MN5410 Research proposal advice Michael Gold
Research proposal:
Maximum 2,000 words
Worth 30% of your mark for MN5410
Use a topic that you might be interested in researching for your Masters dissertation and develop a research proposal. The proposal should include the following:
The formulation of suitable research question(s)
The selection of an area of literature to inform your study
The identification of a population and a sample for the study
The choice and justification of a set of qualitative research methods appropriate to the aim of the study
The development of a qualitative research instrument (e.g. questionnaire, interview schedule, case study or studies, observation points, focus group, experiment) appropriate to the research.
Research proposal
Up to 2,000 words plus or minus 5% (excluding references, tables etc.). Please indicate word count on the title page of your assignment
Worth 30% of your total mark for MN5410
Hand in TWO copies of your proposal to the Management Reception, Room MB7, Moore Building
Due date: Thursday 13 January 2011 by 12:00 noon (N.B. penalties for late submission)
Up to 2,000 words plus or minus 5% (excluding references, tables etc.). Please indicate word count on the title page of your assignment
Worth 30% of your total mark for MN5410
Hand in TWO copies of your proposal to the Management Reception, Room MB7, Moore Building
Due date: Thursday 13 January 2011 by 12:00 noon (N.B. penalties for late submission)
Proposal key features
What
What is my research about?
What is its purpose?
What is it trying to find out or achieve?
Especially: What questions is it trying to answer?
How
How will my research answer its questions? (e.g. research design and strategies, data collection)
Why
Why is this research worth doing? (e.g. theoretical, empirical and managerial contributions)
Formulation of research questions
Introduction and background
why have you chosen this topic to study?
why is it important?
what have other people written on it?
what are the lessons for your study?
what can you add?
Aims and objectives
state your aims clearly and concisely
break this down into intermediate objectives
Literature review
What research has been already carried out in my area?
Read previous research / literature
Can you add something new?
What methodologies do others generally use to study this area?
Where to look for your sources?
e.g. books, articles, newspapers/magazines, internet sources and other databases
Common failings
Meandering exposition
Not setting boundaries
Useless sources
Lack of relevance
No critical content
Dated
Inaccurate use of secondary sources
PLAGIARISM
Quantitative research designs
Philosophical assumptions: positivism, objectivism
Usually emphasize quantification in the collection and analysis of data
Predominantly use a deductive approach to the relationship between theory and research
Qualitative research designs
Philosophical assumptions: interpretivism, subjectivism/constructionism
Usually emphasize words rather than quantification in the collection and analysis of data
Predominantly use an inductive approach to the relationship between theory and research
Mixed methods research designs
Philosophical assumptions: pragmatism
Use both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and analysis procedures
Use a deductive approach and/or inductive approach
Consider the following questions when identifying a suitable research design (1)
What are your epistemological and ontological positions?
Epistemological positivism and ontological objectivism quantitative designs.
Epistemological interpretivism and ontological subjectivism qualitative designs.
Pragmatism mixed methods designs.
What is your research strategy for answering your research questions?
Experiment or survey quantitative research designs
case study or ethnography qualitative research designs
Sequential mixed methods or concurrent mixed methods mixed methods research designs
What specific techniques will you use to collect, analysis and interpret your data?
closed-ended questions, pre-determined approaches, numerical data, statistical analysis and statistical interpretation quantitative designs
Open-ended questions, emerging approaches, non-numerical data, text and image analysis, and theme, patterns interpretation qualitative designs
Both open- and closed-ended questions, both emerging and pre-determined approaches, both quantitative and qualitative data, statistical and text analysis and across databases interpretation mixed methods designs
Does your research intend to test theory or develop theory?
Testing theory by using a deductive approach quantitative research designs
Developing theory by using an inductive approach qualitative research designs
Testing and/or developing theory by using a deductive approach and/or inductive approach Mixed methods research designs
What is your sampling strategy (population, sample frame, sample size, unit of analysis)?
What is your unit of analysis?
How can you assure the reliability/validity of your results?
Title
Introduction to your topic and a brief literature review
Clearly stated research questions or objectives derived from the literature review
Research methods – design, methods of data collection, plan of analysis
Timescale
Resources – access to data, software for data analysis, time and money
References