CONCEPT PAPER – generally it is a summary of everything related to your proposed project or topic.
It indicates what the project is all about; why it is important and how and when you plan to conduct your project.
These are just summaries of your research project. They are usually short and no longer than 5 pages, however for big
research projects, concept papers can reach reach up to more than 20 pages.
GENERALIZED STRUCTURE OF A CONCEPT PAPER THAT CAN BE FOUND IN ANY TYPE OF
CONCEPT PAPER
1. TITLE - summary of the main topic of your research. What is your research all about?
Simple words – so that people can easily understand the project without reading the entire paper.
2. INTRODUCTION – Brief background of your research (3-5 paragraphs)
It should give the reader a brief background of the research topic and state the main objective that your project aims to
achieve. This section should also include a short overview of the benefits of the research project to persuade the reader
to acknowledge the need for the project.
3. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY – the benefits and value of your study (3-5 paragraphs)
It this should be written in a way that convinces the readers of the need to address the existing problem or gap,
research gap,[1] in knowledge that the research project aims to resolve in this section you have to go into more detail
about the benefits and value of your project for the target audience.
4. PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW – features related studies and paper (5 paragraphs)
This section features related studies and papers that will support your research topic. Use this section to analyze the
results and methodologies of the previous research or studies and address any gaps in knowledge or questions that
your research project aims to answer. You may also use the data to assert the importance of conducting your research.
5. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY – what your research aims to achieve. (1 paragraph statement and research
objective should be written in bullet form)
The objectives should be able to indicate the direction of the study for both the reader and the researcher as with other
elements in the paper the objectives should be specific and clearly defined.
6. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES [2] – Questions your research wants to answer and the possible
hypothesis for each question. (1-paragraph brief description of your hypotheses and research questions. Research
questions must be written in bullet form)
Gather the research questions and equivalent research hypotheses you formulated in the earlier step and list them
down in this section.
7. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY – How you plan to conduct your research. (3-5 paragraphs)
In this section you would be able to guide the reader through the process of how you will conduct the research project.
Make sure to state the purpose for each process as well as the type of data to be collected and the target population.
8. PROPOSED RESEARCH TIMELINE – the proposed time frame to complete each element of your study.
Depends on the nature of your research project. The length of the entire process can vary significantly. What is
important is that you can provide a reasonable and achievable timeline for your project.
9. REFERENCES – Citation of sources used in your paper
ensure that you give credit to all the authors of the sources you used in your paper depending on your area of study of
the instructions of your professor. You may need to use a certain style of citation.
Footnote:
[1]
Research Gap - it is an unexplored or underexplored area of research that has scope for further investigation. (Qureshi, 2023)
[2]
Research hypothesis (or scientific hypothesis) – (1) is a statement about the expected outcome of a study, based on known facts but not yet
tested (Jansen, 2023). (2) a statement that can be tested by scientific research (McCombes, 2023).
REFERENCE:
Educational Hub. (2022, February 12). How To Write a Concept Paper for Academic Research l Structure
of a Concept Paper l step by step [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=aRiUTMn6qu0
Jansen, D. (2023, June 13). What is a research hypothesis (Or scientific hypothesis)? Grad Coach.
https://gradcoach.com/what-is-a-research-hypothesis-or-scientific-hypothesis/
McCombes, S. (2023, November 20). How to write a strong hypothesis | Steps & Examples. Scribbr.
https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/hypothesis/
Qureshi, F. (2023, February 14). Don't know where to start? 6 Tips on identifying research gaps. Editage
Insights. https://www.editage.com/insights/dont-know-where-to-start-6-tips-on-identifying-research-
gaps
