Empirical Research Project Proposal Guidelines
Often when people start working on research, they will write a proposal. The proposal helps them think through what they are about to do and can help clarify your points and shape your thinking. Proposals generally follow a specific formula, which is listed below.
Your proposal should be approximately 500-700 words. If you would also like to include some bullet points after the proposal consisting of ideas, keywords/phrases, questions, etc. in order to give your proposal more context and to help kickstart your thinking more directly, go for it! Remember that this proposal is mostly to help you get an idea of the directions you should be heading in for this project.
Background Information
What is your topic? Explain this a bit. (How horses can be good in therapy!)
What are some of the common things said about your topic in the research that you’ve read?
Narrow Focus
What problems or issues have you noticed in the research that you’ve read?
What particular issues, problems, or trends do you plan to address?
Methodology
How are you going to approach your topic?
What resources and methods do you expect to use?
“So what?” Factor
What is your purpose in tackling this research question?
Why is your topic, and your approach to your topic, important?