research project outcome template

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Sample Project Outcomes

A key component of an interim or final Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) is the Project Outcomes summary (Section I). Project Outcomes provide information regarding the cumulative outcomes or findings of the project and are made public through NIH RePORTER.

As noted in the RPPR Instruction Guide , Project Outcome summaries should not exceed half a page and must be written according to the following guidelines:

• Is written for the general public in clear, concise, and comprehensible language
• Is suitable for dissemination to the general public, as the information may be available electronically
• Does not include proprietary, confidential information or trade secrets

Recipients conducting NIH-defined Phase III Clinical Trials must also include results of valid analyses by sex/gender, race, and ethnicity in the Project Outcome Summary (see Example 1 below).  For more information on valid analysis, see the  Analyses by Sex or Gender, Race and Ethnicity for NIH-defined Phase III Clinical Trials (Valid Analysis)  page. 

Example 1: Project Outcomes Summary for “The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL)”

Note: this example includes the results of valid analyses by sex/gender, race, and ethnicity required for NIH-defined Phase III Clinical Trials.

Project:  “The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) Contact PI:   JoAnn E. Manson Organization:  Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

The VITAL trial investigated whether taking high-dose vitamin D and/or omega-3 fatty acid supplements daily impacts the risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease among generally healthy midlife and older adults. Study participants were followed for an average of five years.

We found that overall, neither vitamin D supplementation (2000 IU daily) nor omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (1 g daily) reduced the risk of total invasive cancer. However, vitamin D supplementation did result in a 17% overall reduction in cancer death, although this was not statistically significant. With vitamin D supplementation, there were no differences between men and women in the cancer risk findings. However, a small and borderline significant 23% decrease in total cancer incidence was observed among African-American participants.  In the overall cohort, advanced cancers (metastatic plus fatal cancers) were significantly decreased. With omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, women had a small nonsignificant reduction in risk of total invasive cancer, while men had no risk reduction.

Taking daily moderate-to-high dose vitamin D supplements did not reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular death. These results were not significantly different when comparing men and women or when comparing participants from different racial or ethnic groups.

Similarly, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not result in reduced risk of major cardiovascular events for the overall study population. However, there were some differences by subgroup and the type of cardiovascular event. Among those with lower-than-average fish intake at baseline, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by 19%. When heart attack was analyzed separately, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation resulted in a 28% reduction in the risk of heart attack (similar reduction in men and women), with the greatest benefit (77% reduction) observed among African-Americans. A significant reduction in heart attack was also observed among those with lower-than-average dietary fish intake and those with two or more risk factors for heart attack.

Example 2: Project Outcomes Summary for “Heart Rate Recovery and Mortality” (R01HL066004)

Project:  “Heart Rate Recovery and Mortality” Contact PI:   Michael S Lauer, MD Organization:  Cleveland Clinic

During exercise, heart rate increases to meet increasing muscle demands for blood.  Immediately after exercise, heart rate decreases.  We call the decrease in heart rate after exercise “heart rate recovery.”  Scientists believe that heart rate recovery reflects the the “autonomic nervous system,” the part of the nervous system that we are not aware of.  It regulates “automatic” functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.  It turns out that heart rate falls faster in people who are in good physical shape.  In work we did before getting this grant, we found that slower falls in heart rate predicted a higher risk of early death.  In this project, we analyzed data from tens of thousands of Cleveland Clinic patients who had exercise tests as part of their routine care.  Our technicians recorded heart rate every few minutes during exercise and one minute after exercise.  These were some of our main findings:

• We confirmed that heart rate recovery predicts death.
• Heart rate recovery is lower in people with diabetes and in people who have more severe heart disease; even so, low heart rate recovery predicts death in people with diabetes and in people with severe heart disease.
• Heart rate recovery is lower in older adults, and predicts death in older adults.
• Heart rate recovery is lower in people who are poor (in terms of money).  We thought this might be true because some scientists think that people who are poor may suffer from problems with their nervous systems.  Our finding may help us understand why poor people have higher risks of early death.
• We found that extra heart beats after exercise also predicts death.  This finding may shed light on why people with low heart rate recovery have a higher risk of death: their nervous system problems may increase the risk of electrical problems with their hearts.   

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• How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

Published on October 12, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 21, 2023.

A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it’s important, and how you will conduct your research.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals will contain at least these elements:

Introduction

Literature review.

• Research design

Reference list

While the sections may vary, the overall objective is always the same. A research proposal serves as a blueprint and guide for your research plan, helping you get organized and feel confident in the path forward you choose to take.

Table of contents

Research proposal purpose, research proposal examples, research design and methods, contribution to knowledge, research schedule, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research proposals.

Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application , or prior to starting your thesis or dissertation .

In addition to helping you figure out what your research can look like, a proposal can also serve to demonstrate why your project is worth pursuing to a funder, educational institution, or supervisor.

Research proposal length

The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.

One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.

Download our research proposal template

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See an example

Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.

• Example research proposal #1: “A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management”
• Example research proposal #2: “Medical Students as Mediators of Change in Tobacco Use”

Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:

• The proposed title of your project
• Your supervisor’s name
• Your institution and department

The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.

Your introduction should:

• Introduce your topic
• Give necessary background and context
• Outline your  problem statement  and research questions

To guide your introduction , include information about:

• Who could have an interest in the topic (e.g., scientists, policymakers)
• How much is already known about the topic
• What is missing from this current knowledge
• What new insights your research will contribute
• Why you believe this research is worth doing

As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review  shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.

In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:

• Comparing and contrasting the main theories, methods, and debates
• Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
• Explaining how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize prior scholarship

Following the literature review, restate your main  objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.

To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.

For example, your results might have implications for:

• Improving best practices
• Informing policymaking decisions
• Strengthening a theory or model
• Challenging popular or scientific beliefs
• Creating a basis for future research

Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .

Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.

Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.

Download our research schedule template

If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.

Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:

• Cost : exactly how much money do you need?
• Justification : why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
• Source : how did you calculate the amount?

To determine your budget, think about:

• Travel costs : do you need to go somewhere to collect your data? How will you get there, and how much time will you need? What will you do there (e.g., interviews, archival research)?
• Materials : do you need access to any tools or technologies?
• Help : do you need to hire any research assistants for the project? What will they do, and how much will you pay them?

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .

Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.

I will compare …

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

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Outcomes 101: A brief guide for conducting an outcomes research project as a surgeon-scientist in training

George q. zhang.

Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Caitlin W. Hicks

Department of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA

1. Introduction

Research has become a major component of many surgical training programs in recent decades as the concept of the surgeon-scientist continues to grow. Surgical residents become involved in research for a variety of reasons, including to gain experience in a field of interest, 1 develop and foster relationships with mentors, 2 and increase competitiveness for future fellowship and employment endeavors. 3 However, these opportunities can often be difficult to obtain for a multitude of reasons, particularly in the context of a demanding clinical workload. 4 Here, we outline the basic steps of conducting a surgical outcomes project in an effort to make this valuable but daunting task more accessible to all trainees who are interested ( Fig. 1 ).

Suggested stepwise workflow for successfully completing a surgical outcomes research project.

1.1. Identify a topic and mentor

The first step to any successful research endeavor is to identify a topic of interest to you. This can be as broad or specific as you like, as long as it is an area that you are willing to devote a significant amount of time and effort into exploring. Finding the right mentor to champion you through a project is equally as important. These steps are interchangeable: you may find yourself approaching a mentor for their expertise and perspective on your own big idea, or be approached by a mentor with a clinical question who needs your help in translating it into a tangible body of work. Either arrangement can mark the start of a fruitful relationship, so long as there is mutual buy-in from both parties. If you don’t have a preexisting mentor, find one. Once you have identified your topic of interest, investigate which faculty are doing research related to that topic and ask them if you can get involved in a project. Positive attributes of a good mentor may include a consistent track record of publications, regular availability, prompt communication, and the endorsement of other trainees who have worked with them in the past. 5 It may take a few tries to find the right mentor-mentee fit, but be persistent and engaged and most faculty will be happy to work with you.

1.2. Identify a specific question and become an expert

Identifying a specific question that is novel, interesting, and achievable using the resources available to you can seem daunting. Some tips to achieve this include keeping up with the latest literature, taking part in educational activities throughout your institution, and approaching your day-to-day clinical activities with a keen eye to the gaps in current practice and clinical understanding. Attending academic meetings, both national and local, can also help you to identify what topics are most pertinent in your field of interest. Additionally, consider the questions you may come up with in the context of the time and experience that you have, data available to you, and expertise of your mentor.

Once you have settled upon a question of interest, fully delve into the field and become an expert in its particular subset of literature. Utilize your mentor to identify landmark papers, trials, and other must-reads in your area of study. Review articles are useful, as they commonly highlight the practice-changing literature in the field. If available to you, institutional librarians can be extraordinarily helpful to the literature review process, as they are experts in navigating the vast and complicated world of academic literature. Be sure to identify key relevant references within these articles not only for your own information, but to save for citations when you begin to write your manuscript. We recommend the use of a citation manager for this, as it can help you stay organized while streamlining the process of making your manuscript submission ready in the future. One important point to note is that you should now have all the resources needed to write your Introduction. This can certainly be done in parallel to the next steps in preparation for data analysis, and can often be easier to execute while the literature review is still fresh in your mind.

1.3. Define your study variables and choose a dataset

Once your question is adequately fleshed out, the next step is to develop a game plan for how exactly it will be answered. Determine what type of study is most suitable for addressing your given hypothesis (cohort studies, case-control studies, qualitative studies, etc.) and what variables you will want to analyze. Develop a primary outcome of interest and consider secondary outcomes that may contribute to your analysis. Additionally, consider what specific populations you would like to include and exclude such that your question can be most directly answered while minimizing bias. These questions should be answered with the help of your mentor, who will be familiar with key outcomes of interest related to the topic you are studying. Of note, your institution or mentor may be able to pair you with methodologists and/or statisticians who are a powerful resource throughout the study development and data acquisition/analysis phases. Use your mentor to understand what help is available, and involve others at an early stage so they can be of greatest benefit.

Choosing a dataset for analysis is another key step. There are a variety of national, regional, and institutional databases that your Department or mentor may have access to. Some may be readily available, while others will require additional steps for you and your mentor to obtain. Alternatively, primary data collection may be required, typically in the form of chart review. Determining what data is most suitable your needs should take into consideration the available variables and their relevance to your question, its completeness and usability, as well as applicability to your field of study (i.e., has it or similar data been used to answer similar questions in the literature before?).

Once you have selected a dataset, it is important to return to your selected variables and refine them in the context of your dataset. In particular, this is a good time to determine what covariates you may want to include in order to best interpret your data. Typical covariates may include demographic (age, sex, race, etc.), comorbidity (e.g. diabetes, coronary artery disease) and specialty-specific clinical factors. This is also a good time to review the literature and circle back with your mentor to ensure that you have all the variables necessary (and expected) for the proposed analysis. Any anticipated critical limitations may warrant revising your initial question or even selecting another dataset that better suits your needs. This process should be repeated as many times as needed to ensure that all key variables are available for your specific analysis. Of note, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is required prior to any data use, even for publicly available and deidentified datasets. Your mentor may have a pre-existing IRB protocol that he/she can add you to, or you may need to submit a new one.

1.4. Build your tables

For most surgical outcomes projects, the order of tables follows a standard format. Table 1 is typically used to describe baseline characteristics of your cohort. The primary groups of interest are displayed as columns, and your baseline demographic, clinical, and other relevant characteristics are reported as rows. An additional column may be utilized to compare proportions of characteristics among subgroups (i.e. P-values). Table 2 should reflect the crude outcomes – that is, the proportion of each subgroup with the primary and secondary outcomes. Table 3 should be used to depict adjusted outcomes from your multivariable analyses. These are typically presented as an adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, and significance of the association. Additional tables can be used for sensitivity or subgroup analyses as needed. There may be some variation to this arrangement depending on the question you are answering, but in general this structure will provide you with a reasonable summary of the data.

Baseline characteristics of Group A vs. Group B in the Example Database (start date-end date).

Crude (unadjusted) outcomes for Group A vs. Group B in the Example Database (start date-end date).

Association (Odds Ratio, 95% CI) * of exposure A with primary outcome in the Example Database (start date-end date).

The inclusion of figures is another important consideration and should be planned out during this phase as well. Remember that they are not simply to look pretty, and should not repeat the data already presented in your tables. Often, they will assist in improving interpretation of your findings and provide additional insight that is best depicted in a graphical manner.

One step that we recommend for any surgical outcomes project is to finalize the shell of all tables (aside from the data values themselves) prior to beginning any data analysis. This might seem counterintuitive, but spending the time to confirm the variables that you plan to include will save significant effort during later steps, when each minor change in methodology or variables of interest will result in major alterations in your results. Reviewing and finalizing blank tables with your mentor will help streamline your workflow during data analysis, such that the next steps will be as simple as filling in the blanks. In our opinion, this is arguably the most critical step to the successful design and execution of a surgical outcomes project.

1.5. Analyze the data

With the right preparation, data analysis should be relatively straightforward to execute. Take the time to ensure your data is clean, such that it is accurate, complete, and consistent to the fullest extent possible, prior to performing critical analyses. Identify and correct any obvious errors in the results that you see. Review your crude (unadjusted) results with your mentor to make sure they make sense in the context of what is already known about the topic you are studying prior to delving into more complicated analytic coding. Interpret the data as you go, and adjust/supplement your analysis plan as needed.

1.6. Write the paper

Similar to data analysis, the act of writing the manuscript should come relatively easy with a strong groundwork. We recommend completing the manuscript in the following sequence: Tables/Figures, Results, Methods, Discussion, Introduction, Abstract.

