Steps and Strategies to Write a Research Proposal

700. Steps and Strategy to Write a Research Proposal

• Shubham Kumar Sanu -Doctoral Scholar, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi -110007, Delhi, India. Email: sk.sanu26@gmail.com
• Dr Vishwa Raj Sharma-Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi-110007, Delhi, India. Email: vrsharma2002@gmail.com ; * Corresponding author.
• Dr Mukesh Kumar -Associate Professor, Department of Educational Studies, School of Education, Mahatama Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar, India, Email: mk09uprtou.alld@gmail.com
• Smriti Shreya-Former student, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University- 110067, Delhi, India; Email: smritishrevasmriti@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Writing a research proposal for an early career researcher is one of the toughest part of research work. A research proposal is a blueprint to conduct research work and a well-structured proposal provides smooth functioning for the proposed research. Generally, young researchers face various types of problem in structuring a good research proposal in absence of proper guidelines, steps and strategies. This paper aims to provide a general guideline to the students and researchers to develop a wellstructured research proposal for the purpose of PhD/dissertation/research projects, etc. The concept and significance of a research proposal, how to start research work, the process of producing and appropriate sections for a good research proposal has been discussed in great detail.
Keywords: Geography, Research Proposal, Literature Review, Methodology, Statement of Problem

Introduction

Geography is a spatial science focused on everything under the sky especially on the mutual interactions between the physical earth (lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere) and its inhabitants (plants, animals and humans). Simply geography is the study of each and everything related to human beings on the face of the earth in the spatial context. Geography is all about space and studies all physical, social, economic, cultural and psychological contents that are directly or indirectly related to human beings. Any attempt to understand and explain ‘the mutual interactions and relationships’ in particular spaces comes within the ambit of geographical research. That is exactly the reason why geography is qualified as spatial science. Geographical knowledge is built upon some primitives-areal differentiation, spatial integration, spatial diffusion, spatial organization and spatial planning (Krishnan, 2017). What is basic in geographic research is locations (both specific as well as relative) of objects, features and phenomenon. The second fundamental in geographic research is how different objects and phenomena are interconnected and interrelated. The third fundamental is how different objects behave under different sets of conditions.

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And, the fourth fundamental is how best we can control the behavior of objects and phenomena under a variety of varying conditions.

Basic Background of Research and Research Proposal

Careful and detailed study of any issue based on a required methodology to produce something new is research. Simply to understand research and research proposal we have to understand 5(CR) or 5 Cs and 5 Rs. Here CR does not mean Class Representative but it is the Concept of Research. Word C represents the basic concept of the research process and provides 5Cs (Commencement, Conceptualization, Consolidation, Communication and Command) that are essential components of research work or the five stages of a research process. Commencement literally means start, at this stage we start thinking about the research, field of interest, what other researchers doing in that field, etc. Simply, when the seed of research comes to your mind is the commencement stage. The second stage of Conceptualization means to form an idea of something in your mind. At this level, you do works of literature review, thoroughly analyze the work of other researchers in the field of your interest, take help of a potential supervisor or the subject experts to develop a concept about the research idea that you have thought. Consolidation literally means the process of making something stronger (Cambridge Dictionary). The third stage of Consolidation is very crucial as in this stage you make the research idea stronger by developing a research proposal. Once you develop a research proposal the initial ideas that were just floating in mind come on the sheet and provide a guide to conduct research work. This stage has been extensively elaborated in this research work and is the core of this paper. Fourth, Communication means exchange of information and ideas that can result in understanding (Cambridge Dictionary). At the fourth stage, you share or present your conceptualized and consolidated idea or the research proposal in front of the expert committee. Suppose if you have prepared your research proposal for the PhD then you will present that proposal in the interview and communicate your idea to the subject experts of the interview panel. The last or fifth stage of research work is Command. As per the definition of the Cambridge dictionary, command means a great knowledge of a subject and an ability to use that knowledge. At this stage, you basically work on the research proposal, implement the research idea and write down the dissertation or thesis or project report, etc. During the whole process of writing a report or thesis ethically we get immense knowledge about that particular area or topic, which makes a researcher expert in that field and provides them with the ability to use that knowledge in real life. All the five stages and their major characteristics have been shown in figure 1. The first three Cs (Commencement, Conceptualization, Consolidation) and particularly Consolidation stage is the core of this research work. On the other hand, the last two Cs (Communication and Command) don’t come under the scope of this paper. On the other

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hand, R represents Research Proposal and gives us 5Rs (Real, Reliable, Reachable, Remarkable and Reproducible) essential characteristics of a research proposal. With a thorough understanding of 5 (CRs), a well-structured research proposal can be developed as per the requirements of the researcher.

Figure 1. Stages of Research Process
A research proposal is a formally written plan that provides a blueprint for proposed research work (Onwuegburzie, 1997). It is a work plan that answers why the study is significant, how the study will be conducted and how it is going to enrich the existing knowledge. The proposal is the first step that provides initial foundation for the entire study and works as a plan or outline that can be referred to during the research work (Baker and Foy, 2008). Further, it reminds the researcher that what work has already been completed and what new aspects need to be done (Riley, et al. 2000). Simply it can be said that a research proposal is the backbone of any research work that guide us throughout the research work and helps to come up with new knowledge in the researcher’s interest area. A good research proposal should consist of 5Rs that are Real, Reliable, Reachable, Remarkable and Reproducible to prove it’s worth to the evaluation committee. That clearly showcases the aim and significance of research work. Here, Real means that your research proposal and design should be your original work. It should consist of authentic and clearly structured research design, data sources and methodology that make the work reliable. Reachable here represents that your proposed work should be easily achievable in the given time period. When your proposed work possessed a new aspect in the proposed field it makes your work remarkable. Reproducible means that it should have verifiable characteristics, your work can be verified. With the incorporation of 5 Rs, a good research proposal can be developed.
How to start research work or how to get the idea for research is an important question that comes to the mind of earlier career research students. What topic should be opted for research work? What topic is

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trending and in demand, etc? To get answers to these questions, with an open mind and creativity try to find out what is your area of interest, what are the problems or aspects that really excites you and come under your subject domain? During this process keep your mind open, creative and based on good judgement select a broader area of research. After selecting a broader area search for books, research papers, dissertations, thesis, conference proceedings, etc. related to that and specifically read the section ‘recommendations for further research’, additionally, take advice of the subject expert (or potential supervisor). This process will lead to the development of a research topic. Interest and motivation in the broader area of research or topic are of great significance as have to spend a substantial amount of time, efforts and energy in exploring it. Also keep in mind that the proposed topic falls under the interest area or specialization of your potential supervisor (Heath and Tynan, 2010). Further, it is crucial to check the presence of 5Rs characteristics in your topic.

The research proposal is for honours or a master’s dissertation, PhD thesis or for project broadly its content and structure remains similar (Baker and Foy, 2008). A geographical research proposal mainly consists of Title, Introduction, literature review, statement of problem, aims and objectives, research questions, study area, data sources and methodology, significance of study, organization of chapters, tentative time frame and references. Some of the proposals also contain research hypothesis but generally, geographers try to avoid them. In the following paragraphs, all the steps of a research proposal have been explained with the inclusion of examples. Examples in all the sections are just for broadening the base of understanding and written very briefly, so in your proposal, you have to deal with all aspects in a more detailed manner.

Title

Title is the key thing or first indicator of a research proposal so it “should summarise, succinctly and precisely what the research is about by indicating the nature and scope of research work” (Baker and Foy, 2008). Title is the face of your research proposal so, need to carefully construct it (Krishan and Singh, 2017). Simply it is the representation of the core of the research work in a single sentence.

Example: Spatial Analysis of Voters and Candidates Demographic Profile: A Case Study of Bihar Legislative Election, 2020

Introduction

Introduction is an initial pitch of idea that sets the scene and puts the research in context (McGranagham, 2016). Introduction should be short but precise, useful and setting the stage for what comes next (Mauch and Park, 2003). The introduction is meant to provide sufficient background for readers to understand where your study is coming from (Krishan and Singh, 2017). With proper contextualization, the opening

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remark should convince the reader that the work is of worth and attention required. It can be done by presenting best argument, proper justification and highlighting the significance (Krathwohl and Smith 2005). Very briefly, it should contextualize the idea, present the main issue, highlight the research gaps, how your research will fill that gap, what as a researcher you want to achieve and how can be achieved. Meaningful references of the work already done can be used to emphasize your point (Hart 1998). It should be developed in such a way that it can create interest of reader about topic and research proposal. One paragraph on an overview of different sections of the research proposal can also be incorporated into this section (Heath and Tynan, 2010). Overall it can be said that introduction is a foundation stone of your research proposal, very briefly it should be able to answer what your research is about, why needed, how it can be done, what is its relevance, etc. A researcher should strictly avoid the overload of information in the introductory section as other sections of the proposal are available to explain all parts in great detail. Give final touch to the introduction part in last after writing all the sections of your proposal as by that time you will have a very detailed idea about your research proposal and that will help to write an effective, comprehensive and lucid introduction to increase its effectiveness.

Example:

Electoral Geography is the analysis of the methods, behaviour and results of elections in the context of geographical space using geographical techniques. Specifically, it is an examination of the interactions between geographical aspects of a territory affecting the political decisions and the geographical structure of the election system affecting electoral results. Basically, electoral geography is a constituent component of political geography, a science which studies the development of all political processes inside geographical space wherein election results are only natural results of numerous physical, social, economic, and political processes. Electoral geography is logically concerned with a study of electoral areal differentiation by examining characteristics of space vis-a-vis election patterns (Adhikari, S. 2017). The purpose of this analysis is to identify and understand driving factors of elections and geographical characteristics of territories in a broader and integrative manner. Most of the previous studies have either neglected or emphasized less on the demographic composition of voters and spatial variations. The role of spatial phenomena in the selection process of candidates from any constituency and geographical analysis of the profile of candidates has also been neglected in the earlier studies. Simultaneously, the emergence of women candidates in the political panorama of Bihar has been given very less emphasis. There is a marked distinction between the total number of people residing in Bihar and the number of electoral voters. Details like proportion of female voters per thousand of males over space, the proportion of votes cast and age composition at legislative constituency level are missing in the previous studies. An

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Paper ID: EIJ20110000700

integrated areal and behavioural approach needs to be done in order to achieve a complete picture of the scenario. This research work will help to fill all these mentioned gaps through appropriate research methodology.

**Literature review**

A good research proposal is able to highlight the worthiness of research and the researcher’s adequate familiarity with the key existing literature of that field (Baker and Foy, 2008). Researcher develops adequate familiarity with the existing literature through the process of literature review. A literature review can be defined as “the selection of available documents (both published and unpublished) on the topic, which contains information, ideas, data and evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfil certain aims or express certain views on the nature of the topic and how it is to be investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed (Hart 1998).” This section shows that the research proposal is firmly grounded on past work analysis, critically highlighting the key studies and establishing your research topic (Krathwohl and Smith, 2005). In a research proposal, the length and level of detail in a literature review should not be very extensive as in the actual thesis or dissertation (Saunders et al. 2003). Literature review at the proposal stage provides the researcher solid knowledge about the field of inquiry, provides the foundation for the research work (Hart, 1999; Mauch and Park, 2003) and helps to avoid “re-inventing the wheel” means repeating the same research (Gabbott, 2004). Further, it helps to acquire knowledge about the methodologies that have been implemented in the earlier research and their usefulness and effectiveness (Mauch and Park, 2003). After understanding what literature review is and how it is important, now need to understand how to do it. There are basically three stages for it. First, Stage of What and the question is What do you want to know? Second, Stage of Where and the question Form Where you can know? Third, Stage of How and the question is how you can know? Stage I, what do you want to know? under this identify the broad topic, keywords, potential research questions in your mind, etc. Stage II, From where you can know? There are various sources of literature search like journals articles, books, thesis, dissertation, monographs, databases, reports, policy guides, newspapers, etc (Gabbott, 2004). In this digital world, most of these sources can be accessed through various platforms like research papers and books from important digital sources like Google Scholar, Scopus, Crossref, Web of Science, J store, Research gate, etc. Once you find relevant research papers on these sites you can read freely available articles. Even if you want to read the paid research papers then find out the DOI of that particular paper, copy it, go to the website of Sci-Hub paste it in their search tool. In most cases, you can download the desired research paper. For published and unpublished literature there are many sources from your library to the repository of various institutions, but a very

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detailed explanation is out of the scope of this research work. At this stage, you should collect quality and relevant works for your research work. Stage III, How you can know? After accessing various literature sources no need to read the whole text of the book or a journal article, even before knowing the relevance of that work. There in the case of a Journal article first look at the title of the article, then read the abstract, if you associate that work with your topic then read the research methodology part (Hart 1998). After this, if your find the paper of worth importance then read it thoroughly. Develop your skill to judge the article, critically read, review and don’t forget to keep notes of the referred papers or sources for inclusion in the final document (Baker 2000b; Gabbott 2004; Baker and Foy 2008). After that Analysis and Synthesis are required (Hart, 1998). Analysis helps to think in various ways that we read and help to “dig beneath the surface of an argument”. Synthesis is “the act of making connections between the parts identified in analysis” (Hart, 1998). Overall by reviewing the literature, you are showing the reader what all studies have been done in your specific paper and what all you will add with the gaps present in the subject matter. For this, you have to understand the literature completely and also be able to capture, compare, contrast, synthesize and make arguments in ways that indicate a readiness to contribute further to the literature itself. As a geographer you can arrange literature in spatial scale means from international to national and to the local level (Krishan and Singh, 2017). You can also arrange on a time scale basis. Arrangement totally depends on the choice of a researcher and what the potential supervisor wants. Example:

Taylor, P.J. and Johnston, R. J. (1979) describe electoral geography in their famous book ‘Geography of Elections’. This book offers a comprehensive and concise overview of changing spatial aspects of election and geopolitics of North American and many European countries. It describes how people changed their voting behaviour and how electorates normally cast their votes in their home area to help produce a representative for them. This book serves a simplified understanding of complex and multifarious circumstances of elections in a region and the study of electoral reforms/policymaking.
Ojha A. (2006) in his work “Alliance, caste and personalities: $14^{\text {th }}$ Lok Sabha election in Bihar” explained the interplay of alliances, castes and personality that shape the political reality.
Figuras J. C. (2012) in her paper “Are female leaders good for education? Evidence from India” It shows that the gender of politicians affects the educational levels of individuals who grow up in the districts where these politicians are elected. It also observed that increasing female political representation increase the probability that an individual will attain primary education in urban areas, but not in rural areas. You have to discuss literature review in detail in your research proposal

Statement of problem or Research Gap

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The statement of problem explains what are the problems associated with the study area and because of those problems, you have taken the particular topic to study. The statements are dealt in detail to understand if these problems are real and to see whether they can be solved using the research going to be conducted or not. To develop a research problem, first choose your topic and decide what you want to study and second, why it’s study is of significance. How not answering the question keeps us away from understanding the issue better than what we do know (Kane 1990). In this, you may move from general problems to specific problems in order to help people understand. It should be specific, narrow and focused with to the point problems. A brief detail should be written precisely.

Example:

The electoral pattern is different from one constituency to another and one election to another. Another important fact which forms a part of this study is the geographical framework within which the interplay of political forces, the relationship of voters and seats and the spatial pattern of the power of vote could be more meaningfully analysed. An analysis of electoral results will help to identify the regions of specific politics and relative comparisons with similar regions.

The demographic composition of voters in terms of age, sex, and caste of voters vary from one constituency to another constituency over the space. With the viewpoint of electoral geography, the changing scenario of demographic composition of electorates of Bihar is a very interesting problem for study. The changing demographic composition of electorates is largely influenced by the physical, socioeconomic conditions of the area, and analysis about these aspects is of crucial importance to understand the political system of Bihar.

Examines the role of geographical factors in the selection of candidates. The study will attempt to explain how a particular candidate is selected from a particular constituency, why only he or she is selected, how space and special factors like age, sex, caste, education, work experience, property assets, social background, etc., play a crucial role in the selection process.

Women are a major component with 47 percent of total voters in Bihar. But despite having such a big percentage share their representation is very negligible in the Bihar legislative assembly in the past. So, an analysis of women participation in the election process, their representation across constituencies and performance after securing victory will be of great significance.

Spatial distribution and variation of the voting patterns in conjunction with the demographic characteristics and delineation of voter’s region provide context for the analysis of elections. The study will focus on the analysis of the performance of various political parties in the Bihar Legislative Election 2020 spatial terms. How geography affected the result of the election, why some party performed well in

a particular location? How the performances of political parties vary over the space? These questions will be dealt within the present study. The spatially changing voting patterns in Bihar is a very interesting problem to be probed.

In the proposed study an attempt will be made to observe whether spatial variations produce different demographic compositions? How this spatial electorate-demographic composition determines elector, electee, and election (3Es). The present study will comprehensively determine the spatial variations of electorate-demographic composition, profile of candidates, role played by spatial factors in the electoral process and the emerging scenario of women candidates in the political panorama of Bihar legislative election of 2020 .

