The research proposal Research methodology Research outputs Advising the novice researcher Developing the research proposal Having decided on the research topic and defined a clear research question or set of questions, together with appropriate methods of seeking answers, you now need to convey your plan of research clearly in a research proposal.
Research proposals serve a number of purposes.
They enable you to demonstrate expertise and competency in your particular area of study. They may serve as a contract between the researcher and her funders. They serve as a planning tool for the researcher. This guide was developed by the NRF to address the needs of postgraduate students and early career researchers, particularly in the humanities and social sciences. The guide may be downloaded in PDF format, and viewed with Adobe Acrobat.