Your proposal must:
Identify the area of research interest and an appropriate research question.
Establish the context for the study and demonstrate a need for it.
Show how the proposed approach will meet that need.
Outline any aspects that will require ethical approval.
Write your submission. This should be 2,500-word (plus/minus 10%) to include:
Suggested or working title
Introduction
Review of existing/selected literature
Methodology
Anticipated results and potential limitations
Conclusion
Action plan
References
Title
This is referred to as ‘working title’ for the simple reason that you may decide to revise this title after you have submitted the assignment or indeed after you have started working on it with your supervisor. Changing the title of your dissertation is not a problem but always make sure you check this with your tutor or supervisor for their opinion.
The most basic thing about your title is that it should be informative, striking and appropriate.
Informative: A good title must reflect the most important aspect(s) of your dissertation statement or hypothesis.
Striking: here the main concern should be forming a title that appeals to your readers’ (the criminology/criminal justice community) specific tastes.
Appropriate: An appropriate title must be relevant to the field of study amongst other things.
Introduction
This is an important section of the proposal and should ideally set the stage for both the proposal and the proposed study with a clear focus, purpose and direction. A good introduction would include:
The context of the topic. What does the reader need to know to understand the chosen topic? What is(are) the main question(s)/aim(s)? What are the research objectives?
Focus and scope: what specific aspects of the topic will be addressed?
Rationale: Why the topic is worth researching? How does the research fit into existing work on this topic?
Outline or overview of the structure: what does each section of the proposal cover.
Literature review
Even at this stage (proposal), it is important to show that you are familiar with the most important research on the chosen topic. A strong literature review section convinces the reader/marker that the proposed study has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that the author is not simply repeating what existing studies have already done. It should try and go beyond the descriptive by offering a critical appraisal of the reviewed sources.
Ideally, a good literature review section will seek to:
Compare and contrast: what are the main theories, methods, debates and controversies around on the subject matter?
Be critical: what are the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches?
Show how your research fits in: how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize the work of others?
Methodology
Following the literature review, it is best to restate the proposed study’s main aim(s) /question(s) and objectives in order to bring the focus back to your project. The methodology section should detail the overall approach and practical steps the proposed study will take to achieve the overall aim(s)/question(s).
In a proposal, a methodology section would be expected to over the following.
Research type
Will you conduct a qualitative or a quantitative research?
Will you collect original data or work with primary or secondary sources?
Is your research design descriptive, correlational, or experimental?
Sources
Exactly what or who will you study (e.g. students in Portsmouth; Scottish newspaper archives 1976-80)?
How will you select subjects or sources (e.g. random sampling, case studies)?
When and where will you collect the data?
Research methods
What tools and procedures will you use (e.g. questionnaires, interviews, observations, experiments) to collect and analyse data?
Why are these the most appropriate methods to collect and answer your research questions?
Practicalities
How much time will you need to collect the data?
How will you gain access to participants or sources?
Do you foresee any potential obstacles/ethical issues, and how will you address them?
Caution: Do not simply write a list of methods. Aim to make an argument for why this is the most appropriate, valid and reliable approach to answering your questions.
Anticipated results and potential limitations
To finish your proposal on a strong note, it is good practice to explore the potential implications of the research for theory or practice. This will be achieved by revisiting the what the proposed study aims to contribute to existing body of knowledge on the topic. For example, your results section might have implications for:
Improving processes in a specific location or field
Informing policy objectives
Extending to the existing debate on a specific topic
Strengthening a theory or model
Challenging popular or scientific assumptions
Creating a basis for further research
Conclusion
This section is optional and should consist of summarise key points made in the main body of your proposal. A good conclusion should not simply list the various points made but sum them up in a coherent manner.
Action plan
This section is where you are expected to draft a realistic plan about when you intend to complete/achieve various components/chapters of your dissertation. Here, the idea is that you would reflect carefully on when you intend to have, for instance, your ethics draft ready and forwarded to your supervisor, when you intend to conduct your fieldwork or have specific chapters i.e. literature review chapter ready …
You will be expected to be factor all aspects of your life, both academically and outside university i.e. birthday(s), Christmas, other assignments’ deadlines etc. in your dissertation plan.
References
This is a written assessment so the expectation is that you would reference it as any other essay, report etc. The reference list must start on a new page and items ordered alphabetically following the author’s surname.
Note: You must provide both in-text citation(s) and a reference list of the literature used to support specific areas of your work and this must be done following the recommended APA 6th Edition format.
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