A well-constructed research plan is vital to the successful execution of any research project. This book shows how to design and prepare a research proposal and present it effectively to a university review committee, funding body, or commercial client. The book is organized around three central themes: What are research proposals; who reads them and why?; what general guidelines and strategies can help students develop a proposal; and what might a finished proposal look like? The book will be invaluable across all areas of social science, both basic and applied, and for students undertaking quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies. Developing Effective Research Proposals can be used as a workbook to Keith Punch's bestselling text An Introduction to Social Research (Sage, 1998) or as an independent guide.