The Tables and Figures should be already completed at this point, and the Results should serve to highlight the important findings shown in those exhibits. Be careful to not be redundant in the Results section – although you will be reporting a large amount of data, it should still flow naturally for the average academic reader. Additionally, remember that the Results should only report the facts already presented in your Tables and Figures, and should avoid excessive interpretation.

The Methods section is intended to provide an explanation of the procedures used to conduct your study. The first subsection should describe your study cohort, including the database used, type of study, cohort/groups of interest, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and IRB statement. The second should depict your outcomes of interest, and give the reader an idea of what question you are trying to answer. The third should define your covariates of interest, as well as how they were obtained and measured. Finally, an overview of the statistical analyses performed should be provided.

The Discussion may feel like a daunting section to approach, but it can also be broken down in a formulaic manner. Remember that the Discussion is guided by your findings, and aim to structure it around 3–4 key points from your data. Each point should represent a paragraph in your Discussion, summarizing your findings and describing how it compares to the current literature. The goal is to place your data in the context of what is currently known, and to explain how it contributes to our understanding of the topic. The penultimate paragraph is traditionally a Limitations paragraph that describes potential shortcomings of your analysis. Do not hesitate to be critical, and be sure to highlight possible areas of follow-up that could help address your limitations in the future. The last paragraph is simply a Conclusion statement to highlight the take-home messages of your work.

Now that the rest of the paper is complete, take some time to revisit your Introduction. This should already be drafted from the literature review stage, but care should be taken now to ensure that your defined aim at the end is well-aligned with your final study plan.

Lastly, your Abstract should serve as a birds-eye view of your entire work. Briefly describe the Introduction/Background/Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusion(s), ensuring that the text is succinct, but still understandable and representative. Sometimes an abstract is created as the initial step in communicating your data, such as for a submission to a meeting. In this case, be sure that the abstract is updated to reflect your overall analysis and take-home message.

2. Balancing a clinical workload with research

Oftentimes the major barrier to completing a surgical outcomes research project is lack of time, particularly for clinically busy surgical residents. While we advocate for a strict patient-first approach to clinical duties, there are a number of tricks that can increase your academic productivity. First, think of your project in a step-wise fashion. Each step stands on its own. This makes the task ahead much less daunting, and more easily achievable in a short period of time. Second, make use of down time. The potentially long operating room turnover times can easily be converted into a short work session if you set your mind to it, and may distract from the frustrations caused by inevitable delays. Third, make your work portable. Whether you use a virtual desktop that can be accessed from anywhere or carry a light-weight laptop in your bag, having access to your work in progress will make you much more inclined to be productive. Fourth, set regular meetings with your mentor. Weekly or biweekly check-in meetings will move the project along and keep both of you engaged. Finally, set internal deadlines for yourself. Most people function better with deadlines, and having a goal in mind gives yourself clear milestones and a sense of accomplishment at each step along the way.

3. Conclusion

Conducting a surgical outcomes research project can be a daunting task, particularly in the wake of a busy clinical workload. Careful up-front investment in finding the right mentor, conducting the background research to come up with a novel and feasible question, and preparing and finalizing your analytic plan prior to execution are critical and will make the process as streamlined as possible. There is certainty more than one way to conduct research and be successful at it, but we hope that this guide can provide you with a rough set of guidelines and demonstrate that there is, in fact, some method to the madness. Good luck, and enjoy!

Declaration of competing interest

The authors (GQZ, CWH) declare no relevant conflicts of interest. CWH is support by grants from the NIH/NIDDK (K23DK124515), American College of Surgeons, and Society for Vascular Surgery.

Abbreviations:

Contributor information.

George Q. Zhang, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Caitlin W. Hicks, Department of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.

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Reporting Research Outcomes

Dawn Atkinson

Chapter Overview

Much of what we are asked to do in academia and in the workplace involves research , which is loosely defined as systematic investigation undertaken with a goal in mind. Indeed, course research can take a wide variety of forms. In a history class, for instance, students might be tasked with researching the circumstances that contributed to a historical event. In a biology class, they might be asked to conduct a laboratory experiment to test a hypothesis. In a business course, they may be presented with a case study of a situation in a company and asked to research ways to respond to it. And in an engineering class, students may be expected to investigate the viability of a particular project or design. Workplace research projects can likewise be varied. An employee working in one organization may conduct an informational interview with someone working in another organization, for example, to determine the effectiveness of a particular product before recommending that it be purchased. A human resources professional might also survey employees to gauge their reaction to a company policy. A safety inspector, in comparison, might conduct a walk-through of a facility to review staff adherence to health and safety regulations.

Regardless of its purpose, a research project must be planned, executed, and reported with care for its findings to be valuable and useful. This chapter addresses these stages, focusing in particular on reporting research outcomes in APA-style reports.

How does an investigator begin a research project?

A research project often begins with a kernel of an idea, a thought about something that has the potential to drive further exploration. Whether the kernel is inspired by an assignment prompt, a piece of reading, a campus problem, a workplace issue, or personal curiosity, the objective is to turn the kernel into a pursuable topic for research. In broad terms, a pursuable topic is

• Manageable, meaning that it is not too broad or narrow.
• Defined in scope, meaning that its focus is delineated.
• Practicable, meaning that it can be investigated in a feasible way.

If you have the opportunity to propose an idea for a research project, also aim to identify a topic that is interesting to you to inspire momentum as you work.

Taking the above information into account, which of the following items, adapted from Reynolds Community College Libraries (2019b, “Sample Topic – Broadening Chart”; 2019c, p. 1), is a pursuable topic for a five- to seven-page research paper? Provide a rationale for your choice(s) in the space provided.

• Global warming
• Should state laws be enacted to ban texting and cellphone use while driving?
• How have government fishing regulations in the United States affected the freshwater fish population?
• What marketing strategies implemented by Publix Super Markets, Inc. have been successful in increasing the company’s sales in the Richmond, Virginia, area since it opened its location in the Short Pump Crossing Shopping Center in 2017?

The quest to identify a pursuable topic might begin with a brainstorming session to ascertain what you know about a subject, what you do not know, and what you wish to discover through research. Brainstorming techniques include the following.

• Listing all the ideas that come to mind about the topic without editing your work.
• Free writing by noting down anything you can think of about the topic.
• Answering who , what , when , where , why , how , and so what questions about the topic.
• Expressing the topic as a problem and creating an outline of its causes, effects, and potential solutions.
• Writing the topic in the center of a page and grouping offshoot ideas around that topic while using lines or arrows to show how the elements are connected (mind mapping).

A brainstorming session may help you to identify areas of interest regarding a topic and narrow the focus of a broad subject area.

To determine whether a topic is pursuable, you might also explore existing research in the area. Have other investigators studied the same topic? What have they found? What methods have they used? What time period, geographic location, or demographic have they focused on? Where have they reported their results? Are these reputable publication outlets? By exploring existing research, you can get a sense of what type of material already exists on the topic and what kind of contribution you might make to the research landscape.

Librarians can also offer invaluable advice about how to explore potential research topics. For instance, they can demonstrate how to efficiently and effectively use Google Scholar, a widely accessible internet search engine that provides access to peer-reviewed journal articles and other sources, as well as library databases , large, searchable online directories of research materials. Additionally, they can help you narrow search terms to maximize productive use of these resources by employing techniques similar to those outlined in Figure 1,  from The Learning Portal, College Libraries Ontario (2020).

Figure 1. How to generate a keyword list to search a database

Effective internet and library research largely hinges on defining useful search terms, and librarians have considerable expertise in this area, making them excellent academic support resources.

Also remember that your instructor is a valuable academic support resource who can help to resolve questions about assignments and encourage research efforts. Instructors build office hours into their work calendars each week—times when they are available to meet or talk with students—and these are opportunities to discuss research project as they take shape. Follow the guidance in Figure 2 to gain maximum benefit from office hour sessions.

Figure 2. “ Make the Most out of Office Hours ” is licensed under a CC BY NC SA 4.0 International Licens e

Do not hesitate to contact your instructor for help with a research project; after all, instructors were once novice researchers, so they can understand the complex nature of research undertakings.

How does an investigator develop research questions?

Upon identifying a pursuable topic, you might construct one or more research questions , questions a study seeks to answer, to help further define your project’s focus and direction.  Depending on the discipline, instructor, or assignment, you might be expected to list the questions in your project deliverable. Alternatively, you might be expected to articulate your answer to the research questions in the form of a thesis statement that establishes your research report’s purpose and direction. Figure 3 illustrates how a research question can be converted into a thesis statement.

Try it yourself.

As Figure 3 explains, a thesis statement is the answer to a research question: it communicates a viewpoint reached as a result of research.

Research questions can determine a project’s agenda, scope, and approaches to data collection and analysis if they are purposefully constructed, so it is worth thinking about them carefully. In broad terms, a research question should precisely specify the focus of an investigation so that it can feasibly be pursued through inquiry.  The multipage handout in Figure 4, adapted from the Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo (n.d.a), illustrates the process of moving from a pursuable topic to a research question and further defines the characteristics of effective research questions.

Develop A Research Question

A research question guides your research. It provides boundaries, so that when you gather resources you focus only on information that helps to answer your question. Without this guide, you would simply gather a collection of facts, not knowing when and where to end your search for information.

Where Do I Begin?

Good research questions come from solid research topics. For more information, see our resource Developing and Narrowing a Topic.

From a Topic to a Problem

Once you narrow your topic, you need to think about related problems. The goal of research is to answer questions that help to solve one of these larger problems. Using bicycle lanes in urban areas as our topic, we can start to generate some potential problems:

  bicycle lanes in urban areas

Potential problems:

bike lanes are not being used

bike lanes interfere with traffic flow

bike lanes are not consistently integrated into cities

bike lanes are not being respected

Where do I find problems?

Look at current research on your topic in academic articles or reliable web sources. The motivation (or problem) behind others’ research is often discussed in the abstract or introduction.

From a Problem to a Question

Once you find a current problem that can help to motivate your research, you need to develop a question that helps to answer the problem. Let’s use one of the problems above as an example:

  bike lanes are not consistently integrated into cities

Potential questions:

how does public perception of safety affect policy toward bike lane infrastructure?

how do economic incentives affect policy-making for bicycle lane infrastructure?

how do municipal level policies affect the design and building of bike lane infrastructure?

Tip: The mistake that most novice researchers make is to attempt to answer a question that’s too big to answer through a single research project. Keep it narrow.

Characteristics of effective research questions

Tip: To better understand disciplinary requirements for your research, talk to your professors and look for resources in your discipline.

Figure 4. The process of moving from a topic to constructing an effective research question

While the initial version of a research question can guide the course of a study, the question may also evolve with the project, so be prepared to adjust it as the research takes shape. The multipage handout in Figure 5, adapted from McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph (n.d.a), reinforces this point and offers a graphic organizer to help with constructing and refining research questions.

Figure 5. A guide to developing research questions

For a research question to be effective, it must be focused, as figures 4 and 5 emphasize.

How does an investigator conduct research?

During the process of identifying a pursuable research topic and question(s), an investigator must also consider what research methods to use. Research methods are means for conducting an investigation, and these should be selected with a study’s purpose in mind. The existing literature, context, scope, discipline, and timeline for a project will also help define what research methods are typical, practical, and useful.

In terms of research approaches and methods, an investigator might use primary or secondary research or both when carrying out a project. Primary research is raw data that an investigator collects or examines firsthand; such information may be gathered, for example, through the use of interviews, questionnaires, experiments, or observations. The “Interviewing for Information” chapter of this textbook and its accompanying reading, “Introduction to Primary Research: Observations, Surveys, and Interviews” (Driscoll, 2011), discuss several of these research methods in detail. The “Conducting Primary Research” section of the Purdue Online Writing Lab ( https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html ) provides additional information about primary research. An investigator might decide to use primary research, for instance, to delve into a little studied topic, to gather first-person accounts of situations or events, or to uncover various perspectives on issues. Secondary research comprises previously conducted studies and organized accounts of what others have discovered or said about a topic. Secondary research can be found in journal articles, laboratory reports, governmental reports, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers, among other sources. By reading secondary research, an investigator can get a feel for the existing scholarship on a topic. In addition, a secondary research source can often lead to other useful sources on the same topic via means of its reference list. A librarian can help you search for useful secondary research sources for a project.

Although this chapter discusses research activities in a linear fashion in an effort to be clear, in reality, research processes are typically recursive, meaning they occur in repeated sequences and oftentimes involve different approaches and types of data sources. Textbook writers Hamlin et al. (2017b, p. 43) explain this point with an example. Imagine you are assigned a course research project. You might begin the project by trying to read journal articles on your chosen topic, only to discover you lack the necessary background knowledge to fully understand the articles. To increase your background knowledge, you might consult an encyclopedia or textbook on the topic. You may then encounter a statement in a newspaper editorial that inspires you to return to journal articles to see if existing research supports the statement. Figure 6 illustrates the recursive nature of research and resource use.

Figure 6. “ Cycle of Revolving Research ” is licensed under a CC BY NC SA 4.0 international license

Expect to engage with different sources of information at different times as you undertake a research project.

How does an investigator evaluate research information?

Whether you use primary research, secondary research, or both in a project, you have a responsibility as an ethical technical communicator to evaluate the quality of information you incorporate into a deliverable. Readers use research for various purposes—for example, to find out about new medical treatments, ways to use technology, or means for building structures—and they need accurate information to proceed safely and confidently. Looking at the issue another way, the worth of your own research can be called into question if you rely on questionable or disreputable sources. Evaluating the quality of research information is clearly an important task, as Figure 7, a handout adapted from the Excelsior Online Writing Lab (2020d), makes clear.

Can you think of other tips you might add to the handout?

Figure 7. “ Evaluating a Website ” is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 International license.

