Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT FOR POST-

GRADUATE DEGREE IN ENGINEERING

5 GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND THESIS FORMULATION

5.1 Introduction

When writing a research proposal, there are a number of issues that you will probably
need to consider:

• Need to define the research topic, objectives and research questions.

• State why the research topic/objectives/research questions are important.
• Find out what the literature says about the research topic/objectives/research
question(s).
• Need to identify and describe the methods/sources for data collection and justify
their choice.
• Identify anticipated problems/challenges in doing the research (for example,
access to organizations).
• Identify possible ethical problems associated with the research.
• Plan on how the data will be analysed.
• Plan for the resources needed to conduct the research (for example, material cost,
travel costs, software) and how these will be funded.
• Come up with a work schedule.

(i) Therefore, writing a proposal is useful in getting one started on the research project
and encouraging one to set realistic objectives for his/her research project.
(ii) However, the important thing to remember about the research proposal is that it is a
working document and the ideas that one sets out in it can be refined and developed
as the research progresses.
(iii) It is also important to bear in mind that, if one keeps changing his/her mind about
one’s area of research interest and research design, one will be using up valuable
time needed to complete the project work within the deadline.

5.2 Proposal Framework or Structure

a) Page layout – use paper size A4 with margins set as follows unless otherwise
advised: top, bottom and right at 2.54 cm; left at 3.0 cm to allow for binding of the
report.

b) Content – to comprise of:

(i) On preliminary pages - title, affiliation, declaration, dedication, acknowledgement,

table of content, list of figures, list of tables, abbreviations & acronyms, notations, and
abstract. All main headings should be: centred, in upper case rubric and in bold. Use
roman numbering (i.e., i, ii, iii, etc.) for pagination of preliminary pages.

(ii) Main body

• Chapter 1: Introduction – to contain the following sections: Background to the

study; Statement of the problem; Objectives (general and specific); Research
questions and/or hypotheses; Justification and significance; Scope of the study.

1
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• Chapter 2: Literature Review – to contain the following sections: Theoretical

review; Empirical review; Summary of literature review and research gap, and
conceptual framework. Align the theoretical and empirical reviews to the stated
specific objectives as much as possible.

• Chapter 3: Materials and methods – to contain the following sections where

applicable: study area; material acquisition and preparation; and sections
corresponding to the state specific objectives, all of which should describe in detail
with reference to relevant standards/codes of practice and previous similar studies
from literature: the research design/experimental set up; data collection procedure;
and data processing, analysis and presentation.

• Chapter 4: Expected results and outputs – the expected results should

correspond to the stated specific objectives while the expected outputs to the main
or general objective, and publications, conferences, and patents, among others,
from research findings.

• References – Use APA style of referencing. All references in the text must appear
in the reference list.

• Add citation of all sources using APA or any other style in an MS word document
and generate the list of references automatically (for APA style, in MS word go to
references, then insert the source using the insert citation caption for citation in
text; to generate list of references use the Bibliography icon).

• Appendices – to include: Budget and work schedule.

c) General information
• Use future tense (mainly in Chapter 3) when writing a proposal but past tense for
thesis.
• All main headings should be: centred, in upper case rubric and in bold.
• Use numeric numbering (i.e., 1, 2, etc.) for pagination of main body.
• The main headings should start on new pages.
• Use Times New Roman font size 12, unless otherwise advised.
• The document should be double spaced except for Table of Contents, List of
Tables, and List of Figures which should preferably have a spacing of 1.5 lines,
unless otherwise advised.
• All text in tables should preferably be single spaced, unless otherwise advised.
• The caption headings around tables and figures should preferably be single
spaced, unless otherwise advised.
• Tables should not have any vertical lines (use simple formatting; use only
horizontal lines to separate main headings with the rest of information in the table.
• The text in figures should be: clear, of same font type and size as in the
proposal/thesis, and should not be in bold.
• Table captions should appear at the top of tables while those for figures should
appear at the bottom of figures and these captions should be centred (see sample
Table 5.1 and sample Figure 5.1).
• Tables or figures copied from elsewhere should quote source and this should be
placed below them.
• Any table or figure generated by the researcher should not have the source
quoted.
• Figure and table numbering should correspond to respective chapters and they
should automatically be generated.

2
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• Ensure that the figures are inserted in stable positions in the document.
• All figures and tables must be referred to in the text immediately above them.
• Unless otherwise stated, all text in the document should be in justified format.
• It is usual to leave space between the paragraphs.
• One sentence paragraph(s) is/are unacceptable.
• A paragraph should have a minimum of five (5) normal sentences and should not
exceed half a page.
• Where citation is required, cite 3-5 references per key paragraph in the text. Use
APA method of referencing and this should be consistent in the text.

Table 5.1: Physical and mechanical properties of coarse aggregates and palm kernel shells
Property Fine aggregates Coarse aggregates Palm kernel shells
Maximum aggregate size (mm) 5.00 20.00 10,00
Fineness modulus 2.82 2.74 2.38
Apparent specify gravity 2.48 2.56 1.44
Moisture content (%) 0.06 1.03 13.68
24 hours water absorption (%) 0.45 0.98 34.07
Aggregate crushing value (%) - 22.69 2.30
Aggregate impact value (%) - 15.51 4.74
Compacted bulk density (kg/m3) 1644.53 1424.48 580.50
Loose bulk density (kg/m3) 1485.93 1411.46 515.28
Belay (2019)

Figure 5.1: Response rate based on gender.

5.3 Thesis Framework/Structure

a) Page layout – use paper size A4 with margins set as follows unless otherwise
advised: top and left at 3.5 cm, bottom at 3.0, right at 2.54 cm.

b) Content – to comprise of:

(i) On preliminary pages – as outlined in Section 5.2 b(i) above.

(ii) Main body

3
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• Chapter 1: Introduction – to include the following sections: Background to the

study; Statement of the problem; Objectives (general and specific); Research
questions and/or hypotheses; Justification and significance; Scope and limitations
of the study.

• Chapter 2: Literature Review – as outlined in Section 5.2 b(ii) above.

• Chapter 3: Materials and methods – as outlined in Section 5.2 b(ii) above.

• Chapter 4: Results and Discussion – this should be aligned to the stated

specific objectives.

• Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations – have separate sections for

conclusions and recommendations. Recommendations should be spilt into:
recommendations from the study, and recommendations for further research.

• References – as outlined in Section 5.2 b(ii) above.

• Appendices – to include any relevant data or information which could not be

presented in Chapters 3 and 4, but were referred to in the thesis). Do not include
work schedule and budget here, or any other information not cited in the main
body of the thesis.

c) General information
• As outlined in Section 5.2 (c) except that one has to use past tense when writing a
thesis.

5.4 Preliminary Pages

a) Title Page
Title page should include:

(i) Title
• A concise statement of the research topic which should identify the variables to be
studied in a general way.
• Should be a reflection of the contents of the proposal or thesis.
• Fully explanatory when standing alone.
• Should not contain redundancies, e.g., ‘a study of …..’ or ‘an investigation of ….’
• Abbreviations should not appear in the title.
• Scientific names should be in italics.
• Generally recommended to contain about 12-15 words, though there is no set limit
for how long a proposal or thesis title can be, as it can vary depending on the
institution or specific guidelines.
• Should be centred, in bold and upper-case rubric.

Examples
• Development of a semi-empirical model for predicting strength of adobe bricks
stabilised with grewia bicolor juice and dried at different conditions.
• Shear and flexural performance of recycled tyre steel fibres reinforced lightweight
concrete beams using palm kernel shells as partial replacement of coarse
aggregate.
• Exergetic analysis and optimization of a hybrid solar-biomass greenhouse dryer
for drying banana slices.

4
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• Optimization framework for enhancing productivity in medium-level urban building

construction projects in Kenya.

(ii) Author’s name and affiliation

• Avoid the use of words like ‘By ….’ or ‘From ….’.
• Preferred order of name – start with 1st, middle then last.
• Full name should be used; initials should be avoided.
• Titles like Mr, Miss, Mrs, Dr should not appear in the name.
• Should be centred and in either title or capital case rubric.

Affiliation should be well illustrated, i.e., either;

• A Research Proposal/Thesis Submitted to the Pan African University Institute for

Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Structural
Option), or;

• A Research Proposal/Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for the Degree of Master

of Science in Civil Engineering (Structural Option) in Pan African University Institute
for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation.

(iii) The date of report submission should appear at the bottom of the title page (e.g.,
June, 2025 for a proposal and just 2025 for a thesis and this should also be centred).

b) DECLARATION AND RECOMMENDATION

• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Should include both the candidate’s and supervisor’s declaration and
recommendation, respectively, and duly signed.

For example,

This proposal/thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any
other University.

Signature: Date:
Name
Registration number

This proposal/thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as University
Supervisors.

Signature: Date:
Name of First Supervisor
Department, institution

Signature: Date:
Name of Second Supervisor
Department, institution

5
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Note: Once the thesis has gone through defence, the sentence for recommendation by
supervisors is modified to read:

This thesis has been submitted to Pan African University Institute for Basic Science,
Technology and Innovation with our approval as the Institute Supervisors.

c) DEDICATION
• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Dedicate the report (proposal or thesis) to whomever the author would like it to be
dedicated to, whether it is the author’s mother, the best friend, the pet dog, or
Almighty God. It is possible to dedicate something to someone while also
mentioning them in the acknowledgments.

d) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Acknowledge those who made the study to be successful.
• Need to provide a brief appreciation of the contribution of someone or an
organization or funding body to the present work.
• In engineering research, acknowledgments are meant for participating technicians,
students, funding agency, grant number, institution, or anyone who provide
scientific inputs, shared unpublished results, provided equipment, or participated in
discussions.

e) TABLE OF CONTENTS
• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Should be generated automatically using the ‘References’ icon then ‘Table of
Contents’ in MS word.
• Should preferably have a spacing of 1.5 lines or unless otherwise stated.
• The main headings (i.e., those assigned heading 1) should be in upper case rubric
and may be in bold or not.
• The sub-headings should follow each chapter title and should be in title case rubric
and subsequently in sentence case rubric.
• Should not contain citations.

f) LIST OF FIGURES
• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Should preferably have a spacing of 1.5 lines or unless otherwise stated.
• Should be generated automatically using the ‘References’ icon then ‘Insert Table
or Figures’ in MS word.
• Similarly figure numbering should be chapter based.
• Should not contain citations.

g) LIST OF TABLES
• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Should preferably have a spacing of 1.5 lines or unless otherwise stated.
• Should be generated automatically using the ‘References’ icon then ‘Insert Table
or Figures’ in MS word.
• Table numbering should be chapter based.
• Should not contain citations.

h) ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

• Abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase; e.g., "SKU is the
abbreviation for Stock Keeping Unit".

6
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• Acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and
pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA).
• The heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.

Examples of abbreviations
AMHF Africa Mental Health Foundation
CCC Comprehensive Care Clinic
CEO Chief Executive Officer
FBO Faith Based Organizations

Examples of Acronyms
ECSA East, Central and Southern Africa
EQUINET Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa
IPAR Institute of Policy Analysis and Research
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

i) NOTATIONS
• The main difference between Notation and Symbol is that the Notation is a system
of symbols to represent facts or quantities and Symbol is a something that
represents an idea, a process, or a physical entity. Standard notations refer to
general agreements in the way things are written or denoted.
• All symbols used in the report should be listed and defined therein.
• Symbols should not have multiple meanings.

j) ABSTRACT
• Heading should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Should not exceed one page when single spaced or maximum 300 words and
should state briefly the statement of problem, objectives of the study, outline the
methods used (e.g., study site description; material acquisition; research
design/experimental set up; data collection procedure, analysis and presentation),
summarize the expected outputs and/or impacts.

• For a thesis instead of a summary of expected outputs and/or impacts state key
findings and major recommendations (i.e., usefulness of the study results to
society).

5.5 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

• The heading of this chapter should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Numeric numbering starts with the first page of this chapter.
• The introduction is the 1st Chapter in a research proposal/thesis.
• The introduction supplies sufficient background information to enable readers
conceptualise circumstances prevailing in the sphere of interest for the research.
• Refer to both published and unpublished literature when writing this chapter.
• It should be fairly brief (not exceeding 10 pages if double spaced, be it for a
proposal or thesis) and should include the following sections:

1.1. Background to the Study

• Should show the understanding and genesis of the problem; issues should be
tackled from global perspective to local scenario in reference to how the research
questions were developed; the background provides readers with context to the
information talked about throughout the research. It should refer to both published
and unpublished literature. Background to the study is used to prove that a main
research question is relevant and also to develop the research proposal; it should
cover 4-5 pages if double spaced.

