This presentation covers the basics of preparing a research proposal in Social Sciences. A Malayalam video explaining this presentation can be accessed at https://youtu.be/acg9Y3mQs9A Note: This is not suitable for preparing a proposal for research funding

1. Preparing a Research
Proposal
Dr. Chinchu C.

2. Research Problem/Problem Statement
• Research Problem is a statement
• It points out an area of concern, an issue to be overcome, a problem to be
solved etc. in scientific, researchable terms.
• It underscores the importance of the topic.
• Places the context of the problem
• Indicates the framework of reporting results
• The Problem Statement should be able to withstand the ‘So What’
question

3. Features of a good Research Problem
• Clear and Precise (Avoid sweeping generalizations)
• A researchable topic
• Objective description of variables
• Key concepts and terms will be included
• Leads to the research question(s)
• Implication of findings/outcome/results

4. Research Question
• Converting the curiosity into a structured query
• A research question can be refined multiple times before being
finalized
• A proposal may have one/multiple Research Questions
• For a PhD proposal, one question may suffice
• The Research Question may decide the sample, research
methods, and data analysis tools

5. Significance of Research Question
• Helps narrow down our broad research interest (the curiosity
questions) to a falsifiable question
• Quantitative hypotheses may be framed from the research question
• Helps set the limits, boundaries, and theoretical considerations of the
proposed study
• A Problem Statement may be used as a precursor to the research
question

6. Types of Research Questions
*Based on nature, not on methods
• Quantitative
• Precise, and specific to a population
• May refer the variables too
• Qualitative
• Need not be directional
• More flexible than quantitative questions
• Mixed Method

7. Quantitative Research Questions
• Mostly finalized at the initial stage of a study
• They attempt to quantify attitudes/experiences/processes within a
particular context/location
• Descriptive questions
• Measure the responses of a sample to variable(s)
• Comparative questions
• Uncover differences (or similarities) between groups on a variable
• Also, comparison of situations based on presence and absence of a variable
• Relationship questions
• Explore the relationships between variables

8. Qualitative Research Questions
• Descriptive
• Describing the nature and/or experience of a phenomenon
• Emancipatory
• Knowledge production with social action
• Evaluative
• Assess the effectiveness of something from a specific standpoint
• Explanatory
• Exploratory
• Lesser known facets of a topic; In-depth case
• Generative
• Generating new ideas, or even new questions
• Ideological

9. Mixed Method Studies
• Can use a combination of research questions
• Especially when the focus is not on integrative outcomes
• A single question can also be framed
• When the outcome will be integrated, such as a triangulation

10. Quantitative Qualitative
How does gender influence Mental
Health status of College students?
What are the Mental Health related
experiences of Transgender College
students?
What is the relationship between birth
order and career choice among
Malayalee Youth?
What are the experiences of Malayalee
Youth who are only children with regard to
making career choices?
What type of content are followed by
Baby Boomers from India on Facebook?
How do Baby Boomers from India spend
their time on Facebook?
What is the level of uncertainty among
frontline health workers in Kerala?
How do frontline health workers
experience uncertainty in Kerala?
Framing Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Questions

11. Developing a Research Question
from Scratch

12. Developing a Research Question from Scratch
1. Start from the broad topic of interest
• Your own interest matters – It will keep you glued to the topic
• The interest of research community matters – While defending the proposal,
and in publication
2. Conduct the preliminary search
• You will know what is being published and discussed on the topic
• Also, the gaps in knowledge that exists
• Systematic reviews on a topic and suggestions for future research are key
• State of The Art papers may also be helpful
• There are proprietary tools like the Essential Science Indicator too

13. Developing a Research Question from Scratch
3. Formulate potential research questions
• Gap-spotting, Problematization, and Personal experience approaches can be
employed
• Gap-spotting is the convention in social sciences
4. Interrogate your research question candidates
• The “So What” analysis
• FINER (Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant) Test

14. Developing a Research Question from
Scratch
5. Finalize the research question
• PICOT (Population, Indicator/Intervention, Comparison, Outcome,
Timeframe of interest) Framework
• Is there a difference in Happiness between College going Youth who
Consume Mandhi and those who Consume Biryani?
• PEO (Population, Exposure/Intervention, Outcome) framework
• What is the influence of Financial literacy on Self-Efficacy and Quality
of Life of Working Women?
• Both approaches are most appropriate for Clinical research

15. Other things to be noted
• Avoid Yes/No questions, if possible
• “How does Social Media influence people’s behaviour?”
• Do not frame a method as a research question
• “What are the results of SEM on XXX and YYY among ZZZ?”
• Avoid words or terms that do not add to the meaning
• A Central Question/Sub Questions format can also be used

