When scanning through your research proposal, evaluators will have these seven questions in mind while expecting to get reasonable answers to satisfy and convince them. These questions are going to help them to see the adequacy, clarity of information, and the feasibility of your planned research. Good research proposals always have one thing in common, they manage to present satisfactory answers to these seven primary questions that reach the standard of their particular audience.
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What is it all about?
The very first thing the readers or evaluators want to know is what the research is about. What is the subject matter? What is the research trying to aim? What causes the research to be proposed? When the answer does not supply sufficient information, the evaluators will not proceed to assess the rest. It is because the answer to this question holds a significant influence on the remaining contents of the research proposal, including literature review, research questions, methodology, and etc.
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What do we already know about the subject?
This question prompts us to look back to see what findings have been revealed by past researchers related to the subject we want to explore. What has not been disclosed yet? What aspect remains untouched? Such a question is essential to prevent the possibility of repeating the same research; because if our research gives no contribution to current knowledge, there is no use to conduct it in the first place (unless your research offers a particular aim to prove the validity of the preceding findings).
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What does the research need to find out?
After knowing the objective and all the existing knowledge related to the subject, the next question will be what new information should be added? The earlier question does not just tell us what has been brought up, but also what has not. This question helps us to spot a knowledge gap to fill in order to shed a fresh insight on the topic.
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How will we get the necessary information?
Having addressed what the research needs to investigate, the next question emerges is how we will acquire the information. How does the researcher plan to gather all the data? How much data is expected? And what techniques will be employed by the researcher to analyze the data? The answer will help to determine if the chosen method is suitable to yield the expected outcomes and to ascertain its feasibility.
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What will it cost and how will it take?
Given that research requires time, effort, and money, evaluators need to be convinced that the resources we intend to employ are necessary for the execution of the proposed research. What resources will be most effective to use in successfully conducting the research? The evaluators will be looking for assurance that your plan is feasible and doable within the allocated time and budget.
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Is the research socially acceptable?
There are some restrictions people must follow in society. Similar thing applies to conducting research. The evaluators need to feel certain that the research complies with the social standards governing the research project. The researcher needs to incorporate assurances that the research will be performed with a manner which adheres to research ethics and not violating the law of the land.
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What will be the end product of the research?
Researchers need to clearly address the tangible outcome of the proposed research. Additionally, it is important to state the benefit gained from the research and specify what and who will acquire these benefits. This approach serves as a purpose of convincing evaluators with the research’s value and significance and filter out futile research that are likely to fail, preventing the wastage of energy, cost, and effort.