7
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

1.2. Statement of the Problem

A statement of the problem or problem statement in research is a concise and focused
description of a specific issue or gap in knowledge that the research aims to address. It
clarifies the research's purpose, scope, and significance by identifying what is currently
unknown, why it needs to be known, and how the research will contribute to filling that
knowledge gap. The statement must be support by evidence (empirical or otherwise); this
should derive from background information to show connectivity; it should cover one (1)
page if double spaced.

For more details refer to Addendum 5.1 at the end of this chapter.

1.3. Objectives
1.3.1. General Objective
• State one general objective which should be in line with the title or the main
research question.

Example
• To develop a semi-empirical model for predicting the strength of adobe bricks
stabilized with grewia bicolor juice and dried at different conditions.

1.3.2. Specific Objectives

• Should be three to five in number so as to avoid dealing with a large research
scope.
• Should be in line with the variable the researcher hypothesized to influence the
phenomenon under investigation.
• Should not be same as the title or general objective but should be linked to one
another and to the title.

An objective is a specific statement of purpose expressing a desired end. It expresses an

intent that describes a proposed change that is measurable and observable. It should
possess the following characteristics:

• Specific (i.e., have positive achievement/accomplishment).

• Measurable (not subjective).
• Achievable,
• Realistic, flexible and acceptable and compatible with the goals (tangible,
observable).
• Time limited (have a definite time limit).

Examples
For the above general objective the specific objectives would be:

i) To determine the effect of varying grewia bicolor juice levels on the mechanical
properties of stabilised adobe bricks.
ii) To evaluate the effect of different drying conditions on the mechanical properties of
adobe bricks stabilised with grewia bicolor juice.
iii) To develop a semi-empirical model for predicting the strength of adobe bricks
stabilised with grewia bicolor juice and dried at different conditions.

1.4. Research Questions and/or Hypotheses

1.4.1. Research Questions
• Should be in line with the stated specific objectives and equal in number.
• Should be numbered [ i), ii)…] and should be questions and not statements.

8
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Examples
i) What is the effect of varying grewia bicolor juice levels on the mechanical
properties of stabilised adobe bricks?
ii) How do different drying conditions affect the mechanical properties of adobe
bricks stabilised with grewia bicolor juice?
iii) How effective would a developed semi-empirical model predict the strength
of adobe bricks stabilised with grewia bicolor juice and dried at different
conditions?

1.4.2. Hypotheses
• Should be in line with the stated specific objectives and equal in number.
• Should state the null hypotheses only.
• Should be numbered (Ho1, Ho2, ……) - null hypotheses.
• Alternative: (Ha1, Ha2, ……).

A null hypothesis (Ho) is a type of statistical hypothesis that proposes that no statistical
significance exists in a set of given observations or variables.

In contrast, an alternative hypothesis (H1) proposes that statistical significance exists in a

set of given observations or variables.

The null hypothesis is taken as the true statement while the alternative is the contrast. A
null hypothesis is usually the hypothesis a researcher or experimenter will try to disprove
or discredit.

1.5. Justification and Significance of the Study

1.5.1. Justification of the Study
• In research, justification refers to the rationale or reasoning behind conducting a
study. It explains why the research is necessary, important, and contributes to the
existing body of knowledge. It is the "why" of your research, convincing the reader
of its value and relevance.
• Remember to focus on the problem, provide evidence to support your argument,
offer alternative solutions, explain that your proposed solution is the best, consider
potential objections.

1.5.2. Significance of the Study

• The significance of a research study refers to its importance, impact, and potential
contribution to a particular field of study or to society as a whole. It explains why
the research is worth doing and why the findings matter. Essentially, it answers the
question, "So what?"

Understanding both justification and significance is crucial for researchers to ensure

that their work is not only well-grounded but also contributes meaningfully to the
existing knowledge base.

1.6. Scope and Limitations of Study

1.6.1. Scope of Study
• In research, scope defines the boundaries and extent of a study, outlining what will
be included and excluded. It clarifies the focus and parameters of the research,
ensuring it remains manageable and relevant to the research questions.
• Scope can generally be technical (e.g., theoretical, methodological),
environmental/geographical, financial, political, socio-cultural and so forth.

9
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

1.6.2. Limitations
• Research limitations are weaknesses or shortcomings in a study's design,
methodology, or execution that may impact the generalizability or validity of the
findings.
• Not a must for a proposal but should be there in a thesis or final report.

5.6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

• The heading of this chapter should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• This chapter is normally the 2nd Chapter in a proposal/thesis.
• The chapter gives the reader an orientation to the research problem by referencing
to previous concepts/theories and researches in the area of interest.
• The references to literature should be limited to information that is essential to the
reader’s orientation.
• Most readers do not need long literature reviews, especially of old references if
newer ones are available [as rule of Thumb: not older than ten (10) years].
• Refer to only published literature when writing this chapter.
• The chapter should cover 12-15 pages for a proposal and slightly more for a
thesis, depending on the area of study.
• Remember, the literature review is part of the research process. Like data
collection and analysis, it should be systematic and thorough.

The following tips are used on doing a critical literature review:

(i) Finding usable literature:

✓ Browse discipline-specific or area-specific reviews.
✓ Look through past several years of flagship journals.
✓ Use key words to search electronic databases.
✓ Limit yourself to 10 or so items to actually review (varies by project of course), only
about half of which you will actually read properly.

(ii) Reviewing the literature:

✓ Don’t just summarize the studies, evaluate them (but don’t be too dismissive).
✓ Look for key themes and issues running through them.
✓ Take a holistic view of the relevant literature to provide an overview of what it
says.
✓ Pay attention to the utility of qualitative research methods to address key themes
and issues.

The chapter should encompass the following sections:

2.1. Theoretical Review

• Review the theoretical literature relevant to the problem being investigated. The
sub-headings should be labelled as per the theories cited, which should be
relevant to the area of study, e.g.,

2.1.1. Theory and/or Concepts for 1st Objective

• For a first objective and other objectives, focus on foundational concepts and
theories that underpin your field of study. This could involve defining key terms,
outlining core principles, and explaining the underlying logic or framework relevant
to your topic. For example, if your objective is related to customer behaviour in
e-commerce, you might explore theories of consumer decision-making or models
of online shopping behaviour.

