Introduction: 

Research plan is considered a vital part of the research, where it aims to present evidence and justifications for the identified research problem. In addition to that, a well-prepared and comprehensive research plan offers practical means toward conducting the research. The elements and procedures of the research plan are typically governed by standards within predominant discipline where the research problem is formulated.

 The Importance of Research plan 

The importance of research plan lies in the following:

• Assist the researcher in determining the research objectives and subsequently plan accordingly.

• Help the researcher identify the research questions based on the identified research problem and research objectives.

• Determine the best approach and methodology to that satisfy the research objectives, and to provide sufficient answers to the research questions.

• Preparing the research plan which is considered as a guide for the researcher to work accordingly.

• Determining the expected importance of the research, where this importance include the practical importance and the theoretical importance.

• Identify research problems that the researcher might face and develop the necessary precautions and solutions to overcome them.

• Determine what the research needs in terms of cost and duration.

• Determine the timeframe for conducting the research

 How to Prepare an Effective 

Successful research plan is the one that has been well planned, and has been fully conceived of its details. In general, a good research plan should consider the following:

 Selecting Appropriate Research Title 

The title of the research is typically selected after identifying the research problem. An appropriate title should meet the following conditions:

• Clearly show the research problem.

• Should not be too long or too short (concise and focuses on the topic).

• Reflect the content of the research topic.

• Should be innovative.

• Be free of all language errors.

• Be clear and unbearable.

• Should be formulated in a simple scientific language.

• Should indicate the research methodology that the researcher will use.

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 Preparing Research Introduction 

The researcher introduction should explain the following:

• The scope of the research problem.

• Smoothing the way for illustrating the research objectives

• Research importance.

• Research weaknesses and shortcomings.

• To clarify previous efforts and studies in related fields, their shortcomings and what will characterize current research from previous research, in order to convince others of the importance of the current research.

• Explain the reasons for the researcher's choice of the research problem.

• Determine the category of beneficiaries of the research.

• Hence, it is clear that the introduction of the research is not an arbitrary narrative, but rather a clear perception of the extent of the researcher's awareness of the problem and the extent of his/her experience in this field.

 Drafting Research Problem 

The concept of the research problem is that it is the subject that forms the focus of the research. Or look at previous research and studies to identify shortcomings and areas that needs further investigations. Many researchers tend to formulate the problem of research in the form of a question, and what is important in this matter is to formulate the problem in clear sentences that reflect the content of the problem and to be based on clear research references that clearly shows the origin of the problem. After drafting the research problem, the researcher will be able to draft his/her research objectives, research questions, and research hypothesis.

 Setting the Boundaries of the Research Problem 

It is important for the researcher to identify the aspects of the problem in question, so that the focus is on the axis of the problem, and not to touch on the sub-aspects.

 Formulating Research Hypothesis 

Research hypothesis are a relationship between two variables, either a positive relationship, or a negative relationship. The researchers can define research hypothesis that are put in the research as the initial answers to the research problem, which is estimated by the researcher presumably based on scientific or practical experience. The research objectives can also be related to the research hypothesis, where the researcher aim to achieve his/her research objectives through testing the research hypothesis.

 Research Methodology and Tools 

In the research methodology section, the researcher explains the study procedures which will be used to answer the research problem and proves the validity of the research hypothesis, as well as align with the research objectives; therefore, the researcher should clarify his research methodology and tools through:

• Determining the research methodology.

• Determining the study population and sample

• Determining the tools and metrics that will be used to achieve the research objectives and provide answers to the research questions and research hypothesis.

• Explain the statistical methods that will be used in the research.

 Identifying Research Terminologies 

Each research has its own research terminologies. The researcher should identify research terminologies and mention their concept as part of a good research plan. The aim of setting research terminologies is to agree on a unified concept of the terms of study that will be repeated in the study. The research terminologies should be:

• Concise and straight forward.

• Clear and simple to enable easy understanding.

• It is important for the researcher when sitting the research terminologies to focus on identifying the origin of the research terminologies and to interpret research terminologies in his/her own words.

 Deciding on Sources and Research References 

One of the fundamentals of the research plan is to include the sources and research references from which the researcher derived his/her information.

In any research, the listing of research references typically includes the following information:

• Author's name
• Year of publication
• Reference or source address
• Place of publication
• Publisher.
• Noting that the order of listing this information differ according to the referencing system used.

 Methods of Obtaining Research References 

There are many sources where a researcher can obtain research references to support his/her research, this include:

• Books.

• Academic Articles

• Academic Theses (Masters and PhD)

• Encyclopedias.

• Magazines, newspapers and periodicals.

• Conferences and seminars.

• Web sites.

In the research references section, it is preferred to rely on published articles when drafting a research, followed by books, and Academic Theses. It is also preferred that research references are up to date.

 Video: Writing a research proposal