational . What kind of research approach you choose will depend on your topic.

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

• Researchability
• Feasibility and specificity
• Relevance and originality

Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them.

In general, they should be:

• Focused and researchable
• Answerable using credible sources
• Complex and arguable
• Feasible and specific
• Relevant and original

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .

Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.

I will compare …

Your research objectives indicate how you’ll try to address your research problem and should be specific:

Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.

They summarize the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .

The main guidelines for formatting a paper in Chicago style are to:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman
• Use 1 inch margins or larger
• Apply double line spacing
• Indent every new paragraph ½ inch
• Include a title page
• Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center
• Cite your sources with author-date citations or Chicago footnotes
• Include a bibliography or reference list

To automatically generate accurate Chicago references, you can use Scribbr’s free Chicago reference generator .

The main guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style are as follows:

• Use an easily readable font like 12 pt Times New Roman
• Set 1 inch page margins
• Include a four-line MLA heading on the first page
• Center the paper’s title
• Use title case capitalization for headings
• Cite your sources with MLA in-text citations
• List all sources cited on a Works Cited page at the end

To format a paper in APA Style , follow these guidelines:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman or 11 pt Arial
• If submitting for publication, insert a running head on every page
• Apply APA heading styles
• Cite your sources with APA in-text citations
• List all sources cited on a reference page at the end

No, it’s not appropriate to present new arguments or evidence in the conclusion . While you might be tempted to save a striking argument for last, research papers follow a more formal structure than this.

All your findings and arguments should be presented in the body of the text (more specifically in the results and discussion sections if you are following a scientific structure). The conclusion is meant to summarize and reflect on the evidence and arguments you have already presented, not introduce new ones.

The conclusion of a research paper has several key elements you should make sure to include:

• A restatement of the research problem
• A summary of your key arguments and/or findings
• A short discussion of the implications of your research

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .

A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis —a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.

The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem

and your problem statement

• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an overview of the paper

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• How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

Published on 30 October 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on 13 June 2023.

A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it’s important, and how you will conduct your research.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals will contain at least these elements:

Introduction

Literature review.

• Research design

Reference list

While the sections may vary, the overall objective is always the same. A research proposal serves as a blueprint and guide for your research plan, helping you get organised and feel confident in the path forward you choose to take.

Table of contents

Research proposal purpose, research proposal examples, research design and methods, contribution to knowledge, research schedule, frequently asked questions.

Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application , or prior to starting your thesis or dissertation .

In addition to helping you figure out what your research can look like, a proposal can also serve to demonstrate why your project is worth pursuing to a funder, educational institution, or supervisor.

Research proposal length

The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.

One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.

Download our research proposal template

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.

• Example research proposal #1: ‘A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management’
• Example research proposal #2: ‘ Medical Students as Mediators of Change in Tobacco Use’

Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:

• The proposed title of your project
• Your supervisor’s name
• Your institution and department

The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.

Your introduction should:

• Introduce your topic
• Give necessary background and context
• Outline your  problem statement  and research questions

To guide your introduction , include information about:

• Who could have an interest in the topic (e.g., scientists, policymakers)
• How much is already known about the topic
• What is missing from this current knowledge
• What new insights your research will contribute
• Why you believe this research is worth doing

As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review  shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.

In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:

• Comparing and contrasting the main theories, methods, and debates
• Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
• Explaining how will you build on, challenge, or synthesise prior scholarship

Following the literature review, restate your main  objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.

To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasise again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.

For example, your results might have implications for:

• Improving best practices
• Informing policymaking decisions
• Strengthening a theory or model
• Challenging popular or scientific beliefs
• Creating a basis for future research

Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .

Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.

Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.

Download our research schedule template

If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.

Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:

• Cost : exactly how much money do you need?
• Justification : why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
• Source : how did you calculate the amount?

To determine your budget, think about:

• Travel costs : do you need to go somewhere to collect your data? How will you get there, and how much time will you need? What will you do there (e.g., interviews, archival research)?
• Materials : do you need access to any tools or technologies?
• Help : do you need to hire any research assistants for the project? What will they do, and how much will you pay them?

Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement.

Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.

I will compare …

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

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McCombes, S. & George, T. (2023, June 13). How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved 12 August 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/the-research-process/research-proposal-explained/

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Writing a Research Proposal

Parts of a research proposal, prosana model, introduction, research question, methodology.

• Structure of a Research Proposal
• Common Proposal Writing Mistakes
• Proposal Writing Resources

A research proposal's purpose is to capture the evaluator's attention, demonstrate the study's potential benefits, and prove that it is a logical and consistent approach (Van Ekelenburg, 2010).  To ensure that your research proposal contains these elements, there are several aspects to include in your proposal (Al-Riyami, 2008):

• Objective(s)
• Variables (independent and dependent)
• Research Question and/or hypothesis

Details about what to include in each element are included in the boxes below.  Depending on the topic of your study, some parts may not apply to your proposal.  You can also watch the video below for a brief overview about writing a successful research proposal.

Van Ekelenburg (2010) uses the PROSANA Model to guide researchers in developing rationale and justification for their research projects.  It is an acronym that connects the problem, solution, and benefits of a particular research project.  It is an easy way to remember the critical parts of a research proposal and how they relate to one another.  It includes the following letters (Van Ekelenburg, 2010):

• Problem: Describing the main problem that the researcher is trying to solve.
• Root causes: Describing what is causing the problem.  Why is the topic an issue?
• fOcus: Narrowing down one of the underlying causes on which the researcher will focus for their research project.
• Solutions: Listing potential solutions or approaches to fix to the problem.  There could be more than one.
• Approach: Selecting the solution that the researcher will want to focus on.
• Novelty: Describing how the solution will address or solve the problem.
• Arguments: Explaining how the proposed solution will benefit the problem.

Research proposal titles should be concise and to the point, but informative.  The title of your proposal may be different from the title of your final research project, but that is completely normal!  Your findings may help you come up with a title that is more fitting for the final project.  Characteristics of good proposal titles are (Al-Riyami, 2008):

• Catchy: It catches the reader's attention by peaking their interest.
• Positive: It spins your project in a positive way towards the reader.
• Transparent: It identifies the independent and dependent variables.

It is also common for proposal titles to be very similar to your research question, hypothesis, or thesis statement (Locke et al., 2007).

An abstract is a brief summary (about 300 words) of the study you are proposing.  It includes the following elements (Al-Riyami, 2008):

• Your primary research question(s).
• Hypothesis or main argument.
• Method you will use to complete the study.  This may include the design, sample population, or measuring instruments that you plan to use.

Our guide on writing summaries may help you with this step.

