What is the preliminary proposal?

The preliminary proposal is best thought of as an extended abstract of the proposed project. It need not be lengthy; three to ten pages should be sufficient to present the logic of the plan. The primary effort is not in the writing of this document; instead, the labor involved is in reading the research literature and using what is learned to create a workable project. The purpose of this document is to assure that you have a workable idea before you invest numerous hours writing up a poorly thought out proposal draft. This forces you to do your thinking up front and in advance.

The preliminary proposal (done in the first month or first half of your project course) should contain the key points of information that will allow your Chairperson to evaluate the proposed work. Well chosen information will present your project more impressively than an indiscriminate litter of facts. While a suggested guideline for presenting this information is provided, you may use your own judgment in modifying this outline. Because there are so many types of acceptable research, not all types fit easily into this outline. Some of the headings here may not apply while it may be necessary to include other headings or information in order to explain your work.

I. Introduction (Question)

II. Rationale

III. Theory

IV. Literature Review

V. Method

VI. Rival Explanations

VII. Reference List

I. The Introduction (Question) identifies what question you want your research to answer. For a project, it might be more appropriate to identify the skill you wish to develop and demonstrate and how you propose to accomplish that.

II. The Rationale section is an explanation of the logical framework of the study. As mentioned previously, a topic usually connects two or more concepts in a unique way. These concepts should be tied together in a logical way, as well. In this section, you present your concepts and their logical connections. If a friend asked you to explain your idea, you could do so in a paragraph or two using ordinary English. You would be able to state what your ideas are and how they tie together. This simple type of explanation is what is needed for the rationale section.

III. In the Theory section, you should state the theory along with its premises that guides you to expect certain findings. Research has to be related to a theory. This is described in more detail in the section explaining the formal proposal.

IV. The Literature review section identifies the topics you expect to cover in the formal proposal. It is not necessary to identify particular studies. What is presented is an overview of the areas of information to be discussed. You must be moderately well read on the subject to know what is important to include and what is irrelevant.

V. The Method section explains how you plan to gather the data. You are not expected to go into the level of detail that you are in your formal proposal. You should say how you would get subjects, the method of data collection (whether you will observe, interview, or test them, etc.) and roughly what method data analysis you would use. You must explain the basis of your choice of method. If you can

support your choice with literature citations, so much the better. If you are doing a project, you explain how you will evaluate a program, design a prototype. the program, etc.

VI. If you are doing the type of research that seeks to add new information to the field, you must anticipate Rival Explanations for the findings you are expecting. Considering rival explanations is the essence of research design. You should ask yourself and anyone who will talk with you about your project, ‘’What other explanations could there be?” You want to be able to gather your data in a way that rules out rival hypotheses.

VII. The Reference list gives the citations for any studies mentioned in the preliminary proposal. It is not a listing of studies you plan to include in the formal proposal.