Research Proposal (plus Ethical Statement Form, as appropriate): The Research Proposal is designed to advance the aims and objectives of your project, namely the methodology and data you will be assessing. Think of it as a plan of action for the rest of course, but bear in mind that often plans don’t work out exactly as hoped. Be open to the idea that your final project might result in something quite different from your proposal. If this happens, don’t worry, you won’t be penalised; but it is worth making your proposal as clear, realistic and detailed as possible so that you have a comprehensive plan not only to guide you, but also to see where you might end up diverging from it.