学术英语写作Uni Research roosalppt课件.ppt

Unit7ResearchProposal Whatisaresearchproposal Whentowritearesearchproposal PurposeofaresearchproposalHowtopreparearesearchproposal ElementsoftheresearchproposalHowtowritearesearchproposal CommonmistakesinaproposalwritingFeasibilityAnalysis discussedinanotherlecture Budgetanalysis discussedinanotherlecture Summary 1 Whatisaresearchproposal Aresearchproposalisashortdocument 1to2pages thatidentifiesandoutlinesthemaincomponentsofyourresearch Theyare 1 Thepurposeofyourresearch2 Theintendedaudience3 Yourrole4 Anopeningstatementorhypothesis5 Briefdescriptionofintendedmethodology data materials6 Expectedoutcomes ifany 2 Thepurposeoftheresearch 1 Therearemanyreasonsfordoingaresearch basedprogram Researchis afterall findingoutsomethingyoudon tknow Onecouldwriteathesistoreviewandexplaincollated 核对的 factualdata Onecouldalsoconductanalyticalresearchtostudyaparticularsubjectindepth Onecoulddiscuss debateand orargueacertaintopic orcomeoutwithanewhypothesis theory Ontheotherhand onecouldalsotrypersuadingotherstobelieveinwhats heisproposing 3 Thepurposeoftheresearch 2 Youwilloftenfindconflictingideas biases andotherinfluenceswhilstconductingyourresearch Youmayevendiscoverthingsinthecourseofyourresearchthatarecontradictorytoyourpersonalthoughts ethicsandideals Thesecouldhinderyourresearch giverisetodoubts orcausealackofinterestinthework Qualityresearchdemandsobjectivity cautioninassertion solidbackingfromsources experimentalresults andclearrationalthinking Youshouldbepreparedforcontingencies 偶然性 tochallengewidely acceptednorms rulesinyourquesttoseekfurtherknowledge 4 Theintendedaudience Youwillneedtoidentifytheaudienceforyourwork Obviously ifyouaredoingascientifically inclinedstudyintotheeffectsofNeonatomsunderintenseheat say yourtargetaudiencewillnotlikelybeShakespeareanthespians 演员 However yourresearchmayalsotraverseseveralfields eg childpsychologyresearchmightbeofinterestnotjusttopsychologists butalsototeachers doctorsandparents Yourtargetaudiencedetermineswhatstyleofwritingyoumayuse and orwhattheoriesandexperimentstoapply Yourtargetaudienceshouldeasilyidentifywithwhatyouaretryingtodo whethertheyagreewithitornot Yourresearchshouldtryandpersuadeyourreaderstostandwithyouonyourfindings Itshouldcontainadequateinformationwithoutbeingunnecessaryorboring Thepurposeofresearchisnottorehash 翻新 informationthatiseasilyavailablebuttocomeupwithsomethingneworworthwhileforyouraudiencetothinkabout 5 YourRole Theresearchis hopefully yourown Youhavetodisplayyourknowledgeandpointsofviewtobetakenseriously Firstandforemost youmustbeextremelyfamiliarwithwhatyouaresettingouttodo hencetheresearchproposal Whenyouquotesourcesandreferences usetheinformationtopropelyourpointsofviewratherthanthoseofthesources 6 OpeningStatement ArgumentorHypothesis Thisisthe BigBang theonethatbeginsitall Similartodebates youcanuseonesentence statementorquestionasajump offpointtoacompletebodyofresearch Thisopener though shouldnotbetoobroad Forexample DrinkingTooMuchCoffeeisBadForHealth istoogeneralised Whatiscoveredintheterm health Whatisconsidered bad Isthisfromasocial psychologicalormedicalpointofview Doesthisstatementapplytoalltypesofcoffee includingdecaffeinatedcoffee 7 Methodology MaterialsandData Thissectionshouldoutlinehowyouplantogoaboutdoingyourresearch Forexample tofindouthowmanypeoplepreferjoggingtowalking wouldyouaskpeopleonthestreetdirectly handoutquestionnaires appealforvolunteersovertheInternet ormakeupyourownfigures Thelastoptionisdefinitelynotrecommended IfyouaretryingtofindouthowfastbeansgerminateunderUVlight ifatall howwouldyougoaboutdoingit Whataboutcontrolledexperiments samples 8 ExpectedOutcomes Sometimes youropenermaybeanewhypothesisthatyouaretryingtoprove