Research proposals are often required in the application process of most scholarship programs, specifically, when you’re applying for a master’s, MPhil, or Ph.D. program.
In case you’re applying to a scholarship program and need assistance with writing a stellar research proposal, this article is your ultimate guide.
Table of content:
1.Why is a Research proposal required in scholarship application?
2. Seven Incredible Steps to Write the Perfect Research Proposal
2.1. Critically Researched Title
2.2. Brief yet Captivating Abstract
2.3. Thorough Research Context
2.4. Research Questions
2.5. Strategic Research Methods
2.6. Research Justification & Significance
2.7. Extensive Bibliography
What Is Research Proposal & Why Is It Required With A Scholarship Application?
It is basically a brief and coherent representation of the area of study you wish to explore during the study program.
It showcases the generic idea of your intended study in the form of
Research objectives,
Research questions,
Research justifications,
Hypothesis,
and your understanding of the subject as a whole.
It is crucial to write a perfect research proposal when submitting your application.
It provides you with an opportunity to showcase your aptitude for
Research,
Your ability to communicate complex ideas,
and Your critical thinking to come up with a subject that needs real research.
The better you demonstrate your skills and expertise in the research proposal, the bigger are your chances to qualify for the scholarship program.
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Also, a comprehensively written research proposal could help to match you with an adequate supervisor.
Seven Incredible Steps to Write the Perfect Research Proposal:
No matter you’re applying for a master’s, MPhil, or Ph.D. scholarship, a perfect research proposal shall always consist of the following crucial components.
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1. Critically Researched Title:
First things first, you should always come up with a critically researched title when willing to write a perfect research proposal.
Well, that’s simple enough.
All you need to do is
research around your subject of study thoroughly,
see through multiple available research papers that match your area of study,
align your research goals and objectives,
and then come up with a keyword-optimized title that perfectly fits your subject of research.
Your research title should be compact yet reflect the entire idea of the study in a transparent manner.
It would help the assessors understand your concepts at a glance and motivate them to read further.
2. Brief yet Captivating Abstract:
The next thing your application assessor would come across is abstract; it shall have the power to retain their attention.
Most often the assessors only go through the abstract to get the overall idea of your research proposal and it is crucial to write a winning paragraph.
Your abstract shall be brief,
to the point,
and engaging yet explain everything you’ve put inside the proposal.
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3. Thorough Research Context:
Now that you’ve gained the assessor’s attention, it’s time to help them understand the context of your research.
Keep it short but explain why you want to conduct research in your chosen area,
the outcomes you expect from this research,
and how that is going to help the existing literature and studies in that subject area.
It is significant to explain your research context thoroughly so that the assessors judge your enthusiasm and aptitude well.
4. Research Questions:
Next is to frame your research questions in the best way possible.
No matter how extensively you’ve explained your research objectives and context beforehand, it’s significant to frame them in the form of SMART questions.
This can help you as well as the assessors determine whether your research objectives are actually attainable or not.
SMART is an abbreviation for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
The more SMART research questions you write, the better your proposal has the chance for acceptance.
5. Strategic Research Methods:
Once you’ve put up the questions rightly, it’s time to demonstrate the research methods you wish to implement.
There are multiple research methods to adapt; all you’ve to do is pick the one suiting your area of study the best.
The more strategically you propose the research methodology, the better are chances for your proposal to get accepted.
A clear, strategic, and fine-tuned methodology helps the assessors understand your command on research methodologies,
your understanding of the subject,
and your enthusiasm to attain the set research goals and objectives.
6. Research Justification & Significance:
This is the most crucial part of a research proposal and you shall always write it with great diligence.
It helps you demonstrate the significance of your proposed study.
You shall always talk about the available research in your subject area,
highlight the gaps that exist,
and explain how your research study would fulfill those gaps for the good.
It is important to talk with scientific facts and figures in this section and provide a valid justification for your proposed study.
The better you defend your research in front of assessors, the more are the chances for your scholarship application to get accepted.
7. Extensive Bibliography:
Last but not the least, always remember to add an extensive list of bibliography at the end of your research proposal.
The proposal you’re writing shall be based on some research, right? You haven’t just come up with all of that out of nowhere.
And the golden rule in research is to credit the studies you’ve taken inspiration from.
Thus, it’s important that you add references to all the related studies you’ve been through when planning and writing your research proposal.
This can help to let the assessors know about your hard work and also be a means of giving credit to the existing research papers.
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Final Thoughts:
To put it short and condensed, writing a perfect research proposal is crucial to getting your scholarship application accepted.
And the best way to write such a winning proposal is described above.
However, you can always get professional advice related to forming a credible research title and proposal that’s capable of winning you an esteemed scholarship.
