She also works closely with FundsforNGOs running training webinars, contributing resource guides, and updating the Premium donor database. Helena St. By Alta Alonzi. About the author. Notify of. Post by Mary Cullen May 20, The Ideal Proposal Length Designing a proposal with just the right length is a classic Goldilocks problem.
Ten Pages Proposify discovered that the most common winning proposal length is ten pages According to their audit of 1. Win More Proposals Learn how to write better proposals in less time that win more business.
Tags: Business Proposals. Share on:. Mary founded Instructional Solutions in , and is an internationally recognized business writing trainer and executive writing coach with two decades of experience helping thousands of individuals and businesses master the strategic skill of business writing. She excels at designing customized business writing training programs to maximize productivity, advance business objectives, and convey complex information. She holds a B. Related Articles.
Structure and Writing Style Beginning the Proposal Process As with writing most college-level academic papers, research proposals are generally organized the same way throughout most social science disciplines.
A good place to begin is to ask yourself a series of questions: What do I want to study? Why is the topic important? How is it significant within the subject areas covered in my class? What problems will it help solve? How does it build upon [and hopefully go beyond] research already conducted on the topic? What exactly should I plan to do, and can I get it done in the time available?
Introduction In the real world of higher education, a research proposal is most often written by scholars seeking grant funding for a research project or it's the first step in getting approval to write a doctoral dissertation. Think about your introduction as a narrative written in two to four paragraphs that succinctly answers the following four questions : What is the central research problem?
What is the topic of study related to that research problem? What methods should be used to analyze the research problem? Why is this important research, what is its significance, and why should someone reading the proposal care about the outcomes of the proposed study? Background and Significance This is where you explain the context of your proposal and describe in detail why it's important. To that end, while there are no prescribed rules for establishing the significance of your proposed study, you should attempt to address some or all of the following: State the research problem and give a more detailed explanation about the purpose of the study than what you stated in the introduction.
This is particularly important if the problem is complex or multifaceted. Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing; be sure to answer the "So What? Describe the major issues or problems to be addressed by your research. This can be in the form of questions to be addressed. Be sure to note how your proposed study builds on previous assumptions about the research problem.
Explain the methods you plan to use for conducting your research. Clearly identify the key sources you intend to use and explain how they will contribute to your analysis of the topic. Describe the boundaries of your proposed research in order to provide a clear focus. Where appropriate, state not only what you plan to study, but what aspects of the research problem will be excluded from the study.
If necessary, provide definitions of key concepts or terms. Literature Review Connected to the background and significance of your study is a section of your proposal devoted to a more deliberate review and synthesis of prior studies related to the research problem under investigation.
Compare the various arguments, theories, methodologies, and findings expressed in the literature: what do the authors agree on? Who applies similar approaches to analyzing the research problem? Contrast the various arguments, themes, methodologies, approaches, and controversies expressed in the literature: describe what are the major areas of disagreement, controversy, or debate among scholars?
Critique the literature: Which arguments are more persuasive, and why? Which approaches, findings, and methodologies seem most reliable, valid, or appropriate, and why? Connect the literature to your own area of research and investigation: how does your own work draw upon, depart from, synthesize, or add a new perspective to what has been said in the literature?
Research Design and Methods This section must be well-written and logically organized because you are not actually doing the research, yet, your reader must have confidence that it is worth pursuing. When describing the methods you will use, be sure to cover the following: Specify the research process you will undertake and the way you will interpret the results obtained in relation to the research problem.
Don't just describe what you intend to achieve from applying the methods you choose, but state how you will spend your time while applying these methods [e. Keep in mind that the methodology is not just a list of tasks; it is an argument as to why these tasks add up to the best way to investigate the research problem.
This is an important point because the mere listing of tasks to be performed does not demonstrate that, collectively, they effectively address the research problem. Be sure you clearly explain this. Anticipate and acknowledge any potential barriers and pitfalls in carrying out your research design and explain how you plan to address them.
No method is perfect so you need to describe where you believe challenges may exist in obtaining data or accessing information. It's always better to acknowledge this than to have it brought up by your professor. Preliminary Suppositions and Implications Just because you don't have to actually conduct the study and analyze the results, doesn't mean you can skip talking about the analytical process and potential implications. They know — this is just an insult to their intelligence and feels weird.
The length is really quite subjective. Sending a 54mb file sounds crazy big even though it might not be. This proposal for instance looks like a decent length:. In our proposal reports , we looked at a number of factors which helped get proposals signed.
One of them was the number of pages. Turns out if you want your proposal to convert, you should have 6 pages. Sign Up Free. Templates Proposals Client Sign-off Quotes. Contracts Online Brochures Statement of Work.
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