10
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

2.1.2. Theory and/or Concepts for 2nd Objective

2.1.3. Theory and/or Concepts for 3rd Objective

2.1.4. And any other relevant theories and/or concepts

2.2. Empirical Review

• Should be sectioned as per the stated specific objectives (i.e., 2.2.1 corresponds
to specific objective 1, 2.2.2 to specific objective 2, etc.).
• This implies that the hypothesized variables correspond to the sub-headings of the
review to form a framework that would help critiquing of the review. From the
previous analogue, the sub-sections would read:

2.2.1. 1st Objective review

2.2.2. 2nd Objective review
2.2.3. 3rd Objective review
2.2.4. Any other relevant sub-section

• One has to critique the existing literature review relevant to the study/problem
being investigated in the process of writing this section by:
✓ Indicating what has been done by other researchers including the
methodologies used.
✓ Identifying any gaps, problems and their magnitude, and indicate what you
intent to do to address these (i.e., problems/shortcomings or gaps identified).
✓ State the strong points in literature that support the problem being studied.
• The review should be from broad to specific literature.
• Each key variable (Section 2.2.1) should be 2-3 pages long, depending on the
number of variables considered and the limits set for this chapter.

2.3. Summary of Literature Review and Research Gap

• It is a concise overview of existing literature on in the study area, synthesizing key
findings, arguments, and methodologies from various sources.
• Provided a summary of literature review (state the strong points in literature that
support the problem being studied), and the research gap (gap in knowledge
arising from the problems and their magnitude; indicate what you intent to do to
address these).

2.4. Conceptual Framework

• A conceptual framework in research is a structure that outlines the key concepts,
variables, and their relationships within a study, providing a visual or narrative
representation of how the researcher expects these elements to interact. It
essentially it acts as a roadmap, guiding the research process and helping to
define the research problem, develop research questions, and interpret findings.
• Start this section by providing brief literature on conceptual frameworks, then
finally state, for example, that ‘in this study the conceptual framework to be used is
presented in Figure 2.1 (say). Quote the source of the framework if not originating
from the author.

✓ Moderating variable is a qualitative (e.g., gender) or quantitative (e.g., amount of

social support) variable that affects the direction and/or strength of the relationship
between an independent or predictor variable and a dependent or criterion variable.
For example, while social media use can predict levels of loneliness, this relationship
may be stronger for adolescents than for older adults. Age is a moderating variable .

11
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

✓ Intervening variable is a variable that handles the change in the dependent variable
due to the change in the independent variable. In other words, the outcome of the
dependent variable is decided through the intervening variable which itself gets
influenced by the independent variable.

Conceptual framework corresponding to the following general and specific objectives is as

illustrated in Figure 5.2.

General objective
• To develop a semi-empirical model for predicting the strength of adobe bricks
stabilized with grewia bicolor juice and dried at different conditions.

Specific objectives
i) To determine the effect of varying grewia bicolor juice levels on the mechanical
properties of stabilised adobe bricks.
ii) To evaluate the effect of different drying conditions on the mechanical properties of
adobe bricks stabilised with grewia bicolor juice.
iii) To develop a semi-empirical model for predicting the strength of adobe bricks
stabilised with grewia bicolor juice and dried at different conditions.

12
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Material Properties of Stabilised Adobe

Bricks Classes/grades of material to
• Physical properties of clay (particle size be used
distribution, Atterberg limits, specific gravity,
natural moisture content)
• Chemical properties of grewia bicolor juice
such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
activities, and fatty acid profile. Mechanical properties
• Compressive strength
Mechanical Properties of Stabilised Adobe • Flexural strength
Bricks • Abrasion resistance
• Water absorption
Different mix designs of :
• Grewia bicolor juice
• Clay soil

Engineering Properties of Grewia Bicolour

Juice Stabilised Adobe Bricks
Strength properties
Affected by varying drying conditions • Compressive strength (cs)
• Sun-drying: temperature, relative humidity, • Flexural strength (fs)
moisture content, air flow rate, time, solar • Abrasion resistance (ar)
radiation, etc. • Water absorption (abs)
• Shade drying: temperature, relative humidity,
moisture content, air flow rate, time etc.
• Oven drying: temperature, relative humidity,
moisture content, air flow rate, time etc.

Development of semi-empirical model

• Material properties (earth and grewia
bicolor) Strength of stabilised adobe
• Drying process: drying rate MR(t) bricks (cs, fs, ar and abs;
• Temperature, relative humidity and performance of model (RMSE,
solar radiation for the different drying residual error)
conditions (sun, shape and oven),
where applicable,

Figure 5.2: Sample conceptual framework.

5.7 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS

• The heading of this chapter should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• This chapter can have preceding sections (e.g., Sections 3.1 and 3.2 or any
other), as illustrated below, then followed by sections corresponding to the stated
specific objectives, all of which should be described in detail with reference to
relevant standards/codes of practice and previous similar studies from literature.
• Each section corresponding to specific objective should describe in detail: the
experimental set up, data collection procedure, and data analysis and
presentation.
• The purpose of the chapter is to give enough details so that a competent
researcher can easily repeat the research.
• This chapter is an explanation of the various strategies intended to be deployed in
solving the problem and may involve the following:

13
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

3.1. Study Area/Site

• Provide the description of study area in detail, if required. The description may
include: geographical location with reference to known major towns in the study
area (preferably using a map); climatic conditions; relevant economic and social
activities in the area; rationale for selecting study area, among others.

3.2. Material Acquisition and Preparation

• Provide description of this section, if required, in a consistent manner. For
example, where the materials will be/were procured/sourced from, techniques of
acquisition (refer to standards where possible), dates of acquisition,
amounts/quantities required, preparation process and durations involved, etc.

