Writing a proposal for a research paper
Guidelines for Writing an External Research Proposal
TOPIC: What are the effects of incorporating authentic
materials, such as real-world texts and multimedia, in English
language teaching?
As I have thoroughly discussed in class, there is no single format or structure for writing a
research proposal. Hence, a proposal writer must always make sure to follow all the
guidelines, regulations, and requirements provided by the grant-making entity. In simple
words, the content and structure of your proposal must be tailored to meet the needs of the
organisation or entity that will hopefully support your research project.
For the sake of our course project, I expect everybody to follow the following instructions.
The proposal must be typed in Times New Roman font, size 12, and double-spaced.
There must be a separate cover page including:
The title of the proposal: font 16, all long words capitalised.
The name of the author, affiliation
The name of a possible grant-making entity
(Optional) The name of your supervisor, affiliation.
Each section must start with the title in boldface, font size 12, centre aligned, followed by a
space. For example,
Introduction
Each section must include all the necessary information. There is no strict word limit.
However, you need to write at least 2-3 paragraphs, or 5-6 bullet points for each section in
order to be persuasive enough. This makes your proposal at least 1500 words long.
The proposal must contain all the eight recommended sections as discussed in the class.
Each section must be presented in sufficient detail and using clear language.
Introduction: Introduce your topic and add a brief literature review. Go over what others have
already done about the topic; what other similar research has already been conducted; why
they have not been enough, and more needs to be done. The Introduction must at least be
2-3 long paragraphs.
Statement of the Problem: what is the problem that your project addresses, or the question it
seeks to answer. Why is it so important? Why hasn't it been solved already?
Objectives: what will be the final goal of your project? If you receive funding and successfully
finish your project, what will we gain out of it? What new information, technology, insight, or
understanding will we have? You can write this in bullet points. Methodology: How will you perform your research? What research techniques, strategies,
and approaches will be employed for primary and secondary research.
Timeline: What are the steps, stages, and phases of your research? How long will each
take? You can write this in the form of an introductory paragraph accompanied by a table,
diagram, or a flow chart. Go check some samples on the internet and choose the one that
best fits your project.
Budget: How much money will you need in total? How much money will you need for each
stage of your research? What will you need all that money for? What equipment, or
services?
Conclusion: Summarise everything here. This is your last chance to convince the reader that
your project proposal is worth a shot and must be approved. Throw in everything that you
have got.
References: Use APA or MLA style to make in-text citations. The references page can be
added to the end of your proposal. This will actually be your 8th Section.
Use graphic material to make your proposal more appealing. For example, you may use the
following in various sections of your proposal.
Picture
Drawing
Flow chart
Pie chart
Line graph
Etc
Read again and revise: your final document must be free of any errors. It must be neat and
clean, and meticulously proofread. I have already discussed revising and proofreading in
detail. Go back to your slides and notes to see what needs to be done.
After reviewing the document for the last time, you will submit your final document in Word
format. Please be advised that you will not be able to resubmit or change your file later. So,
do it with the utmost care, like submitting a research proposal in real life.
Be extremely careful about using Al tools in preparing your proposal document. While it is
acceptable to use Al to proofread the text, or fix any possible textual errors, it is not
acceptable to have any Al tool write your text for you.
Rubric
As we have discussed on multiple occasions, a proposal is essentially written to persuade a
certain somebody to agree to support your project. So, above all, it must be persuasive, and
it is on the merit of its persuasiveness that it will be judged, and in this case, graded.
However, please be advised that the following tentative rubric will be applied to make my
judgement objective and impartial:
The topic: (points in previous assignment)
Is the topic feasible? Does it fit within the parameters of a research project?
Is it clear and specific? Is the wording right? Has it been worded to be clear and persuasive?
The structure and format: 5 points
have you used the proper format, fonts, spacing, section titles, etc?
Is the appearance of your document appealing?
Does it look professional and well-designed?
The content: 15 points
Has the information provided met the requirements for each section?
Is everything clear and to the point?
Have the sections been researched sufficiently?
Is the information presented in an organised manner?
Has the graphic material been used effectively?
Is the information provided documented? Are there in-text citations, and a proper 'Works
Cited' section?
Accuracy of speech and structure: 2 points
Is the final document free of any grammar/vocabulary errors?
