2. Subjects or participants – Who will take part in your study ? What kind of sampling procedure do you use?

3. Instruments – What kind of measuring instruments or questionnaires do you use? Why do you choose them? Are they valid and reliable?

4. Procedure – How do you plan to carry out your study? What activities are involved? How long does it take?

RESULTS:

Obviously you do not have results at the proposal stage. However, you need to have some idea about what kind of data you will be collecting, and what statistical procedures will be used in order to answer your research question or test you hypothesis.

DISCUSSION:

It is important to convince your reader of the potential impact of your proposed research. You need to communicate a sense of enthusiasm and confidence without exaggerating the merits of your proposal. That is why you also need to mention the limitations and weaknesses of the proposed research, which may be justified by time and financial constraints as well as by the early developmental stage of your research area.

Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing

1.Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question.

2. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.

3. Failure to cite landmark studies.

4. Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions by other researchers.

5. Failure to stay focused on the research question.

6. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research.

7. Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues.

8. Too much rambling — going ―all over the map‖ without a clear sense of direction. (The best proposals move forward with ease and grace like a seamless river.)

9. Too many citation lapses and incorrect references.

10. Too long or too short.

11. Failing to follow the APA style.

12. Slopping writing.