Concept Paper

Concept Paper

What do you understand by the word concept? Let us look at two ways in which the term concept is commonly used: –

• A concept is generally an idea that is formed in the mind, or an abstraction or
• A concept is one of the abstract elements that are used in constructing and building up a theory in a given field of study.

Of course, a concept can only be relevant if it is communicated effectively to the audience by the originator of the concept. There are several ways in which a concept can be communicated. These include presenting a research project, writing a research paper, presenting a dissertation, and writing a proposal for funding a project. You can also draw the attention of your audience to your ideas through writing a concept paper or writing a concept note. But what is a concept paper? How different is it from a concept note? In most cases, you will write a concept paper just before undertaking a research project and you will write a concept note before writing and submitting a full proposal for funding. Therefore, you may write a concept paper: –

1. Just before you initiate your research project.
2. As a basis for your doctoral degree.

• As an academic requirement.

A concept note is written: –

1. Before submitting a full proposal after a call for proposals is advertised.
2. Requesting for funds to support your dissertation.

• In advance as you look for donors to support a particular project. In this case, you sell the idea you have in mind through writing a concept note and thereafter ask for financial support.

What is a concept paper?

This is a document that a researcher writes to explain what kind of research is going to be done, why the research project is being undertaken, and how it is going to be conducted or carried out. The concept paper is the same as a research proposal. It is written before commencing your research. Although there is no definite structure for the concept paper, the following parts must be evident in the write up: –

• Brief introduction.
• Aim or purpose.
• Research question you intend to answer stating goals and objectives.
• Key features of the research or project description.
• Data to be collected or methodology of research.
• Benefits and expected outcomes.
• Contact or administrative information.

Additionally, more parts or a specific format of the concept paper may be required, depending on the instructions given for the concept paper. It is important to note that the concept paper is a formal write up and you will need to make proper referencing and citations, and present quality writing. In case you are not sure of how to write a good concept paper, you can request for writing services from professional writers at the website essaytutors.com or browse the internet for more writing services.

What is the purpose of a concept paper?

When you plan to carry out a research on a given subject, you will purposefully write a concept paper in order to convince your lecturer or research supervisor that the research you are about to conduct is worth doing it, and should be considered as a fulfillment of your academic work. You will use it to lay out the reasons why your project should receive grants in case you need funds for your dissertation. When writing a concept paper, it is also good to directly state the purpose of the paper for example ‘the purpose of this concept paper is to discuss the impact of COVID – 19 on the labor force in the organization’, or ‘in this paper, we shall evaluate the effects of chemical pesticides on the growth of mushrooms on the farm’. The concept paper will also help your lecturer to give proper guidance and make an input before the research is done. At the end of it all, the concept paper should have addressed the following: –

• What the research project is all about.
• Why it is important and its contribution to the body of knowledge.
• How the research is going to be done, or the methodology of the research project.

Generally the concept paper should solve a specific problem by providing innovative ideas and giving further insight in research and development.

What is a concept note in research?

In research, a concept note is a brief summary of a proposal written to a prospective donor or a funding agency requesting for funds to support and conduct your intended research. The donor can be the institution, a well-wisher or a finance program. In some cases, the concept note is submitted in a specific format and predetermined standard. You should provide a budget overview to convince the donor that funding your research project is significant. The following information should be shown in the concept note: –

• Name and administrative details of organization or individual researcher.
• Title of proposed research project.
• Rationale for the research project.
• Goals or objectives of the research.
• Research design.
• Expected results or outcomes.
• Innovations showing how different your research project is from the previous research.
• Beneficiaries of the research project.
• Budget estimates of the research.
• Contacts of the donor or funding agency.

The concept note is written and submitted before the research project is undertaken.

 How many parts does a concept paper have?

The number of parts in a research concept paper is not static. They will vary according to the instructions of the research paper.  The concept paper, however, must have the following parts: –

Project title: – the title should be catchy and attract the attention of the reader to the variable being investigated. It can be in a question form related or aligned to the research question. It should be a complete sentence that gives a description of the research and can stand out on its own.

Brief introduction: – a clear description of the topic should be outlined. Background information of the problem should be stated showing gaps in previous research that will be addressed and suggesting solutions. It is important to highlight existing literature on the problem in the introduction.

Research question: – the question to be answered by the research project must be stated precisely and concisely.

Why this research: – the aim and significance of the research should be stated showing what it will add to the body of knowledge, and innovations that will be achieved by the research.

Methodology of research: – How are the research questions going to be answered? A description of the data to be collected and how it will be used to give answers to the research question must be given here. The method of collecting and analyzing data will be determined by the researcher, and should lead to providing answers to each research question. For example, you can use questionnaires as a method or tool for collecting data. The questionnaire must be geared towards providing empirical data that will be used to answer the research questions. The analytical use of descriptive or inferential statistics should be shown here.

Benefits and timelines: – the benefits and milestones of the research and its value addition to the body of knowledge must be stated. You should also show where and when the research will be conducted and possibly published.

Administrative details of investigator will be indicated on the cover page.

 How to write a concept paper for a grant.

Writing a concept paper for a grant is meant to convince the donor to consider funding the project. However, the concept paper expresses the ideas you have first, engaging the prospective donor into a discussion before writing a full proposal for funding. The concept paper for a grant and the concept note serve the same purpose. The following aspects should be evident in the paper: –

Purpose: – the reasons for requesting for funding must be stated clearly and must be in line with the requirements and instructions from the donor. From the donor’s point of view, the concept paper will help in eliminating unlikely recipient of funds and therefore, the donor will deal with competitive proposals only.