The purpose of the introduction is to give readers background information about your topic.  it gives the readers a basic understanding of your topic so that they can further understand the significance of your proposal.  A good introduction will explain (Al-Riyami, 2008):

• How it relates to other research done on the topic
• Why your research is significant to the field
• The relevance of your study

Your research objectives are the desired outcomes that you will achieve from the research project.  Depending on your research design, these may be generic or very specific.  You may also have more than one objective (Al-Riyami, 2008).

• General objectives are what the research project will accomplish
• Specific objectives relate to the research questions that the researcher aims to answer through the study.

Be careful not to have too many objectives in your proposal, as having too many can make your project lose focus.  Plus, it may not be possible to achieve several objectives in one study.

This section describes the different types of variables that you plan to have in your study and how you will measure them.  According to Al-Riyami (2008), there are four types of research variables:

• Independent:  The person, object, or idea that is manipulated by the researcher.
• Dependent:  The person, object, or idea whose changes are dependent upon the independent variable.  Typically, it is the item that the researcher is measuring for the study.
• Confounding/Intervening:  Factors that may influence the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.  These include physical and mental barriers.  Not every study will have intervening variables, but they should be studied if applicable.
• Background:   Factors that are relevant to the study's data and how it can be generalized.  Examples include demographic information such as age, sex, and ethnicity.

Your research proposal should describe each of your variables and how they relate to one another.  Depending on your study, you may not have all four types of variables present.  However, there will always be an independent and dependent variable.

A research question is the main piece of your research project because it explains what your study will discover to the reader.  It is the question that fuels the study, so it is important for it to be precise and unique.  You do not want it to be too broad, and it should identify a relationship between two variables (an independent and a dependent) (Al-Riyami, 2008).  There are six types of research questions (Academic Writer, n.d.):

• Example: "Do people get nervous before speaking in front of an audience?"
• Example: "What are the study habits of college freshmen at Tiffin University?"
• Example: "What primary traits create a successful romantic relationship?"
• Example: "Is there a relationship between a child's performance in school and their parents' socioeconomic status?"
• Example: "Are high school seniors more motivated than high school freshmen?"
• Example: "Do news media outlets impact a person's political opinions?"

For more information on the different types of research questions, you can view the "Research Questions and Hypotheses" tutorial on Academic Writer, located below.  If you are unfamiliar with Academic Writer, we also have a tutorial on using the database located below.

Compose papers in pre-formatted APA templates. Manage references in forms that help craft APA citations. Learn the rules of APA style through tutorials and practice quizzes.

Academic Writer will continue to use the 6th edition guidelines until August 2020. A preview of the 7th edition is available in the footer of the resource's site. Previously known as APA Style Central.

• Academic Writer Tutorial by Pfeiffer Library Last Updated May 22, 2023 38390 views this year

If you know enough about your research topic that you believe a particular outcome may occur as a result of the study, you can include a hypothesis (thesis statement) in your proposal.  A hypothesis is a prediction that you believe will be the outcome of your study.  It explains what you think the relationship will be between the independent and dependent variable (Al-Riyami, 2008).  It is ok if the hypothesis in your proposal turns out to be incorrect, because it is only a prediction!  If you are writing a proposal in the humanities, you may be writing a thesis statement instead of a hypothesis.  A thesis presents the main argument of your research project and leads to corresponding evidence to support your argument.

Hypotheses vs. Theories

Hypotheses are different from theories in that theories represent general principles and sets of rules that explain different phenomena.  They typically represent large areas of study because they are applicable to anything in a particular field.  Hypotheses focus on specific areas within a field and are educated guesses, meaning that they have the potential to be proven wrong (Academic Writer, n.d.).  Because of this, hypotheses can also be formed from theories.

For more information on writing effective thesis statements, you can view our guide on writing thesis statements below.

In a research proposal, you must thoroughly explain how you will conduct your study.  This includes things such as (Al-Riyami, 2008):

• Research design:  What research approach will your study take?  Will it be quantitative or qualitative?
• Research subjects/participants:  Who will be participating in your study?  Does your study require human participants?  How will you determine who to study?
• Sample size:  How many participants will your study require?  If you are not using human participants, how much of the sample will you be studying?
• Timeline:  A proposed list of the general tasks and events that you plan to complete the study.  This will include a time frame for each task/event and the order in which they will be completed.
• Interventions:  If you plan on using anything on human participants for the study, you must include information it here.  This is especially important if you plan on using any substances on human subjects.
• Ethical issues:  Are there any potential ethical issues surrounding this study?
• Potential limitations:  Are there any limitations that could skew the data and findings from your study?
• Appendixes:  If you need to present any consent forms, interview questions, surveys, questionnaires, or other items that will be used in your study, you should include samples of each item with an appendix to reference them.  If you are using a copyrighted document, you may need written permission from the original creator to use it in your study.  A copy of the written permission should be included in your proposal.
• Setting:  Where will you be conducting the study?
• Study instruments:  What measuring tools or computer software will you be using to collect data?  How will you collect the data?
• How you will analyze the data:  What strategies or tools will you use to analyze the data you collect?
• Quality control:  Will you have precautions in place to ensure that the study is conducted consistently and that outside factors will not skew the data?
• Budget:  What type of funding will you need for your study?  This will include the funds needed to afford measuring tools, software, etc.
• How you will share the study's findings:  What will you plan to do with the findings?
• Significance of the study: How will your study expand on existing knowledge of the subject area?

For more information on research methodologies, you can view our guide on research methods and methodologies below.

• Research Methodologies by Pfeiffer Library Last Updated Aug 2, 2022 45407 views this year
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What is a Research Proposal? Apa itu Proposal Penelitian?

Prior to conducting research every researcher must prepare a research proposal.  Its main purpose is not only as a guide line for the researcher or anybody else (say, who wants to repeat the research in different place and setting – see Sekaran, 2010, on the meaning of “scientific research”) to follow in conducting the research, but also as a document submitted to donor to secure fund for the research.  For this reason, it is therefore, that the credential of the researcher is usually appended to the proposal to convince the donor that it is a good research, worth of pursuing and of course funded, and that he is the right person to do the job.  For the purpose of this module though, the emphasis would be to help students to write proposal of their Skripsi, Thesis, or Dissertation, which is usually have to go through examination in front of professors other than the advisors.

