Writing PhD Research Proposal Prof Dr Normah Omar Director Accounting Research Institute (ARI) 23 rd November 2011 PhD Research Methodology Workshop1

PhD Research Methodology Workshop 1

Writing PhD Research Proposal

Prof Dr Normah OmarDirector

Accounting Research Institute (ARI)23rd November 2011


Outline

• Overview of what constitutes research

• Overview of what research proposal should highlight

• Components of Research Proposal

• Your research proposal…

Research - Review

• An intellectual and creative activity carried out on a systematic basis in order to discover/prove/find evidences about something new or unknown

Research - Review

• Research is an organised, systematic, data-based, critical and scientific enquiry into specific problem that needs a solution

Research Proposal

• An Overall Plan, Scheme, Structure and Strategy Designed to Obtain Answers to the Research Questions or Problems which Constitute Your Research Project


Proposal is like a Construction Plan

You Start with a Clear Vision of What You Want

Brief Concept/ideaAdd the details

Research Proposal: Two Main Functions

1 General Function: Outline the Operational Plan for Obtaining Answers to Your Research Questions

2 Technical Function: Specify and Ensure the Methodology for Control of Variance

FOR FUNCTION 1, RESEARCH PROPOSAL MUST INDICATE:

• WHAT You Are Proposing To Do• HOW You Plan To Proceed• WHY You Selected The Proposed Strategy• WHEN You Want To Conduct Your Study• WHERE Will The Study Takes Place

FOR FUNCTION 2, RESEARCH PROPOSAL SHOULD INDICATE:

• Procedure To Test the Validity and Reliability of Data

• That Variables Chosen are Appropriate and Workable in Terms of Obtaining Answers to Your Research Questions

Research Proposal: Academic Requirements

• It Must Contain Appropriate References in the Body of the Text and a Bibliography at the End

• Your Survey of the Relevant Literature Should Cover Major Publications on the Topic - Literature Review


For PhD research:

• You research contribution(s) must be significant

• And it (they) must be original

• Make sure these two elements are still there until you completed your VIVA


Common Mistakes• Topic is too broad/general• Research Problem is not clear• Research objective is not

clear• Research

questions/hypothesis• Critical LR• Inability to identify gap• Unclear PhD Research

Contribution• Flow of thought

• Unclear PhD Research Significance

• Lack Theoretical Framework• Unclear Proposed Methodology

– Sampling– Instrument– Measurement– Analysis

• Ineffective use of diagrams, Tables, Figures

• Out of date references• Poor Writing Skills


Proposal: Putting Your Ideas Well in Advance

• What is it you want to research on?– Topic of research– Working title – Keywords – Preliminary literature search

• Why you want to do this research?– Problem statement– Research gap?– Is it important to solve this?– Significant research contribution?


Proposal: Putting Your Ideas Well in Advance

• Where about will this research be covering?– Population & Sampling– Research Setting

• When will this research be conducted?– Scope of research– Period of study

• How will this research be conducted?– Methodology– Measurement, Instrumentation, Analysis– Will you solve the problem?


Where & How to Start?

1. General Idea

2. Lots of

Readings

3.Refine your

Idea

4.Identify Gap(s)

5. Identify Issue or Research

Problem

• Own experience• Own environment• Talking to others• Own Reading

• Journals• Books•Theses• Proceedings

• Develop key words• Ask questions• More Readings

• More Readings• Own Interest

• More Readings• Availability of previous works• PhD Contributions


Proposal Contents1. Title (Working Title)2. Preamble/Introduction3. Short Statement of the Problem4. Research Objectives5. Research Questions/Hypothesis6. Review of Research Literature7. The Design - Methods and Procedures8. Tentative Time Table9. References10.Attachments/Appendixes


1. Title (Working Title)

• Must be accurate, descriptive and concise (e.g. 20 - word limit). May include variables and/or a mention of population.

• Note that you are only ready to devise a title when you are clear of the focus of the study

• Choose a topic which can be investigated through appropriate & valid methods & for which research materials are available


2. Preamble/Introduction

• The preamble/introduction provides readers with the background information for the research

• Relate the transformation of a “general idea” to a more “refined topic”

• ½ page


3. Short Statement of the Problem

• Give a short summary of the research problem that you have identified (15-20 lines). SPEND TIME TO GET THE PROBLEM CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED

• Remember, the most important aspect of a research proposal is CLARITY of the research problem

• A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the literature, theory, or practice that leads to a need for the study


4. Research Objectives

• Give a concise and clear research objectives that you want to achieve through your research project

• It should be a measure of outcome NOT mean

• If the objective is not clear to the writer, it cannot be clear to the reader.


5. Research Questions/Hypothesis

• Premised on the problem statement identified, list possible research questions that could be asked in order to achieve the research objectives of the study

• Hypothesis are research questions that could be statistically tested


6. Review of the Literature • Give a short and precise overview about the present state of

research that is immediately connected to your own research projects

• The review of the literature provides the background and context for the research problem. Name the most important contributions of other studies

• Demonstrate to the reader that you have a comprehensive grasp of the field and are aware of important recent substantive and methodological developments

• Give a clear discussion of the theoretical framework that can be used to frame the study


Review of the Literature

• State clearly how your own research contributes to existing body of knowledge

• Avoid statements that imply that little has been done in the area or that what has been done is too extensive to permit easy summary. Statements of this sort are usually taken as indications that the writer is not really familiar with the literature.

