What is research proposal? Learning Outcomes - Master. Learning Outcomes - PhD 9/9/2014 WRITING AND PRESENTATION OF ACADEMIC PROPOSAL

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1 ID ne fs oi rg mn OC tso hit l enc ul A rkt hd e n s eoy c a ( rop t l Rw ps i y elr ao s e n edt T D ag o e rdp nf t cai d htc D as R t era pa ot re tg ) y 9/9/2014 WRITING AND PRESENTATION OF ACADEMIC PROPOSAL ChyeFookYee, PhD Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition Universiti Malaysia Sabah Learning Outcomes - Master 1. demonstrate mastery of knowledge in the relevant field; 2. apply practical skills in the relevant field; 3. relate ideas to societal issues in the relevant field; 4. conduct research with minimal supervision and adhere to legal, ethical and professional codes of practice; 5. demonstrate leadership qualities through communicating and working effectively with peers and stakeholders; 6. generate solutions to problems using scientific and critical thinking skills; and 7. manage information for lifelong learning. Learning Outcomes - PhD 1. synthesize knowledge and contribute to original research that broadens the frontier of knowledge in the relevant field; 2. adapt practical skills leading to innovative ideas in the relevant field; 3. provide expert advice to society in the relevant field; 4. conduct research independently and adhere to legal, ethical and professional codes of practice; 5. display leadership qualities through communicating and working effectively with peers and stakeholders; 6. appraise problems in the relevant field critically using scientific skills; and 7. integrate information for lifelong learning. Research Cycle What is research proposal? What you are going to study/research? Why you are going to research this particular area? What is the significance of researching this area? How you are going to conduct the research? 1

2 Research Proposal Proposal usually go from general to specific Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews and must offer convincing support of need for the research being proposed Keep in mind that it will enter a competition Acquired enough knowledge needed in the field before start Formulate idea based on the title Determine the scope of the study Need to prove that that particular piece of research has not been done yet Developing Research Questions Are the research objectives feasible? (Time? Sample size? Technical expertise?) Title, Research Questions and Methodology - How they are linked? Are the questions novel? Interesting? Useful? (Will the answers open up new areas of research?) Is the scope of the study well focused? (Collecting too much data wastes time and money) Is it ethical to ask these research questions? (Unacceptable physical risks or invasion of privacy?) Elements in Proposal Introduction (Theoretical framework) Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Review of the Literature Questions and/or Hypotheses The Design - Methods and Procedures Design, sampling, data collection, data analysis Significance of the Study importance & implications Expected output Gantt chart planned activities & milestones 2

3 Proposal Outlines Introduction Topic area Research question Significance to knowledge Literature review Theoretical basis for your work Previous research/related studies Current state of knowledge Outstanding of questions/unanswered questions Methodology Approach Data needs Analytic techniques Plan for interpreting results Expected output/results Implications Schedule of planed research activities Questions to be asked by yourself Why should people spend public/university/corporate funds on my research? Who is my research going to benefit (the stakeholders) or being the end users? e.g. the research community, professional groups, the government or the industry... be specific: stating that your research will benefit the world is perhaps a bit too vague Is there evidence, for example in the literature, that my research will fill a gap in knowledge or a market demand? How will it build on the existing body of evidence? Is my research timely, innovative and/or responding to a new trend? How will my research proposal address my training needs as well as, if applicable, the needs of my current employer? Preparing Research Proposal Writing a research proposal is both science and art A good research proposal is based on scientific facts and on the art of clear communication Golden Rules for Good Proposal Be clear, objective and straight to the point (No waffle!) Justify your objectives: because it is interesting is not enough! Provide a structure and use headings Avoid long solid blocks of text and use smaller paragraphs Write short sentences If allowed and if helpful, insert images/charts/diagrams to help break up text. Stick to guidelines and the deadline! Info suggested for Introduction Introduce the area of research Review key publications Identify any gap in the knowledge or questions which have to be answered Your hypotheses Your aims and objectives, including a brief description of the methodology How is your research beneficial and to whom 3

4 Background (Review of Literature) Reflects extensive review of literature helps you set the context for your research to help the reader understanding the questions It helps the investigator to gain good knowledge in that field of inquiry Just quoting the literature will not serve the purpose - make it coherent, relevant and easily readable knowledge Show you have good knowledge of the body of literature, including awareness on methodologies, theories and conflicting evidence in your chosen field. Objectives The objective of the proposed study should be stated very clearly The objective stated should be specific, achievable and measurable Avoid to have too many objectives If there is more than one objective, the objectives should be presented following the order/flow of the research activities (experiments) Research Methodology Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically research design, sampling/sample size, data collection and data analysis. Milestone Milestone Milestone Research Process Milestone Research Process Research Process Research Process Starting Experimental Design 4

5 Ethical Considerations Approval must be obtained from the Ethical Committee for project that involves: Sensitive materials Animals or animal models, Human subjects such as children or adults. Research Plan - Timeframe Gantt Chart of Research Activities Research Project Month Develop Research Proposal and obtain approval Develop and test questions Develop and test tool Obtain participants Administer instrument(s) Ongoing data collection and analysis Final collection of data Research Report 27 Grading Academic Proposal Specific Aim(s) Is there a clearly stated and acceptable hypothesis? Do the proposed experiments adequately test the hypothesis? Background and Significance Is the background concise and relevant to the proposal? Is the relevant literature reviewed and critically evaluated, and are primary references (as opposed to review articles) cited where appropriate? Experimental Design Does each of the experiments have a rationale? Are the proposed experiments feasible, properly controlled, and of reasonable scope? Are the experiments prioritized and do they follow a logical progression? Does the proposal predict all potential outcomes of the experiments and are alternative experimental approaches proposed when necessary? Are the experiments merely descriptive or do they address mechanism? Written Skills and Format Is the proposal clearly written and carefully edited. It must comply to the standard format set by the stakeholders 5

6 Common Errors lack of organization and structure lack of focus and coherence being repetitive fail to address what others have done in the past fail to rationalize the needs of the study methodology does not seem to support the aims poorly written language, presentation and structure Five Truths of Effective Presentation Slides are not the presentation you are highlight key points and data of the presentation. Some audiences are experts in the field. Use the principles of visual design background color and text; graphics Tell stories through images, not words Don t fumble with technology Less is more Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse Slide Structure Good Use 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation Write in point form, not complete sentences Include 4-5 points per slide Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases only Slide Structure - Bad This page contains too many words for a presentation slide. It is not written in point form, making it difficult both for your audience to read and for you to present each point. Although there are exactly the same number of points on this slide as the previous slide, it looks much more complicated. In short, your audience will spend too much time trying to read this paragraph instead of listening to you. Colour - Good Use a colour of font that contrasts sharply with the background Ex: blue font on white background Use colour to reinforce the logic of your structure Ex: light blue title and dark blue text Use colour to emphasize a point But only use this occasionally 6

7 Colour - Bad Using a font colour that does not contrast with the background colour is hard to read Using colour for decoration is distracting and annoying. Using a different colour for each point is unnecessary Using a different colour for secondary points is also unnecessary Trying to be creative can also be bad Background - Good Use backgrounds such as this one that are attractive but simple Use backgrounds which are light Use the same background consistently throughout your presentation Background Bad Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult to read from Always be consistent with the background that you use Graphs - Bad Minor gridlines are unnecessary Font is too small Colours are illogical Title is missing Shading is distracting 7

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