Writing Proposals
The first sentence of your proposal needs to encapsulate the problem you are addressing. It should capture the attention of readers to intrigue them to learn more about the problem and how to solve it. The first sentence should be followed by several sentences or paragraphs substantiating the problem and depicting the background. This introductory section needs to end with concise research questions identifying what remains unknown and important to discover.
The paragraph following the research questions begins with an explicit concise statement of, "The objective(s) of this research is/are...." This objective statement leads into a discussion of your proposed methodology and intended data sources.
Class project proposals should typically include some information that will help your instructor guide you. Identify data sources you hope to find and plan to use, as well as a preliminary source list of literature to launch your research.
Professional proposals typically include other elements, such as a budget, project calendar, identification of professionals who will be involved in the project, past experience and existing expertise, adequacy of facilities to achieve research objectives, and other sections as specified by individual funding agencies.
Often, proposals include substantial literature reviews or literature reviews megamorphose into proposals.