I will be using Qualitative over Quantitive.
The Research Proposal
The research proposal is an important working document and which over the next few months becomes transformed into the dissertation. The research proposal shows that you have thought through what the main research objectives are to be, that you have identified the main sources of primary and secondary data and that you have given thought as to the research methodology. The Proposal should provide your dissertation supervisor with a ‘detailed skeleton’ of the whole dissertation; the fine details are added when the literature review is completed, and the primary research has been undertaken.
The research proposal should include:
a) A working title
Your title can and probably will change but using precise wording even at this early stage will help to keep your dissertation properly focussed.
b) An Introduction to the Topic
This will include a brief description of the topic, the aim, research objectives and research questions to be addressed
You will find that moving from research aim to research objectives, to research questions is quite a difficult task. This, however, will provide a clear focus to your research and help you structure both this research proposal and the final dissertation.
The aim of the research provides a description of what you want to achieve from carrying out this research.
The objectives of the research outline the particular issues that you need to address in order to achieve the aim above. They are more specific than the aim, in that they outline the particular dimensions of your research topic, which are relevant to the overall aim of your research.
The research questions are more specific than your research objectives and specify the various insights/information that need to be collected in order to achieve the objectives. Keep in mind that the research question often starts with a Why, How, or What.
c) A Preliminary Literature Review that indicates:
(i) That you have studied the work of the major authors in your research field
(ii) That you are familiar with the major themes relevant to that subject area
(iii) What further investigations you intend to pursue as part of this dissertation.
You should bear in mind that you are reviewing the literature in order to develop sharper, more insightful and focused research questions about your topic. Therefore, your literature review should lead to and justify your research objectives and questions.
d) The Detailed Research Methodology which you intend to employ. The methodology section should discuss what methods you are going to use in order to address the research objectives of your dissertation. You need to justify why the chosen methods were selected as the most appropriate for your research, amongst the many alternative ones, given its specific objectives, and constraints you may face in terms of access, time and so on. Reference to general advantages and disadvantages of various methods and techniques without specifying their relevance to your choice decision is unacceptable. Remember to relate the methods back to the needs of your research question.
e) Timetable detailing how you anticipate completing the dissertation by the submission date and, if a company-based project, the means of liaising with the company to ensure the specific objectives are achieved.