Sebelum melakukan penelitian setiap peneliti harus menyiapkan proposal penelitian.  Manfaat utamanya adalah bukan hanya ia menjadi panduan bagi peneliti atau siapa saja( missal, seseorang yang berkehendak mengulagi penelitian yang sama pada tempat atau setting yang berbeda – lihat Sekaran (2010) untuk arti dari “penelitian Ilmiah”) untuk diikuti dalam melakukan penelitian, tapi juga  sebagai dokumen yang nantinya diusulkan kepada penyandang dana untuk mendapatkan dukungan.  Untuk alasan inilah maka latar belakang peneliti selalu dilampirkan pada proposal untuk meyakinkan donor bahwa itu adalah penelitian yang layak dilakukan dan didanai, dan bahwa  dialah yang paling tepat melakukan penelitian tersebut.  Tetapi untuk tujuan modul ini, akan ditekankan pada upaya menolong mahasiswa dalam menulis proposal penelitian dalam rangka Sripsi, Thesis, atau Desertasi, yang biasanya akan diuji nantinya dihadapan dosen lain selain pembimbingnya.

We will then follow closely the standard outline provide by the Graduate School of BINUS in writing proposal.  A research proposal composed of three chapters preceded by the cover page containing the title of the research, the author, and the Department, school,  university name, and the year the research will be conducted.  The chapters are: (1) Chapter I, INTRODUCTION; (2) Chapter II, LITERATURE REVIEW ( Note: some schools/departments might prefer to name this chapter as THEORETICAL FOUNDATION – please consult your school on this ) ; and (3) Chapter III, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY; followed by THE LIST OF REFERENCES.  The main purpose of this Module is to elaborate what would be the content of each chapter, which will then followed by a Case.

Kita akan mengikuti dengan baik outline baku yang berlaku pada Sekolah Pasca Sarjana BINUS dalam penulisan proposal.  Proposal penelitian terdiri dari tiga bab, didahului oleh lembar muka yang berisikan judul dari penelitian, penulis (peneliti), dan nama jurusan, nama fakultas, dan nama universitas diikuti  tahun penelitian akan dilakukan. Bab-bab pada proposal adalah : (1) Bab I, PENDAHULUAN; (2) Bab II, TINJAUAN PUSTAKA (Note: sebagian jurusan, fakultas mungkin menggunakan judul LANDASAN TEORI untuk bab ini – silakan dikonsultasikan dengan jurusan); dan (3)Bab III, METODOLOGI PENELITIAN; yang diikuti dengan DAFTAR PUSTAKA.  Tujuan utama modul ini adalah menjabarkan hal-hal apa yang sebaiknya dicantumkan dalam masing-masing bab, yang kemudian diikuti dengan Teladan.

CHAPTER  I. INTRODUCTION

BAB I.  PENDAHULUAN

  Chapter I usually composed of five sub-chapters, i.e., sub-chapter 1.1., Research Background; sub-chapter 1.2., Problem Statement; sub-chapter 1.3., Research Objective;  sub-chapter 1.4., The Purpose of the Research;  and sub-chapter 1.5., The Scope of the Research. Next, we will explain each sub-chapter in more detail.

Bab I biasanya terdiri dari lima sub-bab, yaitu, sub-bab 1.1.,Latar Belakang Penelitian; sub-bab 1.2., Rumusan Permasalahan; sub-bab 1.3., Tujuan Penelitian; sub-bab 1.4., Manfaat Penelitian; dan sub-bab 1.5., Batasan Penelitian.  Berikut akan dijelaskan masing sub-bab secara detil.

Sub-Chapter 1.1. Research Background

Sub-Bab 1.1. Latarbelakang Penelitian

  This sub-chapter set the stage for the research.  If this is about a particular industry then here is the place to explain about the industry. What are the product and or services in the industry, brief explanation about the industry with respect to the economy as whole, the degree of competition in the industry, and other information, of course, those that relevant to the topics/issues addressed in the research.  Here, there is no need to elaborate in detail about the industry; it is enough to set the stage or the context for the research.  The discussion on this sub-chapter should boil down to the broad area problem faced in the industry, the solution of which would be the main purpose of the research.  Usually this broad area problem will be stated in the last paragraphs of the sub-chapter, indicated by a word such as, “….  However ……”,  “….. Nevertheless…. “, etc. (see Module 1 on the discussion and example of the broad area problem).  Similarly, if this is about a particular company, a brief overview of the company is necessary that pointing out to the important and relevancy of addressing the broad area problem.

Sub-bab ini berisikan dan menguraikanpanggung bagi penelitian.  Bila penelitian mengenai suatu industy, maka disini dijelaskan mengenai industry tersebut.  Apa produk maupun jasa yang disajikan di industry itu, penjelasan singkat mengenai industry tersebut dalam konteks perekonomian nasional, tingkat persaingan di industry tersebut, dan informasi lainnya, sudah barang tentu yang relevan dengan topic/issue yang sedang dibahas dalam penelitian.  Di sini tidak perlu menguraikan secara detil tantang induatri tersebut; cukup menguraikan hal-hal sehingga konteks maupun bidang yang akan diteliti menjadi  jelas.  Pembahasan pada sub-bab ini harus sedemikian rupa sehingga berakhir pada pemaparan permasalahan yang dihadapi industry tersebut, dimana pemecahan dari masalah tersebutlah yang menjadi manfaat dari penelitian. Biasaya permasalahan ini diuraikan pada paragraph-paragraf terakhir dari sub-bab, juga ditandai dengan kata-kata seperti, “…… akan tetapi…….”, atau “…..Namun demikian ……”, dll. (lihat Modul 1 tentang uraian dan contoh permasalahan).  Sama halnya, apabila penelitian itu mengenai satu perusahaan tertentu, maka uraian singkat mengenai perusahaan itu harus dijabarkan dan tentu uraian tersebut harus bermuara pada pentingnya dan relevansi perlunya pemecahan permasalahan tersebut.

Sub-Chapter 1.2. Problem Statement

Sub-Bab 1.2.  Rumusan Permasalahan

Here will be explained or elaborated how you come up with the research question ( note: research question not necessarily should be in the form of question; it could be statement). Why it is or they are the questions to be answered if we want to solve the broad area problem stated in sub-chapter 1.1.  Because there are always be other alternative statements to be addressed in order to solve broad area problem, it is therefore important to provide explanation, reasoning that these are the most relevant statements or questions to be answered to solve the broad area problem.  Notice, devising reasons on deciding that the listed research questions are the most relevant questions to answer to solve the broad area problem, requires development of theories, results of earlier research, commonly accepted assertions, logical thinking, and preliminary study; hence, literature review is important in this stage.  Since literature review is covered in Chapter II, that is, after the formulation of the research questions, this might look a bit awkward.  This is resolved by what we put here are only broad research questions, or broad category of the possible aspects that possibly cause the broad area problem.  The detail research questions, or in fact presumed causes of the earlier formulated research question, i.e., what will be called hypothesis, will be further formulated after literature review, and all these will be presented in Chapter III, sub-chapter  3.1., Theoretical Framework that will be explained later.

