Writing THE

Research Proposal
John I. Pariwono
Dept. Marine Science & Technology - IPB
An Australian Scholarship Awardee

Workshop Calon Pelamar Beasiswa ADS

Candidates Briefing for ADS Applicants from Government of Indonesia Key Agencies
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono
IALF Jakarta, 1 June 2011 1
 TALK TOPICs
1.  The THING
2.  The MAKING
3.  The FINE TUNING
4.  The END

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 2

 The THING
(Research Proposal)!

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 3

What is a
Research Proposal?

The skeleton of the idea

which a researcher
wishes to pursue

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 4

What is a Research
Proposal?

The skeleton of the idea

which a researcher wishes
to pursue

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 5

What is an IDEA ?

A thought or suggestion
as to a possible course of
action

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 6

Which IDEA is
worth pursuing?

If at first the idea is not absurd,

then there is no hope for it

Albert Einstein

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 7

Which IDEA is
worth pursuing?

Body of
knowledge

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 8

 To build the
Research Skeleton

A good research proposal starts with:

A GOOD RESEARCH QUESTION

Or
A GOOD ANALYTICAL QUESTION

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 9

 How to Develop
a Research Question?

v  Read a lot, and a lot more

v  Choose an appropriate topic or issue
v  Can the topic be researched
v  Is the question too broad or too narrow
v  Evaluate your research question
v  Ask an appropriate person to review your Research
Question

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 10

 Which one is a
Researchable TOPIC?

v  Does KFC or mBok Berek make a better

fried chicken?

v  Is there a link between children violent

behaviour and duration of watching tv?

v  Is sexual preference a result of nature or

nurture?
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 11
 Is the Question
Too Broad or Too Narrow?
v  What is the 2008 rate of curanmor
crime in Indonesia?

v  What can we do to reduce the

curanmor crime in Indonesia?

v  Does prison play a role in reducing

curanmor criminals return to crime?
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 12
 Criteria of A Good
Research Proposal
The major criteria (Jones & Bundy, 2009):

1.  Should address a well-formulated problem

2.  It should be a research problem, NOT a routine application of known
techniques
3.  Should be an important problem, whose solution will have useful
effects
4.  Should have a good idea on which to base his/her work
5.  Should explain clearly what work will be done
6.  Should know about the work that others have done on the problem
7.  Need to have a good track record, both of doing good research and of
publishing it
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 13
 The MAKING
(Process)!

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 14

 In the Making
A good RP has to answer 3 BIG QUESTIONS:

1.  What research project will you undertake?

2.  Why is it important to know that topic/

issue?

3.  How will you proceed to make that

research?

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 15

 Writing A Research
Proposal
OWLL (2009):
•  Writing a research proposal is a
process
•  It takes time to work through all the
sections
•  It takes time to think about how to do
the research, justify it, and the details
of the process
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 16
Therefore …...

It is totally absurd to write

a GOOD Research
Proposal in a couple of
days

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 17

 Research Proposal
is a Composition of Words

Words are the most powerful drug

used by mankind

- Rudyard Kipling -

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 18

 ACHTUNG !

Bear in mind the wording you use

Avoid using meaningless words

Be concise

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 19

 Components of A Good
Research Proposal
•  Statement of questions to be answered
•  Brief literature review
•  Statement that shows argument which will be
researched
•  Statement that recites the differences of argument
made by others
•  Brief outline of the paper
•  Volume of research proposal must be concise:
800-1000 words
•  Time line of research proposal
•  What does the SPONSOR want
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 20
 REMEMBER !
•  You are applying for an ADS Scholarship !
•  If successful, you will receive a grant of
almost 2000 AUD per month for your living
allowance, on top of your tuition fee, etc,
etc
•  This is equivalent to 2000 x 8300 IDR = 16.6
million IDR per month
•  It is equal to 398.4 million IDR for 24
months
•  OR to 597.6 million IDR for 36 months
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 21
 The Question
•  Why should the SPONSOR grant this
amount of money to you???

•  For what reason???

