WHAT is a CONCEPT PAPER?
A Concept Paper is a summary written by students embarking on research to gather and present
preliminary ideas: to review a field of study, state a research question, identify methods, and indicate the
significance of a line of research, often including a budget and timeline. It tells the reader what the research is,
why it is important and how it will be carried out. Interestingly enough, even Wikipedia defines a concept paper
as a requirement submitted to a university’s graduate program for admission.
A Concept Paper is an outline research proposal which is submitted by a research worker or research
group as a basis for seeking funding.
The purpose of a concept note is twofold:
 to allow a research worker/group to submit a research proposal in summary form for preliminary
assessment and evaluation without the need to prepare a fully-detailed proposal.
 to allow assessors to make a fairly quick judgement on whether concepts are:
- suitable for further consideration
- unacceptable
Why is a concept paper important?
A concept paper can be considered as a research plan. When a student enters a graduate program
with a clear research interest in mind, it helps him/her stay focused in his/her studies. The concept paper enables
the student to choose an adviser at the onset of his/her studies which will help him/her establish a longer
professional relationship with his/her mentor, allow him/her longer time in discussing the direction and future
plans (most probably publication) of his/her research and suits the requirements of his/her courses according to
the demands of his/her research. The best advantage of requiring a concept paper at the onset is that it helps
the student graduate on time, if not earlier.
How long should a concept paper be?
The Concept paper is a brief document. The length of a concept paper varies. It may range from as few as 23 pages to as many as 10-20 pages. Different academic programs have different requirements. The essential
point of the Concept Paper is to explain the importance of a particular research project.
Applicants may use concept papers in any of the following ways:
to interest potential funders
to develop potential solutions or investigations into project ideas
to determine whether a project idea is fundable
to serve as the foundation of a full proposal
What are the Main Elements of a Concept Paper?
Title page — provides a tentative title for the dissertation. The title of the Concept Paper should be a standalone statement that can fully describe the project by summarizing the main idea of the manuscript. The title
should concisely identify the variables being investigated and the relationship among those variables (American
Psychological Association [APA], 2010). Words should serve a useful purpose; avoid words that do not add
substance or words that are misleading. The title of the Concept Paper may become the title of the dissertation.
Statement of the Problem — provides the purpose for the research. This section of the Concept Paper introduces
the problem under investigation, addresses why the researcher wants to investigate this problem, and how the
research findings may help. Supporting documentation, including statistical data if available, should be used
to emphasize the need for this research. This section is one of the most important sections of the Concept Paper;
its serves to gain the reader’s attention and support. You care about the research, but the reader may need
some convincing. The first few sentences of the Concept Paper should intrigue the reader to spike his or her
interest and encourage further reading.
As you begin to write the problem statement of your Concept Paper, consider your research. First consider why
you feel the problem is important. Consider how your study relates to previous work in the field, how you will link
your hypotheses and objectives to theory, and how the hypotheses relate to the research design. Finally,
consider the theoretical and practical implications involved in your research project (APA, 2010). A welldeveloped, concise, and clear problem statement will lay the foundation for a strong Concept Paper and the
dissertation that follows.
Preliminary Literature Review — provides identification of major literature that supports and validates the topic;
focuses on areas that offer support for new research, and offers the student an opportunity to analyze and
synthesize past research in the context of their present problem. For the Concept Paper, the student should
connect their research project to a theoretical model reported in the literature. The most successful research
projects have been based on the research of predecessors, and this section of the Concept Paper provides
enough of a description of previous research to plant seeds in the mind of the reader suggesting more
information is needed. A strong Concept Paper is based on a wide-range literature review that is condensed
into a summary of key points.
Goal Statement — provides a broad or abstract intention, including the research goals and objectives. This part
of the Concept Paper tells the reader “who, what and when” regarding the research goal.
Research Questions — provides a preliminary view of the questions the student will investigate. Questions are
based on theory, past research, experience, and need. These questions will direct the research methodology;
their inclusion in the Concept Paper links the research problem with the methodology. For some, composing
the research questions may be the most difficult part of the research project, or possibly the most difficult aspect
of writing the Concept Paper. The questions will direct everything that will be done; therefore, it is important
that they are accurate and focused to the main research problem. These research questions will specifically
direct the research and the type of analyses conducted, as such their compatibility is essential.
An Abridged Methodology — provides the student’s best idea on how to conduct the research and analyze
the data. The goals and objects identified in previous sections of the Concept Paper should relate to the
research methods described in this section. For the Concept Paper, the methodology is simplified or
summarized, serving as a general outline of the methods that will be employed.
Timeline — provides a range of time for completion of the project, highlighting key elements for each stage of
the project. This element is unique to the Concept Paper and provides the student structure for managing
sections of the project within a realistic time frame.
References — provides references to the material cited in the literature review and elsewhere in the Concept
Paper.
CONCEPT PAPER TEMPLATE
Proposed Title of Research Interest
Area of Study (Field of Specialization)
Background of the Study (What have you read that has had an impact on your thinking about the topic?)
Statement of the Problem (as far as you are aware of, what is the gap of knowledge in your research interest based
on readings/existing literatures? Why does this research need to be conducted?)
Objectives of the Study (What does the study hope to achieve? Give at least three).
Research Locale and Respondents (Where will the study be conducted? Who will be the target respondents?)
Literature Review: (What literature do you intend to review and why?)
Theoretical Framework (What tentative theory/ies will you use in analyzing your material? Why this/these theories?)
Proposed Methods/Procedures (This answers the question: How will you conduct the study?)
References (Please use the APA Style of Citation)
Note: You may use additional sheet/s if necessary. Must be computer-encoded and in A4 sized bond paper.