What is a research proposal开题报告1

What is a research proposal? A research proposal is a sort of feasibility study report of your research work. It aims to inform your adviser and review committee of the purport of your research and the central idea of your paper, and to convince them that your are doing the right thing.2 When to write a proposal At this stage You have chosen a topic area or have a topic selected (at least in general) You have surveyed some/the literature on the topic area You think you know what to do (stages involved) You think you know how to do it (from research questions to research methods) You now must convince your supervisor/tutor and the dissertation committee (1) that the research is of value and importance and (2) that you are ready and able to do the proposed research You do this with a dissertation/research proposal or dissertation/research prospectus This is a stage that bridges the selection and approval of the topic and the writing of the research/dissertation. (upgrading, 进入论文写作阶段)3 Possible/general Components in a Proposal3.1 Introduction Background information Justification of the research(argument for the necessity and researchability of the topic) Aim(s) and objectives (thesis statement) Research questions (topics stated as questions, topics stated as hypotheses) Theoretical framework Data collection Research methods Structure of the dissertation (how the dissertation is shaped or structured)3.2 Literature review General research situation in the topic area (Too few references will imply that the researcher has not done enough library research and does not have the necessary background information to undertake the proposed study) Previous studies important findings Deficiencies in previous research Proposing a new/different way of investigation (Important: the ability to quote, paraphrase, summarize)3.3 Theoretical framework Introducing your theoretical framework Focusing on relevant components of the framework Quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing existing ideas Comparing your theoretical framework with other alternative frameworks if necessary3.4 Methods How the research is to be undertaken What procedures to be followed Conducting primary research (qualitative, survey, statistical) Collecting data Observation (direct observation, fieldwork) Designing/Conducting interviews and/or questionnaires and/or experiments How the data are to be analysed3.5 Materials/data “Methods” and “materials/data” are related to each other Resources (including people) you plan to use Collecting data Nature of the data Quantitative and/or qualitative From a corpus/corpora Strong points and weak points Relationship between research focus and data3.6 Discussion Relationship between research focus and data analysis Anticipated relationship between results and previous research Possible limitations of the research Possible difficulties/problems Practical and/or theoretical applications/implications of the research3.7 Possible/expected/anticipated results/ conclusions Anticipated results/conclusions Possible results/conclusions Expected results/conclusions Unlike a completed dissertation/research paper, and for obvious reasons, a research proposal rarely has a results/conclusions section.3.8 Bibliography (cf. References) Bibliography vs References References that have been used during your preliminary investigation References that will probably be used/consulted during the course of the research The working bibliography the bibliography that you will be working with until your final draft has been submitted and accepted. Style of listing a bibliographyAvoiding silly mistakes Consistency in style (dissertation, thesis; colour, color; programme, program), font(字体型号), terms, names (M.A.K Halliday, Michael Halliday; R. Hasan Ruqaiya Hasan), spacing, etc. List of figures, numbers, abbreviations, etc. Sources of quotations, paraphrases, summaries Style of r