Pada sub bab ini akan dijelaskan atau diuraiakan bagaimana pertanyaan penelitian sebagaimana adanya (catatan: pertanyaan penelitian tidak harus dalam bentuk pertanyaan, tapi bisa juga dalam bentuk statement positif.  Mengapa itu yang menjadi pertanyaan penting yang perlu terjawab bila kita ingin memecahkan permasalahan yang telah diuraikan pada sub-bab 1.1.  Karena akan selalu ada kemungkinan bahwa pertanyaan atau pilihan pernyataan yang harus dijawab dalam rangka memecahkan permasalahan, maka pada sub-bab in perlu penjelasan dan alasan bahwa pertanyaan penelitian inilah yang terpenting untuk dijawab dalam raqngka memecahkan permasalahan.  Perhatikan, membangun argument dalam memutuskan bahwa pertnyaan penelitian itulah paling relevan untuk memecahkan permasalahan,  membutuhkan pembangunan teori, hasil-hasil penelitian sebelumnya, rumusan-rumusan yang pada umumnya diterima dikalangan ilmiawan, cara berfikir logis, dan studi awal;  oleh karena itu, tinjauan pustaka sangat penting pada tahapan ini.  Karena tinjauan pustaka baru akan diuraikan pada bab II, yaitu, setelah sub-bab perumusan masalah, ini kelihatannya agak kurang urut.  Hal ini dipecahkan dengan pada sub-bab ini hanya pertanyaan penelitian yang sifatnya masih kategori besar dari hal-hal yang diperkirakan menjadi penyebab permasalahanlah yang diuraikan.  Pertanyaan penelitian yang lebih detil,atau perkiraan penyebab dari pertanyaan penelitian yang telah dirumuska, i.e., apa yang akan dinamai sebagai hipotesa, akan selanjutnya dirumuskan setelah tinjauan pustaka dilakukan, dan ini semua akan dijabarkan pada bab III, sub-bab 3.1, Kerangka Teori yangkan dijabarkan lebih lanjut.

Sub-Chapter 1.3. The Objective of the Research

Sub-Bab 1.3.  Tujuan penelitian

  In this sub-chapter, the objective of the research will be explained.  Notice, this is not the objective of the researcher, not the objective of the company, for example being studied, but the objective of doing this research.  For that reason, the objective of the research of course is to answer the research questions stated in sub-chapter 1.2.  Now you might reason, that if this is the only things that are elaborated here in this sub-chapter, why we need a sub-chapter for it?  It is true.  But for the purpose of clarity, and at the same time nothing wrong about it, so at Binus we set aside a sub-chapter for this.  You may find out in some universities that the objective of the research is incorporated in sub-chapter 1.2. Problem Statement and the Objective of the Study. You might find for example, at the end of sub-chapter 1.2, they would say: “…. The objective of this research then is to answer the above stated research questions and specifically is (1) to …….. , (2) to …….. , etc. …”.

Pada sub-bab ini, tujuan penelitian akan diuraikan.  Perhatikan, yang diuraikan di sini bukan tujuan peneliti, bukan pula tujuan perusahaan bila penelitian ini mengenai perusahaan, tapi tujuan melakukan penelitian ini.  Oleh karena itulah, tujuan penelitian sudah barang tentu adalah menjawab pertanyaan penelitian yang telah dirumuskan pada sub-bab 1.2.  Sekarang mungkin kita bertanya, bahwa kalau hanya ini yang menjadi isi atau yang akan diuraikan pada sub-bab ini kenapa kita memerlukan satu sub-bab untuk menjelaskannya? Itu adalah benar.  Namun demikian untuk tujuan kejelasan, dan pada waktu yang sama tidak ada yang salah dengan itu, maka di Binus, satu sub-bab disediakan untuk Tujuan Penelitian. Mungkin akan anda temui di beberapa perguruan tinggi  tujuan penelitian digabung dengan sub-bab 1.2. dengan judul “Perumusan masalah dan Tujuan penelitian”.  Anda mungkin akan menemukan pada akhir dari sub-bab 1.2. kata-kata “……..Oleh karena itu, tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menjawab pertanyaan penelitian yang telah diuraikan di atas, dan secara khusus (1) menjawab ……, (2) menjawab ………, dll., “.

Sub-Chapter 1.4.  The Purpose of The Research

Sub-Bab 1.4.  Manfaat Penelitian

  As was explained earlier, the purpose of any research or study is to solve the broad area problem.  Here in this sub-chapter you might need though to explain how by answering the research questions you (or whoever wants to use the findings of the research) are enabled to solve the broad area problem.  In this sub-chapter also you might want to list some other benefits of doing this research, i.e., benefits for organizations, institutions, individuals that directly benefited from the research.  These are called applicative benefits; but there might be theoretical benefit of the research, that is findings contributing to the body of knowledge.

Seperti telah dijelaskan terdahulu,manfaat dari setiap penelitian adalah untuk memecahkan masalah yang dihadapi.  Dalam sub-bab ini anda perlu menjelaskan bagaimana/alasannya bahwa dengan menjawab pertanyaan penelitian maka anda (atau siapa saja yang akan menggunakan hasil dari penelitian ini) akan dapat menyelesaikan permasalahan seperti termaktub dalam sub-bab 1.1. Latarbelakang.  Dalam sub-bab ini anda mungkin dapat menyampaikan manfaat-manfaat lainnya dari penelitian, i.e., manfaat bagi organisasi, institusi, individu yang secara langsung mendapat manfaat dari penelitian.  Ini sisebut manfaat aplikatif; akan tetapi mungkin akan ada manfaat teoretis dari penelitian, yaitu contribusi penelitian terhadap ilmu pengetahuan.

Sub-Chapter 1.5.  The Scope of the Research

Sub-Bab 1.5.  Ruang lingkup Penelitian

   In this sub-chapter, it should be clearly stated the boundary or coverage of the research, beyond which the conclusion should not be extended or generalized.  For example, if the study is about small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the conclusion should only be pertaining to SMES, not to be generalized to large enterprises of corporate.  So the scope of the research in this case is SMEs.  Things not to be put here then are the activities or the tools or the methods used in the research.  For example, the followings are not the scope:

• In formulating the maturity level of the IS/IT, COBIT framework will be used.
• In analyzing external environment and forces faced by the organization, five forces of Porter will be exercised.