Examples of sections corresponding to specific objectives as stated earlier are:

3.3. Section heading to correspond to 1st Objective

3.3.1. Research Design/Experimental Set-up

• In engineering mainly experimental and/or simulation designs are used.
• Provide enough details in this section during description to enable any other
competent researcher to repeat the study in exactly the same way and get more or
less similar findings. For example: state the type of experimental design used
(justify the choice of design used by citing authority); treatments used, equipment
used to collect data (make, model and manufacturer); if calibration of equipment is
required, need to state method/standards referred to; how equipment is set for use
after calibration and justify why it is set that way by referring to relevant operational
manuals/standards or literature.
• Provide a clearly labelled schematic diagram of experimental setup and/or photo
of equipment used.
• May need to describe how the equipment works.
• If the study involves simulation, then state and describe the techniques/software
used for the simulation.

3.3.2. Data Collection Procedure

• One should take into account the following when collecting data: the nature of
investigation, objective and scope of the inquiry, financial resources, available time
and the desired degree of accuracy.
• The procedure should provide enough details to enable another competent
researcher repeat the work in exactly the same way. For example: there is need to
state rationale for selecting sampling site(s), the sampling techniques to be
adopted, the number of samples/specimens to be collected per treatment, date the
data is collected, frequency of collecting the data, type of data collected and
number of replications, among others.
• The procedure should be described in reference to relevant standards/codes of
practice and previous similar studies from literature.

3.3.3. Data Analysis and Presentation

• The analysis of data requires a number of closely related operations such as
establishment of categories, the application of these categories to raw data and
then drawing statistical inferences.
• There is need to state the tools and techniques used to analyse the data. Various
analytics tools exist for statistics and data modelling including: Microsoft Excel, R
or Python–Statistical Programming, SAS and many others.
• Before the data are analysed, adequate exploratory data analysis (EDA) should be
performed. This is the process of checking for the data quality and it involves

14
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

techniques such as editing, coding, classification and tabulation, as defined as

follows, can be employed.

(i) Editing of data is a process of examining the collected raw data (especially in
surveys) to detect errors and omissions and to correct these when possible.
(ii) Coding refers to the process of assigning numerals or other symbols to answers
so that responses can be put into a limited number of categories or classes.
(iii) Classification - most research studies result in a large volume of raw data which
must be reduced into homogeneous groups if we are to get meaningful
relationships.
(iv) Tabulation is the process of summarizing raw data and displaying the same in
compact form (i.e., in the form of statistical tables) for further analysis.
• The important statistical measures that are used to summarize the data are:
measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode)-there are a number of
methods of computing the mean depending on the research area, e.g., when
dealing with speeds, you go for geometric mean; measures of dispersion
(variance, standard deviation, range, inter-quartile range); measures of asymmetry
or skewness (coefficient of Skewness and Kurtosis, comparisons of mean and
mode or mean and median); and measures of associations & relationship
(bivariate and multiple correlation coefficient, partial correlation coefficient,
regression analysis, etc.).
• The analysis also involves use of existing equations to compute desired
parameters such as moisture content, bulk density and plastic index; these
equations should be presented appropriately in this section.
• The results are presented graphically and/or in tabular form.
• Photographs of the developed system or final product will add value, when
included here, and they should be captioned as plates or sometimes as figures for
convenience sake in generation of list of figures.
• There is need to provide enough details during description to enable another
research repeat the work in exactly same way.

3.4. Section heading to correspond to 2nd Objective

3.4.1. Research Design/Experimental Setup

• As illustrated in Section 3.3.1 above.

3.4.2. Data Collection Procedure

• As illustrated in Section 3.3.1 above.

3.4.3. Data Analysis and Presentation

• As illustrated in Section 3.3.1 above.

3.5. Section heading to correspond to 3rd Objective

3.5.1. Research Design

• As illustrated in Section 3.3.1 above, if required.

3.5.2. Data Collection Procedure

• As illustrated in Section 3.3.1 above.

3.5.3. Data Analysis and Presentation

• As illustrated in Section 3.3.1 above.

15
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

5.8 CHAPTER 4: EXPECTED RESULTS AND OUTPUTS

• The expected results address the desired knowledge, skills, and behaviour that
should be gained at the end of the research project. They reflect the desired
outcomes. Essentially, the expected results translate the project's objectives to
particular knowledge, attitudes, skills, etc.
• Outcomes are the benefits that a project or intervention is designed to deliver.
• Outputs are the tangible and intangible products that result from project activities.
• Impacts are the broader changes that occur within the community, organization,
society, or environment as a result of program outcomes.
• In a postgraduate research proposal expected results should be aligned to the
stated specific objectives by stating the respective specific deliverables.

For example, considering the independent variables outlined in Figure 6.1, the expected
results would be that at the end of the study it is expected to achieve the following results:

5.1 Expected Results

i) Determined: physical properties of clay (i.e., particle size distribution, Atterberg
limits, specific gravity, natural moisture content); chemical properties of grewia
bicolor juice such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities, and fatty acid profile;
mechanical properties (i.e., compressive strength, flexural strength, abrasion
resistance and water absorption) of grewia bicolor juice stabilised adobe
bricks.
ii) Evaluated effect of different drying conditions (sun, shade and oven) on
mechanical properties (i.e., compressive strength, flexural strength, abrasion
resistance and water absorption) of grewia bicolor juice stabilised adobe
bricks.
iii) Developed a semi-empirical model that can predict the strength of grewia bicolor
juice stabilised adobe bricks.

4.2 Expected Outputs

• Journal publications, thesis and conferences/workshops.
• Usefulness of research findings to society.

At the end of any research project one expects outputs and impacts of the research
findings on society.

Examples of expected outputs include:

• Increased sales of product to a level of say 20%.
• A 10% enhanced education levels or awareness.
• A 5% increased efficient in transport, production and communication systems.
• A more elaborate (40%) network for information transaction.

These expected outputs should correspond to the stated general/main objective of the
study. For the specific example corresponding to the conceptual framework of
Figure 5.2, the expected output is:

• Developed a structurally sound and cost-effective model for prediction of strength

of grewia bicolor juice stabilised bricks.
• Thesis.
• Published at least one articles in a refereed journal.

16
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Examples of expected impacts include:

• Economic benefits (to customers, others in the supply chain, broader industry and
the national economy) such as productivity increases and import substitution.
• Social impacts, either positive or negative on, for example:
✓ quality of life
✓ social inclusion/exclusion
✓ jobs (safeguarded, created, changed, displaced)
✓ education
✓ public empowerment
✓ health and safety
✓ regulations
✓ diversity
✓ any expected impact on government priorities
• Environmental impacts, either positive or negative.

