Proposal Format

Proposal format is absolutely vital because it is the research proposal which will give you the entry permission for doing the research. Though the different universities may prefer different types of format for making research proposal the basic subject matter of the proposal do not differ much.

The different stages are as follows:

1) Planning the enquiry- In any scientific investigation, planning is essential. Without proper planning the collected data may not be found suitable for the purpose and considerable time and money will be wasted. The following points should be considered at the planning stage: a) Object and scope of the enquiry- The first and most essential thing is to prepare a clear cut statement of the purpose of the enquiry. This will determine its scope. (b) Source of data, whether primary or secondary- Statistical data may be of two types, viz. ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’. Primary data are those which are collected for a specific purpose directly from the field of enquiry and hence are original in nature. Such data are published by authorities who themselves are responsible for their collection. Secondary data are such numerical information which have previously been collected by some agency for one purpose and are merely compiled from that source for use in a different connection. In fact, data collected by someone when used by another or collected for one purpose when used for another, will be called secondary data. The same data are primary in the hands of the collecting authority, but are secondary in the hands of another. Usually primary data are collected during good quality research and as such the method of collection must be decided in advance. This depends on the time and money available for the investigation. (c) Type of enquiry, whether census or sample survey-

The totality of statistical information on a particular character, from all members covered by an enquiry is called population or universe, e.g. population of income, population of registered factories in Chicago etc. The sample is a selected part of the population and is used to throw light on the population characteristics. In a socio economic investigation covering the inhabitants of Chicago city, if the monthly income figures of each and every inhabitants of Chicago could be obtained, the whole collection of figures of income would constitute the population of income.

This, however, is impracticable, and only a few thousand inhabitants would ordinarily be interviewed and their income figures obtained. These few thousand figures of income would comprise a sample of income, based on which the average income is obtained. Because of the many advantages of sample survey over census, most statistical enquiries use the former. The type of sampling to use, e.g. random, stratified or multi stage etc. and the selection of the actual sample have to be finalized. (d) Definition of statistical units- It is extremely essential that the units be accurately and clearly defined and the same definitions be strictly adhered to during the course of the whole research investigation.

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