Writing a Research Proposal 
                                            www.sites.psu.edu/pubhub 
                                 
                                                         
                                 
                      Writing a Research Proposal 
                                 
        Research proposals are essential for finding funding for your research. Undergraduate 
        students might need to write a proposal as a part of a fellowship or scholarship 
        application (see our module on applying for these).  If you are a graduate student, you 
        will need to write a research proposal for your thesis or dissertation to be approved by 
        your committee, whether or not you require funding. In this module you will learn: 
         
          1. The structure of a research proposal. 
          2. How to make your proposal stand out.  
          3. How to apply for a summer undergraduate research grant at Penn State. 
         
                                                         
         
        1. What is a Research Proposal? 
         
          1. A research proposal is an outline of your proposed research that shows your 
            readers the need for your study, your ability to execute the study, and how you 
            will budget your study.  
          2. Research proposals are a justification for funding, so be explicit about how 
            much money you need, where you will spend it, and who will manage it.  
          3. They must be succinct, concise, and convey the importance and feasibility of 
            your proposed research. Reviewers read hundreds of proposals and appreciate 
            ones that are clearly laid out and to the point. 
                                           Writing a Research Proposal 
                                            www.sites.psu.edu/pubhub 
          4. The funding agency will usually list its goals on its website, and another way to 
            find out is to look for previously funded proposals and see how those applicants 
            framed the outcomes of their research. 
          5. Don’t worry about getting tied down to the research plan that you propose. You 
            usually do not have to perform the exact research you proposed in your 
            application. If, somewhere along the road you realize there is a better way to 
            perform the research or a more pressing question you want to address, you can 
            usually go for it. The purpose of the proposal in your application is to ensure that 
            you are capable of putting together a rigorous study, not to bind you to that 
            particular study.  
         
        2. Parts of a Research Proposal 
         
          This page from Virginia Commonwealth University walks you through what belongs 
          in each section of your research proposal. The following outline is adapted from 
          The University Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 
         
          1. Title Page 
            a. The format for the title page is usually delineated by the sponsoring 
             organization. The sample cover page below is from the University of North 
             Carolina at Chapel Hill.  
         
         
                                           Writing a Research Proposal 
                                            www.sites.psu.edu/pubhub 
            Example 1: Sample cover page
                                                       
         
          2. Abstract 
            a. A research proposal abstract is a short summary that precedes the rest of 
             the proposal.  
            b. State the purpose of your research and be explicit about the methods you 
             will use. Why are they are the best methods to satisfy the purpose?  
            c. Specify your funding needs, if any. 
                                           Writing a Research Proposal 
                                            www.sites.psu.edu/pubhub 
            d. Highlight the skills and expertise of you and your co-investigators (if you 
             have any)  to carry out this research.  
         
          3. Introduction 
            a. Begin with a strong description of the purpose of your proposed research.  
         
            Example 2: A social science introductory sentence 
             
            -​Notice how the purpose of the research and the expected outcomes are 
              clearly outlined. 
                                  
            The purpose of this research is threefold. I wish to understand: (1) how, if at 
              all, are practitioners performing community food work in their faith-based 
              practice?; (2) how, if at all, are these practitioners illustrating critically 
              reflective practice in their community food work?; (3) how do these 
              practitioners treat the presence of hegemony as a specific and critical 
              element of community food work? Through this research, I expect to find 
              out how practitioners are performing their values-based work in the 
              community, and the level and forms of critical reflection that are 
              incorporated into the practice. 
             
            Landis, R. (2014). Unpublished thesis proposal. Virginia Tech.  
         
            b. Next, introduce your subject in simple enough terms that a general audience 
             could understand. This includes background information and shows how the 
             results will benefit the field or society. Strengthen your claims with other 
             supporting studies and/or statistics.  
            c. Tell the reader why your research matters to you and the world.  
            d. Northwestern’s Office of Undergraduate Research suggests writing your 
             introduction after you write the background and proposed research sections.