Assoc Prof. Ts. Dr.

Sreetheran Maruthaveeran
Certified Arborist (MY0300A)
Department of Landscape Architecture
Faculty of Design & Architecture
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
WEEK 2

43400 Serdang Selangor

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
What is the purpose of a research proposal?

▪ To propose a research project that will result in a

significant contribution to knowledge.

▪ To formulate a detailed plan of the project including

methodological approach and theoretical framework.

▪ To ensure that the proposed research is achievable

within the required time and with the available
resources.

▪ To demonstrate that you have adequate expertise and

experience to undertake the project.
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
Which skills are required for a research proposal?

Subject knowledge and research skills

The proposal gives you an opportunity to exhibit your mastery of subject
knowledge and familiarity with current research trends.

Critical thinking skills

A good research proposal displays evidence of advanced analysis, evaluation
and synthesis skills, as well as creativity and the ability to combine vertical
and lateral thinking.

Communication skills
The proposal displays your ability to express yourself in precise and concise
language.

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

Content and structure
The required content and structure of a research proposal varies from one field of study to
another. You should therefore consult closely with your supervisor so that you are made aware of
any particular requirements in your field of study. In general, however, a research proposal
consists of the following elements:

▪ Background to the topic, significance and research

problem
▪ Research aims and questions
▪ Review of literature
▪ Study/project design
▪ Timeline
▪ Expected outcomes/impact
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
Zoom in
It is useful to think of a research proposal as an exercise in zooming in from the big picture (the broad
academic field) to a specific target (your project).

First, the proposal needs to identify a specific research area in the broader landscape of
the discipline, and establish why it is significant and worth exploring.

Second, the proposal needs to identify an existing or newly identified gap in knowledge
that can be developed into a significant research problem.

Third, the proposal needs to build a convincing case for your project as a viable way of
approaching the research problem. This aspect is often the most exciting and creative part
of the proposal. It allows you to showcase how your project design brings a new approach
to an existing or newly identified problem.

Finally, the proposal needs to demonstrate that your approach to the problem is
achievable within the period of your candidature.
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
Components of Research Proposal

A. Title
B. Background
C. Research aims & questions
D. Literature review
E. Study design
F. Timeline
G. Budget (if you’re applying for a research grant)
H. Expected outcomes/impact/output
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
 Pick a Title ___________________________________
▪ Your title should give a clear indication of your proposed
research approach or key question.
A. TITLE

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

 Background_______________________________________________

▪ You will need to introduce the research topic to your reader and
explain why it is significant.
B. BACKGROUND

▪ It is best to pitch your explanation to an academic audience that lacks

expertise in the specific field. For this reason, you may need to
provide some background information about the emergence and
evolution of the topic.

▪ Focus here on the dominant trends, landmark studies and, if

appropriate, more recent developments in scholarship.
.

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

 Significance_____________________________________________

▪ Why is this topic significant to you?

B. BACKGROUND

▪ Why should others be interested in it? You might find it helpful to

think about what led you to undertake research in this area.

▪ You might also consider how scholars in the field discuss its
importance. In what ways is your understanding of its significance
similar or different?

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

 Gaps & Issues _____________________________________________

▪ Identifying gaps in the academic literature in your field is essential to

creating new knowledge. However, you will need to demonstrate that
B. BACKGROUND

the gap you have identified is worth exploring.

▪ This will require an understanding of key questions, problems, and

developments in your chosen field of study and close consultation
with your supervisor.

▪ Identifying a significant gap also helps you to identify key concepts

and relationships. These key concepts and relationships in turn
provide you with the basis for a conceptual, theoretical, and/or
analytical framework that you can put in place to address your
research problem.
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
 BACKGROUND
trends, landmark studies and, if
appropriate, more recent
Issues & gaps. developments in scholarship.

consider how scholars in the

field discuss its importance.
What’s the significance of
the study?

Why is it worth to conduct the

study?

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

C. RESEARCH AIMS & QUESTIONS What is a good research question?________________________

▪ Relevant: It must clearly relate to the problems or issues that the

project seeks to address.

▪ Important: It should address a key problem in the field

(see From identifying a gap to constructing a problem above).

▪ Clear: It should be expressed using concise language and

contain no ambiguity.

▪ Precise: What is being investigated should be clearly specified.

