Business Research Proposal Assessment 2026 | Technological University Dublin

Business Research Proposal Assessment

This assessment requires you to submit a research proposal of 5000 words.

The proposal should consist of:

(1) Introduction including research question, aims, objectives and rationale (500 words)

This section should include:

• A clear research question
• The sub questions that will help you to answer your overall research question
• The aims and objectives of your research (i.e. what do you hope to find out by doing this research?)
• The rationale for your project. (Why is this project interesting? What might businesspeople or the general public learn from it? What might it tell us that we did not know before?)

(2) Literature review (2000 words)

This section should outline the literature that you will use to determine the background and basis for your research project. To put this in simple terms, this section should tell us what is already known about your proposed research topic and what you think of it. What are the strengths and limitations of current research?

This section should show

• Evidence of reading in breadth and depth (given that the review needs to be comprehensive we would expect you to consult a minimum of 15 substantive sources)
• Evidence that you are aware of seminal texts and the latest academic developments in your chosen area of research
• critical engagement with the literature (to be clear about what we mean here, the literature review should not simply be a blow-by-blow account of who has said what there also needs to be an assessment of which views provide the best way of understanding your topic) Use of professional citation and referencing conventions

(3) Methodology (1000 words)

This section should tell us how you intend to pursue your research – in other words, what kind of data will you collect, how are you going to collect it, and how will it be analysed?

Therefore, this section needs to contain:

Clear exposition of, and justification for, the proposed methods and the types of data being collected

• A discussion of the strengths and limitations of the chosen methods
• An explanation why the research method is suitable to deliver the aims and objectives of the study

(4) A research collection instrument (e.g. the proposed questionnaire and answers or interview questions (1000) words

This section should contain a draft version of your research instrument/data collection tool (for example, your proposed questionnaire, interview questions etc).

(5) Conclusion (500 words) 

Marking criteria

The research proposal will be assessed to the extent that:

• The research proposal delineates a succinct and feasible research question (and sub questions), supported by a clear set of aims and objectives and rationale (10% of the final mark)
• The research proposal outlines a comprehensive literature review which demonstrates a critical grasp of academic thinking in the chosen area of research (30% of the final mark)
• The research proposal provides a clear exposition of, and justification for, the proposed methods and the types of data being collected. The proposal should also show awareness of the limits of the methods chosen. (20% of the final mark)
• The research proposal contains a clear and well designed research instrument/data collection tool (20% of the final mark)
• Is well presented. This includes the quality of the spelling, grammar and punctuation but also the clarity of the proposal’s structure and organisation (10% of the final mark)
• Uses referencing and citation conventions up to professional standards (10%)