Research Proposal
Preparation guidelines
Your research proposal, submitted as part of this module, counts for 80% of your final module mark. It
should be no more than 2000 words long, excluding references. You should draw on the lectures in this
module that describe the research process and how it is written (the ‘hour-glass’ structure: starting by
outlining the overall relevance, then focusing in on what you are doing, then broadening out again at the
end). Please also read the marking criteria/rubric alongside these guidelines. Your proposal should
have a clearly stated project title and should be divided into the following sections.
1. Research question and rationale
In this section, you should tell the reader what your main research question is and why it is important to
look at it.
For example (but please note that this is really only an example – there are many ways of writing this!)
something like:
“Recent years have seen a growing focus on climate change adaptation alongside climate
change mitigation within both national and international fora (REFERENCES). ….
It has become clear that adaptation planning must be place-specific and involve multiple
stakeholders if it is lead to a just transition towards a more sustainable and equitable
future…. (REFERENCES).
This research will focus on the role of coastal community groups in coastal adaptation
planning and more specifically the lessons that can be learnt from the case study at…..
(REFERENCE).
The main research question posed within this project is….
Answering this question will contribute to a better understanding of… “.
This can be quite a short section, even < 250 words. However, it is very important as it sets the
expectations of the reader and it should be written to be as clear and concise as possible, getting the
reader interested in reading more.
2. Literature review
Here, you should make use of the skills and feedback you developed earlier on in the module and for
your first assignment, the 1000 word critical review. You should clearly state at the beginning of this
review cover here what previous work has been done in this area and which theoretical framing your
research picks up from or fits into.
The review will likely be around 1000 words – but it depends on whether you need quite a detailed
description of your methodology, depending on what it is and whether you need to, for example, give a
good insight into the location / place (study area) where you plan to carry out your research (see below).
The literature review must take the reader clearly and in more detail than the ‘research question and
rationale section’ through your project idea: it should move clearly through the different concepts, ideas,
previous studies that have led you to come up with your particular question. That is to say, your question
should emerge clearly from the paragraphs in this section along the lines of:
Existing studies and what they have focused on…
What is the understanding/knowledge that has emerged from those studies…
What is missing…
What is your overall question….
How will you address it (i.e. break the question into smaller ones that you will address through
your methods)
3. Methodology
Here, the methods you will use to achieve each of your objectives above need to be described. You may
need a similar number of words here as for the previous section. Remember that you need to give the
reader the confidence that your methods will address your objectives. Ask yourself constantly, as you
write: ‘Does this make it clear as to how this method will address my specific objective and does it
therefore help to answer the overall research question?’, ‘Are my methods appropriate to my research
question?’, ‘Is there something that might influence the answer to my question but that I am not looking
at?’.
Think about when and where (and why there?) you are carrying out your study. Will the ‘when’ and
‘where’ influence results? What might that mean for how you carry out the study? How will you analyse
your results?
Finally, ensure you describe your methods in sufficient detail (or refer to where the method is already
published) so that the person reading your proposal knows exactly what you are assess whether the
methods are appropriate and whether you have understood their limitations.
4. Planned time-table
This is really important: You should assume that your research write-up is due in July or earlier of next
year. Then work backwards. Apply the very helpful ‘30% rule’: Assume that everything will take you 1/3
longer than you think initially.
Your timeline should include as much detail as you can on the sub-tasks you set yourself: When will you
complete your background reading? Remember you may need to add to the reading also later on – when
will you do so? When will you have your final ethics and risk forms ready (remember you need sign-off on
these several weeks prior to conducting your research)? By when will you have to have completed your
training on certain methods? When will you apply for permissions to access data, people, places, if
applicable? When will you conduct your data collection? When will you start writing? Which sections?
Bear in mind that many find it helpful to write the discussion/conclusion and introduction last.
You can find guidance on this in the reading supplied on the module outline and you might like to use a
‘GANTT’ chart to show your timeline graphically.
You should also explain within this section what sorts of contingencies you might need to think about.
What might set you back and how you will overcome any set-backs? Remember, you need to convince
the reader that you can deliver the project.
5. References
Please use the Harvard referencing system and ensure that all the references cited in the proposal
appear at the end.