Perhapsyoucouldbeworkingtowardsacertainexpectedoutcomethatyouintendtoprove Ifyourresearchisofthisnature youmightwishtoincludethisinyourproposal 9 Whentowritearesearchproposal Researchproposalsareused whenbeginningaresearchdegree whenapplyingforgrantsortenders andwhenotherpeopleareinvolvedinformulating supervisingorconductingtheresearch Oncedeveloped theresearchproposalservesasaplanforconductingtheresearch 10 Purposeofaresearchproposal Researchproposalsserveanumberofpurposes Amongthem Theyconvinceothersthatyourresearchisworthundertaking Theyenableyoutodemonstrateexpertiseandcompetencyinyourparticularareaofstudy Theymayserveasacontractbetweentheresearcherandhisfund providers Theyserveasaplanningtoolfortheresearcher 11 Howtopreparearesearchproposal Normallyaresearchproposalwillincludethefollowing AworkingtitleofthetopicareaGeneraloverviewofareaIdentificationoftherelevantliteratureKeyresearchquestionsMethodologyTimescale researchplanningBibliographyAvoid 12 Aworkingtitleofthetopicarea Thisshoulddomorethanconveythekeywordsassociatedwiththeproposedresearch 13 Generaloverviewofarea Thisshouldtaketheformofabriefabstractofthegeneralareaofstudyandidentifythediscipline s withinwhichitfalls Youmightalsorefertothewayinwhichyourownbackgroundgivesyoucompetencesinyourchosenarea 14 Identificationoftherelevantliterature Inthissectionyoushoulddevelopyourproposaltodemonstratethatyouareawareofthedebatesandissuesraisedinrelevantbodiesofliterature Referencestokeyarticlesandtextsshouldbemadetoshowthatyouappreciatetheirrelevancetoyourresearcharea Aresearchpaperisanoriginalpieceofresearchandsoyoushoulddemonstratethatyourproposedareahasnotbeenstudiedbefore Soyouneedtoidentifyyourniche 市场定位 whichwillleadontothethesispreparation 15 Keyresearchquestions Sinceyouneedtodemonstratethatthetopiccanbecompletedwithinthenormaltimeperiodallowed youneedtodemonstratethatitismanageable andsofocusonkeyquestionswithinyournichearea 16 Methodology Youneedtodemonstrateanawarenessofthemethodologicaltoolsavailabletoyouandshowsomeunderstandingofwhichwouldbesuitableforyourresearch Itmaybethatqualitativemethods includingtheanalysisofinterviews isappropriate Alternativelyyourapproachmayinvolveforecastingorstatistical financialoreconometricmodelling Inothercasesyoumaybecombiningmethodologies Youneedtospecifytheapproachyoufeelwillbemostappropriate 17 Timescale researchplanning Youneedtodemonstrateanawarenessoftheneedforplanningandthetimescaleoftheresearch 18 Bibliography Youshouldincludeashortlistofreferencestokeyarticlesandtextsincludedintheapplication 19 Avoid BroadtopicareaswhichwouldbeunmanageableasPGorPhDtopicsVaguedescriptionsofresearchareasSubjectareaswhereyourSchoolhasnoexpertise 20 Elementsoftheresearchproposal TitleAbstractIntroductionLiteratureReviewMethodsResultsDiscussion 21 Title Itshouldbeconciseanddescriptive Forexample thephrase Aninvestigationof couldbeomitted Oftentitlesarestatedintermsofafunctionalrelationship becausesuchtitlesclearlyindicatetheindependentanddependentvariables However ifpossible thinkofaninformativebutcatchytitle Aneffectivetitlenotonlypricksthereader sinterest butalsopredisposeshim herfavourablytowardstheproposal 22 Abstract Itisabriefsummaryofapproximately300words Itshouldincludetheresearchquestion therationale 基础理论 forthestudy thehypothesis ifany themethodandthemainfindings Descriptionsofthemethodmayincludethedesign procedures thesampleandanyinstrumentsthatwillbeused 23 Introduction Themainpurposeoftheintroductionistoprovidethenecessarybackgroundorcontextforyourresearchproblem Theintroductiontypicallybeginswithageneralstatementoftheproblemarea withafocusonaspecificresearchproblem tobefollowedbytherationalorjustificationfortheproposedstudy