1. Writing Research Proposal
Khalid Mahmood, PhD
Professor of Library & Information Science
University of the Punjab
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2. Research objectives
 Specify the outcome of your study, the
end product
 Keep your objectives
 Specific: Indicate precisely what you intend
to achieve through your project
 Measurable: What you accept as proof of
project success
 Logical: How each objective contributes
systematically to achieving your overall goal
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3. Research objectives –
Examples from market research
Sample verbs Sample findings
Identify Problems, opportunities, criteria
Define Concepts, requirements
Describe Processes, usage, environments
Explore Perceptions, reactions
Generate Ideas, hypotheses, alternatives,
explanations
Evaluate Feasibility, attractiveness, support
Select Theme, service, product, concept, ad
Test Assumptions, preferences
Measure Size, growth, frequency
Prioritize Market segments, needs, opportunities
Monitor Trends, competition
Track Awareness, satisfaction 3

4. Research questions
 Premised on the problem statement
identified, list possible research
questions that could be asked in
order to achieve the research
objectives of the study
 Main question and sub-questions
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5. Hypotheses/Theses
 Hypotheses are research questions
that could be statistically tested
 Research hypothesis
 Null hypothesis
 Thesis statement
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6. Rationale and significance
 Rationale
 Reasons or justification for conducting
the study
 Significance
 Addition in existing knowledge
 Implications for policy and practice
 Likely benefits for society at large
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7. Research design
 Approach
 Quantitative (how much, how many)
 Qualitative (nature, essence)
 Mixed
 Triangulation
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8. Research design…
 Specific method
 Quantitative: Survey, Experiment,
Quasi-experiment, Bibliometrics
 Qualitative: Case study, Historical,
Ethnography, Phenomenology, Textual
analysis, Grounded theory
 Strengths and weaknesses of selected
design
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9. Research design…
 Participants
 Population
 Sample
 Sampling method: Probability or non-
probability
 Sample size
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10. Research design…
 Data collection instruments
 Variables: Dependent and independent
 Ready made or self developed
instruments
 Measurement scales
 Validity and reliability of instruments
 Pre-testing
 Data collection procedure
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11. Research design…
 Data analysis plan
 Descriptive statistics
 Inferential statistics for testing
hypotheses
 Qualitative data analysis
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12. Research design…
 Ethical considerations
 Permission to use instruments
 Avoiding plagiarism
 Informed consent
 Confidentiality and anonymity
 Participants’ access to results
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13. Availability of resources
 Equipment
 Materials
 Literature
 Human resources
 Budget
 Additional resources needed and
methods to acquire
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14. Work schedule – Gantt chart
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15. Proposed contents
 Outline of chapters
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Design of the study
4. Data analysis and discussion
5. Summary, conclusions and
recommendations
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16. Questions???
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