1、加拿大教授教你如何写 proposal每个学术研究者必须经历的一道关卡，就是 Research Proposal 的写作。它大致对应中文里的“开题报告”、“选题报告”、“ 研究报告”，是一项研究开始之前的提纲、规划和陈述；既是为了帮助自己梳理文献、整理思路、廓清方向，也常常是写给相关他人的说明：研究动机和意义何在？可能有何成果？为什么它值得你的资助/认可/ 支持/批准？不知道是否可以说，好的 proposal 是研究成功的一半。但实际而功利的说，如果你的 proposal 很烂，可能根本就不会有开始研究的机会。 How to write a research proposal? 能否写出漂亮的
2、 proposal，本质上取决于你对研究的思考深度和专业水准。但形式也很重要。英文的 Research Proposal 自有一套“八股”。程式化和结构化的好处就在于，可以让读者直接集中注意到最本质的内容上，而不是为形式分神。对于非英语 native speaker的我们，如何理解英文学术世界的规范或曰思维定势，也是写作 proposal 之前必备的背景知识。下面这篇流传甚广的 Research Proposal 写作指南，言简意赅，颇具启发，对我自己的写作有所帮助，也希望能给更多的学界同仁带来便利文章作者 Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D., C.Psych. (Research
3、Director, Graduate Program in Counselling Psychology. Trinity Western University Langley, BC, Canada).题为：How to Write a Research Proposal.全文转载如下：Most students and beginning researchers do not fully understand what a research proposal means, nor do they understand its importance. To put it bluntly, o
4、nes research is only as a good as ones proposal. An ill-conceived proposal dooms the project even if it somehow gets through the Thesis Supervisory Committee. A high quality proposal, on the other hand, not only promises success for the project, but also impresses your Thesis Committee about your po
5、tential as a researcher.大多数学生并开始研究不充分了解研究的建议意味着什么，也不理解其重要性。说穿了，一个人的研究只是作为一个良好的建议。不周的建议注定的项目，即使它在某种程度上通过监事会的论断得到。另一方面，高质量的提案，不仅承诺为项目的成功，但也令人印象深刻。 A research proposal is intended to convince others that you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the work-plan to comple
6、te it. Generally, a research proposal should contain all the key elements involved in the research process and include sufficient information for the readers to evaluate the proposed study.研究提案的目的是说服别人，你有一个值得研究的项目和你有能力和工作计划来完成它。一般情况下，研究提案应包含在研究过程中所涉及的所有关键要素，包括为读者足够的信息来评估拟议的研究。Regardless of your rese
7、arch area and the methodology you choose, all research proposals must address the following questions: What you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it and how you are going to do it.无论您的研究领域和您选择的方法，所有研究建议必须解决以下几个问题：你计划如何来完成，为什么你想这样做，你将如何做到这一点。 The proposal should have sufficient information to co
8、nvince your readers that you have an important research idea, that you have a good grasp of the relevant literature and the major issues, and that your methodology is sound.建议应该有足够的信息来说服你的读者，你要有一个重要的研究思路，你已经把握好了相关文献和重大问题，和你的方法是健全的。The quality of your research proposal depends not only on the quality
9、 of your proposed project, but also on the quality of your proposal writing. A good research project may run the risk of rejection simply because the proposal is poorly written. Therefore, it pays if your writing is coherent, clear and compelling.This paper focuses on proposal writing rather than on
10、 the development of research ideas.你的研究提案的质量不仅取决于你的建议项目的质量，同时也对你的建议写作质量。因为写得不好的建议是一个很好的研究项目可以运行简单地排斥风险。因此，支付，如果你的写作是一致的，明确的和令人信服的。本文侧重于书面建议，而不是对发展的研究思路。TITLE:题目It should be concise and descriptive. For example, the phrase, “An investigation of . . .” could be omitted. Often titles are stated in term
11、s of a functional relationship, because such titles clearly indicate the independent and dependent variables. However, if possible, think of an informative but catchy title. An effective title not only pricks the readers interest, but also predisposes him/her favourably towards the proposal.（简单翻译一下了
12、）它应当简明扼要，例如，短语“什么什么的调查”标题通常表示功能的关系。 ABSTRACT:摘要：It is a brief summary of approximately 300 words. It should include the research question, the rationale for the study, the hypothesis (if any), the method and the main findings. Descriptions of the method may include the design, procedures, the sample
13、 and any instruments that will be used.约 300 字的简要介绍。它应包括研究问题，研究的理由，假设（如有），方法和主要结论。方法描述可能包括设计，程序，样品和将要使用的任何文书。 INTRODUCTION:简介：The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the necessary background or context for your research problem. How to frame the research problem is perhaps the biggest pro
14、blem in proposal writing.If the research problem is framed in the context of a general, rambling literature review, then the research question may appear trivial and uninteresting. However, if the same question is placed in the context of a very focused and current research area, its significance wi
15、ll become evident.Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules on how to frame your research question just as there is no prescription on how to write an interesting and informative opening paragraph. A lot depends on your creativity, your ability to think clearly and the depth of your understand
16、ing of problem areas.However, try to place your research question in the context of either a current “hot” area, or an older area that remains viable. Secondly, you need to provide a brief but appropriate historical backdrop. Thirdly, provide the contemporary context in which your proposed research
17、question occupies the central stage. Finally, identify “key players” and refer to the most relevant and representative publications. In short, try to paint your research question in broad brushes and at the same time bring out its significance.The introduction typically begins with a general stateme
18、nt of the problem area, with a focus on a specific research problem, to be followed by the rational or justification for the proposed study. The introduction generally covers the following elements:1. State the research problem, which is often referred to as the purpose of the study.2. Provide the c
19、ontext and set the stage for your research question in such a way as to show its necessity and importance.3. Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing.4. Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to be addressed by your research.5. Identify the
20、key independent and dependent variables of your experiment. Alternatively, specify the phenomenon you want to study.6. State your hypothesis or theory, if any. For exploratory or phenomenological research, you may not have any hypotheses. (Please do not confuse the hypothesis with the statistical nu
