Writing a Research Proposal

Writing a research proposal for your college research methods (RM) class seems to be a right of passage for students in social science majors. As a criminal justice teacher (and former student), I’ve both required students to write research proposals and been forced to write a few of my own.

If you’re looking for an example research proposal, I’ve provided one at the end of this post. Keep reading or skip to the download!

Before getting into the anatomy of a research proposal, let’s talk about its purpose. At a basic level, a research proposal is what it sounds like: it’s a piece of paper outlining a research project that has yet to be completed to get that research project approved. It’s usually presented to a committee, department, or funding source to get the research funded (because research is expensive).

In a real-world setting, you would not be able to perform your research without getting it approved by somebody, like your boss, thesis/dissertation advisor, or funding agency. This research proposal would outline exactly who your sample is, how you will collect your data, and what statistical analyses you plan to perform on your data. Timelines, budgets, and detailed theoretical and practical implications would be detailed.

Lucky for you, research proposal assignments for undergraduate classes demand much less than true research proposals. They still, however, require quite a bit of work.

Before we get into that, let’s talk about the anatomy of a research paper.

The Anatomy of a Research Paper

For the purpose of this discussion, research papers or academic articles refer to the papers, typically published and peer-reviewed, that outline research that has been completed. These articles explain the steps the researcher went through while performing research, including how data was collected, analyzed, and interpreted.

While you won’t be completing an entire research project in class, it’s important to understand the different sections of a research paper before looking at the specific requirements of a research proposal. Understanding the sections can also make you a better reader of research articles. Did you know you aren’t supposed to read them front to back?

Different academic disciplines have different formatting guidelines, but the following is a breakdown of a typical academic research article.

1. Abstract – an abstract is similar to the blurb at the back of a book or a movie preview. It provides a brief overview of the paper, allowing the reader to decide if they want to keep reading.
2. Introduction – similar to any introduction you’ve ever written for any class paper. It serves to grab the reader’s attention and tell them about what they are going to read.
3. Literature Review – sometimes referred to as an annotated bibliography, the literature review summarizes relevant literature on a topic. This is where terms are defined, and past research is outlined. Research questions and hypotheses can be introduced here or in the methods section.
4. Methods – this is where the author starts talking about the specific study and how it was performed. Sampling and data collection methods, preliminary findings (such as sample statistics), and statistical analyses are discussed in detail. By the end of this section, you should (roughly) be able to duplicate the study.
5. Results – this is where the author lists the findings of the study. They state whether the hypotheses were accepted or rejected. It can be easy to get lost in this section as it is usually filled to the brim with statistical speak.
6. Discussion – this is different from a conclusion. The discussion section of an article talks about the potential interpretations of the results, limitations of the current research, and thoughts for future studies. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are also discussed.

Research Proposals vs. Research Papers

A research proposal contains many of the same elements as finalized research papers or academic articles. Let’s compare them, shall we?

As you can see, research proposals are nearly identical to published academic articles until you get to the results section. You’ll still introduce your paper, outline previous research in the literature review, and define your research methods. But instead of discussing what you did (like in the final article), research proposals talk about what you will do.

Below is a quick breakdown of a research proposal. You’ll notice that much of it is the same as above. However, remember that your professors may have different guidelines and expectations. Use this as a guide and read your assignment rubric if available.

1. Abstract – an abstract is similar to the blurb at the back of a book or a movie preview. It provides a brief overview of the paper, allowing the reader to decide if they want to keep reading.
2. Introduction – similar to any introduction you’ve ever written for any class paper. It serves to grab the reader’s attention and tell them about what they are going to read.
3. Literature Review – sometimes referred to as an annotated bibliography, the literature review summarizes relevant literature on a topic. This is where terms are defined, and past research is outlined. Research questions and hypotheses can be introduced here or in the methods section.
4. Methods – this is where the author starts talking about the specific study and how it will be performed. Sampling and data collection methods are discussed. Depending on your class level, you may be required to discuss what statistical analyses you will run. By the end of this section, somebody else should (roughly) be able to duplicate your study just by reading your proposal. Sometimes sampling and data collection have been completed before the proposal is submitted. In that case, the researcher would discuss what has already been done and what will be done with the data.
5. Discussion – depending on your teacher, you may be required to submit a discussion section even though this is only a proposal. If that’s the case, you’ll likely be required to write about your expected results, discuss potential study limitations, and point out any potential theoretical or practical implications.

Writing Your Own Research Proposal

Now that you have a general understanding of research proposal anatomy let’s talk about writing your own proposal.

First, identify your topic and research question(s).

Picking your research questions(s) is arguably the most important part of a research proposal. A good research question narrows down your topic and tells your audience exactly what you hope to learn from your research. Your research question guides your entire study design, from what academic articles you read for your lit review to what data you collect and how. You may have more than one question, which is okay if both questions can be answered using the same data set.

Here is an example of a research question: Are convicted drug offenders serving time in prison more likely to recidivate within a year of being released than convicted drug offenders serving time in secure drug rehabilitation facilities?

For non-criminal justice people, I am asking if drug offenders in prison are more likely to commit another drug crime once released than their counterparts in rehab.