EvaluatingAWebsite2019

Although Figure 7 focuses on the trustworthiness of websites, the “Writing Topic Proposals” and “Writing Essays” chapters of this textbook provide additional guidance on how to evaluate the quality of various types of sources.

How does an investigator use research information?

As a research project takes shape and progresses, you will also need to think about the relationship of source information to your research deliverable. That is, what type of information will you use, and how will you use it? The following text, adapted from Hayden and Margolin (2020), discusses this point in further detail.

How to Use a Source: The BEAM Method

Different kinds of sources may be used for various purposes in a paper. The BEAM method, developed by Bizup (2008), may help you identify the usefulness of different types of sources. BEAM stands for B ackground, E xhibit, A rgument, and M ethod.

• Background : using a source to provide general information to explain a topic. For example, using a textbook chapter to explain what it means to interview for information.
• Exhibit : using a source as evidence or as a collection of examples to analyze. For a technical writing assignment, for instance, you might analyze a formal report. For a history paper, you might analyze a historical document. For a sociology paper, you might analyze the data from a study.
• Argument : using a source to engage its argument. For example, you might use an editorial from The New York Times on the value of higher education to refute in your own paper.
• Method : using a source’s way of analyzing an issue to apply to your own issue. For example, you might use a study’s methods, definitions, or conclusions on gentrification in Chicago to apply to your own neighborhood in New York City.

Bizup, J. (2008). BEAM: A rhetorical vocabulary for teaching research-based writing. Rhetoric Review , 27 (1), 72-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/07350190701738858

Using the BEAM method as inspiration, we can create the graphic organizer in Table 1 to guide our efforts to match sources to purposes in a deliverable. Note that the number of source cells can be reduced or increased depending on the research project.

A graphic organizer for matching sources to their purposes in a deliverable

A graphic organizer like the one in Table 1 offers a visual layout of how different types of sources might be used and how they ultimately tie back to a research question.

In addition to determining what types of sources might be useful for what purposes in a deliverable, a researcher also needs to synthesize source information, in other words, combine it purposefully with the objective of creating something new, to make a contribution to the existing field of research. Figure 8, a multipage handout adapted from the Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo (n.d.b), illustrates the process of synthesis in a research project.

Analyzing Your Source

Many assignments ask you to critique and evaluate a source. Sources might include journal articles, books, websites, government documents, portfolios, podcasts, or presentations.

When you critique, you offer both negative and positive analysis of the content, writing, and structure of a source.

When you evaluate , you assess how successful a source is at presenting information, measured against a standard or certain criteria.

Elements of a critical analysis:

opinion  +  evidence from the article  +  justification

Your opinion is your thoughtful reaction to the piece.

Evidence from the article  offers some proof to back up your opinion.

The justification is an explanation of how you arrived at your opinion or why you think it’s true.

How do you critique and evaluate?

When critiquing and evaluating someone else’s writing/research, your purpose is to reach an informed opinion about a source. In order to do that, try these three steps:

• Read and react to the piece. As you read, take notes. Record what the article means AND how you feel about it. Identify the parts that are worth talking about by asking
• How do you feel?
• What surprised you?
• What left you confused?
• What pleased or annoyed you?
• What was interesting?
• Ask deeper questions based on your reactions above.
• What is the purpose of this text?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What kind of bias is there?
• What was missing?

TIP: See our resource on analysis and synthesis ( Move From Research to Writing: How to Think ) for other examples of questions to ask.

3. Form an assessment.

The questions you asked in the last step should lead you to form an assessment. Here are some assessment/opinion words that might help you build your critique and evaluation:

illogical helpful sophisticated simplistic concise clear interesting undocumented insightful confusing disorganized creative deep superficial powerful not cited unconventional inappropriate interpretation of evidence unsound or discredited methodology traditional unsubstantiated unsupported well-researched easy to understand

4. Write your critique or evaluation using the opinion+ evidence from the text + jusitification model. Here is a sample:

Opinion : This article’s assessment of the power balance in cities is confusing.

Evidence: It first says that the power to shape policy is evenly distributed among citizens, local government, and business (Rajal, 232)

Justification :  but then it goes on to focus almost exclusively on business. Next, in a much shorter section, it combines the idea of citizens and local government into a single point of evidence. This leaves the reader with the impression that the citizens have no voice at all. It is not helpful in trying to determine the role of the common voter in shaping public policy.

Sample criteria for critical analysis

Sometimes the assignment will specify what criteria to use when critiquing and evaluating a source. If not, consider the following prompts to approach your analysis. Choose the questions that are most suitable for your source.

• What do you think about the quality of the research? Is it significant?
• Did the author answer the question they set out to? Did the author prove their thesis?
• Did you find contradictions to other things you know?
• What new insight or connections did the author make?
• How does this piece fit within the context of your course, or the larger body of research in the field?
• The structure of an article or book is often dictated by standards of the discipline or a theoretical model. Did the piece meet those standards?
• Did the piece meet the needs of the intended audience?
• Was the material presented in an organized and logical fashion?
• Is the argument cohesive and convincing? Is the reasoning sound? Is there enough evidence?
• Is it easy to read? Is it clear and easy to understand, even if the concepts are sophisticated?

Figure 8. Using synthesis to combine source information and create something new

As this section makes clear, a research project involves more than just gathering data. It calls upon an investigator to use the data in purposeful ways to address research objectives.

How does an investigator track steps in the research process?

Although the research process discussed thus far may seem rather involved, effective preparation can prevent it from becoming overwhelming. A simple tool like the one in Table 2 can help you systematically plan and monitor the progress of a project in order to work confidently toward its conclusion.

Table 2. A tool for tracking steps in the research process

To manage the complexities of research in an orderly manner, use a tool such as this one when undertaking a project.

How does an investigator report research outcomes?

Research outcomes are reported in various types of deliverables, such as infographics and presentations. This chapter concentrates on written reports of research outcomes, focusing in particular on APA-style reports. APA establishes standards for document organization, page design, text construction, and source attribution, as forthcoming sections make clear. This standardization helps bring consistency to APA-style research reports.

Organizing Documents

APA reports are designed for utility so that readers can readily access and use the information contained therein. The body of an APA research report generally follows IMRaD structure, which stands for I ntroduction, M ethod, R esults, and D iscussion. Lab reports similarly follow this structure, as do many journal articles. Using information adapted from Price et al. (2015, pp. 213-221), we can explore the structure of an APA-style research report in further detail.

Constructing the Title Page

An APA-style research report begins with a title page. The title should specifically and concisely communicate the focus and purpose of the investigation, possibly by addressing the study’s research question(s). A clear and informative title, such as “Bilingual, Digital, Audio-Visual Training Modules Improve Technical Knowledge of Feedlot and Dairy Workers” (Reinhardt et al., 2010), immediately alerts readers to a report’s content, helping them determine whether the document is relevant for their needs.

Constructing the Abstract

The abstract is a synopsis of the study, presented on its own separate page, which summarizes the research objectives, the method used to conduct the investigation, the basic results, and the most important conclusions, oftentimes in one concise paragraph of 250 words or fewer.  Because an abstract outlines a research report, it is written after the report is complete. Readers use abstracts to determine whether texts are relevant for their needs. Figure 9, adapted from Bethel (2020, p. 61), presents a sample journal article abstract—an abstract is a standard feature of the journal article genre. Notice that the abstract follows IMRaD structure.

Figure 9. A sample abstract from a journal article

An abstract’s strategic location in a journal article—at the top of the article’s first page—efficiently directs readers to useful information.

Although APA style does not require abstracts for student papers, some instructors may assign them regardless. If you are required to compose an abstract for an APA-style report, follow these instructions.

• Start the abstract on its own separate page.
• Double space the page.
• Place the heading Abstract (sans italics) at the top of the page; center the heading and use bold type for it.
• Begin the abstract text on the next line; do not indent the line.
• Insert the keywords list on the line right below the abstract by typing the label Keywords: (italicized), indenting that line, and listing three to five specific keywords that describe the research. (Keywords identify the most important aspects of a paper, again helping readers to discern what texts are relevant for their needs.) or

Figure 10 (Excelsior Online Writing Lab, 2020b, “Abstract”) provides a sample abstract and keywords list for an APA-style student paper.

Figure 10. Abstract and keywords list for an APA-style student paper

If you are required to produce an APA research report for a class, ask your instructor whether an abstract and keywords list is required.

Constructing the Introduction

The introduction section of an APA-style research report sets the context for the rest of the document. It does so by announcing the research focus and explaining why it is interesting, reviewing previous research pertinent to the study, identifying a gap in the previous body of research and establishing how the current study intends to fill the gap, stating the research question(s)/research purpose, and outlining how the rest of the report is organized.

Depending on publication conventions, field of study, or research topic, the literature review segment of an introduction may be incorporated into the introduction proper or presented as its own separate section. A literature review can span several paragraphs or pages, depending on the length and complexity of the research report, and it constitutes a balanced argument for why the research question(s)/research purpose is worth addressing. By the end of the literature review, readers should be convinced that the study’s aims and direction make sense and that the study is a logical next step in extending the existing body of research in the area.

Figure 11, adapted from University of Waterloo (2015, p. 2), provides a sample introduction from an APA-style research report. Integral components of the student’s introduction are highlighted for your reference.

Figure 11. An introduction from a student research report

What is your general impression of the sample introduction? What specific features contribute to its effectiveness/ineffectiveness?

This introduction explains the what , why , how , and so what of the report, giving readers a sense of context for the research study.

Constructing the Method Section

The method section describes how a researcher conducted a study and explains what types of primary and secondary research were used and how. Figure 12, excerpted from the journal article “Open Textbooks: Quality and Relevance for Postsecondary Study in The Bahamas” (Bethel, 2020, p. 66), provides an extract from a method section of a research report. You previously read the abstract for this report in Figure 9.

Figure 12. An extract from the method section of a journal article

As Figure 12 illustrates, the method section should be clear and detailed to facilitate reader understanding; in some cases, the level of detail should allow other researchers to replicate the study by following the procedures outlined.

Constructing the Results Section

The results section presents an investigation’s findings and oftentimes contains illustrations to concisely explain points and illustrate complex concepts. Figure 13, adapted from Excelsior Online Writing Lab (2020e), overviews some of the different types of visuals that might be found in a results section.

Figure 13. An overview of common types of visuals

The results section of the Bethel (2020) article on open textbooks contains various types of visuals, as Figure 14, an extract from pages 70 and 71 of the article, illustrates.

Figure 14. An extract from the results section of a journal article

As you review Figure 14, think back to your previous reading about integrating visuals. What change might improve the design of the extract? Provide a rationale for your answer.

The “Designing Documents” and “Integrating Graphic Elements” chapters of this textbook provide further information about the kinds of illustrations that might be found in the results sections of research reports. The APA website ( https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/handouts-guides ) also provides useful guidance about designing and incorporating visuals.

Constructing the Discussion Section

The discussion section of a research report tells readers what the study’s results mean, draws conclusions based on this interpretation, and may also identify limitations of the research and make suggestions for future investigations. In so doing, the discussion draws connections between the study and existing research discussed in the literature review. Sometimes the results and discussion segments of a report are combined, enabling the writer to discuss both components together; a separate conclusions section may also be included at the end of a report to reinforce the contributions of the research.

Figure 15, adapted from University of Waterloo (2015, p. 7), presents the discussion section of the student research report on children with ADHD that you began reading earlier. What is your general impression of this text? Explain the reason for your response.

Figure 15. Discussion section of a student research report

As Figure 15 illustrates, a discussion section should bring a research report to a logical conclusion.

Constructing the Reference Section

The reference section of a report, which begins on its own separate page, lists the full bibliographic details for sources mentioned in the document. Any source listed in the reference section must have an accompanying in-text citation.

Constructing Appendices

Appendices contain supplementary material that is relevant to the report and may enhance readers’ understanding of its content but that is too lengthy or detailed to be integrated into the report proper. Appendices may not feature in every report; if a report does include them, each appendix is placed on a separate page and is comprised of an individual document or piece of information, such as a map, a list of interview questions, or other material that does not fit neatly into the report. Figure 16, an appendix from the Bethel (2020) article on open textbooks, contains a textbook evaluation instrument presented on its own page (p. 80).

Figure 16. An appendix page from a journal article

If a report contains one appendix, it is labelled Appendix (sans italics). When a report contains more than one appendix, the appendices are lettered in the order in which they are mentioned in the report and labelled with a descriptive tag, as is the appendix in Figure 16.

Designing Pages

APA sets specific formatting standards for student research papers. The template below, adapted from Clackamas Community College Library (2020), Excelsior Online Writing Lab (2020c), and University of Texas Arlington Libraries (2016, “Alphabetizing References”), describes formatting guidelines for APA student papers. The original Clackamas Community College Library (2020) template can be downloaded from http://libguides.clackamas.edu/citing/apa7 .

APA Style Template

Constructing Text

In addition to page design specifications, APA makes recommendations regarding text construction. Conveniently, some of these items overlap with stylistic characteristics common to technical writing. We will explore a number of these items here.

Using Appropriate Verb Tenses in Reports

Writers use different verb tenses in the various sections of reports to describe research stages and outcomes. Figure 17, adapted from Tsai (2017, p. 2), details the circumstances for verb tense use in report sections.

Figure 17. Verb tenses are used for different purposes in research reports

As Figure 17 makes clear, verb tenses point to different conceptual and temporal circumstances in research reports.

Eliminating Contractions (adapted from Schall, 2014c, para. 2)

Contractions—in which an apostrophe is used to contract two words into one by joining parts of them—are considered to be informal, conversational expression. Contractions should not be included in a formal document, such as a report, unless the report writer is quoting something that contains contractions.

Avoiding Commonly Confused Words

Word choice errors may affect the readability of a research report. Here are few sets of commonly confused words that can influence readers’ perceptions of a document.

