Research Proposal & Literature Review Writing

This module prepares learners to craft fundable, defensible research proposals and literature reviews that meet the expectations of thesis committees, funders, and ethics panels. Learners move from vague curiosity to a FINER-sound research question, map the literature with synthesis matrices rather than annotated lists, justify design and sampling, and plan a timeline, budget, and risk register. Mastery is shown when a learner produces a 3000-word proposal and 2000-word integrative review that would survive formal review.

Learning Outcomes

Formulate research questions and hypotheses that satisfy FINER and PICO/PEO criteria.

Compare narrative, scoping, systematic, and integrative literature-review patterns and select the right one.

Construct synthesis matrices that compare studies by variables, methods, and findings.

Justify a research design, sampling strategy, and analysis plan in a proposal.

Draft problem statements, significance, and conceptual frameworks with scholarly grounding.

Plan feasibility: timeline, budget, risk register, and ethics clearance.

Apply reference-management workflows and avoid citation anti-patterns.

Revise a proposal in response to reviewer comments using structured response letters.

Topics Covered

Problem framing: identifying gaps, puzzles, tensions, and anomalies

FINER, PICO, PECO, PEO, SPIDER, and SPICE question frameworks

Hypothesis construction: directional, non-directional, null, and working hypotheses

Review types: narrative, scoping, systematic, integrative, umbrella, meta-synthesis

Search strategy: databases, Boolean logic, controlled vocabulary, grey literature

Synthesis techniques: matrices, concept maps, thematic coding, meta-ethnography

Theoretical and conceptual frameworks: distinction, selection, deployment

Research design justification: ontology, epistemology, methodology, methods

Sampling strategies: probability, non-probability, purposive, theoretical, saturation

Measurement and instrument selection: validity, reliability, cultural adaptation

Ethics approval and informed consent in proposals

Timelines, Gantt charts, milestones, and risk registers

Budget justification and in-kind contributions

Reference management (Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote) and citation styles

Reviewer response letters and revision strategy

Skills Developed

Question framing Literature search Synthesis Proposal writing Design justification Project planning Reference management Reviewer response

Suggested Resources

Booth, A., Sutton, A. & Papaioannou, D. (2016). Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review, 2nd ed., SAGE

Ridley, D. (2012). The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students, 2nd ed., SAGE

Locke, L.F., Spirduso, W.W. & Silverman, S.J. (2013). Proposals That Work, 6th ed., SAGE

Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals, 3rd ed., SAGE

Hart, C. (2018). Doing a Literature Review, 2nd ed., SAGE

Creswell, J.W. & Creswell, J.D. (2022). Research Design, 6th ed., SAGE

PRISMA 2020 Statement and Equator Network guidelines

Assessment

Assessment is weighted toward the two authentic artefacts the module prepares learners to write, with a supporting diagnostic examination of question craft and review design.

Research proposal (3000 words) with Gantt and risk register50%

Integrative literature review (2000 words) with synthesis matrix30%

MCQ examination on question craft, review patterns, and search strategy20%

Practice bank: 200 MCQs · Timed mock & self-paced modes

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