Literature review: a description of the literature very relevant to your study.

Gives an overview of what has been said, who the key authors in the area are,
what the prevailing theories and hypothesis are, etc.

Relevant materials could be from books, journal articles, theses and

dissertations, government reports, etc.
Critically evaluate and select the literature
o Authors credentials? are they experts in the field? Are they affiliated
with a reputable organization?
o What is the date of publication is it sufficiently current?
o If a book, is it the latest edition?
o Is the publisher a reputable, scholarly publisher?
o If it is a journal, is it a scholarly journal peer reviewed?
Research Questions and/or Hypothesis the speculative proposition of the problem statement.
Hypothesis is a derivation of a particular assertion or prediction. It is subject to
test for confirmation or reject.

Question is an interrogative statement that can be answered by data.

Materials and Methods/Methodology - a detail description of the materials, activities and the
methodological steps you will take to achieve your objectives. Depending upon the type of study,
it includes:

Description of study area, study design and study participants

Sampling technique and sample size used
Methods of data collection
Method (s) of data analysis, etc.

Work plan a schedule that summarizes the different components of a research proposal and
how they will be implemented. Here,
Different phase/components of the study should be stated
Describe the activities in each phase.
Indicate time frame to accomplish the various aspects of the study.
Could be presented in table, chart (Gantt chart) or graph.

Budget and funding the cost of conducting research.

 Budget items need to be explicitly stated with justification
Costs are typically:
o Direct costs personnel, consumable supplies, equipments, travel,
publication, etc.
o Indirect costs overhead and administrative costs.
References citation of all the information that you obtain as a support for conducting your
research.

Be careful, the style of writing list of references varies from one discipline

to another .
Follow a standard format such as the examples below, and note the distinctions
regarding italics, capitalization, volume/page numbers, publisher address, etc.
between the various kinds of references.
Within the text, cite references by author and year unless instructed otherwise. For
example:
o For single author, "Comrie (1999) stated that ..." or "several studies have
found that x is greater than y (Comrie, 1999; Smith, 1999).
o For two authors, list both names, " Comrie and Smith(1999) stated that ..."
or "several studies have found that x is greater than y (Comrie and Smith,
1999) ".

o For three or more use the abbreviation "et al." following the first name,
"Comrie et al. (1999)."