Research proposal template
A research proposal with background, questions, method, timeline and references.
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Your program's format comes first
Graduate programs, grant sponsors and science fairs each have their own proposal outline and page limit. If you were given one, follow its headings in order and use this page to draft the content. Research with human participants usually needs IRB review before data collection starts, and minors need parent consent.
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Research Proposal
| Title | Screen time before bed and sleep quality in middle school students | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Researcher | Jordan Lee | Advisor | Dr. Taylor Kim |
| Affiliation | Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin | ||
| Date | October 10, 2026 | ||
1. Background and significance
Screen time among middle school students keeps rising, and teachers report more students who are tired in first period. Most published work on screens and sleep looks at high school students or adults and at total hours only. There is little data on whether the hour before bed matters more than the total, which is the question parents and schools can act on.
2. Research questions
1. Is total daily screen time related to how long middle school students sleep on school nights?
2. Do students who use a phone or tablet in the hour before bed report lower sleep quality than students who do not, after accounting for total screen time?
3. Method
Participants: about 120 seventh graders at Lakeview Middle School, Austin, TX, with parent consent and student assent.
Data collection: a two-week diary of device screen time (from the phone's own report), bedtime and wake time, plus a short sleep quality questionnaire at the end of each week.
Analysis: compare average sleep hours across screen time groups, then compare sleep quality scores between before-bed users and non-users while controlling for total screen time.
4. Timeline
| Phase | When | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | January 2027 | Literature review, IRB application, diary and questionnaire design |
| Data collection | February to March 2027 | Consent forms, two-week diaries, weekly questionnaires |
| Analysis | April 2027 | Data cleaning and statistical analysis |
| Writing | May 2027 | Draft, advisor review, final report |
5. Expected results
I expect before-bed use to show a stronger link to poor sleep quality than total screen time does. If so, the school could focus its advice on the hour before bed rather than on total hours, which families find easier to follow.
6. References
Alvarez, R., & Chen, M. (2024). Evening device use and sleep duration in early adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health Research, 18(2), 115-127.
Park, S. (2023). Measuring screen time with device reports: A validation study. Behavioral Measurement Quarterly, 9(4), 301-316.
Researcher: Jordan Lee
Advisor: Dr. Taylor Kim
How to use it
Start with the research questions. Write each one as a question that data can answer, one per line, then make the background explain why those questions are worth asking and the method explain how you will answer them. Split the method into participants, data collection and analysis so a reviewer can judge whether it is doable.
The timeline goes in as phase | when | work, one line per phase, and prints as a table between the method and the expected results. References go one per line in whatever citation style your field uses.
Things to watch
Surveys, interviews and experiments with people almost always need review by your institution's IRB before you collect anything, and participants under 18 need a parent's consent. Build that time into the first phase of the timeline.
Calculators that go with this
Frequently asked questions
How many references do I need?
There is no fixed number. Three to five key studies that show what is known and where the gap is are enough for a short proposal. Longer proposals for grants or theses run to dozens.
What if I do not have an advisor yet?
Leave the box empty. The info table and the signature block then show only the researcher.
Can I use this for a science fair project?
Yes. Put your school in the affiliation box and your teacher in the advisor box. Check the fair's own form first, since many require their own.
Is what I type saved anywhere?
No. Everything stays in your browser and nothing is sent to our server. If you refresh the page it is gone, so print, save a PDF or download the DOCX when you are done.