Pada sub-bab ini, harus secara tegas diuraikan batas-batas dan cakupan dari penelitian, di mana kesimpulan dari penelitian tidak berlaku atau tidak bisa digeneralisasikan. Sebagai contoh, bila study hanya mengenai Usaha Kecil menengah (UKM), naka kesimpulan tidak bisa digeneraliser ke  usaha besar aqtau korporasi.  Jadi batasan penelitian dalam hal ini hanya berlaku untuk SME.  Hal-hal yang tidak bisa dimasukkan dalam sub-bab ini a.l., kegiatan ataou alat-alat atau metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian.  Sebagai contoh, yang berikut ini tidak termasuk kategori batasan penelitian:

• Dalam merumuskan tingkat kematangan IS/IT digunakan framework COBIT.
• Dalam menganalisa lingkungan eksternal dan kekuatan-kekuatea yang dihadapi oleh perusahaan, akan digunakan kerangka five forces of Porter.

  CHAPTER  II. LITERATURE REVIEW

BAB I.  TIJNAUAN PUSTAKA

Results of previous studies related to the topic and the research question raised in chapter 1 is exposed here.  Studies in different setting, industries, countries about the variables and their relationships not only as conjectured in the research questions, but findings on other variables and their relationships which is found to have effect on the cause of the broad area problem stated in chapter I as the objective of the research should be exhaustively explored and presented here in this chapter.  In fact causes of the causes, of the causes and so on upstream need to be exposed here.  Issues that might have to do with the issues, that might explain the issues, and so on down to the issues raised in chapter I as the main issues related to the broad area problem those that have been studied previously are elaborated here.  Not only the findings, but also methods used, scope of the studies, data collected, including data analysis technique used in drawing conclusions might need to be discussed.

The main objective of doing literature review of course, beside to ensure that we are not doing or repeating the same study, is to justify the building of the model or the theoretical framework – the researcher’s theory –  on the variables and their relationships, against which the empirical data will be confronted.

It should be emphasized here, that tools, frames, and methods used in answering research question should not be reviewed in this chapter.  They should be elaborated in chapter III, in particular how the tools helped in answering the research questions.  For example, statistical tool such as regression, ANOVA, SEM, PATH ANALYSIS, Forecasting techniques such as ARIMA, ANN, Discriminant analysis, etc.; best practice framework such as COBIT, OCTAVE, ITIL, etc., in IS/IT field; SWOT, Porter’s 5 forces, PEST, CSF, BPR, etc., in strategic management, should be elaborated in chapter III, not in chapter II on literature review.  However , if the objective of the research is related to answering research question in comparing two or more methods, algorithms, creating hybrid algorithms, which is common in computer science/IT, then they of course should be reviewed in this chapter – chapter II.

Hasil-hasil dari penelitian sebelumnya yang berkaitan dengan topic dan pertanyaan penelitian yang diangkat pada bab 1.2., diuraikan pada bab ini.  Pada bab ini diuraikan pula hasil-hasil studi mengenai variable-variabel serta keterkaitan satu sama lainnya, yang tidak hanya terbatas pada praduga pada pertanyaan penelitian, tapi temuan tentang variable lainnya serta hubungan satu dengan lainnya, yang diperkirakan memiliki dampak terhadap penyebab permasalahan yang dikemukakan pada bab 1.2. sebagai tujuan penelitian harus digali secara tuntas pada bab ini, termasuk dari industry, setting, Negara yang berbeda.  Bahkan penyebab dari penyebab, penyebab selanjutnya, demikian seterusnya mencari penyebab sampai ke hulu diuraikan pada bab ini.  Issu yang berkaitan dengan issu, yang mungkin menjelaskan issu-issu penyebab,demikian selanjutnya sampai dengan issu yang diangkat pada bab 1.2. sebagai issu utama yang berkaitan dangan permasalahan utama yang telah dipelajari pada penelitian sebelumnya diuraikan pada bab ini.  Tidak hanya temuan saja, tapi termasuk metodologinya, batasan-batasannya, pengumpulan datanya, dan metode analisis yang digunakan dalam mengambil kesimpulan juga perlu diuraikan.

Tujuan utama melakukan studi literature adalah, disamping memastikan bahwa tidak terjadi pengulangan penelitian yang sama, adalah memberikan justifikasi pengembangan model atau kerangka teori – teorinya peneliti – berkaitan dengan variable-variabel serta kaitan satu sama lainnya yang nantinya menjadi teori yang hendak diuji melalui penelitian ini secara empiris.

Perlu ditekankan di sini bahwa alat-alat, teknik-teknik, kerangka-kerangka, dan metode yang digunakan dalam menjawab pertanyaan penelitian tidak perlu dibahas atau direview pada bab ini.  Teknik-teknik ini sebaiknya dibahas pada bab III khususnya penjelasan bagaimana alat-alat tersebut dapat menjawab pertanyaan penelitian.  Sebagai contoh, analisa statistika seperti regressi, ANOVA, SEM, Path analysis, teknik peramalan seperti ARIMA misalnya, ANN, Analisa Diskriminan, dll.; kerangka best practices seperti COBIT, OCTVE, ITIL, dll., dalam bidang IS/IT; SWOT, Porter’s five forces, PEST, CSF, BPR, dll., dalam bidang manajemen strategis, sebaiknya dibahas pada bab III, tidak perlu direview pada bab ini, bab Tinjauan Pustaka.  Namun demikian , bila tujuan penelitian adalah membandingkan berbagai metode, alat-alat, algorithma misalnya, menciptakan algoritma hybrid misalnya, yang banyak delakukan dalam penelitian bidang ilmu computer atau teknik, maka sudah barang tentu sebaiknya dibahas pada bab ini – Bab II.

CHAPTER  III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

BAB I.  METHODOLOGY PENELITIAN

Basically in this chapter all the steps that need to be done in answering the research questions should be elaborated in detail, detail enough for other researchers to be able to follow if they want to repeat the same research, for example because they are still in doubt of the conclusion made.

This chapter composed of five sub-chapters, i.e., sub-chapter 3.1., Theoretical Framework; 3.2., Hypothesis; 3.3., Variable Measurements; 3.4., Data and Data Collection; 3.5., and Data Analysis.

Under theoretical Framework the researcher explain all variables involve in the research (not only to list them).  Usually the variable of main interest to the researcher, that is, the variable of concern in the broad area problem, sometimes this is called dependent variable (if the model is based on cause- effect or causal model) is the one explain first.  Then other variables that are considered related to or have an impact or cause the dependent variable, called independent variables, are elaborated.  In addition to explaining all the variables, things that need to be explained in this sub-chapter are the hypothesized relationships among the variables.  The relationship might be in terms of a set of mathematical equations – hence called mathematical model of the real world to be studied, or simulated; or it could be in terms of conceptual model that might be depicted in interconnected diagram.  Most important though in this sub-chapter, is the explanation of why the interrelationship of the variables in the real world is abstracted in such a way not in other alternative ways.  This model, or the theorytized relationship – i.e., your theory/model, of course is based on the literature review but it does not have to be exactly the same as what previous studies formulated in the review, in fact different in some extend with the previous studies is recommended as part of your contribution to the science, of course with strong scientific argumentation. As a researcher you are free to build your own theory or model.  Once it is formulated in this sub-chapter, now it is your own theory.

