Length: 2500 words
In this proposal, you will present your research proposal in written form. You do this individually,
which means that your final proposal may diverge from your partner’s (e.g. it might focus on a
different aspect, etc.). It is very important that you take the feedback provided on the presentation
into account to prepare your proposal. The proposal should include the following:
Your proposal should include:
1. Title: A working title for your proposed research project
2. Introduction: an introduction to the overall topic, which explains the motivations for
conducting this study and its general aims
3. Literature review: In the literature review, you describe the background to your study. What
previous research has been conducted in this topic area? What theories / approaches have
been used to investigate similar topic areas? What research still needs to be done? It may be
helpful to think of this section as a funnel / at the bottom end, the literature review needs to
focus in on the topic that you want to investigate and on your research questions / objectives.
– NOTE: Please make sure you are not over-descriptive in your literature review. Please use a
critical approach when juxtaposing various sources – your aim should be to engage in a critical
discussion using relevant literature.
4. Methods: Start this section by stating the objectives, research questions and hypotheses (if
appropriate) for your proposed piece of research. Then describe your method(s) of
investigation. Why are you using these methods (and not others)? In what way can your
approach be described as interdisciplinary (if appropriate)? If you have got human informants,
who are they sand how will you recruit them? Are there any ethical issues to consider, and
how are you going to tackle them? Are there any potential shortcomings and limitations of
your proposed method(s)? How are you going to analyse your data? Are you applying a
particular analytical framework (if applicable)? What are the ethical implications of your
proposed data collection method(s)?
5. Conclusion: Describe what your study may contribute to the body of knowledge in the field,
what practical impact it might have and how it could be followed up with additional research
6. References: A full list of references, using Harvard format.
Marking criteria
The proposals will be marked using the university grade descriptors.
Sources of Guidance
A great way to develop research ideas is to talk to your peers about it, in particular in an
interdisciplinary module like this where you might get very different perspectives on things.
You will also get opportunities to present your ideas to the class, which will provide some useful
formative feedback with which to refine your proposal before submission.
Please also speak to me in person about your ideas for the proposal.