Each research question (RQ) should be specific and only ask one question. If your RQ has more than one part, split it into multiple RQs. I recommend sticking with one or two questions for an undergraduate RM class.

Second, start reading articles for your literature review.

Once you’ve defined your research question, start looking for peer-reviewed academic journal articles related to your topic. Most university online libraries provide free copies of academic articles, so that is a great place to start. As you read, write down the article’s full citation and take note of the RQs, hypotheses, and study methodology. Highlight any useful quotes, definitions, or information.

Literature reviews deserve a more in-depth explanation than I can provide here, but here are 3 things to know:

1. A literature review is a summary of previous studies done on your topic. Some people break down the lit review by study, dedicating one paragraph to each prior study. Others (myself included) break down the lit review by topic, inserting citations and prior study results throughout the section. How you format your lit review is up to you (or your teacher); just make sure you cover what research has been done up to this point.
2. A literature review is also where key terms are defined. For our RQ example above, I would define “drug-related offenses,” “recidivism,” “prison,” and “rehabilitation facilities.” These definitions are pulled from prior literature as well.
3. The information you present in the lit review should help explain the thought process behind your hypothesis(es) (more on that next).

Pro-tip: If you know what topic you’re interested in but don’t know what to make your RQ, reading prior research can be helpful. You may do this before the “defining your research question” step.

Third, form your hypothesis or hypotheses.

You’ve defined your RQs and looked at previous studies on your topic. Based on that information, you should have an educated guess as to what your study will find (or would find). Your hypothesis is an educated guess, not a feeling, hope, or wish; it’s what you think you’ll find, backed by science.

Let’s look at our RQ example again: Are convicted drug offenders serving time in prison more likely to recidivate within a year of being released than convicted drug offenders serving time in secure drug rehabilitation facilities?

Here is my hypothesis: Convicted drug offenders serving time in prison are more likely to recidivate within a year of being released than convicted drug offenders serving time in secure drug rehabilitation facilities.

In the literature review, I would explain my hypothesis by pointing out prior studies (stating which ones) found secure rehabilitation facilities more effective at preventing recidivism than standard state prisons. I would also point out that offenders convicted of drug-related offenses are likely not given the skills and coping mechanisms they need to avoid further drug use in prison (insert relevant citation here). Drug rehabilitation facilities are meant to rehabilitate and should, in theory, be better at preparing inmates for life post-incarceration than standard prisons (again, add another citation).

If you have multiple RQs, you should have multiple hypotheses.

Fourth, define your study population and sample selection methods.

At this point, you should have some ideas on how to conduct your study based on classroom instruction (hopefully) and the research designs used in prior studies.

For our recidivism example, my population would be inmates convicted of drug offenses housed in X correctional facility or Y rehabilitation facility and released between January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2022. Then, using a stratified random sampling technique, I would select 50 inmates from each facility to follow (on paper) for a year post-incarceration to see if they commit another drug-related offense. I would define the study year as 365 days from the date each inmate was released from prison or the rehabilitation facility.

Fifth, identify your data collection methods.

Now that you know who you are studying let’s discuss the data you will collect. Suppose you’re studying people like I am in the recidivism example. In that case, you will likely collect general demographic data, like age and gender and any data necessary to answer your RQs. For our example study, we need to know what facility the study participant was in and whether or not they were arrested (or convicted, depending on how you define recidivism) of a drug-related offense within a year after their release.

How you collect your data will depend entirely on your study. For our example study, I would rely entirely on agency data from the courts and correctional facilities to gather information on my participants.

Finally, put all your information together into one research proposal.

Ideally, you’ll write each section of your research proposal at separate times throughout the semester. Typically, you’ll submit a topic proposal with your RQs first, followed by your literature review and final proposal. If you have a choice, I recommend writing your introduction (and abstract, if applicable) after you’ve written your lit review. It’s a lot easier to tell someone what you will tell them after you’ve already told them. (Clear as mud, right?)

Your professor may require you to add additional sections to your proposal, such as a timeline or budget. I encourage you to read your assignment rubric in full. Reach out to your professor if you have any questions. Don’t stress too much about these pieces. Teachers know research is new to you, so we aren’t looking for exact budget numbers or the perfect timeline.

Final Thoughts and Research Proposal Example

Before giving you my example research proposal, I want to remind you that every research proposal assignment is different. Your professor may want something different than what is written here. My example is only meant to serve as a guide. Also, please note that I am not perfect. I wrote this proposal in graduate school and adapted it for a class a while back. I have not proofread or edited this paper in a while, so you may find errors. Forgive me; I am human.

On another note, please do not try to pass my research proposal off as your own. This proposal eventually turned into my published thesis. Your teachers have plagiarism checkers, and they will know.

If you have any lingering questions about research proposals, leave them in the comments below. I’ll do what I can to help!

Research proposals are hard for everyone. Along with research being a completely new concept to many undergrads, research proposals are papers unlike any other. So if you’re confused and overwhelmed by your research proposal assignment, know you are not alone. Your professors, this blog, Google, YouTube, and I are here to help.

My final tip is to always cite your sources. Always. Even if it feels excessive. Just do it.