Advanced9 min read
Writing a Research Proposal in English
Research proposals need to justify significance, demonstrate feasibility, and communicate methodology clearly. This guide covers the structure and language for winning proposals.
Improve Your Academic Writing →Standard Proposal Structure
- Title: Clear, concise, contains key terms for searchability
- Abstract (200 words): Problem, approach, expected contribution
- Introduction / Background: Why does this problem matter? What is already known?
- Research Questions / Objectives: Specific, measurable, achievable
- Literature Review: Gaps in existing knowledge that justify your study
- Methodology: How you will answer the research questions
- Timeline: Realistic Gantt chart or milestone list
- Budget: Justified costs
- References
Justification and Gap Language
The rationale section must convince reviewers that your study fills a genuine knowledge gap.
- Identifying gaps: 'Despite extensive research on X, little is known about Y'
- Significance: 'This study will be the first to...' / 'These findings could inform policy on...'
- Originality: 'Unlike previous studies, this research will...'
- Urgency: 'Given the rapidly increasing prevalence of X, there is an urgent need to...'
Advertisement
Research Question Language
Research questions must be specific and answerable.
- Weak: 'What is the effect of technology on education?'
- Strong: 'To what extent does daily use of AI writing assistants affect the argumentative writing quality of non-native English undergraduate students in Thailand?'
Found this helpful? Share it: