Order Description

Proposal Template

You will be required to develop a proposal for a research project that is novel, justified, feasible and ethical. It is necessary to demonstrate access to pertinent information and present it using an accurate and concise writing style, appropriate terminology and vocabulary.

Specific Assessment Guidelines
Methods proposed must be within the remit of what is taught on the degree programme and must be within ethical guidelines.
You should provide a concise proposal with regard to specific elements of a research project. To satisfy this guideline you must include the following in your proposal:

1) Introduction
Set the scene
Define terms
What is the need/rationale for this research
What is the aim of this research…..

2) Review of Literature
Literature Search:
Search terms, library, internet searches, on-line electronic databases and keywords used in the search etc..
Review:
This section should include an outline of the rationale for the study
An outline of relevant information that has directed and informed your proposal should be made. The review of literature should critically appraise the relevant literature and reveal the strengths, weaknesses, similarities and gaps in the research. A review of literature should provide more than a mere summarising of the study results.
Statement of the specific hypotheses to be tested.

N.B: You will be expected to have accessed at least 8 primary pieces of relevant, full text, peer-reviewed information.

3) Methods
The following sections should be included within the method:
Subjects
Detailed information regarding the subjects should be given.
Describe the study population and how many subjects have been chosen.
Describe the methods by which subjects will be identified and recruited (i.e. sampling techniques).
What inclusion and exclusion criteria will be used?

4) Experimental Procedure
You must include detailed information relating to the methods with proposed procedures [major steps in the method] and any supporting protocols [precise, replicable detail of each step of the procedure].

This should include instrumentation and the protocol that will be delivered. Additionally, any intervention that is delivered needs to be described in detail. If you are giving a treatment or investigation, the dose, timing, method of providing, administering and receiving the treatment should be detailed. All necessary safeguards and potential risks should be made clear, including the methods by which intervention will be monitored.

You may include diagrams and/ or images to help to convey your methods clearly. In the case of qualitative work, epistemic and ontological assumptions should be explained.

5) Randomisation Methods (if applicable)
Some research strategies, such as case-controlled studies or randomised-control studies, require a random allocation of subjects to the different experimental groups or interventions. You will need to explain what randomisation methods you will use if appropriate.

6) Ethics and Health & Safety
Risk assessment may already be in place for protocol/ suite; check on the Laboratory Technician’s BREO Site. Include detail of potential risks and procedures in place to ensure participant safety.

You must include an appropriate Informed Consent document, relevant to the specifics of your procedures.
Additionally, you must also include an appropriate Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q, CSEP 2002) to pass this section of the proposal.

7) Research Design
A statement of the research design to be used should be given. What study design is most appropriate to answer your particular research question/s? Variables should be clearly stated.

8) Proposed Statistical Methods
Include an outline of an appropriate statistical analysis to be used and how data will be presented and interpreted. Focus on the presentation and interpretation of the appropriate descriptive statistics, with mention of the appropriate inferential statistics.
Students should provide the following information in this section:
Statement of the normality test to be performed
A non-parametric and parametric test for their study design
Other possible conditions associated with the selected parametric test (e.g. sphericity, variance, post hoc tests).
Alpha level stated.

9) Timeline
You should include a timeline for the proposed completion of the research project.

10) Concluding Points and Context
Identification of potential shortfalls (limitations) and realistic practical implications and applications for your findings (e.g., how will your study aid the advancement of knowledge in the area allied to your proposal?)

Consider this when writing the proposal: If I had £20,000 to fund a piece of research why should I invest in your project?