Amount/Number

• Jagdish was disgusted by the amount of litter on the ground.
• Ali was surprised by the number of mistakes in the report.

Between/Among

• The workshop participants discussed the differences between paraphrasing and summarizing.
• The instructor distributed the tasks among four groups.
• I have less homework this week than I did last week.
• I have fewer pieces of homework this week than I did last week.

Be on the lookout for these commonly confused words when reading and writing research reports.

Avoiding Dangling Modifiers (adapted from Schall, 2014c, paras. 12-13)

Dangling modifiers , descriptive words that seem to dangle off by themselves because they do not accurately describe the words next to them, are a common occurrence in technical writing and are easily overlooked by the writer who assumes the reader will automatically follow the sentence’s meaning. Most often, writers dangle modifiers at the beginnings of sentences. Grammatically, a group of words preceding a sentence’s main subject should directly describe the subject; otherwise, that group of words can become a dangling modifier. The following sentences contain dangling modifiers.

• Using an otoscope, her ears were examined for damage.
• Determining the initial estimates, results from previous tests were used.

Even though these sentences are understandable, grammatically they are unacceptable because the first implies that the ears used the otoscope, while the second implies that the results themselves determined the initial estimates. The words that describe a sentence’s subject must be sensibly related to the subject, and in these two sentences that is not the case. Although here the intended meaning can be discerned with some minimal work, readers often have a hard time sorting out meaning when modifiers are dangled, especially as sentences grow longer. Revision of these sentences to avoid dangling modifiers involves changing the wording slightly and shuffling sentence parts around so the meaning is more logical.

• Her ears were examined for damage with an otoscope.
• Results from previous tests were used to determine the initial estimates.

Because dangling modifiers lead to unintelligible sentences, avoid them.

Referring to Temperature Measurements (adapted from Schall, 2014a, para. 3)

Degree measures of temperature are normally expressed with the ° symbol rather than with the written word, and a space is inserted after the number but not between the symbol and the temperature scale: The sample was heated to 80 °C. Unlike the abbreviations for Fahrenheit and Celsius, the abbreviation for Kelvin (which refers to an absolute scale of temperature) is not preceded by the degree symbol (e.g., 12 K is correct).

Writing about Numbers (adapted from Schall, 2014a, paras. 4-5)

The rules for expressing numbers are as follows.

• The depth to the water at the time of testing was 16.16 feet.
• Express percentages as follows: use the % symbol preceded by a numeral when referring to an exact number, and spell out the word percent (sans italics) when referring to a general size (“a sizable percent of the population”). → Note: this is the APA guideline. General technical writing guidelines recommend using the word percent (sans italics) instead of the symbol (%) in sentences (e.g., 25 percent) and using the symbol (e.g., 25%) in tables to save space.
• For this treatment, the steel was heated 18 different times.
• Fifteen new staff members attended the safety training session.
• Two dramatic changes followed: four samples exploded and thirteen lab technicians resigned.

If you are not sure about when to use numerals versus words, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2020), the definitive source for APA standards. The APA also provides a number of quick reference guides on its website ( https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/handouts-guides ), including one that covers statistics and numbers.

Using Parentheses (adapted from Schall, 2014b)

In general, parentheses are used to identify material that acts as an aside, but in technical writing the rules for using parentheses can be more nuanced. Parentheses may also be used

• In pulse-jet collectors (Figure 3), bags are supported from a metal cage fastened onto a cell plate at the top of the collector.
• The funnel used for this experiment was 7 in. (17.8 cm) in length.
• The system has three principal components: (1) a cleaning booth, (2) an air reservoir, and (3) an air spray manifold.
• The filtering process involves a 10-mm Dorr-Oliver cyclone (Zefon International).
• Units will be expressed in cubic feet per minute (cfm).

If parentheses enclose a full sentence beginning with a capital letter, then the end punctuation for the sentence falls inside the parentheses.

• Typically, suppliers specify air to cloth ratios of 6:1 or higher. (However, ratios of 4:1 should be used for applications involving silica or feldspathic minerals.)

If the parentheses indicate a citation at the end of a sentence, then the sentence’s end punctuation comes after the parentheses are closed.

• In a study comparing three different building types, respirable dust concentrations were significantly lower in the open-structure building (Hugh et al., 2005).

Finally, if the parentheses appear in the middle of a sentence (as in this example), then any necessary punctuation (such as the comma that appeared just a few words ago) is delayed until the parentheses are closed.

Attributing Sources

In addition to document organization, page design, and text construction specifications, APA also establishes standard conventions for citation and referencing. A writer uses in-text citations to attribute source information within the body of a report and reference list entries to provide the full publication details for the sources cited in text.

Using In-Text Citations 

Although other sections of this textbook cover in-text citations in some detail, we will review their construction and conventions for use here to reinforce the importance of source attribution skills to your college and professional careers. Figure 18, a multipage handout adapted from the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga (n.d.a, pp. 5-8), provides an overview of APA in-text citations.

As you review the conventions for APA in-text citations, keep in mind the following punctuation rules, which apply to quotation marks placed at the ends of sentences.

• Place commas and periods inside closing quotation marks.
• Place colons and semicolons outside closing quotation marks.
• Place question marks and exclamation points inside closing quotation marks when they are part of the material being quoted and outside the closing quotation marks when they are not part of the material.

Figure 18. An overview of APA in-text citations

For expanded coverage of APA in-text citations, refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2020) or the APA website

( https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/handouts-guides ).

The previous figure mentions pairing signal phrases with in-text citations, and you may recall from previous reading that writers use signal phrases to integrate source material into documents in a cohesive way. Signal phrases, in turn, convey various circumstances, as Figure 19, adapted from the Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Services, University of Ottawa (2016), points out.

Figure 19. A variety of signal phrases and their circumstances for use

You may use such signal phrases along with in-text citations and accompanying reference list entries to cohesively incorporate source material into a research report.

Constructing References

Reference list entries accompany in-text citations in an APA-style research report. Figure 20, a multipage handout adapted from Reynolds Community College Libraries (2020a), provides an overview of reference formats for various source types.

Figure 20. APA referencing formats for various types of sources

If you require further detail about APA referencing formats, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2020) or the APA website  ( https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/handouts-guides ).

How does an investigator report research in an ethical manner?

Research outcomes must be reported in an ethical manner to be credible and useful. Take into account that ethical considerations affect the development of research reports in numerous ways, as forthcoming paragraphs, which are adapted from Hamlin et al. (2017a, pp. 98-102), explain.

Foregrounding or Downplaying Key Information

A writer’s choices about how to present content in a report can affect readers’ understanding of the relative weight or seriousness of the information. For example, hiding some crucial piece of information in the middle of a long paragraph and burying that paragraph deep in a lengthy document de-emphasizes the information. On the other hand, placing a minor point in a prominent spot—for instance, at the top of a bullet list in a report’s executive summary—tells readers it is crucial.

Omitting Research that Does Not Support a Project Idea

When compiling a report, a writer might discover conflicting data that does not support the research project’s goals. For example, let us imagine the writer’s small company has problems with employee morale. Research shows that bringing in an outside expert, someone who is unfamiliar with the company, has the potential to effect the greatest change in addressing the issue. The writer discovers, however, that hiring such an expert is cost prohibitive. If the writer leaves this information out of the report, its omission encourages the employer to pursue an action that is not feasible.

Distorting Visual Information

When writers present information visually in reports, they must be careful not to misrepresent reality. To illustrate this point, consider the pie charts in Figure 21, adapted from Hamlin et al. (2017a, p. 100). The data in each pie chart is identical, but the chart on the left presents information in a misleading way.

Figure 21. Identical data presented two different ways in pie charts

Imagine that these pie charts represent donations received by four candidates running for city council. When looking at the pie chart on the left, the candidate represented by the green slice labeled Item C might think she received more donations than the candidate represented by the blue slice labeled Item A. In fact, if we look at the same data in the differently oriented pie chart on the right, we can see that Item C represents less than half of the donations than those for Item A. Thus, a simple change in perspective can alter the perception of an image.

Relying on Limited Source Information

A thorough research report compiles information from a variety of reliable sources in order to examine a topic from multiple angles. Using a variety of sources helps a report writer avoid the potential bias that can occur when relying on a limited pool of experts. Imagine, for instance, that a writer is composing a report on the real estate market in Central Oregon. The author would be ill-advised to collect data from only one realator’s office. While a particular office might have access to broad data on the real estate market, he/she runs the risk of appearing biased by exclusively selecting material from this one source. Collecting information from multiple brokers would demonstrate thorough and unbiased research.

Documenting Sources in an Inaccurate Manner

When report writers document sources, they are expected to accurately and consistently acknowledge the origin of outside information via use of in-text citations and accompanying reference list entries. Listing a source on a reference page without an in-text citation misleads readers: readers assume that the listed item is a source when in fact it is not or that the writer has failed to mark the boundaries between his/her own ideas and source information in text. Note that many documentation problems occur because writers do not clearly distinguish between their own ideas and source material.

Violating Academic Integrity

Academic integrity violations, such as those mentioned in the previous paragraph, can destroy the credibility of a research report and its writer’s reputation. This reality holds true in both academia and in the workplace. Using information adapted from Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018a, pp. 4-7), Table 3 explores violations of academic integrity that can affect research reports and other types of knowledge work.

Table 3. Types of academic integrity violations and how to avoid them

The following list of frequently asked questions, adapted from Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018a, pp. 10-11), may help to clarify lingering uncertainties about the information presented in Table 3.

• This is not true. If you use anyone else’s ideas, words, or content in an assignment, you must give appropriate credit.
• Providing a citation is a start, but you must add quotation marks if you are copying someone’s content word for word.
• No because this constitutes self-plagiarism. When you are given an assignment, you are expected to use original effort to complete it.
• Just because your instructor did explicitly ask for sources, this is not an excuse to avoid giving proper credit. To avoid plagiarism, you must acknowledge your sources.
• Not knowing is not an excuse, so you should familiarize yourself with forms of academic dishonesty and school policies and talk with your instructor if you still have questions.
• If the work is meant to be independent, you are violating academic integrity standards by discussing answers with others. If your instructor does not address the issue of collaborative work, it is your responsibility to find out whether such work is acceptable rather than simply assuming it is.
• The act of purchasing a paper for submission is a deliberate breach of academic integrity standards and constitutes cheating.
• Submitting coursework that a family member or friend completed for you is a deliberate breach of academic integrity standards and constitutes cheating.

Academic integrity violations take a variety of forms, as this textbook section makes clear, and a report writer has an ethical obligation to avoid all of them.

Plagiarism can be a particularly pernicious problem in a research report because misrepresented research data can affect subsequent studies that build on the report’s foundation. The information below, adapted from Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University (2018b, pp. 1-3), provides detailed guidance for how to prevent plagiarism.

• Using or referring to someone else’s words, ideas, or content from a journal, book, newspaper, magazine, textbook, song, TV program, film, webpage, letter, email, advertisement, speech, dictionary, or other medium.
• Using data collected during an interview.
• Copying the exact words or a unique phrase from somewhere.
• Reprinting any tables or figures.
• Writing about your own experiences, insights, thoughts, or conclusions regarding a subject.
• Using common knowledge (folklore, commonsense observations, shared information within your field of study or cultural group).
• Compiling generally accepted facts.
• Writing up your own experimental research results.
• You find the same information undocumented in several other sources.
• You think it is information your readers already know.
• Anyone could easily find the information with general reference sources, such as encyclopedias or dictionaries.
• Write your version without looking at the original text so you rely only on your memory.
• Rewrite key ideas using different words and sentence structures than those used in the original source.
• Check your version against the original for accuracy. Also look for mistakenly borrowed phrases.
• Introduce the paraphrase or summary with a phrase crediting the source.
• Cite and reference the source.
• Use quotations sparingly: an excessive number can affect your credibility and interfere with your style.
• Enclose the quoted material in quotation marks.
• Indicate added phrases with brackets and omitted text with ellipses.
• Introduce the quotation with a phrase crediting the source.

An ethical writer avoids plagiarism and its destructive consequences by keeping the above points in mind when producing a report.

Chapter Conclusion

Planning, carrying out, and reporting research requires considerable time and effort, as this chapter makes clear. In return, a research project offers an opportunity to discover new things and activate a valuable skill set that you will hone throughout your time in academia and beyond.

Activity: What do you know about academic integrity standards?

To test your knowledge of academic integrity standards, answer the following questions, which are adapted from the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga (n.d.b, p. 3). Provide a rationale for your answers, and be prepared to discuss them in class.

• It depends on the type of tutoring Martin receives

Homework: How are research and research writing skills used in your field of interest?

What is your career interest? How might a professional working in that career use research and research writing skills in the workplace? Consult the websites listed in the “Understanding Disciplinary Expectations for Writing” chapter of this textbook to research your response to this question, and work with a university librarian if you need to locate additional sources of credible information. Afterwards, write an APA-style report to document the processes and findings of your research project. Use the guidance in this chapter to organize, design, and construct your report and to cite and reference its sources. This exercise is adapted from Successful Writing (2012, para. 11).

After you have drafted your report, use the handouts “Eliminating Wordiness” (Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University, 2018c) and “APA Checklist” (Excelsior Online Writing Lab, 2020a), provided below, to refine your work.