The second sub-chapter 3.2., on Hypothesis, is basically listing all the hypothesis proposed in the research.  It is actually composed of all research questions or extended ones where you have more relationship among variables further conjectured based on the built model/theoretical framework formulated in sub-chapter 3.2., then the one stated in sub-chapter 1.2./1.3., as research questions.  The easiest way to identify the hypothesis, is that there should be one for each relationship among variables in the model/theoretical framework.

The third sub-chapter, 3.3., on Variable Measurements, elaborates how each variable is measured.  If it is an observable variable, then the measurement is straight forward.  For example, Sales, is an observable variable, and the measurement may be number of unit sold per month.  Inventory/stock, also is an observable variable and the unit of measurement would be the amount of stock per unit of time.  Measurement of variable is become a bit not easy if the variable is not observable.  For example, Loyalty, Ease of Use, Learning, Satisfaction, are concepts or latent variables sometimes called, which could not be observed.  Therefore, we need to devise indicator variables that characterized the concept of variables that can be used as indicators of such concept.  These are called Indicators or Operational Variables.  Secondly, once we device indicators for a particular concept, we need to decide or formulate scale, the numeric or real number that represent the variable because if we want to process the variables they need to be represented in number (real number) (more on this will be explained in Module 5). Measurement of variable should be elaborated for all concept variable and observable variables.

Once we define the scale of the variables in sub-chapter 3.3., the set of the value of the variables for each object/element  of the research – called Data – need to be collected and this is elaborated in sub-chapter 3.4., on Data and Data Collection.  The set of all object of the research which is called the population need to be first identified and defined in this sub-chapter.  If the total number of the population is not too big, then it is always better to enumerate all member of the population because after all the research is about the population –  this is called complete enumeration or census.  However, if the population size is very big, and it is almost impossible or too costly to measure all members in the population, then we might resort to measuring sample.  How sample size is decided is explained in this sub-chapter (more on this will be explained in other module on sampling technique).  Once the sample size is decided, we need to determine how the samples will be selected; this is called sampling technique (more on this at other module).   The last topic in this sub-chapter would be to explain how data is collected;  is it through observation like in laboratory, or through interview, of through survey using questionnaires.

Once method of how data are collected is described, the next thing to do is how to analyze the data in order to draw conclusion related to the research questions posted or hypotheses formulated in sub-chapter 3.2.  Description of this Data Analysis method is elaborated in sub-chapter 3.5.  In this sub-chapter it should be clearly described how all the hypothesis will be answered based on the data collected and of course in line with the theoretical framework or model that has been formulated.

Pada prinsipnya semua lankah-langkah yang diperlukan dalam menjawab pertanyaan penelitian harus diuraikan pada bab ini secara detil, sedemikian detil sehingga peneliti lain di tempat lain dapat mengikuti untuk mengulangi  penelitian yang sama, sebagai contoh, sebagai akibat keraguan terhadap kesimpulan yang telah diambil oleh peneliti ini misalnya.

Bab ini terdiri dari lima sub-bab, yaitu, sub-bab 3.1., Kerangka Teori; 3.2., Hipotesis; 3.3., Pengukuran Variabel; 3.4., Pengumpulan data; dan 3.5., Analisis Data.

Pada kerangka Teori, peneliti menguraikan (bukan hanya mendaftar) semua variable-variable yang terlibat dalam penelitian.  Penjelasan mengapa mereka penting dalam penelitian ini, keterkaitan satu sama lain, dll. Harus diuraikan.  Biasanya pembahasan dimulai dengan variable yang menjadi interest utama bagi peneliti, i.e., variable yang menjadi konsern utama pada permasalahan umum di bab 1.1., kadang-kadang disebut dependen variable (terutama bila penelitian berkaitan dengan persoalan sebab-akibat).  Lalu kemudian variable yang diperkirakan mempengaruhi variable dependen ini, disebut dengan istilah independen variable, dibahas berikutnya.  Disamping penjelasan mengenai variable-variabel tersebut beserta alasan/argument akan pentingnya variable-variabel tersebut dalam menjelaskan/memecahkan permasalahan, yang tidak kalah pentingnya adalah uraian atau praduga mengenai hubungan-hubungan antara variable tersebut juga perlu dibahas.  Hubungan tersebut mungkin bisa dirumuskan dalam bentuk persamaan-persamaan matematis – sehingga disebut model matematis dari dunia nyata yang sedang/hendak dipelajari atau di-simulasi;  Mungkin dalam bentuk hubungan koseptual yang sering di gambarkan delam bentuk diagram saling keterkaitan; Akan tetapi yang terpenting dalam sub-bab ini adalah penjelasan mengapa abstraksi dari dunia nyata tersebut (the model) dipostulasikan sedemikian rupa  bukan dalam bentuk abstraksi lainnya.  Model ini, atau hubungan antara variable yang anda teorikan  – i.e., teori anda/model anda, sebaiknya didasarkan atas hasil tinjauan pustaka sekalipun tidak harus sama dengan hasil penelitian terdahulu yang diuraikan di tinjauan pustaka, bahkan kalau bisa berbeda dari atau ada pengembangan dari studi terdahulu, tentu dengan argumentasi ilmiah yang kuat – ini sebagai kontribusi ilmiah saudara tentunya. Sebagai peneliti tentu anda bebas membangun teori anda.  Begitu teori ini dirumuskan pada sub-bab ini, itu adalah menjadi teori anda.

Sub-bab berikutnya yaitu 3.2., tentang Hipotesis, pada prinsipnya berisikan semua hipotesis yang anda formulasikan atau usulkan pada penelitian ini.  Pada prinsipnya sub-bab ini berisikan semua hipotesis yang dirumuskan pada sub-bab 1.2. dan 1.3., dan bahkan hipotesis tambahan lainnya yang muncul kemudian setelah model dibangun yang merupakan hubungan antara variable-variable yang dipraduga pada kerangka teori.  Cara yang mudak untuk mengidentifikasi hipotesis ini berdasarkan model koseptual di sub 3.1., adalah akan ada satu hipotesis untuk setiap hubungan antara variable yang dipostulatkan (satu untuk setiap anak panah).

