Introduce your research project, as well as your proposal. Provide general, attention-grabbing background information in your introduction that relates to your project. For example, in a project that addresses the increase in computer and smart phone use as it relates to gaming, you might say: "According to a 2010 'Business Week,' the average American child spends nearly 8 hours using a computer during the course of a single day." The introduction should finish up with a rough description of the various sections of your proposal.
Explain the problem and list the goals in your research proposal's "Problem and Goals" section. The problem should relate to some issue relevant to contemporary research on gaming. The list of goals should be succinct statements articulating how you plan to address the problem. For example, your problem statement might read: "Since the advent of mobile computing devices, school-aged children spend more time gaming than they do studying for school." Your list of goals might then include simple statements, such as: "I will discover how many hours the average American child spends gaming versus studying," "I will evaluate proposed solutions to address the rise in poor studying habits" and "I will propose recommendations to parents to address their children's gaming and studying habits."
Outline your proposal's objectives in the "Objectives" section. The objectives act as a blueprint for your proposal by addressing both the focus and purpose of each section. For example, a bulleted list of objectives might include the following: "Provide background information on gaming habits of pre-teens," "Analyze benefits and detriments of gaming in pre-teens," "Evaluate school curricula that include gaming in their scope and sequence" and "Recommend curriculum suggestions for schools regarding the use of gaming in their daily teaching."
Contextualize your research project in other contemporary references and research. This contextualization demonstrates your expertise on the topic, as well as indicates to the readers the originality of the project you detail in the proposal. You might include references to popular magazines, such as "Wired" or "Game Informer," as well as more scholarly journals, such as "Game Studies" or "Games and Culture."
Detail the research strategy you plan to employ as you complete your research project. For example, you might indicate that you will study the behaviors of a group of gamers as they game, or you might interview gamers about their gaming experience after a gaming session. Additionally, you might indicate that you will review, interpret and synthesize popular and academic writing related to the topic of your research project.
Provide a detailed schedule of your research plan that starts from the moment you submit your proposal and ends with the conclusion of your project. Include information concerning gaming observations you plan to make, as well as deadlines for written materials you wish to produce.