5.2 REFERENCES
• The heading of this section should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• Only literature that is available should be cited. Material not available through
libraries, such as personal communications or unpublished data, should be given
in text as parenthetical matter. The source of data and date should be included
(e.g. Kamau, C. Personal communication, 2019).
• Where possible only significant, published reference should be cited (preferably
more accessible source of such publications).
• Use reference style recommended by your institution. Should you be required to
use APA style then refer to APA referencing guide-6th Edition-20121 or 7th Edition.

5.2.1 APA Referencing Style

APA is one of many referencing styles used in academic writing. APA stands for American
Psychological Association. The Association outlines the style in the Publication manual of
the American Psychological Association [APA] (6th ed.).

There are two main parts to referencing:

1. The first indicating within your proposal/thesis the sources of the information you
have used to write your assignment. This demonstrates support for your ideas,
arguments and views. Sometimes this is referred to as: citing in text, in text
citations or text citations.
2. The second part to referencing is the construction of a reference list. The
reference list shows the complete details of everything you cited and appears in an
alphabetical list on a separate page, at the end of your proposal/thesis.

5.2.2 How to Reference Using APA Style

[Link] One or two authors

a) In text citations
Even though you have put someone else’s ideas or information in your own words (i.e.
paraphrased), you still need to show where the original idea or information came from.
This is all part of the academic writing process.

When citing in text with in a proposal or thesis, use the author/s (or editor/s) last name
followed by the year of publication.

17
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Example
• Water is a necessary part of every person’s diet and of all the nutrients a body needs
to function, it requires more water each day than any other nutrient (Whitney & Rolfes,
2011).
or
• Whitney and Rolfes (2011) state that the body requires many nutrients to function but
highlight that water is of greater importance than any other nutrient.
or
• Water is an essential element of anyone’s diet, and Whitney and Rolfes (2011)
emphasise it is more important than any other nutrient.

b) Reference list entry

Whitney, E., & Rolfes, S. (2011). Understanding nutrition (12th ed.). Australia: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning.

Note: This book did not have a city for place of publication, just a country.

[Link] Three, four or five authors

a) In text citations
If a work has three (3), four (4) or five (5) authors, cite all authors the first time and from
then on include only the last name of the first author followed by the words et al. (‘et al.’ is
Latin for ‘and others’).

Example
• Research can be defined as a systematic method of creating new knowledge or a way
to verify existing knowledge (Watson, McKenna, Cowman & Keady, 2008).

• Deciding on a research method demands the researcher consider carefully the

problem or area of investigation being researched (Watson et al., 2008).

b) Reference list entry

• Watson, R., McKenna, H., Cowman, S., & Keady, K. (Eds.). (2008). Nursing research:
designs and methods. Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.

Note: The people were identified as the editors, hence ‘(Eds.)’ is a shortened version of Editors.

[Link] Six or seven authors

a) In text citations
If a work has six (6) or more authors, cite only the last name of the first author followed by
et al. each time you refer to this work.

Example
• (Mikosch et al., 2010) or Mikosch et al. (2010).

b) Reference list entry

When a source has up to seven (7) authors, include all names in the reference list.

• Mikosch, P., Hadrawa, T., Laubreiter, K., Brandl, J., Pilz, J., Stettner, H., & Grimm, G.
(2010). Effectiveness of respiratory-sinus-arrhythmia biofeedback on state-anxiety in
patients undergoing coronary angiography. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(5), 1101-
1110.

18
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

[Link] Eight or more authors

a) In text citations
When there are eight (8) or more authors, cite only the last name of the first author
followed by ‘et al.’ each time you refer to this work.

Example

• (Vissing et al., 2004) or Vissing et al. (2004).

b) Reference list entry

Note in the reference list: When there are eight (8) or more authors, include the first six (6)
authors names and then use ellipsis points (...) before concluding with the last author’s
name.

• Vissing, K., Brink, M., Lonbro, S., Sorensen, H., Overgaard, K., Danborg, K., ...
Aagaard, P. (2008). Muscle adaptations to plyometric vs. resistance training in
untrained young men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(6), 1799-
1810.

5.3 APPENDICES
• The heading of this section should be centred and in upper case rubric.

Appendix I: Letter of Introduction

• Provide this appendix if required.
• The heading should be centred and in title case rubric.

Focus A1

Dear Respondent,

RE: RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

I am a Masters/Doctorate student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology doing

a research entitled “……………….”. This research forms part of the requirement for my
masters/doctorate qualification. I would appreciate if you would kindly take a little of your time to
complete a questionnaire or answer questions in an interview. Any information provided from you
is purely for academic purposes and all responses will be treated with strictest confidence. Your
cooperation is most valued and appreciated.

I take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your quick return of your completed
questionnaire.

Yours Faithfully,

Name

Appendix II: Data Collection Instruments

• Provide this appendix if required.
• Section heading should be centred and in title case rubric.
• Can be questionnaires, schedules, observation checklist, interview guidelines,
etc.)
• The questionnaire should have two main sections (a section on demographic
information and another on the main content of the study).

19
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• The section containing the main content of the study should address all the
specific objectives and should be sectioned in the respective order of the
objectives accordingly.
• Note that should the study require development of multivariate models, then the
questionnaire must use a Likert scale; the most preferred being a 5-scale one
(e.g., (1) Strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neutral, (4) agree, (5) strongly agree).

Appendix III: Budget

• Section heading should be centred and in title case rubric.
• Must provide this appendix.
• The budget should be activity based and time bound.
• Budgeted amounts per activity should be justified and the total should not exceed
the required limit.
• Generally, for MSc budget should not exceed USD 3,000 or as per institutional
requirements.
• For PhD budget should not exceed USD 6,000 or as per institutional requirements.

