How to make a Research Proposal: A beginner's guide

 

Image: ADOBE STOCK. See: https://stock.adobe.com/in/search?k=research+proposal

 Hi fellow researchers, 

Hope you are doing well. Or perhaps not, for the viva and admission season is here and I very well understand what all anxieties this season might bring. I have been 'missing in action' for more than a couple of months here. And perhaps I owe you all an explanation because I very confidently claimed in my introductory blog that I would talk to you every week or so. But, isn't this what the academic world is all about- missed due dates, messed up calendars, endless work, procrastination, and our inability to put it all together at once. I was busy writing (and I have a lot to write about that as well, hopefully in upcoming blogs) some necessary stuff and doing preparations for my PhD research trip. But now I have found some relief and hence I picked up my laptop to have this conversation with you all. For the last few days, many of you reached out to me expressing your general sense of anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty about the process and specifics of the interview and viva for Ph.D. entrance. Some of your statements even reminded me of myself- 'Oh! how hopeless, helpless, and baffled I was before my interview'. I didn't even know how to draft a Ph.D. proposal or how to face an interview panel. I was too afraid to reach out to others- for coming across as unintelligent, naive, or uninformed. I did things with whatever knowledge and information I could gather from some scattered and broken sources. And fortunately, I could make it to the Ph.D. course at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University which was also my dream course to be in for doctoral studies. However, I still feel that I could have been guided towards this process in a better manner which would save a lot of time and energy on my part. But, please don't make the mistake that I did. Ask, ask, ask for HELP. For academy is a collaborative project and we owe each other a lot in terms of sharing knowledge, sources and information. Hence, based on the things that I got to know during this process of self-learning, in this blog, I am sharing with you how to make a decent research proposal for cracking PhD entrance. 

But before going to the specifics, I would like to give a few 'disclaimerish' (I don't know if that's even a word!) comments. First, this blog is entirely based on my self-learning and things that worked for me. Please take the things mentioned here in an instructive manner. Some things might not work for you so please don't overburden yourself with unnecessary stuff. Also, most of what I write is based on my experience with Indian universities. Specifics and requirements might differ if one wants to apply abroad. Secondly, I generally work in the field of political sociology and therefore some of the things that I mention might not work for students who are seeking to take admission in other disciplines. Lastly, this blog is not exhaustive of everything that needs to be done to make a good proposal. I will also mention a few other relevant sources which might prove helpful in the process of making a compact and workable research proposal. Right! so now that we have got done with the boring and less relevant stuff, let's come straight to the more important stuff: 

• Don't try to 'perfect' your proposal in the first go. Jot down all the rough ideas that you have regarding your potential area of research. Create a mind map. This will allow you to have a clear view of all the ideas and jumbled-up thoughts regarding a single or multiple topic(s) that are cluttering your mind. Putting your thoughts out of your mind is the first step that helps attain clarity and avoids confusion. 
• Simultaneously, keep on making a list of sources that you are reading on and around your research topic. This will help you with the bibliography. It also comes in handy in writing a review of the literature and answering questions in interviews that are related to the existing scholarship on the topic. 
• What is a research proposal?: Before making one, we needs to know what exactly is a research proposal. In the most simple terms, it's a blueprint or a roadmap that allows us to carry out our long-term research project step by step. The more clarity we have about this document, the easier will it be for us to do our study. However, it's never a final or fully finished document and we continue to make changes to it based on the changing circumstances and other contingencies involved. Make sure we strike the perfect balance: Neither make it too flexible that it loses its constancy, nor too inflexible that we cannot materialize it in reality. 
• Once you have attained some clarity of thought, you can start organizing your content under the following headings (try to follow the order as much as possible): 

TITLE ----> INTRODUCTION ------> REVIEW OF LITERATURE----> RESEARCH GAP ----> STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM/RESEARCH PROBLEM -----> RESEARCH QUESTIONS -----> HYPOTHESIS (IF THERE IS ANY) ------> RESEARCH OBJECTIVES -----> RESEARCH METHOD --------> CHAPTERIZATION -------> BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Let's deal with the Introduction first. Okay, so keep your introduction concise, short, and crisp. Move from establishing a broader relevance of your topic to specific issues that you want to investigate through the study. Write it in a manner that someone (including a layperson) could be able to understand your intent and what you seek to achieve through this study. Avoid using any unnecessary citations in this section, since we have a review of the literature section for the same. 
• Review of Literature: Generally, people understand this section to be a compressed summary of the scholarly works on the subject we are dealing with. However, this is only partially true. As much as this is sort of a summary, let's also ensure that it's written in a thematic and conversational manner which looks as if different scholars are talking to each other on issues- sometimes agreeing, re-emphasizing, or sometimes opposing each other's arguments. Also, make sure that you find common themes from these different sources and categorize your content according to those themes. I understand that all of this looks pretty complex so I will try to simplify it through an example: Suppose someone is preparing a research proposal on 'Women's representation in local governance bodies: a case of selected districts of Rajasthan'. So the themes that they may possibly want to cover can be literature on representation in general and women's representation in particular, scholarly work on local governance bodies and the 92nd Amendment Act,  and question of intersectionality (to deconstruct the category of women), history of political participation of women in local governance (national and in Rajasthan), gender relations and politics in Rajasthan, etc. 

        Also, as far as creating a conversation between different scholars is concerned, there are multiple ways in which convergence or conflict between different scholars can be shown. For example: "A (2013) argues that representation is not homogenous and is contingent upon the class and caste backgrounds of women concerned. A similar point has been highlighted by G (2020) regarding the unequal terrain of women's political participation. However, P (2022) presents a contrary picture before us." 

