Capture the Attention of the Reader Instantly.

¶ … capture the attention of the reader instantly. The opening section or introduction of the proposal should contain important elements of the work. Firstly it should provide the reader with a clear indication as to the value of the work. The introduction is not required to be an extensive treatise on the topic that is to be discussed but it is required to state in clear terms what the research is about. The introduction also contains a statement of the problem. This statement of the problem provides the reader with a very terse expression of dependent variable in the study. The dependent variable particularly in quantitative research is considered the problem or phenomenon to be studied.

Another important section within the introduction is the significance of the study. For research to be valuable it must attempt to provide answers to some problem. The problem may be methodological or practical. In proposals sent for funding this discussion is very important since it not only demonstrates the immediate value of the work, but it may also identify future usage of any findings of the work. Once the significance of the work is identified the next major concern for evaluators of the proposal will possibly the methodology that will be employed to achieve the stated outcomes and objectives. It should be noted that a good proposal will advocate for novel approaches to resolving longstanding issues within the particular discipline. This novel approach could be theoretical or methodological. It is this freshness that gives rise to new knowledge, products and interventions. It should also be remembered that when proposals are evaluated the dominant concern is the value that the work will bring to the existing field of knowledge.

The literature review is an important cog in the process of identifying the gaps in the discipline that the work will fill (Nachmias, & Nachmias, 2000). The literature review takes greater prominence in quantitative studies than qualitative studies. Quantitative studies tend to focus on testing some existing theory or providing practical solutions to existing issues (Neuman. 2000). Qualitative studies are often not reliant on literature reviews because the phenomenon under consideration is often novel and under explored by other researchers (Creswell 1994). For the quantitative study the literature review provides ample evidence for the need for the study to be done. This is accomplished by examining the existing state of the research on the phenomenon and demonstrating where there are gaps in the knowledge or methods employed. The researcher then suggests how these gaps might be satisfied by the work that they are advocating.

Following the literature review, the methodology becomes possibly a principal aspect of the study. It shows how the study will arrive at an answer to the questions that were posed by the researcher. The methodology is a clear plan for the collection of data and the analysis of the same. While the methods of data collection are varied they are often harmonious with the type of study design. Quantitative studies tend to use quantitative designs and methods of data collection the same for qualitative. Babbie (2007) makes a case however for studies that are considered to be mixed in orientation. These are studies that employ both a qualitative, quantitative methods of data collection.

The analysis of the data is the next section of the proposal that will provide the reader with a sense as to whether the conclusions reached will be valid. Within the proposal the researcher will alert readers to the approach that will be taken to data analysis and any special tools that may be required. The methodology and the data analysis provide a clear indication as to the trustworthiness, validity or reliability of the study. These elements must be satisfied before the study is given approval.