Concept Paper, Research, and Academic Paper

a concept paper is a shortdocumentwrittenbyaresearcherbeforestartingtheirresearchproject,withthepurposeofexplainingwhatthestudyisaboutshort document written by a researcher before starting their research project, with the purpose of explaining what the study is about, why it is important, and the methods that will be used.

 The primary aim of a research concept paper is toconvincethereaderthattheproposedresearchprojectisworthdoing.to convince the reader that the proposed research project is worth doing.

Three Ways in Explaining a Concept Paper

Definition - is the %%method of identifying a given term and making its meaning clearer.%% It can be presented in three ways

i. Formal – explains a term to be defined, category and details

Example: Vitamin E is a light yellow fat- soluble vitamin that acts an anti- oxidant.

 ii. Informal – is done through a parenthetical or brief explanation

Example: Tocopherol (Vitamin E) is naturally found in vegetable oil, fish and nuts

iii. Extended – a detailed way of defining and term and usually composed of at least one paragraph (formal and informal, comparison and contrast, narration, description, etc.)

Learning materials refer to bothprintedandnon−printedobjectsoritemsthatteachersusetofacilitatelanguagelearning.both printed and non-printed objects or items that teachers use to facilitate language learning.

Signal Words for Definition: as defined, for example, for instance. Is defined as, means, such as and to illustrate.

  1. Explication - is a methodofexplanationinwhichsentences,method of explanation in which sentences, verses, quotes or passages are taken from a literary or academic work and then interpretedandexplainedinadetailedway.nterpreted and explained in a detailed way.

   Example: The poem titled “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about a man reflecting on a choice he had once made. While the outcome of his choice is not implied to be positive or negative the speaker notes that the choice in itself and the consequences of that choice have made a huge difference in a way his life is unfolded.

  1. Clarification - is a method of explanationinwhichthepointsareorganizedfromageneralabstractideatospecificandconcreteexamples.explanation in which the points are organized from a general abstract idea to specific and concrete examples.

   Examples: Justice is a broad concept that encompasses a wide set of ideas, most of which also branch out into similar notions. For instance, it can refer to the sentencing of criminals based on due process. When an individual gets what he deserves outside the hands of the law, it is also considered justice in some contexts.

Concept Paper for a Project

  1. Cover Page
  • %%State the name of the proponents and their affiliations.%%
  • %%State the addresses, contact numbers, and email addresses of the proponents.%%
  • %%State the head of the agency and his/her contact information.%%
  • %%State the date of submission.%%
  1. Introduction
  • @@State the information about the funding agency to show that you understand its mission.@@
  • State the mission of the agency that the proponents represent and align it to the funding agency’s mission. Also, state the year the proponent’s agency was established, its major accomplishments, and other details that demonstrate its capability to undertake the proposed project.
  • Present and describe other partner agencies and why they are qualified as such.
  • ==Provide reasons why the funding agency should support the project.==
  1. Rationale or Background
  • ^^State the gap in knowledge to be addressed by the project.^^
  • ^^State the problems to be solved.^^
  • ^^State the project’s significance.^^
  1. Project Description
  • State the goals and objectives of the project.
  • Present the methodology (sometimes termed as Action Plan, Project Activities, or

Approach)

  • Present the timeline expressed in months and year.
  • State the benefits or anticipated outcomes.  State how success of outcomes will be evaluated.
  1. Project Needs and Cost
  • Outline the main budget; include the item description and amount.
  • Explain or justify how the budget will be used.
  • List the personnel or equipment needed for the project.

Concept Paper for Academic Research

  1. Title page
  • The title of the Concept Paper should be a stand-alone statement that can fully describe the project by summarizing the main idea of the manuscript.
  • The title should concisely identify the variables being investigated and the relationship among those variables (American Psychological Association [APA], 2010).
  • Words should serve a useful purpose; avoid words that do not add substance or words that are misleading.
  • The title of the Concept Paper may become the title of the dissertation.
  1. Background of the Study
  • Provide the current state of the field you are researching on.
  • State the gap in knowledge and problems to be addressed by the research. Provide statistics and previous studies to prove your claims.
  • State the reason why you want to investigate on the chosen topic.  State the theoretical and practical implications of your proposed research.
  1. Preliminary Literature Review

  • State your specific research questions or objectives.

  • Provide theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework includes the theory that will guide you in the conduct of your research.

  • Provide related literature that supports your topic.

  • Provides related studies that will help you in conducting the research or analyzing and discussing the data.

  • Provides a brief synthesis of the reviewed literature and studies.

  For the Concept Paper, the student should connect their research project to a theoretical model reported in the literature. The most successful research projects have been based on the research of predecessors, and this section of the Concept Paper provides enough of a description of previous research to plant seeds in the mind of the reader suggesting more information is needed. A strong Concept Paper is based on a wide-range literature review that is condensed into a summary of key points.

  4. Statement of the Problem Provides the purpose for the research.

  This section of the Concept Paper introducestheproblemunderinvestigation,ntroduces the problem under investigation, addresses why the researcher wants to investigate this problem, and how the research findings may help address the problem. Supporting documentation, including statistical data if available, should be used to emphasize the need for this research. This section is one of the mostimportantsectionsoftheConceptPaper;itservestogainthereader’sattentionandsupport.most important sections of the Concept Paper; it serves to gain the reader’s attention and support.

  Concept Paper should intrigue the reader to pique his or her interest and encourage   further reading.

  • State your general problem in one sentence.
  • \

  5 . An Abridged Methodology

  Provides the student’s best idea on how to conduct the research and analyze the data. The goals identified in previous sections of the Concept Paper should relate to the research methods described in this section. For the Concept Paper, the methodology is simplified or summarized, serving as a general outline of the methods that will be employed.

  • Provide the context and participants of the study.
  • Provide the instruments to be used.
  • Provide the data collection procedure.

 Provide the data analysis scheme to be used.

  1. Timeline    Provides a range of time for completion of the project, highlighting key elements for each stage of the    project. This element is unique to the Concept Paper and provides the student structure for managing    sections of the project within a realistic time frame.
  • Provide a timeline (e.g. Gantt chart) set in months and year.
  1. References
  • Provides references to the material cited in the literature review and elsewhere in the   Concept Paper.