Writing the research proposal

As a result, the proposal is considered by many as the most important research document. The leadership section must therefore be well thought-out, easy to read and comprehend.

The work plan focusses on the management issues. It is is a proposed road map to guide you to your intended destination. Although both leadership and management are needed for a successful research project, there is a big difference between the two.²

Management only comes after leadership. It shows that you can achieve your objectives in the most effective manner. Here, you develop the "how" question further in terms of detail activities. You also answer the questions of when, by whom, with what resources, and at what cost. The work plan section of Proposal and Planner is dealt with in detail in Chapter 4 .

There are some researchers who do not see the need in writing proposals and developing work plans. We believe that these researchers probably still mentally go through the same steps as we propose here.

Our experience has shown however, that without exception, our research projects were of a much higher quality when starting with a well thought-out, written proposal and work plan. We have found this to be true even though we often had to change our plans (and perhaps even our goals!) during the course of our research as more insight into the research problem was gained.

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