21、ll hypothesis.)7. Set the delimitation or boundaries of your proposed research in order to provide a clear focus.8. Provide definitions of key concepts. (This is optional.)LITERATURE REVIEW:Sometimes the literature review is incorporated into the introduction section. However, most professors prefer
22、 a separate section, which allows a more thorough review of the literature.The literature review serves several important functions:1. Ensures that you are not “reinventing the wheel”. 2. Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for your research. 3. Demonstrates your knowledge of the res
23、earch problem. 4. Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical and research issues related to your research question.5. Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant literature information. 6. Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the existing literature. 7. Provides new theo
24、retical insights or develops a new model as the conceptual framework for your research.8. Convinces your reader that your proposed research will make a significant and substantial contribution to the literature (i.e., resolving an important theoretical issue or filling a major gap in the literature)
25、.Most students literature reviews suffer from the following problems:* Lacking organization and structure * Lacking focus, unity and coherence * Being repetitive and verbose * Failing to cite influential papers * Failing to keep up with recent developments * Failing to critically evaluate cited pape
26、rs * Citing irrelevant or trivial references * Depending too much on secondary sourcesYour scholarship and research competence will be questioned if any of the above applies to your proposal.There are different ways to organize your literature review. Make use of subheadings to bring order and coher
27、ence to your review. For example, having established the importance of your research area and its current state of development, you may devote several subsections on related issues as: theoretical models, measuring instruments, cross-cultural and gender differences, etc.It is also helpful to keep in
28、 mind that you are telling a story to an audience. Try to tell it in a stimulating and engaging manner. Do not bore them, because it may lead to rejection of your worthy proposal. (Remember: Professors and scientists are human beings too.)METHODS:The Method section is very important because it tells
29、 your Research Committee how you plan to tackle your research problem. It will provide your work plan and describe the activities necessary for the completion of your project.The guiding principle for writing the Method section is that it should contain sufficient information for the reader to deter
30、mine whether methodology is sound. Some even argue that a good proposal should contain sufficient details for another qualified researcher to implement the study.You need to demonstrate your knowledge of alternative methods and make the case that your approach is the most appropriate and most valid
31、way to address your research question.Please note that your research question may be best answered by qualitative research. However, since most mainstream psychologists are still biased against qualitative research, especially the phenomenological variety, you may need to justify your qualitative me
32、thod.Furthermore, since there are no well-established and widely accepted canons in qualitative analysis, your method section needs to be more elaborate than what is required for traditional quantitative research. More importantly, the data collection process in qualitative research has a far greate
33、r impact on the results as compared to quantitative research. That is another reason for greater care in describing how you will collect and analyze your data. (How to write the Method section for qualitative research is a topic for another paper.)For quantitative studies, the method section typical
34、ly consists of the following sections:1. Design -Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment? What kind of design do you choose?2. Subjects or participants Who will take part in your study ? What kind of sampling procedure do you use?3. Instruments What kind of measuring instruments or qu
35、estionnaires do you use? Why do you choose them? Are they valid and reliable?4. Procedure How do you plan to carry out your study? What activities are involved? How long does it take?RESULTS:Obviously you do not have results at the proposal stage. However, you need to have some idea about what kind
36、of data you will be collecting, and what statistical procedures will be used in order to answer your research question or test you hypothesis.DISCUSSION:It is important to convince your reader of the potential impact of your proposed research. You need to communicate a sense of enthusiasm and confid
37、ence without exaggerating the merits of your proposal. That is why you also need to mention the limitations and weaknesses of the proposed research, which may be justified by time and financial constraints as well as by the early developmental stage of your research area.Common Mistakes in Proposal
38、Writing1. Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question. 2. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research. 3. Failure to cite landmark studies. 4. Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions by other researchers.5. Failure to stay f
39、ocused on the research question. 6. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research.7. Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues. 8. Too much rambling going “all over the map” without a clear sense of direction. (The best proposals move forward with ease and grace like a seamless river.)9. Too many citation lapses and incorrect references. 10. Too long or too short. 11. Failing to follow the APA style. 12. Slopping writing.
