What is a proposal and how do we write it? This question is frequently asked by every student seeking to write a thesis or a research paper. Knowing how to do it will save time, effort and will guide you to focus in solving the thesis or research problem. In this article we will talk about:

• Proposal Definition
• Research proposal purpose
• Research Proposal Components.
• Preparing Proposal Steps
• Preparing Proposal Skills

 Proposal Definition 

A thesis proposal is an outline that defines the issues and problems the thesis needs to solve. It explains why the topic needs a further thesis or research and describes the resources, data and materials needed. To improve your skill in researching and knowing what is deserved to write and search about you must keep yourself up to date in the scientific research field.

 Research proposal purpose 

1. Proposal purpose is to write a significant contribution to knowledge.
2. To prepare a well-planned project that includes methodological approach and theoretical framework proposal.
3. To make sure that the thesis or research proposal can be achievable on time and resources are available.
4. To make sure that you got the suitable skills and experience to perform your thesis or research

 Research Proposal Components 

• Problem Statement

To write and prepare a problem statement you should make sure that it is a statement that displays the thesis or research or essays’ main idea. To improve this skill you must keep yourself up to date in the scientific research field so that you will know where to focus and what is needed for a further study. Write it and prepare your data  in a way that it can make a claim or answer a question directly.  When you write a problem statement you must be specified and clear for the readers in the proposal.

• Methodology

To write and prepare the Research Methodology data you should make sure that they are procedures of collecting and analysing data according to the research problem statement in the proposal. To improve this skill you must keep yourself up to date about what’s related to your topic. Writing it is an important part in research plan/ proposal design as we call it a proposal. When you prepare and plan for the thesis or research method, you must prepare two decisions. the first one is how to collect data and the second one is how to analyse these data. Your choice will depend on the type of data you need to answer the thesis or research question or to solve the problem statement. The questions below will guide you in the first step which is data collection:

• Qualitative or quantitative: What type of data to be collected? Should you write and prepare it as a form of words or numbers?
• Primary or secondary: Would you prepare and collect your data by yourself or Is it already collected by someone else?
• Descriptive or experimental: Would you make experiments to collect your data or take measurements or watch and prospect a situation?

Second, prepare to decide how you will analyse the data:

• For Quantitative Data: write and use statistical analysis methods to test relationships between variables
• For Qualitative Data: write and use methods such as thematic analysis data to interpret patterns and meanings in the data

• Justification and Limitations in the research proposal

• To prepare and write you Research justification data you should make sure that it refers to the reason that explains why the thesis or research data must be done. To improve this skill you must keep yourself up to date about what’s related to your topic and read more examples.  It also explains the thesis or research design, methodology and the other elements that require to be justified.
• To prepare and write The Study limitations you should make sure that they are those characteristics of methodology or research design that made some interpretation and affected on the findings and research results.

• Annotated Bibliography/ Literature review in the research proposal

This section contains artworks data, articles, books and previous researches that are related to the study. They are summarized and attached with researcher comments in how he might add and use it as a resource for his advance study.

Preparing Research Proposal Steps

1. You need to write and define a problem, try to focus and make it specific in your thesis or research proposal, you can improve your skills about it by keeping your self up to date as written below.
2. Write and Present your solutions, using clues, statistics and justify it in your thesis or research proposal, you can improve your skills about it by keeping your self up to date as written below.
3. Write and Set a benchmark for research success and define your deliverables in your thesis or research proposal.
4. Write, prepare and design your plan data or approach in your thesis or research proposal, you can improve your skills about it by keeping your self up to date as written below and read more examples.
5. Set a time schedule, prepare and write the research budget data and list your resources in your thesis or research proposal.
6. Tie it and write it all together in your thesis or research proposal, you can improve your skills about it by keeping your self up to date as written below.
7. proofread and edit your thesis or research proposal

 Preparing Proposal Skills 

Writing a thesis or research proposal requires number of skills and it will display it to the readers so you must improve it to do well in your thesis. It can be discussed as below:

• Specialized: and researching skills: Preparing a proposal will give you the skill and the chance to exam yourself in being specialized in your field, keeps you up to date with the latest studies and research methodologies that are related and that will develop your research skills.
• Critical thinking skills: A well-done study proposal shows evaluation and advanced analysis skills, and show how much you have skills that shows that you are  creative and able to combine logical and inventive way of thinking in your thesis or study proposal.
• Communication skills: It can show how much your language skill is concise and how much your skill is high in expressing  yourself and thoughts and data in a precise way in your thesis or research proposal.

 video:  Writing a research proposal 

With greetings: Al - Manara Consulting to help researchers and graduate students