Research Proposals

If it needs approval, whether in college or in your career, you will need to create a proposal to reveal its worth. You have to prove that research has been done, a problem has been identified, and that a response or solution is possible. Thus, think of research proposals in college as your chance to practice an important lifelong skill.

What does a research proposal look like?

A research proposal should reveal that you are focused on a singular topic and have been asking appropriate research questions. It should prove that you care about your topic and that an argument within it is possible. So, how do you do this? While research proposals vary from discipline to discipline, they will usually contain a majority of the same elements:

1. Title or Title Page
2. Brief Summary and Literature Review
3. Identification of Gap and Methods
4. Connections with Research
5. Implications of Your Research
6. Research Schedule (if requested)
7. Bibliography (Works Cited or Reference)

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