Research Proposal Content

Title (5%)

Provides a clear title that reflects the content of the proposal.

Research question and objectives (20%)

Provides a clear statement of what the proposal seeks to achieve. This flows from the previous section.

Clarity and novelty of your research question and how it is justified by your preliminary enquiry into your research idea.

Research Methodology (20%)

Justification of the proposed methods to be used to answer the research question and how appropriate are for the business area where research will be taking place.

The methodology section addresses adequately the research design, data collection and has an ethical statement included

Critical literature review (30%)

Indicate, with adequate referencing, the main literature sources for your research, justifying their relevance to investigate the research question.  Students must ensure that they use high quality relevant literature.

Time and resource implications (5%)

Reflects on and evaluates the resources required and the timescale of the project.

Overall structure (15%)

Uses appropriate format and present items in a logical structure. Uses Harvard referencing in text and has a reference list.

Bibliography (5%)

The use of appropriate references with a minimum of 4-6 academic references

Content of a Research Proposal (maximum 1,000 words):

* Title

* Background/Problem Statement

* Research Question and Objectives

* Critical literature review

* Methodology (research design and data collection)

* Timescale

* Resources

* Ethical statement

* Bibliography