Research methods proposal:
- Title page, to include your name, title of proposal, name of supervisor
- Introduction, including aims and objectives – what are you studying and why? (approx. 500 words)
- Literature review, including links to aims and objectives, and concluding with a hypothesis or research question that you are aiming to answer (approx. 2500 words)
- Research design (brief justification of methodology/method to be employed, including data collection, data analysis) (approx. 500 words)
- Full bibliography (see Appendix B – a penalty of 10 marks will be applied if this information is missing)
The aim of the research proposal is explain what you plan to do in your research project in a way that demonstrates your knowledge of research methods.

http://www.ttc-switch.com/Thesis_Tips/Proposal/Introduction/Aims and Objectives/Literature review sections
- Are the aims and objectives clearly set out?
- Are all terms clearly defined and referenced?
- Have you organised your paragraphs into themes/topics, rather than by author?
- Have you drawn on the relevant academic literature, rather than relying on textbooks and other sources?
- Is your referencing accurate and correct?
- Do you have too many/few sub-sections?
- Is all the information directly relevant to your topic? Eg., if your topic is on ABC in China, then do not write everything you can on ABC and everything you can on China - you should focus on ‘ABC in China’.
- Do you conclude with a research question or hypotheses?

Method section
This section is essentially about justifying your intended choices in terms of methodology and method, including data collection and analysis:
- You are not required to describe the general theory relating to research methods (ie. a paragraph describing the difference between inductive and deductive research). You are required to explain what you plan to do in a way that demonstrates your knowledge of research methods
- Why have you selected this methodology? (ie. Which body of literature are you following?)
- Why have you selected this particular method? (survey, interviews ie. Which published studies have used this and why does it make sense?)
- Why have you selected this organisation/industry? (eg. previous studies have or have not been conducted in this area)
- Why have you selected this population to sample (types of people, data)?
- Why have you selected this number to sample?
- How did you collect your data? (ie. When and where?)
- How will you analyse your data? (ie. What techniques? Eg. statistical)
- On what are you basing your questionnaire (if used)? Wherever possible you should try to use an existing questionnaire, tailored to your own study if necessary. There is whole science behind the design and testing of questionnaires, and you do not have time to learn about it! #p#分頁標題#e#
- If you are conducting a questionnaire by post or by email, consult Dillman (in library) and other research method books. These books will also give you guidance on interviews, if you are collecting data via this method.
- Have you proofread your covering letter and any other documents you will send externally? (Note: letters etc. with spelling and grammatical errors are unlikely to receive a response and reflect badly on both you and the University.)
- Has your tutor seen and approved your covering letter and any other information you are planning to send externally?
- Have you included in your submission a copy of your covering letter? Questionnaire? Interview questions?

Research Methods
Aims
The Research Methods course:
• provides guidance in developing a suitable research question in the area of accounting, banking, finance, or financial information systems
• explores the academic and methodological requirements for accounting- and finance-based M.Sc. dissertations
• provides guidance in applying the basic elements of research methods, including methodology, research design, data collection, data analysis, to the research topic
• enables students to refine and develop the topic in the form of a research proposal with the involvement of a supervisor
• develops an understanding of the most commonly used research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, suitable for small scale research projects
• develops advanced intellectual skills such as evaluation, analysis, synthesis, critical thinking, project management skills

Learning outcomes
On completing the Research Methods course students will be able to:
• identify the basic elements involved in defining a piece of academic work and structure such work appropriately: specifically, defining the broad area of interest, together with important issues and questions that lie within it
• undertake a focused and thorough literature search, and explain its role and function
• consider the relation of the broad area of interest to existing literature and to issues of methodology, research design and method;
• identify, collect, and analyse relevant data;
• undertake a formal written proposal that:
- develops and addresses a specific research question arising from the existing literature
- incorporates a research question or hypothesis
- presents a viable research design supported by related research techniques, including a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of proposed choices in this area, and a realistic contingency plan to cope with predictable difficulties;
- evaluates the place of the existing literature in influencing the form (i.e. how the proposed design relates to that used by others) and content of the work (i.e. the substantive contributions made by other researchers).

Outcomes
By the end of the course students will have prepared a detailed written proposal for the specific research area on which their dissertation will be based, including a plan of how the dissertation will be undertaken. Successful completion of the course ensures that the student has undertaken significant preparatory work to progress to and complete the dissertation. In particular, it demonstrates that the student has undertaken the independent study that is necessary for the completion of a dissertation. #p#分頁標題#e#
The process of learning and teaching
The aim of the Research Methods course is to support students in producing a detailed, well developed proposal by the end of this course, and to be ready to proceed with all aspects of the research project, including data collection and analysis, at the beginning of the next semester through to the completion of the dissertation.
There are two separate elements to the Research Methods course:
1. the taught component of the course a.) introduces you to the requirements of the research proposal and provides you with guidance on how to undertake your independent study; and b) provides you with the statistical techniques and methods involved in the collection and analysis of data. There are a lecture and tutorials each week based on these two parts;
2. the supervisory element of the course provides you with guidance for your specific topic, leading to your research proposal. This guidance is provided by your supervisor, but is strongly driven by your own efforts.

Independent Study
Undertaking the research proposal element of this course introduces you to the most important aspect of the dissertation/research project – your ability to engage in independent study. While your supervisor is there to help you, a dissertation at masters level is characterised by a demonstration that you are capable of working on your own to a very large extent. However, while many universities provide very little guidance on research projects to their masters students, we understand that many of you have never undertaken such a project before, and may require some assistance. Each supervisor manages their group of supervisees as appropriate, depending on the nature of the topic, the research method to be employed, and the number of students in the supervisory group. You should expect no less than two formal contacts (face-to-face meeting, email, or other) with your supervisor while you are working on your research proposal. Some supervisors may institute more contact than this, depending on the nature of the project.

Students who do well in the research proposal (and the dissertation/research project more generally) tend to:
1. treat it like a project, by breaking it into small manageable chunks of work with clear timeframes for completing each one
2. understand and apply the concept of ‘independent study’ (compared with taught courses) by referring to their supervisor AFTER they have undertaken some work, rather than waiting to be told exactly what to do
3. http://www.ttc-switch.com/Thesis_Tips/Proposal/accept that there are limits to the amount of help that can, and should, be given with a dissertation studied at advanced level
4. examine closely previous dissertations to understand the structure and underlying process involved, while also appreciating that there is no single way of doing a dissertation
5. consult a range of different research methods textbooks on a continual basis throughout their project in order to understand the requirements for developing a suitably academic research project#p#分頁標題#e#