Academic Writing Help Centre, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa (2016).  Signal phrases . License CC-BY 4.0 . https://sass.uottawa.ca/sites/sass.uottawa.ca/files/awhc-signal-phrases.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Bethel, E. (2020). Open textbooks: Quality and relevance for postsecondary study in The Bahamas. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21 (2), 61-80. License CC-BY 4.0 . http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/4598

Clackamas Community College Library. (2020). Download & edit: APA Word document template . License CC-BY 4.0 . http://libguides.clackamas.edu/citing/apa7

Driscoll, D.L. (2011). Introduction to primary research: Observations, surveys, and interviews In C. Lowe, & P. Zemliansky (Eds.), Writing spaces: Readings on writing (Vol. 2, pp. 153-174). Parlor Press. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/driscoll–introduction-to-primary-research.pdf

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020a). APA checklist . License CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/APAChecklist7theditionInteractiveNoImages.pdf

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020b). APA formatting guide: 7th edition [PowerPoint slides]. License CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/citation-and-documentation/apa-style/apa-formatting-guide/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020c). APA headings: 7th edition . License CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/citation-and-documentation/apa-style/apa-headings/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020d). Evaluating a website . License CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/orc/what-to-do-after-reading/analyzing/evaluating-a-website/evaluating-a-website-handouts/

Excelsior Online Writing Lab. (2020e). How to read visual aids . License CC-BY 4.0 . https://owl.excelsior.edu/orc/what-to-do-while-reading/annotating/annotating-how-to-read-visual-aids/annotating-how-to-read-visual-aids-handouts/

Hamlin, A., Rubio, C., & DeSilva, M. (2017a). Ethics in technical writing. In A. Gross, A. Hamlin, B. Merck, C. Rubio, J. Naas, M. Savage, & M. Desilva, Technical writing (pp. 91-104).   Open Oregon Educational Resources. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 . https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/

Hamlin, A., Rubio, C., & DeSilva, M. (2017b). The research cycle. In A. Gross, A. Hamlin, B. Merck, C. Rubio, J. Naas, M. Savage, & M. Desilva, Technical writing (p. 43). Open Oregon Educational Resources. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/

Hayden, W., & Margolin, S. (2020). How to use a source: The BEAM method. Hunter College Libraries . https://library.hunter.cuny.edu/research-toolkit/how-do-i-use-sources/beam-method

The Learning Portal, College Libraries Ontario. (2020). How to create a database search . License: CC-BY-NC 4.0 .  https://tlp-lpa.ca/ld.php?content_id=26167755

McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph. (n.d.a). Developing a research question . License: CC-BY-SA. https://learningcommons.lib.uoguelph.ca/item/developing-research-question-worksheet

McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph. (n.d.b). Make the most out of office hours . License: CC-BY-SA. https://learningcommons.lib.uoguelph.ca/item/make-most-out-office-hours

McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph. (n.d.c). Templates for writing thesis statements . License: CC-BY-SA.    https://learningcommons.lib.uoguelph.ca/item/templates-writing-thesis-statements

Price, P.C., Jhangiani, R.S., & Chiang, I.C.A. (2015). Research methods in psychology (2nd Canadian ed.). BCampus Open Education. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://opentextbc.ca/researchmethods/

Reinhardt, C.D., Thomson, D.U., & Retzlaff, D.D. (2010). Bilingual, Digital, Audio-Visual Training Modules Improve Technical Knowledge of Feedlot and Dairy Workers . Online Journal of  Rural Research & Policy, 5 (7). License: CC-BY 4.0.   https://doi.org/10.4148/ojrrp.v5i7.266

Reynolds Community College Libraries. (2020a). APA handouts: APA 7th edition: Citation examples . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://libguides.reynolds.edu/apa

Reynolds Community College Libraries. (2019b). Refine, narrow or broaden a topic . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://libguides.reynolds.edu/c.php?g=143583&p=939853

Reynolds Community College Libraries. (2019c). Refine, narrow or broaden a topic worksheet . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://libguides.reynolds.edu/c.php?g=143583&p=939853

Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga. (n.d.a). APA formatting and style guide . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 . https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/sites/files/asc/public/shared/pdf/tip_sheets_writing/APA_7th_StyleGuide_v3_PR.pdf

Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga. (n.d.b). 6 essential skills for your academic career at UTM . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 . https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/sites/files/asc/public/shared/pdf/study_skills/SkillsBooklet__6Skills_Web_v1.pdf

Schall, J. (2014a). Expressing temperatures and numbers: Effective technical writing in the   information age . Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.   https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c2_p10.html

Schall, J. (2014b). Parentheses: Effective technical writing in the information age . Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c2_p8.html

Schall, J. (2014c). Special stylistic issues in technical writing: Effective technical writing in the information age . Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c1_p15.html

Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University. (2018a). Academic integrity . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5. https://sass.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Academic-Integrity.pdf

Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University. (2018b). Avoiding plagiarism . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5. https://sass.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Avoiding-Plagiarism.pdf

Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University. (2018c). Eliminating wordiness . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5. http://sass.queensu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Eliminating-Wordiness.pdf

Successful Writing. (2012). Writing from research: What will I learn?License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 .  https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/s15-writing-from-research-what-wil.html

Teaching & Learning, University Libraries. (2018). Choosing & using sources: A guide to academic research . The Ohio State University. License: CC-BY 4.0 . https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/

Tsai, S.C. (2017). How to decide the format and verb tense of in-text citations in research writing . The Ohio State University Writing Center. https://cstw.osu.edu/sites/cstw.osu.edu/files/Research%20Citation%20Practices.pdf

UC (University of California) Libraries. (n.d.). A cycle of revolving research . License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 .  https://library.ucmerced.edu/rpt/knowledge_cycle_8

University of Texas Arlington Libraries. (2016). APA guide: 7th edition, references: Alphabetizing references . License: CC-BY-NC 4.0 . https://libguides.uta.edu/apa/references

University of Waterloo. (2015). Health sciences annotated literature review . WriteOnline.ca. . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . http://writeonline.ca/litreview.php?content=section6

Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo. (n.d.a). Develop a research question . . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/sites/ca.writing-and-communication-centre/files/uploads/files/step_4_develop_a_research_question.pdf

Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo. (n.d.b). Move from research to writing: How to think . . License: CC-BY-SA 4.0 . https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/sites/ca.writing-and-communication-centre/files/uploads/files/step_8_how_to_analyze_the_information_in_your_source_h.pdf

Mindful Technical Writing Copyright © 2020 by Dawn Atkinson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Outcome Mapping Template

Use Miro’s Outcome Mapping Template to visualize and consider all possible outcomes of a complex project.

Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies

About the Outcome Mapping Template

Our Outcome Mapping Template allows you to easily visualize all the possible outcomes for your upcoming project. You can peer inside the black box to increase operational efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure success.

What is outcome mapping?

Outcome mapping is a method of planning and assessing projects to understand possible outcomes and anticipate change.

When you’re planning a complex project, it’s important to consider all possible outcomes. The beginning and end of a project are sometimes separated by a black box of process and evolution. If you can’t unpack the black box, you risk encountering unforeseen or unintended downstream effects.

This is where outcome mapping can help.

Whenever you undertake a project, you expect a certain level of uncertainty, but outcome mapping aims to reduce unknowns. Rather than reacting to changes and obstacles as they arise during a project, outcome mapping allows you to plan. The project team collaborates on a framework that encourages self-monitoring and assessment throughout your project.

In outcome mapping, outcomes are conceptualized as “behavioral changes.” Thinking in terms of changes rather than results encourages you to focus on how the change happens rather than treating each change as a forgone conclusion. Once you’ve identified how a behavior change came about, outcome mapping empowers you to adapt and plan accordingly.

When to use outcome mapping

Outcome mapping originated in the public policy space. People used the method to track outcomes resulting from a policy initiative, such as environmental, economic, political, or demographic changes. The method is meant to unpack the black box at the heart of development activities like social welfare programs.

But outcome mapping is applicable in other contexts, as well.

Outcome mapping is simply a suite of tools that help your team think about change. It allows you to gather information before embarking on a new project to ensure that you account for all potential outcomes. These principles can be applied to a variety of purposes.

Let’s look at some use cases to demonstrate:

To pinpoint your target audience . Use outcome mapping to carefully articulate the audience you intend to target throughout the project. You might have more than one buyer persona you wish to target, and using the outcome map will help you visualize your plan of action for each audience.

To identify potential challenges. Use outcome mapping to predict the challenges you might face and changes you might see as the project progresses. This will help you identify potential hurdles and figure out how to overcome them ahead of time.

To monitor internal processes. As we’ve already mentioned, the outcome mapping process allows you to dig deeper into your processes. You’ll see all the steps that happen between your inputs and outputs so you can make sure that your projects are running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

To reach your goal. Use outcome mapping to identify the evolving strategies you’ll use to achieve your desired outcome. In other words, you’ll be able to see the best path forward to help you reach your goal.

To track project progress. Check that your projects are on track to reach their goal. Because outcome maps outline every step of your process, you can use this to see how your project is performing in real-time.

Why use outcome mapping?

Now that we’ve covered some examples of when to use outcome mapping, let’s outline some of the benefits of using this process.

To think strategically. Outcome mapping forces you to think strategically about your decisions. It allows you to think systematically and practically about what you’re doing throughout the project and why you’re doing it.

To deal with challenges. When you’re creating an outcome map, you’ll be looking at how certain challenges and hurdles might crop up. By doing this, you’re proactively thinking about how to manage variations in your strategy. If these challenges crop up, you’ll be well equipped to handle them and make sure that you still reach your desired outcome.

To monitor progress. Outcome mapping introduces ongoing monitoring and evaluation during the early stages of a project. As a result, you’ll have a good understanding of how to track success before the project or process has even begun.

To involve stakeholders. Part of the mapping process involves learning about the influence and progression of change among boundary partners (otherwise known as direct partners such as stakeholders ) as part of a project or program. This helps you understand how each stakeholder relates to your project and encourages multi-stakeholder dialogue.

To offer flexibility. All outcome mapping approaches are flexible when it comes to managing change. They’re not linear, so project managers can effectively manage change as and when it happens.

Create an outcome map with Miro

Making an outcome map is easy with Miro. It’s the perfect canvas to create and share your outcome maps with your entire team. Get started by selecting the Outcome Mapping Template, then take the following steps to make one of your own.

1. Do some prework. The initial stage of outcome mapping is often called the intentional design stage. It aims to answer four questions: First, what is the vision of this project? Second, who are your primary stakeholders ? Third, what tangible goals do you hope to achieve? Fourth, how will you reach those goals? Answer all of these questions to start your outcome mapping off on the right foot.

2. Provide a framework for monitoring. In the outcome and performance monitoring stage, think about how to monitor your progress toward your intended outcomes. For example, how you’ll track your progress against pre-established markers, such as project milestones .

This will allow you to test and adapt your strategy map to changing circumstances and log organizational practices and procedures as they evolve. You should also build self-assessment into your project so you can reflect on the successes of your processes.

3. Develop an evaluation plan. Finally, in the evaluation planning stage, develop the priorities you’ll use to test your processes in depth throughout the project. When you’re in the middle of a project, you won’t always have the time or resources to test everything as thoroughly as you’d like. That’s why it’s important to prioritize before you get started.

4. Circulate your plan. Share your outcome map with all key stakeholders to make sure everyone is aligned before circulating the plan outside your team. Using Miro makes it easy to share your outcome mapping with colleagues and stakeholders (both internally and externally). You can work together remotely to streamline your collaboration and finalize your outcome map.

Get started with this template right now.

Opportunity Canvas Template

Works best for:.

Leadership, Decision Making, Strategic Planning

Features and capabilities — they make or break a product, which is why companies spend so much time and effort focusing on them. Sound like you? Try it with an Opportunity Canvas. This streamlined one-pager gives you and your team the power to improve your product by exploring the use cases, potential setbacks, strategies, challenges, and metrics. An Opportunity Canvas is ideal if you’ve already built a product, because you don’t need to consider the operational or revenue model.

Monthly Planner Template

Operations, Strategic Planning, Project Planning

To knock out every task and accomplish every goal for the month, it helps to take a big picture, 10,000 foot view of things—meaning a 30-day view. That’s why a monthly calendar can come in so handy, especially on bigger projects. Use our template to create a visual representation that helps you track and space out every deadline and to-do, both for individuals and full teams. You’ll even be able to customize it your way, with images, video, and sticky notes.

Vision Board Template

Strategy & Planning, Product Development

Miro's Vision Board Template helps teams to bring their vision to life. From visual representation to real time collaboration, this template facilitates planning, execution, and achievement of any project's goals.

Project Canvas Template

Project Management, Documentation, Project Planning

A project canvas is a management tool that helps you summarize, visualize, and share all necessary information about your project. It can be used by all team members—from facilitators to project management professionals—at every stage of project development. The project canvas template allows you to keep all stakeholders in the project development process in the loop. By using a single platform for all project-related discussions, you can build a clear project overview and improve collaboration.

Visual Story Map Template

Marketing, Desk Research, Mapping

Some people like to think of a visual story map as a stylized to-do list, but it’s a lot more powerful than that. Visual story mapping allows your product management team to visualize multiple dimensions of information.

RAID Log Template

Agile Methodology, Project Management, Agile Workflows

Use the RAID Log template to better understand potential risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies relating to an upcoming project. With this information, you can make effective contingency plans and prepare your resources accordingly. You’ll know what could go wrong throughout the project and how to fix the problem.

Research Project Plan Template

What is a Research Project Plan?

A research project plan outlines the processes and activities that need to be completed to achieve the desired results of a research project. The plan should provide a timeline for the research activities and identify any potential risks. It should also specify the resources and personnel needed, as well as the budget and timeline for the project. The plan should be both comprehensive and flexible, so that it can be modified as needed throughout the project.

What's included in this Research Project Plan template?

• 3 focus areas
• 6 objectives

Each focus area has its own objectives, projects, and KPIs to ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective.

Who is the Research Project Plan template for?

The research project plan template is designed for research teams in academic, corporate, or non-profit sectors who need to plan and execute their research projects. The template provides a structure for outlining the processes and activities that must be completed in order to achieve the desired results of the research project. The template is designed to be comprehensive and flexible, allowing for modifications as needed throughout the project.

