Level 5 – Preparing Proposals

Understanding how research proposals are/should be evaluated is helpful not only for the people evaluating them but also for those who have written them. Understanding the process of proposal evaluation helps to inform your own research proposal. Research proposals

Evaluation questions Describing the research problem Background & rationale Research methodology Timetable Costs Previous experience Usually factored around the key components of the research proposal

Describing the research problem: key questions Is the research problem clearly defined? Have the research objectives been outlined and understood? Has the background and the context of the work been clearly understood and demonstrated? Has the background and context of the research work been linked to the design of the research? Research problem, objectives & context

Design and approach: key questions Does the research design fit with delivering the objectives outlined for the research? Why has the particular research design been chosen and is the case made sound? Sampling : key questions Has a suitable sampling frame been used? Is this robust and reliable? Research design & methods

Research methods : key questions Do the methods chosen meet with the objectives of the research? Will they generate the information required in a robust, valid and reliable way? Have any limitations been outlined and what is being done to mitigate against those? How will the data be analysed and presented? Have any ethical issues been defined? Research design & methods

Timing and costs: key questions Has a timeline been clearly presented? Does this match the tasks outlined in the methodology? Is the timeline realistic? Are the costs clear and justifiable? Have all costs been accounted for? Research design & methods

Previous experience: key questions Has relevant previous experience been presented? Is this experience at the right level for the research? Is the staffing level outlined realistic to complete the research? Research design & methods

The general criteria for evaluating the proposal should be outlined in the research brief. Grid formats are often used for collating the information presented in the research proposals together and generating scores. But, it is not always this prescriptive. Evaluation process

SectionCriterionScore Research Methods 1 to 5 Appropriateness of selected methods Acknowledgment of limitations Issues of reliability and validity outlined Appropriateness of data analysis outline Ethical issues identified & procedures in place

Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods. 3rd Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. David, M. and Sutton, C. (2011) Social Research : An Introduction. 2nd ed. London: Sage. McGivern, Y. (2009) The Practice of Market Research. 3 rd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd. References

This resource was created by the University of Plymouth, Learning from WOeRk project. This project is funded by HEFCE as part of the HEA/JISC OER release programme.Learning from WOeRk This resource is licensed under the terms of the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales license ( The resource, where specified below, contains other 3 rd party materials under their own licenses. The licenses and attributions are outlined below: 1.The name of the University of Plymouth and its logos are unregistered trade marks of the University. The University reserves all rights to these items beyond their inclusion in these CC resources. 2.The JISC logo, the and the logo of the Higher Education Academy are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution -non-commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK England & Wales license. All reproductions must comply with the terms of that license. Author Laura Lake InstituteUniversity of Plymouth Title Evaluating Research Proposals Description Evaluating research proposals Date Created Sept 2011 Educational Level Undergraduate (Level 5) Keywords UKOER, LFWOER, UOPCPDRM, Research proposals, research brief, commissioners, suppliers Back page originally developed by the OER phase 1 C-Change project ©University of Plymouth, 2010, some rights reserved