Theintroductiongenerallycoversthefollowingelements 24 Elementsinanintroduction Statetheresearchproblem whichisoftenreferredtoasthepurposeofthestudy Providethecontextandsetthestageforyourresearchquestioninsuchawayastoshowitsnecessityandimportance Presenttherationaleofyourproposedstudyandclearlyindicatewhyitisworthdoing Brieflydescribethemajorissuesandsub problemstobeaddressedbyyourresearch Identifythekeyindependentanddependentvariablesofyourexperiment Alternatively specifythephenomenonyouwanttostudy Stateyourhypothesisortheory ifany Forexploratoryorphenomenologicalresearch youmaynothaveanyhypotheses Pleasedonotconfusethehypothesiswiththestatisticalnullhypothesis Setthedelimitationorboundariesofyourproposedresearchinordertoprovideaclearfocus Providedefinitionsofkeyconcepts Thisisoptional 25 LiteratureReview Sometimestheliteraturereviewisincorporatedintotheintroductionsection However mostprofessorspreferaseparatesection whichallowsamorethoroughreviewoftheliterature Theliteraturereviewservesseveralimportantfunctions 26 Functionsofliteraturereview Ensuresthatyouarenot reinventingthewheel Givescreditstothosewhohavelaidthegroundworkforyourresearch Demonstratesyourknowledgeoftheresearchproblem Demonstratesyourunderstandingofthetheoreticalandresearchissuesrelatedtoyourresearchquestion Showsyourabilitytocriticallyevaluaterelevantliteratureinformation Indicatesyourabilitytointegrateandsynthesizetheexistingliterature Providesnewtheoreticalinsightsordevelopsanewmodelastheconceptualframeworkforyourresearch Convincesyourreaderthatyourproposedresearchwillmakeasignificantandsubstantialcontributiontotheliterature i e resolvinganimportanttheoreticalissueorfillingamajorgapintheliterature 27 problemswithliteraturereviews Moststudents literaturereviewssufferfromthefollowingproblems LackingorganizationandstructureLackingfocus unityandcoherenceBeingrepetitiveandverboseFailingtociteinfluentialpapersFailingtokeepupwithrecentdevelopmentsFailingtocriticallyevaluatecitedpapersCitingirrelevantortrivialreferencesDependingtoomuchonsecondarysources 28 Organizationofliteraturereview Therearedifferentwaystoorganizeyourliteraturereview Makeuseofsubheadingstobringorderandcoherencetoyourreview Forexample havingestablishedtheimportanceofyourresearchareaanditscurrentstateofdevelopment youmaydevoteseveralsubsectionsonrelatedissuesas theoreticalmodels measuringinstruments cross culturalandgenderdifferences etc Itisalsohelpfultokeepinmindthatyouaretellingastorytoanaudience Trytotellitinastimulatingandengagingmanner Donotborethem becauseitmayleadtorejectionofyourworthyproposal Remember Professorsandscientistsarehumanbeingstoo 29 Method TheMethodsectionisveryimportantbecauseittellsyourResearchCommitteehowyouplantotackleyourresearchproblem Itwillprovideyourworkplananddescribetheactivitiesnecessaryforthecompletionofyourproject TheguidingprincipleforwritingtheMethodsectionisthatitshouldcontainsufficientinformationforthereadertodeterminewhethermethodologyissound Someevenarguethatagoodproposalshouldcontainsufficientdetailsforanotherqualifiedresearchertoimplementthestudy 30 Quantitativestudies Forquantitativestudies themethodsectiontypicallyconsistsofthefollowingsections Design Isitaquestionnairestudyoralaboratoryexperiment Whatkindofdesigndoyouchoose Subjectsorparticipants Whowilltakepartinyourstudy Whatkindofsamplingproceduredoyouuse Instruments Whatkindofmeasuringinstrumentsorquestionnairesdoyouuse Whydoyouchoosethem Aretheyvalidandreliable Procedure Howdoyouplantocarryoutyourstudy Whatactivitiesareinvolved Howlongdoesittake 31 Results Obviouslyyoudonothaveresultsattheproposalstage However youneedtohavesomeideaaboutwhatkindofdatayouwillbecollecting