1. Define clear examples of your focus areas

A focus area is a specific area or topic that a research team is investigating. The focus area should be clearly defined and specific, so that the research team can develop objectives, projects, and KPIs that are relevant to the research project. Examples of focus areas could include developing new technologies, understanding customer behavior, or studying the effects of a particular policy.

2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area

Objectives are the goals that a research team hopes to achieve by completing the research project. Objectives should be specific and measurable, and should be attainable within the timeline and budget of the research project. Examples of objectives could include developing a new technology, understanding customer behaviors, or studying the effects of a particular policy.

3. Set measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurable targets that are used to evaluate the progress of a research project. KPIs should be specific and measurable, and should be established in order to track progress towards the objectives of the research project. Examples of KPIs could include product development timelines, customer satisfaction surveys, or policy implementation reviews.

4. Implement related projects to achieve the KPIs

Projects are the activities that need to be completed in order to achieve the objectives of the research project. Projects should be specific and achievable, and should be completed within the timeline and budget of the research project. Examples of projects could include running customer surveys, conducting interviews, or collecting data.

5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy

The Cascade Strategy Execution Platform is a comprehensive software that helps research teams plan, manage, and track their research projects. The platform provides tools for project management, tracking KPIs, and monitoring progress. It also helps teams visualize their data and collaborate on initiatives. With Cascade, teams can save time and resources, and get faster results from their strategies.

Reporting your project’s outcomes

If you have a research grant, fellowship or studentship supported by a research council, you will usually need to report your research outcomes through a service called Researchfish.

There is a different way to report on your project if it is funded by Innovate UK. Contact your monitoring officer if you have any questions.

Research outcomes are made publicly available for the purposes of transparency and knowledge sharing on UKRI’s Gateway to Research .

Why we ask you to report

Reporting your research outcomes helps us understand what has changed as a result of the support you’ve received.

The data you provide is important to us and is used in many different ways across UKRI to understand the outputs, outcomes and impacts we are helping to deliver.

The data is used to:

• justify additional spending to government and attract more funding for the research community. For example, the data is used to identify impact stories which are regularly published on our website to promote the achievements of the people and projects we invest in
• evaluate the impact of our investments, helping us learn what works and inform the development of future strategies. The findings of our evaluations are made available to the wider community on our evaluation reports page
• hold us to account and ensure we are transparent about what our funding has delivered. Each year the data is used extensively within our annual report and accounts to demonstrate our progress and achievements for the year
• enable analysis of the outcomes and impacts of research across the wider community. To do this, the data is made available on Gateway to Research and in our interactive research output dashboards

Last updated: 10 November 2023

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

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Home » How To Write A Research Proposal – Step-by-Step [Template]

How To Write A Research Proposal – Step-by-Step [Template]

Table of Contents

How To Write a Research Proposal

Writing a Research proposal involves several steps to ensure a well-structured and comprehensive document. Here is an explanation of each step:

1. Title and Abstract

• Choose a concise and descriptive title that reflects the essence of your research.
• Write an abstract summarizing your research question, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes. It should provide a brief overview of your proposal.

2. Introduction:

• Provide an introduction to your research topic, highlighting its significance and relevance.
• Clearly state the research problem or question you aim to address.
• Discuss the background and context of the study, including previous research in the field.

3. Research Objectives

• Outline the specific objectives or aims of your research. These objectives should be clear, achievable, and aligned with the research problem.

4. Literature Review:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant literature and studies related to your research topic.
• Summarize key findings, identify gaps, and highlight how your research will contribute to the existing knowledge.

5. Methodology:

• Describe the research design and methodology you plan to employ to address your research objectives.
• Explain the data collection methods, instruments, and analysis techniques you will use.
• Justify why the chosen methods are appropriate and suitable for your research.

6. Timeline:

• Create a timeline or schedule that outlines the major milestones and activities of your research project.
• Break down the research process into smaller tasks and estimate the time required for each task.

7. Resources:

• Identify the resources needed for your research, such as access to specific databases, equipment, or funding.
• Explain how you will acquire or utilize these resources to carry out your research effectively.

8. Ethical Considerations:

• Discuss any ethical issues that may arise during your research and explain how you plan to address them.
• If your research involves human subjects, explain how you will ensure their informed consent and privacy.

9. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

• Clearly state the expected outcomes or results of your research.
• Highlight the potential impact and significance of your research in advancing knowledge or addressing practical issues.

10. References:

• Provide a list of all the references cited in your proposal, following a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA).

11. Appendices:

• Include any additional supporting materials, such as survey questionnaires, interview guides, or data analysis plans.

Research Proposal Format

The format of a research proposal may vary depending on the specific requirements of the institution or funding agency. However, the following is a commonly used format for a research proposal:

1. Title Page:

• Include the title of your research proposal, your name, your affiliation or institution, and the date.

2. Abstract:

• Provide a brief summary of your research proposal, highlighting the research problem, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.

3. Introduction:

• Introduce the research topic and provide background information.
• State the research problem or question you aim to address.
• Explain the significance and relevance of the research.
• Review relevant literature and studies related to your research topic.
• Summarize key findings and identify gaps in the existing knowledge.
• Explain how your research will contribute to filling those gaps.

5. Research Objectives:

• Clearly state the specific objectives or aims of your research.
• Ensure that the objectives are clear, focused, and aligned with the research problem.

6. Methodology:

• Describe the research design and methodology you plan to use.
• Explain the data collection methods, instruments, and analysis techniques.
• Justify why the chosen methods are appropriate for your research.

7. Timeline:

8. Resources:

• Explain how you will acquire or utilize these resources effectively.

9. Ethical Considerations:

• If applicable, explain how you will ensure informed consent and protect the privacy of research participants.

10. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

11. References:

12. Appendices:

Research Proposal Template

Here’s a template for a research proposal:

1. Introduction:

2. Literature Review:

3. Research Objectives:

4. Methodology:

5. Timeline:

6. Resources:

7. Ethical Considerations:

8. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

9. References:

10. Appendices:

Research Proposal Sample

Title: The Impact of Online Education on Student Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study

1. Introduction

Online education has gained significant prominence in recent years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research proposal aims to investigate the impact of online education on student learning outcomes by comparing them with traditional face-to-face instruction. The study will explore various aspects of online education, such as instructional methods, student engagement, and academic performance, to provide insights into the effectiveness of online learning.

2. Objectives

The main objectives of this research are as follows:

• To compare student learning outcomes between online and traditional face-to-face education.
• To examine the factors influencing student engagement in online learning environments.
• To assess the effectiveness of different instructional methods employed in online education.
• To identify challenges and opportunities associated with online education and suggest recommendations for improvement.

3. Methodology

3.1 Study Design

This research will utilize a mixed-methods approach to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The study will include the following components:

3.2 Participants

The research will involve undergraduate students from two universities, one offering online education and the other providing face-to-face instruction. A total of 500 students (250 from each university) will be selected randomly to participate in the study.

3.3 Data Collection

The research will employ the following data collection methods:

• Quantitative: Pre- and post-assessments will be conducted to measure students’ learning outcomes. Data on student demographics and academic performance will also be collected from university records.
• Qualitative: Focus group discussions and individual interviews will be conducted with students to gather their perceptions and experiences regarding online education.

3.4 Data Analysis

Quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical software, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analysis. Qualitative data will be transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns and themes.

4. Ethical Considerations

The study will adhere to ethical guidelines, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of participants. Informed consent will be obtained, and participants will have the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

5. Significance and Expected Outcomes

This research will contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the impact of online education on student learning outcomes. The findings will help educational institutions and policymakers make informed decisions about incorporating online learning methods and improving the quality of online education. Moreover, the study will identify potential challenges and opportunities related to online education and offer recommendations for enhancing student engagement and overall learning outcomes.

6. Timeline

The proposed research will be conducted over a period of 12 months, including data collection, analysis, and report writing.

The estimated budget for this research includes expenses related to data collection, software licenses, participant compensation, and research assistance. A detailed budget breakdown will be provided in the final research plan.

8. Conclusion

This research proposal aims to investigate the impact of online education on student learning outcomes through a comparative study with traditional face-to-face instruction. By exploring various dimensions of online education, this research will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and challenges associated with online learning. The findings will contribute to the ongoing discourse on educational practices and help shape future strategies for maximizing student learning outcomes in online education settings.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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How to ace the Research Project in SACE

As daunting as it may sound, let’s dive into what the SACE research project is and how you can make it as useful to you as possible (and maybe even fun!)

2 years ago   •   4 min read

Ahhh the research project - the subject of developing a specific, (but not too specific!) open-ended research question on the topic of your choice. Your entire semester will revolve around this developed question, and you’ll keep on coming back to it to write reflections on your progress as you go. As daunting as this may sound, let’s first dive into what the research project is and how you can make it as useful to you as possible (and maybe even fun!)

So what is the research project?

Unlike your other SACE stage 2 subjects being 20 credits, the research project is a 10-credit SACE subject you will either complete in year 11 or 12 depending on which high school you attend. The subject consists of three parts: the folio, outcome, and review for research project A or the evaluation if you are undertaking research project B. Despite research projects A and B having different performance standards, both encourage you to explore a topic of choice in depth, gathering various sources and writing reflections on your learning. In the first few weeks of the subject, your teacher will guide you when developing your question. The folio is 10 pages in length and typically consists of your reflections and the main sources you have collected through your research (both primary and secondary sources!). You will then write an outcome that is essentially answering your original research question. Lastly, comes the evaluation or review where you will write an overall reflection and evaluate the findings in the outcome.

So why is the research project necessary?

While the big workload can be overwhelming at first, the research project is good at teaching you analytical and research skills. Doing source analysis enables you to critically evaluate your chosen sources. You will scrutinize the reliability, credibility, and validity of each of your sources. While the relevance of doing all these analyses may be hard to see at this time, the skills you develop are extremely useful during university and in the workplace. You want to be confident that the information you use can be relied upon and is not something just made up by someone. Treat the research project as a practice for your post-high school life. You want to make sure that you have these skills in your toolbox for when you really need them!

How do I develop the best question for my topic of interest?

The most important part of the research is picking the right topic. You want to pick something you have a strong interest in. This way, it will be much easier for you to feel more motivated to sit down and do your research. However, at the same time, you want to pick a topic that will have lots of research behind it, you don't want to be stuck for sources! To avoid this, write down a list of topics you have an interest in and do some research on each - see what is available online or at a local library. This way, you will be more prepared when your teacher comes over to your desk to ask you what you have done so far! Once you have picked your topic, create another list of possible questions you could investigate. These questions should be open-ended, not just with a simple yes or no answer. Keep in mind you will be writing a 1500 to 2000-word answer to this question, so make it a question you can go into complete depth with. Typical questions should be specific and may begin with ‘to what extent’, ‘evaluate’, ‘what’ or ‘how’. For example, if you picked social media as your topic, your question could be ‘to what extent does social media use impact the attention spans of teenagers aged 13-17?’ rather than ‘does social media impact attention spans?’. You may then have to break down your main question into four more guiding questions to help you structure your folio and outcome. For example, ‘how much time do teenagers aged 13-17 spend on social media every day?’. It is important that you keep documentation of this process as you will be displaying it in your folio.

If you're interested in learning how to write the best SHE task - check out this comprehensive guide.

But how do I complete my folio?

The folio is the first assessment of both research projects A and B. There is no right or wrong way to complete it but you do have to follow specific SACE criteria if you want the highest marks. The majority of students start their project with how they came to their question and a reflection on this process. You can then include the main sources you have used with source analysis. Organising interviews with professionals in your topic’s field and sending out surveys really impresses SACE markers as it shows your engagement with the subject. It demonstrates your research skills and independence to create your own data to support your outcome. Your folio should also include a capability statement to show how you have developed in your chosen SACE capability.

What should I write in my outcome? How do I do my evaluation or review?

Your outcome is the synthesis of all your ideas and findings. You can structure it however you want. This may be in the form of a magazine, report, project, video or in any other form which demonstrates all that research you have done. You must clearly conclude your findings and cite your sources. For research project A, the review begins with a 150-word summary of the process and then a 1500-word review follows which focuses on a reflection of your knowledge and skills as well as the quality of your outcome. For research project B, you should also begin with a 150-word summary of the process and then follow with a 1500-word evaluation, critically evaluating your decisions and processes as well as determining the quality of your outcome. Above all, keep in mind that your teacher is there to help you through this process. It is exciting as you begin to come up with an answer to your question. If you need any help during this time, you can find your best local tutor at: https://kisacademics.com/find-a-tutor . SACE tutors understand how stressful it can be and are more than happy to help!

Written by KIS Academics Tutor for SACE English, Biology and Psychology, Charlotte Kenning. Charlotte is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Speech Pathology at Flinders University and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Charlotte's profile here and request her as a tutor.

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Research Project Proposal Templates That Ace Your Funding Quest!

Naveen Kumar

Research projects have long been the bedrock of innovation and progress, propelling industries forward and enriching human lives. For instance, in the not-so-distant past, electric vehicles were a mere concept, far from practicality and mainstream adoption. It was a research project that catapulted this futuristic vision of the 18th century into the present reality. Pioneering researchers studied and refined battery technologies, leading to the development of high-performance lithium-ion batteries. This breakthrough innovation was the cornerstone of the electric vehicle revolution. 

In the boundless realm of research, the transformative power of human ingenuity shines through as countless fields embark on awe-inspiring projects that edge us closer to a brighter and more promising future. From groundbreaking studies like the efficacy of "caffeine-naps" for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) to Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.'s innovative research driving electric vehicle mobility, transformative endeavors are revolutionizing industries and enriching lives with each step taken towards progress.

