Challenges in preparing a research proposal

Research proposal writing is not something that occurs naturally – nobody is born with the talent for research proposal writing. It is something that is worked at over time and is the culmination of education and academic experience. At least, that is what I found…

The first challenge to overcome is to pinpoint and articulate a problem. There are many problems that require research done to them, but not all can be solved through research. Having said that, problem-solving in research is not always straightforward. It can be employed to understand and describe a phenomenon – it could be argued that not understanding something is in itself a problem which needs to be solved. This is the realm of basic research which I am undertaking in my studies. Alternatively it could address a social or personal concern and not only understand it but discover solutions to that problem. This is the realm of applied research which is being undertaken by the rest of my class.

Once a problem has been defined, it is necessary to investigate whether the problem has not already been solved by somebody else. It is quite possible that other researchers have also come across this as a problem and if they have not solved it, have added to the discourse on the phenomenon in question. This is where literature review comes into play.

Literature review requires the researcher to become fully immersed in the subject. The process is like solving a criminal case where one lead, leads to another and eventually a fuller picture of the topic is acquired. One of the challenges is to distinguish which are false leads and which are leads that will add to the study. As knowledge of the subject grows, so too does the ability to decide on which articles to include in the literature review.

It is not enough to collect articles. Another challenge is to collate these and put them in a logical order that will add to your study. In parallel with deciding on the articles to include, cognisance needs to be taken of the aim of the research and the research question to be investigated.

Time is another challenge. The proposal needs to be completed within about 10 months. In this time you are required to decide on a topic and problem to be addressed, become familiar with your topic, become aware of the main literature surrounding your topic, decide on a practical way to address that topic (including a paradigmatic approach to use) and write the proposal in a coherent and logical manner.

(In response to a class we had on the 19^th February)