reserach proposal template
Research Project Proposal (generic template)
This is a modified (expanded) version of a template used in:
Iphofen, R. (2009) Ethical decision making in social research. A practical guide, London: Palgrave Macmillan – pages 200-04.
This template may be copied and used for any research or teaching project subject to quoting the source.
This template is designed to assist researchers to put together a project proposal. A good proposal should address or provide information on each of the elements outlined below. The amount of detail required will vary according to the precise research topic and the overall aims of the project. Research proposals should be written clearly and in such a way that an intelligent layperson can understand the principles involved. Any complex issues or technical terminology should be clarified for the benefit of research governance and ethics reviewers. The project proposal must offer enough information to clarify the project aims and methods, but not too much unnecessary or repetitive material. The proposal should demonstrate that the researcher fully understands the issues associated with the use of the proposed methods. It should indicate any known difficulties associated with applying those methods in the proposed setting. This document can then be used to ‘cut and paste’ from the relevant fields into any other formal review forms as required.
Reviewers’ Criteria
In writing a proposal researchers would do well to remember the criteria that governance and ethics reviewers will have in mind when reading the proposal. They will be assessing throughout whether the project is ‘do-able’. In simple terms they should be thinking: can it be done, does it need to be done, can this person/these people do it, and can it be done in the way they are proposing? The overarching ethical question, which will be considered throughout the proposal, is: can it be done without harm to any of the people involved? The ultimate justification for
This is a modified (expanded) version of a template used in:
Iphofen, R. (2009) Ethical decision making in social research. A practical guide, London: Palgrave Macmillan – pages 200-04.
This template may be copied and used for any research or teaching project subject to quoting the source.
This template is designed to assist researchers to put together a project proposal. A good proposal should address or provide information on each of the elements outlined below. The amount of detail required will vary according to the precise research topic and the overall aims of the project. Research proposals should be written clearly and in such a way that an intelligent layperson can understand the principles involved. Any complex issues or technical terminology should be clarified for the benefit of research governance and ethics reviewers. The project proposal must offer enough information to clarify the project aims and methods, but not too much unnecessary or repetitive material. The proposal should demonstrate that the researcher fully understands the issues associated with the use of the proposed methods. It should indicate any known difficulties associated with applying those methods in the proposed setting. This document can then be used to ‘cut and paste’ from the relevant fields into any other formal review forms as required.
Reviewers’ Criteria
In writing a proposal researchers would do well to remember the criteria that governance and ethics reviewers will have in mind when reading the proposal. They will be assessing throughout whether the project is ‘do-able’. In simple terms they should be thinking: can it be done, does it need to be done, can this person/these people do it, and can it be done in the way they are proposing? The overarching ethical question, which will be considered throughout the proposal, is: can it be done without harm to any of the people involved? The ultimate justification for