It is a concise and coherent summarisation of what you plan to research. Within this proposal, you would need to identify the key problem/issue that you want to address, the general area of study that your research question would fall into, and the element of originality.

Your research proposal must include the following:

• Tentative Title

• Research Problem and Question

• Theoretical Framework

• Methods

• Literature Review

• Expected Contribution

Paper Title

This will be a temporary/tentative title for your research. You will be able to revise and alter this title later on.

Research Problem and Question(s)

Please include an issue or area of concern that underlies your research as well as a research question that you are seeking to answer with your research. These would be the central aim/focus of your research.

Your research problem does not have to be long. Please don't be too broad with your question(s) as well. Be as specific as you can to ensure research feasibility; state your concepts and the possible relations between them that you want to research.

Literature Review

This does not have to be an exhaustive list. Simply include literature that you believe would be most relevant and helpful for the exploration of your topic. Please keep in mind that this should be a review of the literature - as the name literally suggests - rather than a simple summary or a list/bullet points as doing the former will help you in figuring out how your research will make contributions.

Don't know what a literature review is supposed to look like or what it entails? Find out here!

Conceptual and/or Theoretical Framework

To put it in a simple way, a theoretical framework explains the relationship(s) between the variables that you wish to inquire into, as stated in your research question(s). A theoretical framework serves as a guidance to answer your research question(s) and generate your hypotheses.

Please visit the Helpful Resources page for supporting literature.

Methodology and Methods

Methodologies pertain to the reasons behind your choice of 'how to do your research', such as the paradigms or approaches underlying your research project. Research methods are the techniques that you will use to carry out your research/analysis.

You can explore the different methodological avenues here.

Expected Contribution

The proposal should demonstrate originality, what sets your research apart from others? You should explain why your research is important! A good way to start thinking about this is by doing your literature review.