• Research Gap: There is a lot that we are yet to read. Our understanding of this gap therefore is very limited but is important because it is from this gap that we build our own research questions. Do not spend more than a middle-sized paragraph describing your research gap. Be wise with words and keep it accurate. 
• Statement of the Problem/Research Problem: If you write a research problem, write in a few lines what exactly is it that you are trying to investigate through this study. It is also a test of how precisely can you formulate your central theme of investigation. If you choose to write a statement of the problem, it's a one-line description of your study which more often than not is a title of your study. 
• Research Question(s): These are the questions that you are trying to find answers to your questions. Ph.D. interviews are mostly focused on discussions on your research questions. Therefore, please make sure that you formulate and know your questions well. They are precise, doable, and can be objectively found answers to. Questions that are based on value judgments or which seek people's opinions are not considered research questions. For example: Should women go out at night?: This cannot be a research question at all. Research questions are a must in works that rely on any or all of the research approaches: qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. You can have multiple research questions or a central research question based on the nature of your research. If you have multiple or subsidiary research questions, please make sure that they are not more than five in number. 
• Hypothesis: Hypothesis is generally used in quantitative or mixed methods. They are accurate and testable. (See more for a reference at the end). Do not include anything else other than the hypothesis in this section. 
• Research Objectives: Generally your research objectives are derived from or based on your research questions. These are affirmative sentences that describe what objectives you want to achieve through this study. For example, in a hypothetical study that I mentioned earlier, a research question can be: 'To identify the nature of the representation of elected women representatives in panchayats" 
• Research Methodology: This is perhaps that section of the proposal that so many of us have a tendency to take for granted. However, this is the most important and innovative part of our research projects which gave them a novelty value. Try to be as creative and open with your methodologies. Also, do not treat methods superficially. Try to learn them: read, practice, repeat- is the formula for perfecting your hold on methods. Make sure that you include the following points in this section: 

1. Research site: In case of an empirical study, specify the site where you will undertake your study. Also, try to provide a brief justification as to why you chose this specific site for this particular research project. Try to keep this as accurate as possible. In the earlier stages, the site might not be clear. So don't stress too much about it. Just try to achieve the closest accurate site description that you can. 
2. Whether empirical or theoretical: All the studies have elements of both but be clear about which aspects dominate your study.
3. Research approach: Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. Justify why you chose one over the other. 
4. Sampling: What sampling method would you use to identify your research participants? (please have a look at the references at the end to know the different types of sampling techniques) 
5. Methods for data collection: Once our participants are selected, how do we then collect our data? There are multiple methods which can be employed for the same. For example, the survey method, interview method, focused group discussions, participant observation, etc. are different methods through which data can be collected from the research site. 
6. Data analysis: How will you be handling and analyzing the data?

• Chapterization: This is the least important thing to think about at this point. However, if you have any idea about how will you present your content in the form of a chain of chapters called the thesis, you can specify. If not, you can conveniently skip it. Ideally, you can have 5-7 chapters in a thesis including an introduction and conclusion. 
• Bibliography: List of sources that you have looked at or relied upon while making this proposal. It might also include sources that you have not directly cited or referred to in the actual text. In case you want to include only those sources that you have cited in the text, you replace the bibliography with references. 
• Title: I have kept the title for the end because once we are done with writing the first draft of the proposal, we know what we actually want to do. The title provides a holistic and all-encompassing glimpse of our study. Always keep your title as precise, concise, unambiguous, simple, and accurate. Don't try to use too fancy words. However, I believe that providing a reasonable literary touch to your title can make it attractive to readers. Make your title in a way that someone compels that reader to pick up your thesis from the library shelf, just as we do it with books. 
• Other specifics: Now, here comes some technical stuff:

1. Make a title page for your proposal. Make sure you write the name of the university and department to which you are applying. Include a logo of the university, your own name, and your application number. Make sure to include the title of your proposal in capital letters in bold. 
2. The font for the front page can be 14-16 depending on the things that you want to make more visible. However, the standard font for the main content is 12, Times New Roman with 2.0 spacing. Justify the text. 
3. Follow a single citing style: It can be APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago. Personally, I prefer the Chicago style but you can choose any one of them you are comfortable with. Just make sure that you are consistent. 

Finally, rehearse well. The utility of the proposal lies in your ability to present it effectively. Relax, take a deep breath, and believe that nobody knows your topic better than you. Have faith in it and in yourself. People who sit on that side of the table are also human beings and hence, be open about your needs. If you don't know the answer to any question, be honest about it. Lastly, the interview or viva is not an English proficiency test, it's a small test of your sincerity towards your research interest. So, be comfortable and speak in a manner that makes you feel confident and like yourself the most. 

I know enough of 'gyaan' for today! As I close writing this up at 3 a.m. in the morning, I am just so hopeful and optimistic about your potential. I just want to wish you all, good luck! I would love if anyone of you would be sitting with a laptop on your lap, writing about how you made your own journey to research fruitful and fulfilling for yourself :) 

Please don't forget to check out the references below and leave your questions, queries, or clarifications in the comment section. I will try my best to respond to them. 

With Love and Strength, 

Wishing you guys all the very best!

Khushbu :)

Useful References: 

1. Social Research Methods: Book by Alan Bryman, Oxford University Press

2. https://www.findaphd.com/guides/writing-phd-research-proposal

3. https://www.findaphd.com/guides/phd-interview

4. Patrick Dunleavy's book: Authoring a PhD: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation