Introduction:
The researchers pursuing their MPhil / PhD need to prepare a research proposal at the very outset of their research.
Prior to prepare a research proposal, it is necessary to choose a research topic. The following steps can guide you, while making the choice of your research topic.
Choice of a Research Topic:
1. First of all, consider your area of interest.
2. Then, identify a broad area of study on the basis of your area of interest.
3. Further, narrow down your search to a subarea of study. The conceptions ‘area’ and ‘subarea of the study’ are clarified below.
5. For instance, if drama is a broad area of the study, ‘tragedy’ can be a subarea of the study.
6. A certain research topic can be evolved from the subarea of the study considering the factors like originality and significance of the study.
7. A research topic, thus evolved can be formulated following the format of the research proposal given below.
THE FORMAT OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL:
The format of the research proposal given below offers a basic layout of the research proposal. Also, some useful explanatory tips are tagged to all the points in the layout for the purpose of conceptual clarification.
TITLE
(The title of the research work)
1. Introduction:
(Area, topic and perspective
of research; Elaboration of
the central idea of research)
2. Review of Literature:
(Review of the books,
articles, previous research
works done in the same
area and the other works
relevant to the research
topic selected for the study)
3. Aims and Objectives:
(Aim: the statement/s
describing the study
broadly
Objectives: the statement/s
describing the specified
parts of the study)
4. Research Problem:
(The core part of the
research work; A short
description of the research
queries sometimes summed
up in the form of research
questions)
5. Hypothesis:
(Tentative answers to the
research questions;
Probable conclusions)
6. Scope and Limitations:
(Scope: The whole research
area indicating the outline
to which the study is
extendable
Limitations: The part of the
research area to which the
study is limited)
7. Significance of Study:
(Importance and relevance
of the study)
8. Research Methodology:
(An umbrella term inclusive
of the research method,
techniques, tools/
parameters, perspective of
the study, the primary and
the secondary sources and
the database to be
processed in the research
work undertaken)
9. Tentative Scheme of
Chapters:
(Tentative number and titles
of the chapters)
10. Bibliography:
(List of the primary and
secondary sources)
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