Proposals in Research Projects

At the heart of every successful research project lies a well-conceived proposal. A research proposal is a comprehensive roadmap articulating the vision, objectives, methodology, and anticipated outcomes. More than that, it is the cornerstone of securing essential funding, resources, and support from institutions, organizations, or stakeholders. With the growing competition for research grants and limited resources, a compelling research proposal is an indispensable tool for researchers to garner the support needed to turn their visions into reality.

Key Components of a Research Project Proposal

Crafting an effective research project proposal is a skill that requires precision, clarity, and strategic thinking. A comprehensive proposal should encompass these key components:

• Project Overview: This section provides a concise summary of the research objectives, the problem being addressed, and the intended impact on the industry or society.
• Literature Review: A thorough analysis of existing literature and research helps position the proposed study within the broader context and demonstrates the novelty of the project.
• Methodology: This outlines the research design, data collection methods, analysis techniques, and ethical considerations to showcase the rigor involved in the project.  
• Timeline and Milestones: A realistic and well-structured timeline highlights the project's feasibility and showcases the researchers' ability to manage resources efficiently.
• Budget and Justification: The budget proposal delineates financial requirements, allocating resources to specific aspects of the study and demonstrating a clear understanding of resource utilization.

Visionary Research Project Proposal Templates

Crafting a compelling research project proposal has always been a formidable challenge for researchers, often consuming valuable time and resources. Fret not! Our research project proposal templates are here to revolutionize the way you approach proposal writing.

Gone are the days of grappling with the complexities of formatting and structuring your presentations. With 100% customizable templates, you now have the desired flexibility to edit and mold your proposal in an effortless way according to your unique vision and research objectives. The content-ready slides offer the much-needed structure, ensuring that your proposal flows smoothly and captivates the attention of reviewers from the outset.

Let's understand the step-by-step process of writing a proposal while exploring these research project proposal templates.

Download this complete research project proposal

1. Abstract Templates for Research Project Proposal

Engage your audience from the start, showcasing the essence of your thesis and enticing them to delve deeper into your research. These professionally-designed templates offer a concise summary of your thesis, encompassing the project's inception, the opportunity it addresses, the expected outcomes, the research methods employed, and key findings. Our versatile templates provide a brief yet comprehensive snapshot of your research paper , including a clear description of its content, scope, anticipated results, and conclusion. Communicate the significance of your research, leaving a lasting impression on your audience and compelling them to explore the full depth of your study. Download these now!

Download these templates

2. Problem Statement Overview Presentation Template

With this problem statement presentation design, you can communicate the essence of your research and set the stage for an impactful proposal. This presentation template features a customizable image at the top to contextualize the issue. Below the image, a concise and compelling description of the problem in the research area lays the foundation for your project. It has four columns that present critical aspects of the problem statement in a succinct manner. The first column articulates the problems in the research area. In the second column, you will find space to write the limitations or issues your project aims to tackle, showcasing your project's intended scope and objectives. The third column offers a glimpse into the current practices employed to deal with these constraints, and the fourth column highlights the cutting-edge advancements your project brings to address these constraints, emphasizing the innovative approach you're taking to tackle the problem. Get it now!

Download this template

3. Research Questions And Hypothesis Presentation Templates

With these hypothesis presentation designs, you have the ideal platform to engage reviewers in an effective way, ensuring they grasp the significance of your research. The PPT Layouts allow you to anticipate and address key questions that are likely to arise in the minds of reviewers. With strategic-designed spaces to outline these questions beforehand, your answers will demonstrate your project's thoroughness in a proactive manner. Researchers can present their core hypothesis and the expected impact these PowerPoint Sets will create. They empower you to articulate your hypothesis with precision, showcasing the foundation upon which your study is built. You can emphasize the potential outcomes and contributions your research aims to make, leaving reviewers intrigued and eager to learn more. Grab it today!

4. Research Objectives And Key Assertions PPT Slide

This PowerPoint Slide empowers you to present the essence of your research project with clarity and impact. At the top, you have the freedom to customize the space with an image, logo, or visual graphics like tables or screenshots, providing a visual context to mesmerize your audience. Beneath the captivating visual, this template showcases two essential elements: the "List of Questions" your research project will answer and the "List of Goals" that will be achieved through your study. Articulate your research objectives with precision, highlighting specific questions your project addresses and showcasing the depth and breadth of your inquiry. Download it now!

5. Literature Review Templates for Research Project Proposal

Curate a compelling narrative that showcases your research's alignment with existing knowledge while emphasizing the novel approach your project brings to the field with these literature review designs. The first template empowers you to present a comprehensive overview of relevant literature. It allows you to capture the essence of previous studies with precision, highlighting key findings and insights. You can analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the current research to lay the foundation for the originality and importance of your proposed study. With the second literature review template, the researchers can delve deeper into the theoretical and methodological aspects of previous literature. Emphasize the invaluable contributions these studies have made to your research area, demonstrating your in-depth understanding of the academic landscape using our PPT Layouts.

6. Project Sample Size Template for Research Proposal

With our project sample size slide, you can present a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of your sampling process, showcasing your research's rigor and adherence to best practices. Use this template to present key insights, methodologies, and notable points about your sampling approach. At the top of the template, an image visually depicts what the sample refers to, providing clarity and context. Beneath the image, use the adjacent space to communicate vital information about the sampling process. Share the characteristics of your target audience, outlining the specific demographics or traits that define your sample. It allows you to highlight exceptions or unique features within your sample, ensuring transparency and credibility in your research methodology. This template empowers you to communicate the rationale behind your sample size, the data collection methods employed, and factors that might influence the research outcome. Get it now!

7. Data Collection Method for Research Presentation Template

This comprehensive PowerPoint Set provides an information-rich flowchart diagram that bifurcates into primary and secondary sources of data collection. The flowchart diagram guides researchers through the primary and secondary data collection processes, ensuring clarity and coherence. Beneath each title, ample space is provided to write key points related to each type of data collection. In the editable space, researchers can articulate the intricacies of the data collection process, including the steps involved, the list of sources used, and the differences between primary and secondary data collection methods. It allows you to highlight the reliability, validity, and appropriateness of your chosen data collection approach, showcasing the stringency and soundness of your research design. Grab it today!

8. Research Data Analysis Strategies Presentation Template 

Designed with flexibility in mind, this template allows you to present qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques in a seamless manner. With this presentation set, you can highlight qualitative data analysis methods such as content and narrative analysis, showcasing your proficiency in uncovering meaningful insights from textual or narrative data. It provides a platform to present quantitative data analysis techniques like regression analysis, situation analysis, and hypothesis testing. Demonstrate your expertise in handling numerical data by communicating the statistical and analytical tools you plan to utilize in your research. With 100% customizable text, images, themes, and designs, this template enables you to craft a presentation that aligns with your research project's needs and objectives. Download it now!

9. Research Project Timeline Presentation Template

This intuitive PowerPoint Layout offers a  clear overview of project tasks and durations. The vertical columns represent the months of the year, starting from the left corner and extending to the next consecutive year on the right corner, ensuring a seamless and understandable display of time progression. The horizontal rows represent essential tasks or phases of your project. The bars within the table visually depict the duration taken to complete each task, providing a quick and concise overview of your project's timeline. Above the table, you can highlight milestones with specific dates, ensuring that reviewers and stakeholders can easily grasp the key achievements and critical moments in your project. Get it now!

10. References/Bibliography Template for Research Project Proposal

Ensure the credibility and thoroughness of your research project proposal with this essential template that provides a comprehensive space to showcase your references and sources, adhering to referring conventions. It retains the crucial aspects of your research project bibliography with a list of referring conventions you have used. Use this template to list secondary works and primary sources, providing transparency in the sources you have consulted and verifying the reliability and accuracy of the information presented in the proposal to the reviewers. In the end, the template offers a designated area for signatories, enabling you to include the names and affiliations of experts or advisors who have contributed to the research or endorsed the proposal, adding further credibility. Grab it today!

Bonus: One-page Research Project Proposal PPT Template

SlideTeam's proposal presentation, crafted by industry experts, ensures the perfect blend of content, design, and sequence. Present your project proposal with confidence using this one-page research template that showcases the study summary, background & significance, and chosen methodology. From the timeline, milestones, and literature review to cost estimate, this PPT Design covers essential details of your research project. Download it now!

Propel Your Vision Forward

A streamlined, efficient process to create investor-winning professional proposals with ease allows researchers to devote more time and focus on the essence of their research. It saves hours of effort, budget, and around ten cups of coffee for them. Our templates are the ultimate solution to resolve the common challenges that researchers face, providing the key to unlocking success and realizing your transformative research endeavors. Over that, to ensure that your proposal stands out and secures vital funds for your research, here are three essential tips:

• Clear Objectives and Innovation : Begin by articulating your research objectives with clarity and precision. Showcase the novelty and innovative aspects of your project, demonstrating its potential to bring about transformative change or address pressing issues.
• Solid Methodology and Feasibility : A robust research methodology is the backbone of a compelling proposal. Outline your data collection methods, analysis techniques, and potential challenges, demonstrating a deep understanding of the research process. Showcase the feasibility of your project by presenting a well-structured timeline, showing that you have considered the resources needed to execute your research in an effective way.
• Impact and Benefits : Highlight the potential implications and real-world benefits of your research project. Explain how it aligns with broader societal or industry needs, and emphasize the positive outcomes. A proposal that demonstrates the tangible benefits of the research is more likely to win the support of funding agencies or stakeholders.

By incorporating these three tips into your proposal with our research project proposal templates, you can present a compelling case that captivates reviewers and secures the funds needed to turn your visionary ideas into transformative realities.

Download these research project proposal templates and embark on a journey of groundbreaking discoveries that will shape the future of research and leave an indelible mark on the world.

FAQs on Research Project Proposal 

What is a project proposal in research.

A project proposal in research is a comprehensive document that outlines the research plan and methodology for a proposed study or project. It serves as a persuasive and structured pitch to convince funding agencies, academic institutions, or stakeholders about the significance, feasibility, and potential impact of the research. The primary goal of a research project proposal is to secure the necessary resources and support to conduct the study and bring more insights to the field.

How do you write a research proposal for a project?

Writing a research proposal for a project involves these essential steps:

• Identify the Research Problem: Define the research problem or question you aim to address, ensuring it is specific, relevant, and aligned with existing knowledge.
• Conduct a Literature Review: Review existing literature and studies related to your research topic to position your proposal within the broader academic context and demonstrate its novelty.
• State Research Objectives: Articulate clear and measurable research objectives, outlining what you intend to achieve through your project.
• Develop a Research Methodology: Describe the research design, data collection methods, analysis techniques, and ethical considerations you will follow in conducting your study.
• Discuss Anticipated Outcomes: Present expected outcomes and potential contributions your research will make to the field, emphasizing its significance.
• Create a Realistic Timeline: Outline a well-structured timeline with milestones that indicate the stages of your research project and its estimated duration.
• Craft a Budget: Provide a detailed budget that outlines the financial requirements of your research.
• Edit and Proofread: Review your proposal for clarity, coherence, and consistency, ensuring it adheres to specific guidelines or requirements set by the funding agency or institution.

What are the elements of the research proposal?

• Title: A clear and concise title that reflects the research topic and captures the essence of the study.
• Abstract: A proposal summary providing an overview of the research problem, objectives, methods, and anticipated outcomes.
• Introduction: An introduction to the research problem, its significance, and the context in which it will be conducted.
• Literature Review: A comprehensive review of existing literature and studies related to the research topic, showcasing the research gap and the relevance of the proposed study.
• Research Objectives: Measurable research objectives that are stated in a clear manner and outline what the study aims to achieve.
• Methodology: A detailed description of the research design, data collection methods, data analysis techniques, and ethical considerations.
• Expected Outcomes: A discussion of the potential outcomes and contributions of the research.
• Timeline: A realistic timeline that outlines the stages of the research project.
• Budget: A well-structured budget that outlines the financial requirements for the research, including personnel, equipment, materials, and other expenses.
• References: A list of all the sources cited throughout the proposal, following the appropriate citation style.
• Appendices: Additional materials, such as charts, graphs, or supplementary information, support the proposal and provide further context.

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About Project Reports

NSF requires that NSF-funded researchers regularly report on the progress of supported projects and the way funds are used.

• Only Principal Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs can create, edit and submit project reports
• Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) staff and administrative users with read-only access can view project reports

Sign In to create, edit and submit reports Find project outcomes reports  

The 4 types of project reports are:

• Annual report
• Interim report
• Final report
• Project outcomes report

Annual, Interim and Final Reports   Annual project reports are required for all standard and continuing grants and cooperative agreements. Final reports are required for all standard and continuing grants, cooperative agreements and fellowships. Interim project reports are not required and are used to update the progress of a project any time during or before the award period expires

All submitted annual and final reports must be approved by an NSF Program Officer to meet the submission requirements.

Key features of Project Reporting System in Research.gov:

• A consolidated project reporting dashboard that includes annual, final, interim, and project outcomes report
• Ability to deposit published journal articles and juried conference papers in NSF Public Access Repository to be compliant with the Public Access requirement. PIs and co-PIs can also submit publications in the NSF’s Public Access repository through their project reports and comply with the Public Access requirement.Refer to Public Access page for additional information
• Upload multiple Products via BibTex upload feature

Project Outcome Reports  (for general public) The Project Outcomes Report is a report written for new and existing awards, specifically for the public, that provides insight into the outcomes of NSF-funded research. Project Outcome Reports can be viewed through Research.gov’s  Research Spending & Results  search service.

Note: Project Outcome Reports are not reviewed or approved by NSF

More Information

•   About Public Access
•   Example Project Reports (Demo site)

Project Report Screenshots and Instructions

Project reports template

Project Reporting Getting Started Guide

Project Reporting FAQ's

Project Reports and Reminder Email Schedule Tip Sheet

For additional information on Project Reports, please visit the  Help section .