▪ Researchable: The information and sources required to answer

the question must exist and you must be able to access them
(with the exception of data that you will generate yourself
through surveys, experiments, etc.).
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
C. RESEARCH AIMS & QUESTIONS Constructing a research question___________________________

•How and why questions are usually preferred as they generate

analytical rather than descriptive findings.

•The question should be worded in such a way that a number of

different responses would be possible.

•The wording should be neutral in tone. Avoid value judgements or

untested assumptions.

•The wording should include the key concepts and relationships that
you have identified.

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

D. LITERATURE REVIEW Purpose of Literature Review___________________________

▪ The literature review surveys key academic works in your field of

research, such as books, refereed journal articles, and
postgraduate theses.

▪ The review should summarise, analyse, categorise and

compare the most significant works - it does not need to cover
everything that has been written on the topic.

▪ Most importantly, it should clearly demonstrate the gap or

problem that your research project will address by outlining both
the strengths and the limitations of previous research.

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
D. LITERATURE REVIEW Planning & Writing LR___________________________

•Focus: A literature review for a research project should give an accurate picture of the
general field, but rather than discuss every text in detail it should focus on works that are
directly related to your specific topic. It is usually best to focus on the most prominent and
recent contributions to the topic.

•Structure: Rather than discuss each selected text separately, a literature review should
be organised around key similarities, differences, and other points that you want to make
about the development of academic writing on the topic. Search for a review article on
the topic (a kind of literature review found in refereed journals) and study the literature
reviews contained in recently published books and journal articles on the topic. Consider
how these authors categorise and evaluate the literature.

•Faculty/School specifics: The above points apply for most research proposals, but
some faculties and schools will have their own requirements regarding the content and
word count of the literature review component. This will have an influence on how you
select and critique the literature. It is therefore important that you check the specific
requirements of your Faculty or School.
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
D. LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review gives you a chance to:
▪ Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
▪ Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your
research
▪ Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
▪ Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a
debate

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
 Study Design Component___________________________

In this section of your proposal you will need to answer

E. STUDY DESIGN

three questions:

1.What kind of data or sources will you use?

2.How will you collect and manage this material?

1.Which theoretical and methodological techniques will you

use to interpret and analyse these data/sources?

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

 It is important that you explain
E. STUDY DESIGN

the design of your project in a

clear and logical way. Your
reader should be able to clearly
see what you will do and how
will you do it, and how this
combination of data/sources and
methods will allow you to
address your research problem.

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

 Study Design Component___________________________

When writing up your study/project design, be specific

about:
E. STUDY DESIGN

▪ The methods that you will use to gather your

information

▪ The theories and techniques you will use to analyse

the information

▪ The relevance of these approaches to your research

problem
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
 E. STUDY DESIGN

• Finally, anticipate any potential barriers that

you will face in carrying out your research
design.

• No method is perfect, so you need to

describe what the shortcomings will be and
explain how you will address them.

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

 Purpose of timeline___________________________

▪ The timeline demonstrates to the reader that your project can be

completed within the period of candidature.

▪ The timeline should consist of a series of goals that you will need to
meet in order to complete all aspects of your thesis, from initial
research to the final editing, with an expected date of completion for
F. TIMELINE

each step.

▪ It should also contain a statement of the progress that you have

made to date.

▪ The timeline should also factor in other research related activities

such as conferences and publications (if applicable).

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

The timeline is not a static document; you
will need to update it regularly !!!
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
 ▪ Conclude your research proposal by stating your expected outcomes. At this stage in
G. EXPECTED OUTCOMES the research process, what arguments and conclusions do you expect to reach?

▪ Your reader will understand that these are projected outcomes based on the extent
of research at the time of writing, and that they will almost certainly change in the
light of further research. It is essential, however, that you give your reader a sense of
what conclusions may be drawn.

▪ This will allow your reader to further assess the significance and validity of your
project. It will also indicate to your reader that you have thought ahead and
considered the potential outcomes and implications of your research.

▪ To avoid repetition with the description of your research aims and significance earlier
in the proposal, focus on how you envisage your research will contribute to debates
and trends in your field.

▪ What impact might your findings have on how the problem is perceived? What
impact might your methods have on how research is conducted in the future?

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902
 THANK YOU

Dr. Sreetheran Maruthaveeran LAR5902