Pada sub-bab 3.3, tentang pengukuran variable, diuraikan secara jelas bagaimana setiap variable diukur.  Apabila variable tersebut dapat diamati, maka ukurannya langsung menggunakan unit ukur pada pengamatan.  Misalnya, penjualan adalah variable yang bisa diamati dan ukurannya mungkin adalah jumlah atau volume atau banyaknya  yang terjuala per bulan misalnya.  Inventory/stok juga merupakan variable yang bisa diamati dan ukuranya adalah banyaknya stok di gudang pada akhir bulan misalnya, atau per unit waktu.  Pengukuran variable menjadi tidak mudah bila variable itu tidak bisa diamati.  Sebagai contoh, variable Loyalitas, Kemudahan penggunaan, Pembelajaran, Kepuasan adalah merupakan variable konsep atau variable laten yang tidak dapat diamati.  Oleh karena itu perlu diformulasikan variable indikator yang merupakan karakteristik dari konsep tersebut dan dapat digunakan sebagai indikator dari konsep tersebut.  Variabel seperti ini disebut variable indikator atau variable operasional. Kedua, setelah variable operasional dirumuskan untuk suatu variable konsep, perlu ditentukan bagaimana mengukur variable operasional tersebut, yaitu nilai dalam angka atau bilangan nyata karena kalau kita hendak mengolah variable, maka harus dalam bentuk angka atau bilangan nyata (mengenai hal ini akan diuraikan lebih lanjut pada Modul 4).  Oleh karena itu harus diuraikan pada bab ini bagaiman semua variable diukur, baik variable konsep maupun variable yang dapat diamati.

Setelah pengukuran variable diuraikan pada sub-bab 3.3., himpunan angka yang mewakili atau hasil pengukuran semua variable untuk semua objek/elemen penelitian – disebut Data – , selanjutnya perlu dikumpulkan.  Hal ini diuraikan pada sub-bab 3.4., mengenai Pengumpulan Data.  Kemudian, himpunan dari semua objek penelitian yang disebut Populasi perludiidentifikasi dan didefinisikan pada sub-bab. Ini.  Bila besar populasi tidak terlalu besar, maka akan selalu lebih baik menghimpun data dari semua anggota populasi karena penelitian memang adalah mengenai populasi.  Akan tetapi bila populasi terlalu besar dan sangat mahal atau bahkan tidak mungkin untuk mengukur seua anggota populasi mana yang dilakukan adalah memilih sebagian saja dari anggota populasi tersebut yang kita sebut Sample.  Bagaimana besarnya sample ditentukan harus diuraikan pada sub-bab ini (lebih detail mengenai penentuan sample size akan diuraikan pada modul berikutnya). Setelah besarnya sample ditentukan, berikutnya perlu ditentukan bagaimana cara memilih sample tersebut dari semua anggota populasi; ini disebut teknik penarikan sample (lebih detil akan dijelaskan pada modul lain) dan ini pun harus diuraikan pada sub-bab ini.  Topik terakhir pada sub-bab ini adalah penjelasan mengenai bagaimana data dikumpulkan;  apakah dengan menggunakan interview, observasi seperti di laboratorium, atau melalui survey dengan menggunakan kwessioner.

Setelah metode pengumpulan data diuraikan pada sub-bab 3.4., berikutnya dan yang terakhir harus diuraikan pada bab III adalah bagaimana data dianalisa untuk menarik kesimpulan perihal pertanyaan penelitian atau hipotesis yang telah diajukan pada sub-bab 3.2.  Penjelasan mengenai metode analisa datai ini diuraikan pada sub-bab 3.5.  Pada sub-bab ini harus secara jelas diuraikan bagaimana setiap hipotesis dijawab berdasarkan data yang terkumpul tentu sesuai dengan atau dalam kerangka teori/model yang telah dirumuskan.

EXAMPLE : A Research Proposal

TELADAN : Proposal Penelitian

The following is an example of a complete research proposal based on the case presented in Module 1, CASE #1.

Berikut ini adalah teladan suatu proposal yang lengkap; merupakan kasus yang diangkat pada Modul 1, KASUS #1.

Cover Page  (consult Binus graduate program Thesis guide line on this):

FACTOR THAT DETERMINE THE LOYALTY OF HOSPITAL’s CUSTOMER

Unknown (last name belongs to an empty set)

Graduate Program

MAGISTER MANAJEMEN PROGRAM, BINUS BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

THE JOSEPH WIBOWO CENTER

BINUS UNIVESRSITY

INTRODUCTION

PENDAHULUAN

This chapter begin by explaining and formulating the background of the research, followed by elaboration of the broad problem area in the Problem Statement section (sub-chapter 1.2).  Having discussed the issues and possible causes of the broad area problem, the next thing to formulate is the objective of the research, presented in 1.3.  Sub-chapter 1.4., discussed the purpose of the research and finally the scope of the study is presented in sub-chapter 1.5.

• Research Background

 Latabelakang Penelitian

XYZ hospital established in 2009 located in West Jakarta is a private Hospital in response to a growing population in the area as indicated by a rapid growing of housing complexes crowded by young couples, a new generation of medium level of white collar workers in Jakarta.  Prior to its establishment, the nearest hospital to the area is about 10 miles away.  Occupancy rate of the hospital has been growing steadily, from only 10 % in 2009 to about 40 % recently.  Preliminary survey conducted by the marketing department of the hospital indicated that many of the residences in the vicinity still regular customers of the nearby hospitals around.  The marketing department considers this as a result of the loyalty toward the hospitals.

Just like many service based business, the hospital convinced that loyalty of customers is strategically important in ensuring sustainability and growth of the company, and hence fostering loyalty of their customers is in the vision and mission of the company and also they have set long run objectives pertaining to loyalty.  Believing that satisfaction of the customer is one important factor in determining loyalty, the board of directors have spent substantial amount of resources in fostering satisfaction of their customers in their yearly plan and operational activities.  However, this assertion has not been tested empirically. The Board of directors wants to know if satisfactions of their customers on the service they provide determines the loyalty of the customers, the ultimate and long term objective which is stated in their strategy.

• Problem Statement

Rumusan Permasalahan

  Based on theory and empirical studies (Ferguson, 2007; Vernandes, 2006; Napitupulu, 2011) satisfaction of customers is an important factor in causing customer loyal to a company.  This theory is based on utility theory, that is that utility obtained by individuals from consuming goods and services provided by a company is composed of an array of attributes emanating from the of the product and services.  The utility itself at the attribute level is measured by the satisfaction generated by the attribute.  Empirically this assertion also has been tested in different countries, culture and setting. Some of the results indicate that it is not completely true in some cases.  However in many cases if not most, it appears to be true.  One appeals of this factor or variable is that it can be operationally translated and can be socialized and practiced by the many elements within the organization to implement.  Hence if it can be proven correct for the hospital, it can be implemented and the problem of ensuring sustainability of the loyalty of their customers can be solved.