S. No. Description Unit Quantity Rate Amount

(USD) (USD)
1. Expendable Supplies Budget Items
• Air sampling cassette 37mm 2PC No 25 12.25 306.25
2.0µm PTFE WH Band, 50/Bx
• Laboratory analysis and Laboratory No 30 7.00 210.00
Charges
Sub-total 1 516.25
2. Equipment
• 10mm nylon respirable dust cyclone for No 1 458.61 458.61
use with standard 37mm IH Cassettes
• Personal air sampler pump, LC No 1 851.18 851.18
w/sampling line, 120V charger
• Rasberry pie Model 3 No 2 85.00 170.00
• Power Bank 25000MAh No 4 31.49 125.96
Sub-total 2 1605.75
3. Local Travel
• Travel to different sites within Nairobi Trip 25 Public 300.00
Sub-total 3 300.00
4. Publication costs, local conference
• Conference presentation No 1 100.00 100.00
• Publication No 1 250.00 250.00
Sub-total 4 350.00
5. Stationaries
Assorted stationery Lumpsum 1 28.00 28.00
Sub-total 5 28.00
6. Labour Cost
Research Assistant Man-days 20 10.00 200.00
Sub-total 6 200.00

Grand-Total 3000.00

20
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Appendix IV: Work Schedule or Work Plan

• Section heading should be centred and in title case rubric.
• Should be presented in form of Gantt chart.

Items of Work/Activities Months

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Proposal writing and submission to
BPS
Preparation for and data collection
Data analysis
Thesis writing
Conferences/Seminars
Preparing journal papers for
publication
Submission of draft thesis for
review
Submission of final thesis to BPS
Thesis defence
Corrections and final submission

Deliverable Reports
• Provide project deliverables where required.

Reports Date (Month)

1. 1st Conference/Journals 7
2. 2nd Conference/Journals 10
3. Draft thesis 10
4. Final thesis 12

• Work Schedule and Budget are not required in a thesis.

5.4 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

• The heading of this chapter should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• This is the fourth Chapter in a Thesis.
• There is need to present the main body of the chapter as per the stated specific
objectives, as illustrated in Sections 4.1-4.3.
• The presentation should make reference to appropriate figures, tables and plates.
• The most appropriate presentations should be chosen and tabulated data should
not duplicate that shown graphically.
• The author should first draw the attention of the reader to the results; then
describe trends observed; discuss them (observations/trends) by explaining the
results with reference to theorical and empirical review, and standards or codes of
practice;
• Inference to appropriate similar or contrasting results from literature should also be
made to support the discussion.
• Any unusual observations should also be noted and explanation given for their
cause.
• Finally, it is important to draw relevant deduction(s) from each discussion from
which conclusions will be based.

21
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

4.1. Section heading to correspond to 1st Objective

4.2. Section heading to correspond to 2nd Objective

4.3. Section heading to correspond to 3rd Objective

5.5 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• The heading of this chapter should be centred and in upper case rubric.
• In the Conclusions and Recommendations section, you present your synthesis of the
results given in Results and Discussion Section. You also draw conclusions from your
analysis of those results and then make recommendations based on your analysis.

5.1. Conclusions
• Generally in engineering research, the conclusion section synthesizes or
summarizes key findings, highlights their significance, and suggests future
research directions or practical applications.
• The conclusions should contain empirical evidence (tangible and measureable).
• These conclusions will have been discussed in the report and new material must
not be introduced at this stage.
• The conclusions should relate to the stated specific objectives and must be
numbered as per the stated specific objectives.

5.2. Recommendations
• Engineering research recommendations often focus on practical applications and
future research directions.

5.2.1 Recommendations from the Study

• How the findings of your study can be practically used for decision making (e.g.,
application and policy decision); these should be highlighted succinctly. They
should be supported by deductions from the study.

5.2.2 Recommendation for Further Research

• These should try to capture the shortcomings/limitations the study did not address,
and these must have been implied or reported in the study.

5.6 PUBLICATIONS
• Follow guidelines provided by your institutions with regard to conference/workshop
attendance and journal paper publication.
• However, at MSc. level it is generally accepted that one must publish at least one
paper in a peer reviewed journal that is listed Journal in recent Scopus Index
Journals, SCIMAGO, SCI, SCIE and Elsevier Science Direct, or as per institutional
requirements.

22
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

5.7 ADDENDUM

Addendum 5.1: Detailed Description of Problem Statement

Step 1: Contextualize the problem

The problem statement should frame your research problem, giving some background on what is
already known.

For practical research, focus on the concrete details of the situation, i.e.:
• Where and when does the problem arise?
• Who does the problem affect?
• What attempts have been made to solve the problem?

Example
Voter turnout in the Southeast has been decreasing steadily over the past ten years, in contrast to
other areas of the country. According to surveys conducted by local nonprofits, turnout is lowest
among those under 25 years of age. There have been some effective attempts at engaging these
groups in other regions, and in the last two elections, major parties increased their campaigning
efforts. However, these interventions have yet to have any significant effect on turnout.

Step 2: Show why it matters

The problem statement should also address the relevance of the research. Why is it important that
the problem is addressed?

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to do something groundbreaking or world-changing. It’s
more important that the problem is researchable, feasible, and clearly addresses a relevant issue
in your field.

Practical research is directly relevant to a specific problem that affects an organization, institution,
social group, or society more broadly. To make it clear why your research problem matters, you
can ask yourself:
• What will happen if the problem is not solved?
• Who will feel the consequences?
• Does the problem have wider relevance? Are similar issues found in other contexts?

Example
Low voter turnout has been shown to have negative associations with overall civic engagement. It
is becoming an area of increasing concern in many European democracies. When specific groups
of citizens lack political representation, they are likely to become more excluded over time, leading
to an erosion of trust in democratic institutions. Addressing this problem will have practical benefits
for the Southeastern US as well, and will contribute to understanding of this widespread
phenomenon.

Theoretical research problems

Sometimes theoretical issues have clear practical consequences, but sometimes their relevance is
less immediately obvious. To identify why the problem matters, ask:
• How will resolving the problem advance understanding of the topic?
• What benefits will it have for future research?
• Does the problem have direct or indirect consequences for society?

Example
Literature on the gig economy characterizes these new forms of employment sometimes as a
flexible, active choice and sometimes as an exploitative last resort. To gain a fuller understanding
of why young people engage in the gig economy, in-depth qualitative research is required.
Focusing on workers’ experiences can help develop more robust theories of flexibility in
contemporary employment, as well as potentially informing future policy objectives.

Step 3: Set your aims and objectives

Finally, the problem statement should frame how you intend to address the problem. Your goal

23
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

here should not be to find a conclusive solution, but rather to propose more effective approaches to
tackling or understanding it.