16. Research Designs

17. Research Design
• The overall strategy chosen to integrate different components of a
study
• Needs to be logical and coherent
• Enables us to address the research question(s)
• Also gives a blueprint for collection, measurement, analysis, and
interpretation of data
• No single, universally accepted way to categorize research designs.
• Different textbooks/websites may provide different typologies
• Hence, the point is to understand the ‘how’, than the ‘what’
• Fancy terms may not serve much purpose

18. Types of Research Design
• Research design can be defined on the basis of different criteria:
• The standpoint of the researcher (Positivist, Constructivist etc.) can define
the research design
• Nature/Purpose of the study (Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental, Meta-
Analytic, Action Research etc.) can be used
• Based on the Methodology (Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods)
• Based on grouping (Cohort, Cross-sectional, Longitudinal, Cross-sequential)
• The distinction between Cohort and Cross-sectional studies are blurred in Social
Sciences, and more pronounced in Medical Sciences, Epidemiology etc.
• Can be classified as Fixed and Flexible too
• Other terms used: Exploratory, Field Research, Historical, Observational,
Philosophical etc.

19. Mixed Method Designs
Typology by Creswell et al (2003)
• Transformative Sequential
• Either order; Primacy to Theory; Results integration during interpretation
• Explanatory Sequential
• Conducting Quantitative study first; following up with Qualitative study
• Exploratory Sequential
• Qualitative first; followed by Quantitative
• Concurrent Triangulation
• Data collection together; Confirmation, Cross-Validation, or Corroboration
• Concurrent Nested
• One primary method; other one nested ‘within’
• Concurrent Transformative
• Based on a specific theoretical perspective; Order/Preference of method is flexible

20. Writing the Research Design section
1. Describe the design based on the Nature/Purpose first
• Descriptive: Describing what is existing in the field, or a phenomenon
• Case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation etc.
• Correlational: Describing the relationship between variables
• Case control studies, observation etc.
• Experimental: Observing influence of IV(s) on DV(s)
• Field experiment, Controlled experiment, quasi-experiment etc.
• Diagnostic/Causal: Examining underlying causes of phenomena
• Explanatory: In-depth explanation of unexplored/unknown
phenomena

21. Writing the Research Design section
2. Use the other classification terminology to define the study more
precisely
• For example, your study can have a Descriptive design, while employing a
cross-sectional survey, following quantitative methodology.
• The coherence among these is crucial, than the title of the design

22. Where to place the research design?
• As part of the Introduction
• After Literature Review
• Either as an independent section, or as part of Method(s)/
Methodology section
• APA Publication Manual places Design as part of
Method section

23. Constructing the Proposal
from Scratch

24. Writing a proposal
• There is No Single concrete structure to be followed universally
• But some elements are necessary to be included
• Focus on methodological rigour and cohesion of the proposal than
the uniqueness/fancy/variety of the topic
• Research is not about creating ‘breaking news’ (not always, at least)
• Ensure consistency/flow of ideas throughout
• Be realistic; avoid making grand claims
• Use impartial and objective language; keep superlatives to minimum;
check for vagueness

25. A
Suggested
Format
• Abstract (Optional)
• Introduction/Background/Context
• Research Problem/Problem Statement/ Research Question (Can be part
of Methods section too)
• Objectives/Hypotheses (Can be part of Methods section too)
• Background/Need and Significance can be a separate section
• Literature Review/Research Background
• Method/Methodology
• Design
• Ethical Considerations
• Variables/Operational Definition
• Setting/Participants
• Sample (Sampling technique, Inclusion/Exclusion, Sample Size…)
• Methods/Tools
• Procedure
• Data Analysis
• Results and Discussion (Optional)
• Implications
• References

26. References
• Follow APA style
• Ensure reference entries for each in-text citation
• You may use a software such as Zotero or Mendeley, but be
aware of the basics of the style
• If adding more entries than citations, name the section as
Bibliography
• Not advised in Psychology, because of convention

27. Further Reading
• APA Style Sample papers: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-
guidelines/paper-format/sample-papers
• Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M. L., & Hanson, W. E.
(2003). Advanced Mixed Methods Research Designs. In A. Tashakkori
& C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook on Mixed Methods in the Behavioral
and Social Sciences (pp. 209–240). Sage Publications.
• Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2011). Designing and Conducting
Mixed Methods Research. SAGE.
• Abdulai, R. T., & Owusu-Ansah, A. (2014). Essential Ingredients of a
Good Research Proposal for Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Students in the Social Sciences. SAGE Open, 4(3), 2158244014548178.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014548178