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 22

 The Answer

• Because you successfully

FULFILL all the requirements
demanded by the sponsor

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 23

 FULFILL The Sponsor
Wish

•  Follow the format (ADS Research

Proforma)
•  What is the relevance of your study to
Indonesia
•  What will your research contribute to
the development priorities of
Indonesia
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 24
 Research Proposal Elements
Requested by ADS (1)
Elements Remarks
1 Title Concise, descriptive, informative, and
catchy

2 Research Outline general background,

theoretical basis, main strategy
Background
3 Research Statement •  Create a BRIDGE between research
(Purpose of study) background & research statement
•  Why must this research be done?
•  Convince the sponsor that you will
succeed
4 Hypotheses The core of the RP, has not already
been tested by anyone
5 1 June 2011
Objectives Specific problems seek to answer. Relate
John I. Pariwono 25

strategy to research question/statement

Research Proposal Elements
Requested by ADS (2)
Elements Remarks
6 Methodology •  Describes the experiment, the process
of HOW & WHY they are performed
•  Do-able

7 Published any Provide related publication(s) to

research? proposed research

8 Research Know the supervisor, know the

Supervisor & department, know the school, and
University? know the university
9 Relevance of •  Be realistic
research
1 June 2011
to •  Try
John I.not to solve the problem of26
Pariwono
Indonesia the ministry or country
An Example of a Research
Statement (1)

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 27

An Example of a Research
Statement (2)

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 28

An Example of a Research
Statement (3)

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 29

 Hypothesis ??
•  A hypothesis is a tentative statement
that proposes possible explaination to
a phenomenon or event

•  A hypothesis is testable

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 30

 A Good Hypothesis

•  Based on information from Research

Papers
•  It includes independent and dependent
variables
•  The wording can be tested in an experiment
•  A design criteria (particularly in engineering
studies)
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 31
 TheFINE
TUNING

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 32

 Common Short-comings of
Research Proposal
(Jones & Bundy, 2009):

1.  Question being addressed is not clear

2.  The question being address is woolly or ill-formed
3.  It is not clear why the question is worth addressing
4.  The RP is just a routine application of known
techniques
5.  Industry ought to be doing it instead
6.  There is no evidence that the proposer will succeed
where others have failed

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 33

Choosing the Right Words

The difference between the right word

and the almost right word is the
difference between lightning and a
lightning bug

- Mark Twain -
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 34
 Some TIPS
No Subject Remarks
1 Revision Do not be afraid to revise and
narrow the topic
2 Clarity Keep the aim clear

3 Demarcation Demarcate the terrain of study

(assumption, limitations, and
delimitations)
4 Details Provide details especially in the
methodology and data analysis

5 Prostitute Do not prostitute the research

1 June 2011
just to satisfy the sponsor
John I. Pariwono 35
 Some EXAMPLES

•  “Gain insight into…”

•  “Develop the theory of…”
•  “Study…”
•  “Observation of…”
•  “Condition of …”

DIFFICULT to distinguish miserable

failure from stunning success.
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 36
 Ask A Friend To Read

•  Inexpensive: what someone thinks after a 10-

minute read is really important

•  Informative: after reading plenty proposals by

others, you’ll write better ones yourself.

•  Effective: dramatic increases in quality.

Jones (2009)
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 37
 References
•  Australian Government, 2012. Australian Development Scholarships: 2012 Intake
Application Form for GOI Key Agency Candidates Only Instructions.
•  Australia Development Scholarship, 2011. Research Proposal Collection.
•  Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies, 1999. Guidelines for Preparing a Research
Proposal for a PhD Thesis. University of Essex.
•  East Chance, 2008.How to write a research proposal. Eastchance.com
•  Gerber, R., 2009. Research Proposal. Centre for Teaching, Learning & Media.
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
•  ITS, 2005. How to write a good research paper, course work or extended essay
by considering the rubric requirements. ITS Tutorial School, Hongkong
•  Jones, R., 2009. Guidelines for PhD dissertation proposal. GoArticles.com
•  Jones, S.P. & A. Bundy, 2009. Writing a good grant proposal. Microsoft
Research, Cambridge.
•  Leedy, P.D., 1985. Practical Research: Planning and Design. 3rd Ed. McMillan
Publ. Co.
•  Masters Thesis Writing, 2009. How to Write a Good Research Proposal.
MastersThesisWriting.com
•  OWLL, 2009. Research Proposals. Massey University.
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 38
 enough
iS
ENOUGH
1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 39
 The END

1 June 2011 John I. Pariwono 40