The research aim is the overall purpose of your research. It is generally written in the infinitive
form:
✓ The aim of this study is to determine…
✓ This project aims to explore…
✓ This research aims to investigate…

The research objectives are the concrete steps you will take to achieve the aim:
✓ Qualitative methods will be used to identify…
✓ This work will use surveys to collect…
✓ Using statistical analysis, the research will measure…

Practical research aims and objectives

The aim of this research is to investigate effective engagement strategies to increase voter turnout
in the Southeast. It will identify the most significant factors in non-voting using surveys and
interviews, followed by conducting experiments to measure the effectiveness of different strategies.

Theoretical research aims and objectives

This project aims to better understand young people’s experiences in the gig economy. Qualitative
methods will be used to gain in-depth insight into the motivations and perceptions of those under
30 engaged in freelance work across various industries. This data will be contextualized with a
review of recent literature on the gig economy and statistical analysis of demographic changes in
the workforce.

The aims and objectives should lead directly to your research questions.

Problem statement example

Step 1: Contextualize the problem

A family-owned shoe manufacturer has been in business in New England for several generations,
employing thousands of local workers in a variety of roles, from assembly to supply-chain to
customer service and retail. Employee tenure in the past always had an upward trend, with the
average employee staying at the company for 10+ years. However, in the past decade, the trend
has reversed, with some employees lasting only a few months, and others leaving abruptly after
many years.

Step 2: Show why it matters

As the perceived loyalty of their employees has long been a source of pride for the company, they
employed an outside consultant firm to see why there was so much turnover. The firm focused on
the new hires, concluding that a rival shoe company located in the next town offered higher hourly
wages and better “perks”, such as pizza parties. They claimed this was what was leading
employees to switch. However, to gain a fuller understanding of why the turnover persists even
after the consultant study, in-depth qualitative research focused on long-term employees is also
needed. Focusing on why established workers leave can help develop a more telling reason why
turnover is so high, rather than just due to salaries. It can also potentially identify points of change
or conflict in the company’s culture that may cause workers to leave.

Step 3: Set your aims and objectives

This project aims to better understand why established workers choose to leave the company.
Qualitative methods such as surveys and interviews will be conducted comparing the views of
those who have worked 10+ years at the company and chose to stay, compared with those who
chose to leave.

24
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

a) Research questions

Research questions are crucial because they guide:

• literature search;
• decisions about the kind of research design to employ;
• decisions about what data to collect and from whom;
• process and analysis of data; and,
• writing-up of report.
• making conclusions

Steps in selecting research questions

The series of stages is meant to suggest that, when developing research questions,
the researcher is involved in a process of progressive focusing down, so that one
moves from a general research area down to specific research questions. In making
this movement, one has to recognize the following restrictions:

• Remember that a research question should end with a question mark. If there is
no question mark, it is not a research question.
• Not all research questions that occur to us can be addressed. This is not just to do
with issues of time and the cost of doing research. It is very much to do with the
fact that one must keep a clear focus so that the research questions relate to each
other to form a coherent set of issues.
• Hence, one has to select from the possible research questions that are formulated.
• In making the selection, one should be guided by the principle that the research
questions one chooses should be related to one another. If they are not, the
research will probably lack focus and it may not be possible to make as clear a
contribution to understanding as would be the case if research questions were
connected. Thus, in the example in Figures 6.3 and 6.4, the research questions
relating to TQM are closely connected.

25
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

Figure 5.3: Steps in selecting research questions.

Figure 5.4: Conceptual framework for the selected research questions.

Following from the management questions posed above, examples of a research

questions would be: what plausible courses of action are available to management to
correct the problem or take advantage of the opportunity, and which should be
considered?

Criteria for evaluating research questions

Research questions for a thesis or project should meet the following criteria:

• Questions should be clear. They must be understandable to you and to others.

• Questions should be researchable. They should be capable of development into a
research design, so that data may be collected in relation to them. This means that
extremely abstract terms are unlikely to be suitable.

26
 Chapter 5: Guidelines for Research Proposal and Thesis Formulation

• Questions should connect with established theory/concepts and research. This

means that there should be a literature on which you can draw to help illuminate
how your research questions should be approached. Even if you find a topic that
has been scarcely addressed by social scientists, it is unlikely that there will be no
relevant literature (for example, on related or parallel topics). Making connections
with theory and research will also allow you to show how your research has made
a contribution to knowledge and understanding.
• Questions should be linked to one another. Unrelated research questions are
unlikely to be acceptable, since you should be developing an argument in your
dissertation. You will not very readily be able to construct a single argument in
connection with unrelated research questions.
• Questions should have potential for making a contribution to knowledge and/or
society. They should at the very least hold out the prospect of being able to make
a contribution-however small-to the topic.
• Questions should be neither too broad nor too narrow. The research questions
should be neither too large (so that you would need a massive grant to study
them) nor too small (so that you cannot make a reasonably significant contribution
to your area of study).

Note: If you are stuck about how to formulate research questions (or indeed other phases
of your research), it is a good idea to look at journal articles or research monographs to
see how other researchers have formulated them. Also, look at past theses for ideas as
well.

Developing research questions

Before embarking on the task of research design and choice of research methods, it is a
good idea to ask oneself a series of questions about your research and the findings that
you hope to produce. Crafting research question relies on addressing a series of what,
why, and how questions (see Figure 2.4), which eventually result in the production of a
set of 'findings' or conclusions.

What? Why?
• What puzzles/intrigues me? • Why will this be of enough interest to others
• What do I want to know more to be published as a thesis, book, paper,
about/understand better? guide to practitioners or policy-makers?
• What are my key research questions? • Can the research be justified as a
'contribution to knowledge'?
How–conceptually? How–practically?
• What models, concepts, and theories can I • What investigative styles and techniques
draw on/develop to answer my research shall I use to apply my conceptual
questions? framework (both to gather material and
• How can these be brought together into a analyze it)?
basic conceptual framework to guide my • How shall I gain and maintain access to
investigation? information sources?
Figure 5.5: A ‘what, why, and how’ framework for crafting research.

To address the research questions, the researcher will be required to develop

investigative questions and measurement questions. Following from the research
questions posed above these would be:

Investigative questions: what does the manager need to know to choose the best
alternative from the available courses of action?
Measurement questions: what should be asked or observed to obtain the information
the manager needs?

27