Research questions

Research question is an important part of proposal as this helps in explaining what all questions will be answered by the proposed study. Majorly 3-4 research questions are written in order to give your research a different turn from the previously done works. It requires a lot of purpose driven reading, discussion with the experts and thinking on one’s own part. The literature we read help us in the formulation of research questions which are answered using the discussion of objectives. While going through your information sources you have to meaningfully cut out ideas that serve your purpose. A geographer, while examining any physical or cultural phenomenon, will raise a series of questions on the following lines: What is it and where is it? How did it come to be what and where? Where is it in relation to other things that affect it or are affected by it? How is it a part of a spatial system? How does its location affect people’s lives and the character of the area in which it is found? (Fellmann et al. 2005).

Example:

• What is the present spatial pattern of demographic composition of voters in Bihar and what are the factors which determine or explain regional differentiation?
• What is the socio-economic morphology of candidates profile in terms of age, sex, caste, education, social background, etc. and how it determines winnability of candidates?
• What is the spatial distribution of women voter participation in Bihar legislative assembly election 2020 and how did it influence women candidates in electoral politics? How work done by elected women representative in her constituency influenced her election?
• How have various geographical parameters impacted the performance of various political parties in Bihar assembly election 2020 and what is the pattern of political parties’ performance?

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Objectives

Objectives provide a broad indication of what as a researcher you want to achieve. Research objectives define what we are planning to achieve by the research done. The objectives are short and précised statements. Each research contains 3-5 objectives which are achieved by the methodology followed. The objectives help in narrowing the study and restrict us to focus on the associated matter rather than beating around the bush (Krishan and Singh, 2017). It helps in achieving specific goals. While developing objectives need to be realistic and check feasibility in given time period and resources (Heath and Tynan, 2010).

Example:

• Spatial variation of Demographic Composition of Voters in Bihar Legislative Assemblies.
• Socio-economic Analysis of Profile of contesting candidates in terms of their age, sex, caste, education, work experience, property assets, social background, etc.
• Emerging scenario of women voters, candidate’s participation in election and performance assessment of elected women candidates.
• Spatial analysis of various political parties in Bihar assembly election 2020.

Study Area

Study area refers to the explanation of the land surface on which the study will be done. Being a geographer, it is required to illustrate the land by discussing it’s location, latitude and longitude, geology, flora and fauna, it’s map, society and economic parameters and sometimes political also as per the requirements and scope of study.

Example

Bihar is located in the eastern region of India between latitudes $24^{\circ} 20^{\prime} 10^{\prime \prime} \mathrm{N} \sim 27^{\circ} 31^{\prime} 15^{\prime \prime} \mathrm{N}$ and longitudes $82^{\circ} 19^{\prime} 50^{\prime \prime} \mathrm{E} \sim 88^{\circ} 17^{\prime} 40^{\prime \prime}$ E. There are 38 districts, 243 legislative assemblies and 40 Lok Sabha constituencies. Etc. You have to discuss study area in detail in your research proposal.

Methodology and Data Sources

Data sources are all the information you gather on your own or from others work. The data is the information or knowledge you collect to complete your study. The data can be qualitative and quantitative. The data sources can be primary or secondary. All the sources going to be used in the study should be mentioned here and from where they will be collected.

Based on the literature review and own understanding after developing research questions and objectives, now it’s time to explain how you will achieve your objectives. How the researcher address

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research problems, questions and answer objectives constitute the methodology of a study (Taylor et al. 2015). Choice of methodology is one of the very crucial components of a research proposal as it guides how the data will be collected, how it will be analyzed and interpreted and highly influence the outcomes (Mauch and Park, 2003). Methodology is the process that you are going to use to reach your objectives. Methodology is the process of conducting research through its various stages and phases strategy, plan of action, process and design. What all techniques and tools will be used in the study is explained here (Krishan and Singh, 2017). Researchers are expected to decide they will follow quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method (Hudson and Murray, 1998). In order to reach to the required technique, literature is studied.
Example:

Figure 2 : Overall Methodology of study
For Demographic composition of voters data on age and sex Election Roll of Bihar 2020 or Voters Name list of Bihar 2020 will be used. This data contains voter’s name, voter’s father/mother/husband/guardians name, house number, age and sex of a voter. The data will be tabulated in excel sheets to study three major component of demography.
Demographic composition of Bihar’s voters:
Getting voter’s age and sex is very simple as it is directly available in the electoral roll of 2020. But on the other hand data collection procedure of caste is very tedious task as the electoral roll doesn’t give it.

