Developing a Qualitative Research Proposal

Original Editor - Mariam Hashem

Top Contributors - Mariam Hashem, Kim Jackson, Ewa Jaraczewska and Tarina van der Stockt

Introduction

A research proposal is a document that describes the idea of the research, why it's important, and the research method. The format can vary widely among different higher education settings, different funders, and different organizations.

background and context

The title of your research proposal can be different from the publishing title. You can consider it to be more like a working title that you can revisit later after finishing the research proposal and amend it if needed.

The title should have some keywords of what your research encompasses such as:

• The patient population e.g. women who had breast cancer
• Methods e.g. quantitative research, feasibility study or a pilot randomized control trial, a systematic review
• An intervention

Example: experiences of pregnant women using in-depth focus groups

Word count is similar to writing an abstract and can vary from a proposal to another.

Tips:

• Pin down your key points
• Use the filter approach by starting off broadly then refine it down to our research question.

For example, a qualitative study in Ireland by Algeo looking at the facilitators and barriers for women with Breast Cancer in returning to work. The author started by looking at Breast Cancer in terms of the statistics nationally and worldwide. Then moved to issues that women with breast cancer experience, highlighting policies and guidelines. To narrow it down, she made it more specific to work and its importance and returning to work after Breast Cancer. The proposal looked at national and cultural differences in return to work in Breast Cancer and highlighted a gap in an Irish context.

Defining your research question: SPIDER tool

Data collection technique

Participant recruitment and sample

Setting a research timeline: Gantt chart

Other considerations such as costings and budgeting