• Objective of the Research

 Tujuan Penelitian

Following the discussion in the problem statement (chapter 1.2), the objective of the research then is to try to answer whether satisfaction has an impact on loyalty in the hospital or whether satisfaction determine loyalty of the consumers of the hospital.

• The Purpose of the Research

Manfaat Penelitian

Having been able to proof whether satisfaction is one important factor in determining loyalty of customer of the hospital, the purpose of the research then is to use satisfaction as policy instrument to foster loyalty of their customer through devising activities, services, and others that deemed necessary to improve satisfaction.  Other benefit may be that research could contribute to further strengthening the assertion or the theory related to satisfaction and loyalty empirically.

• The Scope of the Study

Ruang Lingkup Penelitian

Since the research is focused on the hospital, hence the scope of the study is only about this hospital.  Any conclusion extended beyond the hospital should be presented with extra precautions if not to be extended at all.

LITERATURE REVIEW

TINJAUAN PUSTAKA

Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Malhotra (2007) conducted a study to construct, refine, and test multiple-items scale for measuring quality delivered by Web.  The study revealed 22-item scale of four dimension, i.e., efficiency, fulfillment, system availability, and privacy necessary to capture electronic service quality.  It can be thought of that the underpinning concepts behind these dimension of service quality is satisfaction of the user or customers using the web sites.  This is to say that customer’s satisfaction is reflected by their perceived satisfaction on efficiency, fulfillment, system availability, and privacy provided by the web (Napitupulu, 2011).  In the spirit of parsimony, to provide a tool for decision making, in his study, he put all dimension as one variable named satisfaction as an important factor in determining loyalty of the customers, a study in service sectors in Indonesia.  The result indicated that indeed satisfaction is one important factor in determining loyalty of customer.  Regression model was used to test the model of the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty, while in testing the validity and reliability as well as in generating the value for the concept variable from the item scale, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis was utilized.

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

METODOLOGI PENELITIAN

This chapter explains in detail how the research question is answered.  Beginning with deriving the theoretical framework or the model against which the assertion about the research question elaborated is presented in sub-chapter 3.1.  Having formulated the model of the research, the detail hypothesis is presented in sub-chapter 3.2.  Sub-chapter 3.3. describes variable measurements, and  data and data collection methodology is elaborated in sub-chapter 3.4.  Finally sub-chapter 3.5 explains data analysis.

3.1. Theoretical Framework

          Kerangka Teori

The research question (the inquiry), by its nature can be translated as equivalent to answering question as to whether satisfaction has an impact (or cause ) on loyalty.  Statistically this is a regression problem, with loyalty (Y) being the dependent variable and satisfaction (X) being the independent variable. This relationship can be depicted conceptually in the following Figure (Figure 1).

Figure 1.  Ralationship Between Satisfaction and Loyalty

3.2. Hypothesis

        Hipotesa

From the conceptual model given in 3.1., it can be seen that one hypothesis is proposed as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, i.e.,

H :  That there is a positive impact between satisfaction and loyalty

Notice that this hypothesis is basically the same as the research question posted in sub-chapter 1.2.

3.3.  Variable Measurements

          Pengukuran Variabel

Because satisfaction and loyalty are concept variables (unobserved) it is needed to device two statements that characterized satisfied customers and statements that characterized loyal customers as indicators or operational variables  Statements for satisfaction are (1) Doctors treated patients well, and (2) Nurses and staffs treated patients properly, measured with Likert scale from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).  Statements for loyalty are (1) Recommend this hospital to others, and (2) Visit this hospital when in need of heath care, also measured with likert scale from 1 to 5 (1 = very unlikely, 5 = very likely).

3.4.  Data and Data Collection

          Pengumpulan Data

The population of this research about which the conclusion will be drawn upon are all the customers of the hospital who have visited the hospital at least once and of course they that have been exposed to the service of doctors and nurses.  This will be acquired from the records kept by the hospital.  Supposed the size of the population or the total customers recorded so far is N.  The number of sample, sample size  n, then, that represent the population will be derived using Slovin’s formula as follows :

n = [ N / [1 + Ne 2 ] ]

Since statistical inference tool will be used to answer the hypothesis, the sampling technique chosen then is probabilistic sampling namely simple random sampling technique.  Consideration also should be included in relation to the modeling tools chosen.  If the number of observation/samples need by the model is greater than the sample size derived from Slovin’s formula then the sample size required by the model that should be used.

Data will be collected using questionnaires distributed to the chosen customers (samples) as respondents.  In order to avoid non-response case, an additional 10 % of the sample size will be added to the total respondents.  The questionnaires will be designed to capture information on satisfaction and loyalty as mentioned in 1.2.  In addition, some other information might be incorporated to the questionnaires such as demographic information.

3.5.  Data Analysis

          Analisis Data

  The conceptual model described in 3.1., can be translated into a mathematical model , and statistically this is a regression model having loyalty (Y) being the dependent variable and satisfaction (X) as the independent variable, with the following functional relationship (mathematically):

Y = β 0 + β 1 X + ε   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1)

Having conjectured that  X is related to Y following equation (1), the research question or the hypothesis formulated in 3.2. then is equivalent to proving whether  β 1 is equal to zero or not, because if β 1 = 0 hence X can be deleted from equation (1) meaning that Y does not dependent on X or loyalty is not determined by satisfaction (or satisfaction does not have an impact on loyalty).  Statistically this hypothesis is formulated as follows:

H 0 :  β 1 = 0

H A :  β 1 ≠ 0

DAFTAR PUSTAKA

• Parasuraman, A., Velarie A. Zeithaml, and Alvind Malhotra. (2005). E-S-Qual A Multiple-Item Scale in Assessing Electronic Service Quality. Journal of Service Research, Vol 7 (3), 213 – 233.
• Napitupulu, Togar A. (2011). The Relationship Between Satisfaction and Customers Loyalty in Hotels and Restaurants Industry: a Case of Indonesia. The Journal of Business Management and Information Technology, Vol. 5 (3), 134 – 143.
•  1. Read 5 articles from international journal – you can use Binus Digital Library. (1) Cite the name of the journal , use American Psychological Association (APA) citation rule, (2) explain what is the broad area problem they wish to address, (2) what are the research questions, (4) describe the methodology used, and (5) what are the conclusions and policy recommendations if any.
• Decide on the particular issue you want to address for your term paper. What is the broad area problem, the research questions (general).  You also need to start to do literature review to further refine your research questions to create the Theoretical Framework and generate detail hypothesis, identify variables and their relationships.

Last updated : April 02, 2015 00:00

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