To represent distribution of sex ratio of voters, first raw data of election roll will be tabulated on the excel the sex ratio of voters across the legislative assembly will be calculated with the help of following formula:

Gender Ratio $=\frac{\text { Total Number of Female Voters in the Assembly }}{\text { Total Number of Voter in the Assembly }} \times 100$
With the help of tabulated data age will be segregated into various age groups and after this age sex pyramid can be formed. The following formula will be used to form age groups:

Percentage of 18 to 20 age group $=\frac{\text { Number of voters in 18-20 age group in an assembly }}{\text { Total number of voter in the assembly }} \quad \times 100$
Percentage of 18 to 20 age group $=\frac{\text { Number of voters in 21-294 age group in an assembly }}{\text { Total number of voter in the assembly }} \mathrm{X} 100$
Same formula will be applied for calculating age group percentage of 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+ voters.
Voters’ caste will be worked out indirectly through caste titles in the voter’s names. In case of married female voters the surname of her father/ husband will reveal the caste.

Figure 3. Framework to find out demographic composition of voters

To reduce errors through the first two methods, Panchayat representatives will be consulted. Bihar Election Commission provides detailed list of all Mukhiyas of Panchayats with contact numbers. After this with the help of Bihar government caste list data will be classified into General, OBC, SC, ST and Minorities categories. In example only the methodology of first objective has been provided, but in your research proposal your have to specifically develop an overall or objective-wise methodology as per your choice or the guidance of your potential supervisor.

Significance of Study

In most of the research papers, significance is written separately. Under this, you have to highlight the importance of your research work. Significance of study can be judged on four grounds that are theoretical significance (how your research work will contribute to the scientific knowledge), methodological significance (how your work will lead to the development of new method or improve the existing methods), applied significance (how your work will help to solve the real-world problems), social significance (how your work will benefit society at large scale) (Herk, 2010).
Example: This study provides a comprehensive overview of the 2020 Bihar legislative election and its various aspects from a geographical perspective that can be helpful for the locals, society and policymakers.

Organization of chapters

Chapters of the research should be arranged in the manner to explain others what are being dealt in the research paper. There are two things that need to be addressed. First, the logic behind the ordering of the chapters must be made clear and justified. Second, the contents of what is going to be discussed in each chapter need to be made explicit. This requires rigorous thinking on the part of research student, right in the beginning. If the number of chapters is large, it is appropriate to group those under three to five sections. This will automatically classify the research work into subthemes (Krishan and Singh, 2017).

Example:
Chapter 2: Geographical Profile of Bihar

Tentative Time Frame:

A good proposal should also include a realistic work schedule (Hart, 1998) or work plan (Krathwohl and Smith, 2005). Outlining such a schedule helps both the researcher and the reader of the proposal to assess its viability (Saunders et al. 2003) and is useful to keep the research on due course, encouraging a disciplined use of time (Mauch and Park 2003).

Education India: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education, A UGC- CARE List Journal, ISSN 2278-2435, Vol. 11, Issue-3 August-2022. http://www.educationindiajournal.org

Example:

Table1: Tentative Timeline for the Proposed PhD Proposal:

References and Bibliography

Giving due credit to the earlier researcher’s work is of great significance and a good moral, ethical value too. References are the readings that have been quoted in the text of the research work, while bibliography covers not only the references but also other readings that have been gone through for general awareness but did not find a place in the text (Krishan and Singh, 2017). Normally in a research proposal, we provide references. While listing references follow a uniform referencing style like APA or Chicago or Harvard, etc. Referencing help to substantiate our work and save work from plagiarism also.

Example: Ojha, Anil. ‘Alliances, Castes and Personalities: 14 The Lok Sabha Elections In Bihar’. The Indian Journal of Political Science 67, no. 4 (2006): 717-32.

Conclusion

The paper tries to help the budding researchers in the direction of how to prepare a research proposal and leave the impact in first meeting. The problem of not being able to understand each minute aspect of proposal making have been dealt with in the paper and the one following this paper can cover the barriers of being a naïve in research field. There is a brief description of each section explaining what it wants followed by example to give a clear glimpse of associated problems. A section on limitation of study can also be added separately in the proposal. As it set the parameters of the research work, tell the readers what will be included and what will be left out and why. On the basis of subject, topic and purpose of study there may be a little bit of modification, inclusion and exclusion of some aspects that have been mentioned in this paper as per the requirements of a researcher in their research proposal.

Education India: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education, A UGC- CARE List Journal, ISSN 2278-2435, Vol. 11, Issue-3 August-2022. http://www.educationindiajournal.org

Overall by following this research work young researchers can easily learn the whole process of research proposal development.

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