State the problem on which you intend to focus and the purpose for investigating it. Describe the topic clearly and mention its theoretical and practical importance. Detail the purpose of your study.
Write a critical review of previously published literature on the topic. Although quantitative investigators do their literature reviews before they develop research questions, authors such as Joseph Maxwell and Judith Meloy indicate such is not always the case in qualitative inquiry. However, you can use your review to help focus your questions to elicit only the necessary information that advances the logic of your project. Write how the review supports your own inquiry.
Identify the methods you will use to collect and analyze data. That may include the use of recording equipment and theoretical frameworks for analysis. Elaborate on the specific qualitative method you have chosen -- examples include ethnography, life history, textual analysis and focus groups.
Detail your participant and observation site selection criteria. Include all relevant demographic information, and explain how you will gain entry into the site and access to your informants. Identify other sources you intend to use, including documents, photographs or other artifacts. Explain how you will access them. Justify your criteria in light of your research questions and study purpose.
Provide a timeline to complete your research. To come up with a plausible end date, think about the scale of your project and the resources required to complete it. Resources can include expenses related to the research, the availability of research material, access to a research site, and access to the people participating in the research. Then, estimate how long it will take you to finish those steps.
Describe your personal biases on issues that may affect your research and discuss the ways you will handle such subjectivity. If you are personally connected to the source in any way, be transparent and mention how. That will highlight potential conflicts of interest.
Explain how you will conduct an ethical inquiry, one that protects the participants from harm. Describe how you will obtain informed consent from participants and guarantee that their participation is voluntary and confidential. Consider how you will handle study effects on the participants at any point during or after the research process.
Submit a write up of your design to your supervisor. Typically, that will be a professor or department chair if you are doing research at a university, or a manager if you are conducting inquiry for a business or organization. Get approval before contacting any informants.
Obtain permission from your school's Institutional Review Board (IRB) if you are conducting academic research or inquiry involving human subjects. That step usually comes after getting the approval of your professor or chair, as she will have to sign off on IRB proposal forms.
Conduct your research study as approved, and write up your results. The final report should tie the pieces of your research topic together, and display your contribution to the scholarly conversation.