Project Outcomes Report

Accessing Project Outcomes Report

Access the Project Outcomes Report by logging into Research.gov. There are multiple ways to navigate to the Project Outcomes Report tool on Research.gov. You can also access Research.gov through links provided in email notifications that you will receive for due and overdue reports.

Accessing Project Outcomes Report Directly on Research.gov

To access the Project Outcomes Report tool, log into Research.gov:  

• Go to www.research.gov .

Click on Log In, located in the upper right-hand corner of the Research.gov homepage.

On the NSF Login page, enter your Last Name, NSF ID, and Password and then click the “Log In” button.  

Note:  To use this tool and certain other tools on Research.gov, both the user and his/her institution must be registered in NSF’s FastLane. If your organization is not registered in FastLane, the Institution Administrator should register him or herself as the FastLane Contact at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a0/about/registration.htm . The institution registration information will be available on Research.gov the next day. Please refer to the “Get Started Now” page on Research.gov for more information on how to register.

Figure 2 – NSF User Log in page

Following login, you will see your Project Report Dashboard on the Research.gov Homepage. The Dashboard provides a snapshot of your total number of PORs, as well as the number of PORs you have Due, Overdue, Submitted, and Not Yet Due. The Dashboard is also where you will find your final, annual, and interim project reports. For directions on how to submit final, annual, and interim project reports, see that section of the help system.

Figure 3 – Project Reporting Dashboard

Viewing the Status of Your Project Outcomes Reports on Research.gov

Once logged into Research.gov as a PI/Co-PI, you will be directed to the Project Reports Dashboard page where your Project Outcomes Report Dashboard displays the number and status of required reports. Statuses include:  

Not yet due

Click on the “Project Outcomes Report” link provided on the Project Outcomes Report Dashboard to view, prepare, and submit reports.

Figure 4 – Project Reporting Dashboard 

Preparing and Submitting Your Report

Preparing Your Report

To prepare your report: 

• Click on the Project Outcomes Report link provided on the Project Reporting Dashboard of your Research.gov Homepage to view, prepare, and submit reports.
• Select the report you would like to complete.

Figure 5 – Project Reports

• Complete your report in the text editing box. Your report must be between 200 and 800 words.

Figure 6 – Project Outcomes Report

Adding Images to Your Report

To add images to your report:  

Click the “Add an Image” button on the Project Outcomes Report editing page to add images to your report.

Figure 7 – Add an Image

Click Browse to find and select the image you would like to upload. Your image should be:  

·         Oriented as landscape (width is greater than height)

·         Less than 8MB

·         In one of the following file formats: JPG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIFF

Figure 8 – Add Image page

Complete the required information include an image title, caption (up to 300 characters), and credit.  

Note:  You must have permission to use the images you upload.

Check the Primary Image box if you would like this image to be the main image posted with your report.

Note:  If there are no current images associated with your report, this box will not appear and the image will automatically be made the primary image. 

Figure 9 – Primary Image checkbox

Select the copyright designation of your image and check the copyright release box.

Explanation of Copyright Release:

By checking the “Copyright Release” box, I verify that I own the copyright to the uploaded images or I have a license to use the images and allow others to use them. I agree to indemnify the federal government against any loss or damages arising out of a copyright infringement action regarding the use of the uploaded images. I certify that I grant the National Science Foundation (NSF) permission to use and distribute my multimedia material submitted herewith on a royalty-free basis for news, educational and public-information purposes at NSF’s discretion. Such uses include, but are not limited to, posting the material on the NSF Multimedia Gallery website (thereby making it generally available to such outlets as news organizations, universities, teachers and the general public) and distributing the material to other websites for educational and/or informational purposes. The copyright owner keeps the copyright on the material.

Definition of Terms

The following website is helpful in understanding copyright terms in addition to the definitions below:

·          http://stockphotolicense.com/faq

Copyrighted: Under the copyright law, the author/creator of the multimedia is the copyright owner unless there is a written agreement by which the author/creator assigns the copyright to another person or entity, such as a publisher. In cases of works made for hire, the employer or commissioning party is considered to be the author. For more information about copyright see the U.S. Copyright Office website:

·          http://www.copyright.gov

Public Domain: Multimedia in the public domain are those whose intellectual property rights have expired, been forfeited, or are inapplicable. Multimedia of the United States Government and various other governments are excluded from copyright law and may therefore be considered to be in the public domain in their respective countries. Multimedia in the public domain may be used freely without permission. For more information about Public Domain see the following websites:

·          http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/definition-of-public-domain.html

·          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain

Creative Commons: Creative Commons licenses enable copyright owners to state specifically how others may use their multimedia. Some Creative Commons licenses, for example, permit others to copy, make derivative works or adaptations, or to distribute the multimedia, under specific conditions, such as requiring attribution (credit). See the terms of the license for credit requirements and restrictions. For more information about Creative Commons and types of licenses see the following website:

·          http://creativecommons.org/

Royalty-free (restricted use – cannot be shared): This category refers to royalty-free multimedia that someone pays to use. The buyer may reuse the multimedia without additional payment, but may not share it with others.

Royalty-free (unrestricted use): This category refers to multimedia from free royalty-free sites that anyone may use, as long as the terms of use on the site are followed.

For more information about royalty-free multimedia see the following website:

Copyright owner is an institution with an existing agreement allowing use by NSF: Some institutions have given NSF “blanket permission” to use specific kinds of multimedia. Please check with your Public Information Officer (PIO) to see whether your multimedia is covered by such an agreement.

Figure 10 – POR Copyright Release

Click Save to add the image to your report.

To preview your image, select Preview under the image you would like to view.

Figure 11 – POR Image options

To edit your image’s caption or credit, select Edit under the image you would like to revise, edit the necessary information, and select Save.

Figure 12 – POR Edit Image

To delete your image, select Delete under the image. You will be asked to confirm that you wish to delete the image.

Figure 13 – POR Delete Image

Saving and Returning to Your Report, Later

To save your report:  

Click Save at the bottom of the report editing page.

Figure 14 – Save Project Outcomes Report

To return to your report:  

If you have logged out of Research.gov, log into Research.gov then log into the Project Reporting system (for instructions, refer to instructions for accessing your report).

Select Create/Edit Report for the report you would like to continue editing. You will be directed to your saved report.

F igure 15 – Project Reports

Previewing Your Report

To preview your report:  

Click Preview Report at the bottom of the report editing page.

Figure 16 – Preview report

You will see a preview of your report and images. Click Close Preview to close the preview window.

Submitting Your Report

To submit your report:  

Click Save and Submit at the bottom of the report editing page.

Figure 17 – Save and Submit report

You will see a confirmation screen notifying you that your report has been successfully submitted. Additionally, you will receive an email confirming your report submission.

Note:  Once your report has been submitted, you have 30 days to edit your report. To view your report after submission, follow the instructions outlined for returning to your report. Following submission, your report will be available on your award’s detail page in the Research Spending & Results service on Research.gov

Figure 18 – POR Submission Confirmation

Editing Your Submitted Report

To edit your submitted report during the 30 day editing period, refer to the instructions above for accessing your report, editing a saved report, and submitting your report.

Adding an Addendum to Your Report

Creating a Report Addendum

To create an addendum:  

Return to Research.gov and follow the steps for accessing the Project Outcomes Report to view a list of your reports.

Click the link to Edit/View Report for the report you would like add addendum to.

You will be directed to your report’s page.

Click the “Add Addendum” button.  

Figure 19 – POR Disclaimer and Add Addendum

You can enter the addendum text in the text editor. Your addendum can be up to 800 words.

Figure 20 – POR Addendum Text Editor

Adding Images to Your Addendum

You can add up to six images with each addendum you create. To add images to your addendum, refer to the instructions on how to add images to your report.

Saving and Returning to Your Addendum Later

You can save your addendum and return later to complete and submit it. To save and return to your addendum, refer to the instructions on how to save and return to your report.

Previewing Your Report Addendum

To preview your addendum:  

Click Preview at the bottom of the addendum editing page.

You will see a preview of your report with addenda and images. Click Close Preview to close the preview window.

Submitting Your Report Addendum

When you are satisfied with the content of your addendum, you can submit it by clicking the "Save and Submit” button.

Note: Once submitted, addenda cannot be edited. Following submission addenda will be available along with your report through the Research Spending & Results service on Research.gov the next day.

Figure 22 – Save & Submit Addendum

Viewing Your Submitted Report

Viewing Submitted Reports through Research Spending & Results on Research.gov

Once your Project Outcomes Report is submitted, it is made available to the public through Research.gov’s Research Spending & Results service. The public will access your report by completing a search in Research Spending & Results. To view Project Outcomes Reports:  

• Click on the “Search Awards” link under NSF Award Highlights or click on the Research Spending & Results link from the footer.
• On the Research Spending & Results search page, enter awardee or award information text, obligated funds amount, project director or PI/Co-PI name, award date range, and indicate whether you are looking for Recovery Act Awards, then click the “Search” button.

Figure 23 – Research Spending & Results

On the search results page, click the Award ID number for the award in which you are interested in viewing.

Figure 24 – Search results in Research Spending & Results

• This will direct you to the Research Spending & Results Award Detail page. Scroll down to the final section of the page to view the submitted Project Outcomes Report, including associated images and addenda.

Note: Visitors to Research.gov are not required to log in to view Project Outcomes Reports through the Research Spending & Results service.

Figure 25 – POR content in RS&R Search results

Research Project Lead for Studies of Postsecondary and Labor Market Outcomes

How to apply.

To apply for this position, please upload [1] a cover letter, [2] your CV, [3] one or more writing samples demonstrating your research skills (e.g., job market paper, dissertation chapter, recent publication that you sole authored or for which you are first author), [4] evidence of significant experience preparing data for analysis using Stata (e.g.,two or more substantial samples of individually written, carefully commented code that demonstrate your skills with cleaning, coding, organizing, merging, and otherwise preparing data for analysis), and [5] contact information for at least three individuals who are willing and able to serve as references for you. The cover letter should address in detail your fit for the position and the ways in which you meet the required and desirable qualifications for the position, listed below, as well as your professional commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity. If the writing sample is a co-authored paper, include in your cover letter a detailed explanation of your particular role in the work. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications received by April 28, 2024, will receive full consideration.

The Research Project Lead takes substantial responsibility for the day-to-day organization and execution of one or more assigned research projects addressing postsecondary students' educational and labor market outcomes, and policies and practices that influence student success and labor market outcomes. The Research Project Lead also collaborates in and provides support to other original research projects and funding proposals led by other team members. The position is part of a research team under the direction of Peter Riley Bahr, Associate Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, who will determine the scope of work. This is a one-year position with the likelihood of renewal depending on funding. The position may be filled as full-time or part-time, and requests for a flexible schedule will be considered.

Responsibilities*

We are seeking skilled individuals who can take initiative and bring creativity in using administrative data to answer research questions and produce actionable findings for colleges, systems, and states.

A person taking on the role of Research Project Lead is responsible for the following:

• Interpret the objectives and research questions of assigned projects
• Make methodologically sound, defensible decisions about data cleaning, defining key terms conceptually and operationalizing them as variables, specifying an appropriate sample and unit of analysis, adjudicating between and selecting analytic approaches based on relevant literature, and sharing results in an accessible format
• Clean, code, organize, merge, and otherwise prepare and manage complex longitudinal data sets for analysis using Stata
• Perform data quality assurance checks and identify potential problems with data and the sources of the problems
• Write carefully commented and well-organized Stata syntax
• Design and refine methodologies to meet project objectives and answer project research questions
• Conduct advanced statistical analyses
• Prepare data tables, figures, and other visualizations to present research findings for internal team review and external dissemination
• Thoroughly document methodological and operational decisions of data preparation and analysis
• Prepare data codebooks
• Conduct literature reviews
• Write manuscripts, reports, briefs, and funding proposals
• Prepare and deliver presentations
• Collaborate in research activities with other team members
• Participate in and contribute to team meetings
• Guide the work of graduate student research team members, assign tasks, set timelines, ascertain the quality and completeness of work products, and ensure that deadlines are met
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications*

• M.A. (Ph.D. preferred) in Higher Education, Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, or a related field
• Extensive experience with advanced quantitative research methods
• Extensive experience preparing complex longitudinal datasets for analysis, including cleaning, coding, organizing, merging, and managing data using Stata
• Extensive experience analyzing data and displaying results in tabular and graphical form using Stata
• Experience writing manuscripts for peer-reviewed scholarly journals
• Experience translating research findings for presentation to scholarly audiences, such as at research conferences
• Extensive, in-depth knowledge of one or more areas of higher education research
• Familiarity with contemporary research and policy discourse on community colleges and other open-access postsecondary institutions
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and meet deadlines
• Demonstrated ability to work well with others, including both receiving direction and providing direction
• Demonstrated ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail
• Experience with project planning and leadership
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desired Qualifications*

• Ph.D. in Higher Education, Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, or a related field
• Experience working with administrative course-level, student-level, and institution-level education data
• Experience writing research grant proposals
• Experience writing research reports or research briefs for policymakers and/or practitioners
• Experience translating research findings for presentation to policymakers and/or practitioners
• Experience working in state or national higher education organizations

Additional Information

The School of Education is located at 610 E. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a 100% remote position, but an on-campus office is available if preferred. The position may be filled as full-time or part-time, and requests for a flexible schedule will be considered. 

Statement on Diversity:

We respect and value individuals from all races, ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, economic or veteran status, and other diverse perspectives and individual differences. Further, we are committed to tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect everywhere within our community and we affirm our promise to make the School of Education a welcoming place for all.  In seeking new staff members, we are committed to hiring those who share in our reverence and expectation for diversity.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.