andwhatstatisticalprocedureswillbeusedinordertoansweryourresearchquestionortestyouhypothesis 32 Discussion Itisimportanttoconvinceyourreaderofthepotentialimpactofyourproposedresearch Youneedtocommunicateasenseofenthusiasmandconfidencewithoutexaggeratingthemeritsofyourproposal Thatiswhyyoualsoneedtomentionthelimitationsandweaknessesoftheproposedresearch whichmaybejustifiedbytimeandfinancialconstraintsaswellasbytheearlydevelopmentalstageofyourresearcharea 33 CommonMistakesinProposalWriting 1 Failuretoprovidethepropercontexttoframetheresearchquestion 2 Failuretodelimittheboundaryconditionsforyourresearch 3 Failuretocitelandmarkstudies 4 Failuretoaccuratelypresentthetheoreticalandempiricalcontributionsbyotherresearchers 5 Failuretostayfocusedontheresearchquestion 6 Failuretodevelopacoherentandpersuasiveargumentfortheproposedresearch 34 7 Toomuchdetailonminorissues butnotenoughdetailonmajorissues 8 Toomuchrambling going alloverthemap withoutaclearsenseofdirection Thebestproposalsmoveforwardwitheaseandgracelikeaseamlessriver 9 Toomanycitationlapsesandincorrectreferences 10 Toolongortooshort 11 FailingtofollowtheAPA AmericanPsychologicalAssociation style 12 Sloppingwriting 35 Feasibilityanalysis 36 Budgetanalysis 37 Howtowritearesearchproposal WhenyouarewritingaRP keepinmindthatitwillenteracompetition beingreadinlinewithquiteafewotherRPs Youhavetocomeupwithadocumentthathasanimpactuponthereader writeclearlyandwellstructuredsothatyourmessagegetsacrosseasily Basically yourRPhastoanswerthreebigquestions whatresearchprojectwillyouundertake whyisimportanttoknowthatthingandhowwillyouproceedtomakethatresearch 38 Inordertodrawtheresearcher sattentionuponyourpaper writeanintroductionwithimpact andthatleadstotheformulationofyourhypothesis Theresearchhypothesishastobespecific concise onephrase andtoleadtotheadvancementoftheknowledgeinthefieldinsomeway Writingthehypothesisinaconcisemannerand first comingupwithagoodhypothesisisadifficultmission Thisisactuallythecoreofyourapplication you regoingtoauniversitytodothisverypieceofresearch Comparedtothis therestoftheapplicationisbackgroundscenery Takeyourtimetothinkofit Whenyouhaveanidea becarefulattheformulation Awell writtenhypothesisissomethingofanessay sthesis itprovidesastatementthatcanbetested arguesaheadoneofthepossibleanswerstoaproblem itisanidea aconcept andnotamerefact andissummedupinonephrase Insomecases youwillhavenoideawhatthepossibleanswertoaproblemworthbeingresearchedis butyouwillbeabletothinkofawaytosolvethatproblem andfindouttheanswerinthemeantime It sokinthiscase toformulatearesearchquestion ratherthanahypothesis Letthosecasesberare inanyway 39 Anotherpieceofadvicewhenwritingyourhypothesis regardingthetrendyresearchfields chancesaregreatthatthey retrendybecausesomebodyhasalreadymadethatexcitingdiscovery orwrotethatsplendidpaperthatawokeeverybody sinterestinthefirstplace Ifyou reinoneofthesefields trytogetafreshpointofviewuponthesubject makenewconnections don tbe100 mainstream Thiswillmaketheprojectevenmorestimulatingforthereader Imaginethatyouarewritingaboutthetrendiestsubject withabsolutelynochangeinthepointofview andyouaregiventhechancetomaketheresearch Trendscomeandgo fast whatarethechancesthat infouryears time whenyourresearchisdoneandyouarereadytopublishyourresults oneofthosewell knownprofessorswhodisposeofhugeresearchgrantshasalreadysaidwhateveryouhadtosay 40 Afterstatingyourthesis youshouldgiveashortaccountofyouranswerstothosethreequestionsmentionearlier State inafewphrases whatwillbelearnedfromyourresearch thatyourprojectwillmakeadifference andwhyisthatimportanttobeknown Youwillhavetoelaborateonbothoftheselaterinthepaper 41 Thenextstepinwritingyourproposalistoprovethatthatparticularpieceofresearchhasnotbeendoneyet Thissectionisusuall