Do you know the difference between a Research Proposal and a Synopsis? No.1 comparison?

Research Proposal Vs Synopses:

Introduction:

Writing a research proposal is a headache and a difficult task for everyone, before starting a work. Mostly, people are so interested in conducting a study, but hearing research proposals, they suddenly get stuck (onwuegbuzie, 1997).

In this short study, I am going to make it very easy by the following illustration. Have you ever seen a film or movie from start to end? I believe your answer might be “YES”. And Have you ever thought of, how this film is recorded and prepared to be watched? Your response might be “YES” or “NO”.  Let me tell you the facts before the film is recorded.

The director will use his mind to find an interesting topic, it can be past events or might be related to the present situation. He will think about how the scenario should be made, which historical event should be presented in this movie, who should act as a main character in this movie, where this film should be recorded, how many people should engage in it, how much time should it take to become ready, who should be the main focused audience, which assets should be used, and Finally, how much budget should be allocated to this film?

These are some possible questions that a director will ask along with his team to find the exact answers. He will do some oral surveys and some research too. By finding the answers, he will come up with a brief summary of his work in written format, mentioning all the questions with answers, along with possible risks and some opportunities and solutions.  Do you know what we call this in an academic environment? Obviously, Yes. It is called a Proposal. It includes the scope of the film from Idea generation, purpose, methods, assets, and area to budget.  

One more question, after watching this film, will you be able to tell the main points of the film in a few sentences to your friends, who have yet to see the film? I trust, your answer would be YES. So explaining the aim of a three-hour film in one or two minutes is called the Synopsis. You will tell the main purpose of the film to your friend by mentioning the main characters, how they did it, how much the cost, and did they achieved what they wanted or not. that is it.

Now we will be able to bring a clear definition to both the research Proposal and Synopsis:

Definition: A research proposal is a formal and mostly written plan or recommendation that is presented for the review, consideration, and approval of others (onwuegbuzie, 1997). It mostly refers to the action of finding a specific solution for a chosen problem by an individual or team. It can be used in various contexts, such as Business, Constrictions, arranging events, Education, and so on.  In contrast, a synopsis is a shorter form of content or a book (Cambridge Dictionary), mostly prepared in an informal format to show the main ideas and the final consequences of the study. It is designed to give a short and brief summary of a long story or a vast study.

Purpose of research proposal:

As we told above, a proposal is a document with details, that explain the goals, questions, methods, costs, and the projected consequences of a planned work. An individual or team will try to attain the acceptance and agreement of the higher authority or opposite party regarding conducting a planned study/work. The main purpose of a research proposal is to convince the reader of his proposal that the study or work is valuable and is not done before (Vasanthakumari, 2021). In contrast, a synopsis is a shorter version of the study, that highlights the main ideas and results. its main goal is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the study or work. It is designed to give a short and brief idea about a large content or a vast study.

Length of research proposal:

From the above example, we can easily tell that, a proposal is lengthier in textual format and can be in multiple pages, compared to the synopses. In fact, it depends on the complexities of the project, the more the project is complex, the larger the proposal will be. But a Synopsis can be less than a page or maximum not more than a few pages. 

Structure of research proposal:

The Structure of a research proposal depends on the field and area of research. However, it follows a general and broad format, which can be started with a Title, Abstract, and Introduction, followed by a Literature review, research questions, objectives, research methodology, desired outcomes, and the Timeline (Baker 2000a; Baker and Foy 2008). In contrast, a synopsis is less formal and will not follow any specific format, however, it must be prepared with a clear and understandable conclusion.

Following is the general structure of a research proposal which has broad usage among researchers.

1-Title:

The title of the research proposal should be clear and attractive to the readers (Baker and Foy 2008), and not too long. Try to reflect your title in your research questions and objectives.

2-Abstract:

It is an interesting summary of the whole study/work. It includes the objectives, research questions, research methods, and the findings of the study conducted. if a person reads only this part of a scientific article carefully, then he can understand what this article is written about.

3-Introduction:

It includes a general overview of your topic. By giving relevant details, the readers will be able to understand the importance and the value of your topic, well (Mauch and Park 2003). Collect real facts and relevant information and explain the worth of your topic in this part.

4-Literature Review:

It includes the study of what others did regarding this topic. You should study similar articles and works of other researchers related to your topic from A-Z. you will be able to find a specific area of your work/gap that is not done yet (Krathwohl and Smith 2005). In this section, all the scientific resources, which have been used in writing this article, are presented in detail. The text of these sources is mentioned very briefly. the text that is directly related to this article should be mentioned in your own words, without copy/paste , and the original source should be mentioned as a reference.

5-Objectives

Explain what you want to achieve with this study (Baker and Foy 2008). What are your aims and objectives for conducting such a huge research? Who you will target to employ from the tips and results of your study?

6-Research questions:

write and specify one or a few questions that you want to find the answers to them by the end of your research. It will assess you not to go out of your exact point (Saunders et al. 2003). You will be able to concentrate on the circle of your study.

7-Research Methodology:

Explain how your research will be conducted, and how you will collect your data. which method will be used to do your research? Will you do it online or offline? Who will be your targeted people to collect your data? (Taylor and Bogdan 1998).

8-Key Findings:

Write what is the result of your study. What did you find at the end of your research? Do you think you achieved your objectives or not? How your findings will influence the targeted area of your research? How the behavior of people will reflect the objectives of your research?

9-Timeline:

A research proposal should be summarized in an achievable and reasonable schedule, considering all the aspects of the project work and a specific time period for each task (Krathwohl and Smith 2005).

10-Conclusion:

Bring all your work and study, in a brief summary from the introduction to the final findings, not more than a page.

11-References:

Collect the list of all the books, articles, or any other work of people that you have used in your study. Make a list of them and put them at the end of your research proposal. With the help of this task, you will give value to other’s work, and simultaneously you will show the originality of your by avoiding any types of plagiarism and copyrights (Krathwohl and Smith, 2005).

Research Methodology:

The above information is collected from various articles and books of famous writers of the world. I could bring together brief and short insights about the research proposal, you can learn more about the research proposal by searching and finding the sources that are used in this article.

Conclusion:

A research proposal is a formal and mostly written plan or recommendation that is presented for the review, consideration, and approval of others. The main purpose of a research proposal is to convince the reader of his proposal that the study or work is valuable and has not been done before. In contrast, a synopsis is a shorter form of content or a book, that highlights the main ideas and final results. its main goal is to provide the reader with a brief overview of the study or work.

References:

1. Baker, Michael (2000a), “Editorial: Writing a Research Proposal”, The Marketing Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 61-75.
2. Baker, Michael J. and Foy, Anne (2008), Business and Management Research, 2nd edition, Helensburgh, Scotland: Westburn Publishers.
3. Denscombe, M. (2012). Research proposals: A practical guide: A practical guide. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
4. Krathwohl, David and Smith, Nick (2005), How to Prepare a Dissertation Proposal, Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press.
5. Mauch, James E. and Park, Namgi (2003), Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation – A Handbook for Students and Faculty, 5th edition, New York: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
6. Saunders, Mark, Lewis, Philip and Thornhill, Adrian (2003), Research Methods for Business Students, 3rd edition, Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
7. Taylor, Steven J. and Bodgan, Robert (1998), Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: a Guidebook and Resource, 3rd edition, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8. Vasanthakumari, S. (2021). Writing research proposal. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 10(1), 184-190.
9. https://library.tiffin.edu/writingaresearchproposal/partsofaresearchproposal#s-lg-box-wrapper-30454162