TOR421 Mid-Term Research Proposal: Guideline
The Midterm Research Proposal should include at least the following sections.
Introduction
Definition of research questions
Significance of the study
Literature review
Research methodology
Results of pretest and revisions
Time schedule
Reference
Appendix (e.g., questionnaires, interview guide, etc.)
For more information about what you need to include in the proposal, please
refer to the lecture notes and Sample Research Proposal on the blackboard.
The format of the proposal is as follows.
Cover page should include the following:
Course name and course code
Your project title
Your Name with Student ID
Include the "Table of Contents"
Titles, Headings, and subheadings: Font size 14 pt or larger.
Font for the main body of text: Times New Roman, 12 pt
Include the page numbers.
A4 sized, typed
Guideline for different sections
1. Definition of research questions
Define your research question. Write down:
The Broad Statement
List the Specific Components/Objectives if needed
Write one or more paragraphs to describe your research question in
more detail
Draw a Graphical Models for your project (Optional)
2. Justify the significance of you study
Why do you choose this topic? Why is it worthwhile to conduct the
study you proposed? What contributions will your study make?
3. Write the literature review for your chosen topic.
Focus on the key concepts that you will investigate in your project. Use the
key concepts as the key words to search the university library database.
Identify at least 7-10 academic papers that are closely related to your chosen
topic.
Write 2-3 pages for your literature review section. Synthesize, summarize, and
criticize the literature.
When you read the academic papers, pay attention to the following issues.
How did the authors define the key concepts in their papers?
What are the key theories related to your chosen topic?
What methodology did they use in their study?
What were the main results or findings of these papers?
What ideas you can learn from them and adapt to your own study ? For
example: definition for the key concepts for your own project;
measurement or research methods that you could follow and apply in your
own study.
Make sure you follow the APA format (Please refer to the guidance posted on
the blackboard “Reference - APA format”) in your writing.
4. Methodology has the following two parts.
Part One:
Write one section in your report (after the literature review) to describe your
methodology. This should contain the following information.
1. Overall research design:
Purpose of research: Exploratory, Descriptive, or Explanatory
Methodology: Qualitative or Quantitative
Time Dimension: Cross-sectional or Longitudinal
2. Methods for data collection may include:
Data collection methods (e.g., questionnaire survey, in-depth interview, focus
group)
Survey Methods: when, where, how to collect the data, (e.g., mall intercept
at Dubai Mall; internet/online survey on [Link]/ )
Survey instrument/Measurement (e.g., rank order scale, seven-point Likert
scale) and the sources of the items.
3. Sampling design will include the following
Define the population of your study
The sampling techniques you will use (e.g., Convenience Sampling,
Judgmental Sampling, Simple Random Sampling)
The sample size
Part Two:
Design your survey questionnaire or interview guide. Please refer to the following
samples on the blackboard. Put your survey questionnaire or interview guide at the
end of your report as an appendix.
Sample - Questionnaire
Sample - Interview guide
Please refer to the following samples on the blackboard.
A. Please refer to the sample research proposal on the blackboard.
B. Sample report - Deconstructing the shopping experience of tourists to Dubai
Shopping Festival: Page 4 “Research design and methodology”
C. Sample Paper-The Role of Shared Values in Understanding Loyalty over Time:
page 6 Data Collection; page 8 for measurement (e.g., Measuring Consumer
Loyalty)
5. Guideline for pretest:
• Conduct a pretest for your project
• Decide which method you will use for the pretesting (protocol analysis or
debriefing), sampling methods (e.g., sample size, who are the
respondents).
• Revise your questionnaire/interview guide (or other data collection
instrument) based on the problems/feedback identified during the
pretesting. Take notes about the revision you have made, and explain
why.
• Write down in your report (i.e., the mid-term research proposal) your
pretesting process as well as any revision you have made based on the
results of your pretest.
• Please refer to the Sample Research Proposal on the blackboard.