Literature Review

Year Author (Source) Variables Methods Model /Framework

Conclusion

Earliest

Latest

Gap

Your Study

Comments


7. The Design - Methods and Procedures • This is the central part of your research proposal.

• The methods or procedures section is really the heart of the research proposal. The activities should be described with as much detail as possible, and the continuity between them should be apparent

• Indicate the methodological steps you will take to answer every question or to test every hypothesis illustrated in the Questions/Hypotheses section.


The Design - Methods and Procedures

• All research is plagued by the presence of confounding variables (the noise that covers up the information you would like to have).

• Confounding variables should be minimized by various kinds of controls or be estimated and taken into account by randomization processes


Quantitative VS Qualitative


The Design - Methods and ProceduresIn the design section, indicate

– the variables you propose to control and how you propose to control them, experimentally or statistically, and

– the variables you propose to randomize, and the nature of the randomizing unit (students, grades, schools, etc.).


Main Components:

Sampling• The key reason for being concerned with

sampling is that of validity—the extent to which the interpretations of the results of the study follow from the study itself and the extent to which results may be generalized to other situations with other people


Main Components:

1. Sampling• Sampling is critical to external validity—the extent to

which findings of a study can be generalized to people or situations other than those observed in the study.

• To generalize validly the findings from a sample to some defined population requires that the sample has been drawn from that population according to one of several probability sampling plans


Main Components:

Instrumentations• Outline the instruments you propose to use

(surveys, scales, interview protocols, observation grids).

• If instruments have previously been used, identify previous studies and findings related to reliability and validity.

• If instruments have not previously been used, outline procedures you will follow to develop and test their reliability and validity (e.g. pilot study)


Main Components:

Instrumentations (cont)• Because selection of instruments in most

cases provides the operational definition of constructs, this is a crucial step in the proposal

• Include an appendix with a copy of the instruments to be used or the interview protocol to be followed.

• Also include sample items in the description of the instrument.


Main Components:

Data Collection• Outline the general plan for collecting the

data. This may include survey administration procedures, interview or observation procedures.

• Include an explicit statement covering the field controls to be employed. If appropriate, discuss how you obtained entré.


Main Components:

Data Collection• Outline the general plan for collecting the

data. This may include survey administration procedures, interview or observation procedures.

• Include an explicit statement covering the field controls to be employed. If appropriate, discuss how you obtained entré.

• Provide a general outline of the time schedule you expect to follow.


Main Components:Data Analysis• Specify the procedures you will use, and label them

accurately (e.g., ANOVA, MANCOVA, HLM, ethnography, case study, grounded theory). If coding procedures are to be used, describe in reasonable detail.

• If you triangulated, carefully explain how you went about it. Communicate your precise intentions and reasons for these intentions to the reader. This helps you and the reader evaluate the choices you made and procedures you followed.


Main Components:

Data Analysis• Indicate briefly any analytic tools you will

have available and expect to use (e.g., Ethnograph, NUDIST, AQUAD, SAS, SPSS, SYSTAT).

• Provide a well thought-out rationale for your decision to use the design, methodology, and analyses you have selected.


8. Tentative Time Table

• Give if possible, in a table format, information about your estimated time table, indicating the sequence of research phases and the time that you probably need for each phase


9. References

• Only references cited in the text are included in the reference list; however, exceptions can be found to this rule. For example, if the research committees may require evidence that you are familiar with a broader spectrum of literature than that immediately relevant to your research. In such instances, the reference list may be called a bibliography.


10. Attachments/Appendixes• The need for complete documentation generally

dictates the inclusion of appropriate appendixes in proposals

• The following materials are appropriate for an appendix:– Verbatim instructions to participants.– Original scales or questionnaires. If an instrument is

copyrighted, permission in writing to reproduce the instrument from the copyright holder or proof of purchase of the instrument.

– Interview protocols.– Sample of informed consent forms.– Cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders.– Official letters of permission to conduct research.


THANK YOU


Let’s Review Your Research Proposal


PROPOSAL FOR DOCTOR OF ACCOUNTANCY (AC 990)

Integrating Target Costing (TC) Indicators within the Balanced Scorecard

(BSC) model: An Empirical Evidence of Malaysian

Companies Capabilities

Integrating Target Costing (TC) Indicators within the Balanced Scorecard

(BSC) model: An Empirical Evidence of Malaysian

Companies Capabilities

PREPARED BY:

HUSSEIN HUSSEIN HAMOOD SHARAF ADDIN (2010267516) - (Full-Time)


Refine your proposal

Write concept papers

• 1st paper• 2nd paper• 3rd paper

Documents

Writing PhD Research Proposal Prof Dr Normah Omar Director Accounting Research Institute (ARI) 23 rd November 2011 PhD Research Methodology Workshop1