Project description: – outline the unique features of the project stating your aims and objectives. Describe the beneficiaries of the project and discern its significance. Support your work with statistical data.

Methodology: – show how the project will be carried out with new techniques and innovations. Give timelines for accomplishment.

Budget overview: – provide projected costs for different sections of the project that need to be funded.

Contact information: – addresses, emails or telephone numbers of contact persons should be provided most preferably on the cover page.

Some donors provide a concept note template to be followed. You may also require writing services from professional writers to be assured of quality concept note and proposal writing. You are requested to visit the website essaytutors.com for these services and other client support services.

What is a concept analysis nursing paper?

This is a paper that shows an intended analysis of a medical issue or condition by a nursing researcher. Concept analysis involves examining the structure and functioning of a particular concept that is applied in the treatment of a certain medical condition. Therefore, a concept analysis nursing paper is a research paper written by a nursing student so as to identify and study a specific nursing concept in detail, and distinguish its antecedents and consequences. Mental health concepts in issues like stress, caring, pain, burnout, autonomy, pregnancy and many others are ideal in nursing concept analysis studies. The paper makes the student to be deeply familiar with the concept, identifying the key characteristics and attributes of the concept and hence develop innovative ideas in nursing research. After choosing a concept that you will research on, you should do a lot of review of literature related to the concept in order to model a solution to the problem you wish to analyze and solve. The nursing concept analysis generally follows the steps outlined below: –

• Select a concept guided by the instructions given.
• Determine the purpose of the concept analysis that you will undertake.
• Explore all the applications and practices of the concept in nursing.
• Conduct a literature review establishing what other people have done previously related to the concept.
• Find the characteristics of the concept.
• Identify the model case.
• Identify alternative cases.
• Identify the antecedents and consequences.
• Define the empirical referents or statistical data related to the concept.
• Construct research instruments.
• Design the paper in the structure and format required.

The aim of a concept analysis nursing research paper includes the following:

• To distinguish the concept under research from other similar concepts
• To determine the internal structure or constructs of the concept
• To refine ambiguous concepts that build up a theory. Note that a theory is constructed using concepts hence the concepts must be perfect in structure and must be clearly defined.
• To make clear vague, confusing and overused concepts.
• To enhance validity of a concept constructs of a theory.
• To develop good critical thinking values and analytical practices in nursing.

The concept analysis nursing research paper follows a standard nursing language endowed with clear nursing terms. The paper, therefore, can also be used in developing a standardized nursing language and clarifying nursing terms.

What is a conceptual paper in research?

To conceptualize means forming an idea in your mind or interpreting a phenomenon through forming concepts. Therefore, a conceptual paper is a theoretical paper that is based on concepts that you have developed in a particular field of study supported by data, evidence and findings from previous research. Consequently, a conceptual paper does not present original data but presents an original concept. The researcher uses data from previous studies conducted by other people. The new concept synthesizes knowledge from previous work on a particular topic and presents it in a new context founded by the researcher. The works by other people will provide you with a foundation for conducting new research that will fill the knowledge gaps that you have ascertained from previous research findings. The conceptual paper leads to the concept paper that precedes the research you are going to do. The research is the ultimate product of the conceptual paper. Therefore, Conceptual papers: –

• Are necessary in constructing and building concepts and theories.
• Modify existing theories with new knowledge and technologies.
• Expand and broaden our thinking abilities.
• Provide insights and links between different disciplines of knowledge.

A conceptual paper in research, with all intent, is part of the process of improving and developing new knowledge. The research design of a conceptual paper can be in the form of theory synthesis, theory adaptation, typology or model. Through a carefully crafted conceptual paper, knowledge is advanced, a concept or phenomenon is clearly understood and milestones are achieved. It may not be easy to conceptualize and ultimately write a quality conceptual paper without getting support from professional writers. You can easily get these writing services on the internet when you visit the website essaytutors.com.

Why write a concept paper

The main reason for writing a concept paper is to prepare and initiate the research process necessary for a doctorate degree, or to give a brief summary of an intended research just before conducting the research project. This helps to build confidence in the proposed research and lays a foundation for proper planning and financing of the project. In the case of proposal writing, the concept note is written as a precursor of the proposal thereby starting off a discussion that leads to a full proposal. Writing of the full proposal is enhanced by the concept paper.

How can concept paper help our society?

The concept paper can help our society by empowering people to get involved in research and development of the community. It will create awareness in the society and call for community participation in the planned research project, or proposal writing for community development through project funding. The concept could be written with the aim of alleviating a community problem and hence provide solutions to the problem. Such an activity is beneficial to the society, and the readiness with which the community responds to the concept paper issues will heighten the level of ownership of the project by the community and the society at large. The livelihood of the people will grow when they own up community projects.

What are the main elements of a research concept paper?

The concept paper must answer the questions what, why and how of the research to be conducted. The claims proposed by the researcher must be clearly expressed in the introduction and the problem statement of the research concept paper. Ultimately, the paper must display its vision, scope of research, target group, timeline and milestones of the research. These are the main elements of the research concept paper.

What is the nature of a concept paper?

A concept paper is argumentative in nature. The researcher will put forth a claim, provide evidence to support the ground and hence make presuppositions that link grounds to the claim under research. Consequently, the concept paper should lay grounds for bringing in new knowledge. It should cover at most three pages of writing with double spacing.

What is a proof of concept paper?

Proof of concept is a study that is carried out to ascertain whether the answer to a research question or concept is viable and worth pursuing it further or not. A proof of concept paper, therefore, is a research paper that describes: –

• The feasibility of a concept to determine the possibility of its advancement.
• The potential viability of new concept or product of research.
• How expected results of a research have been achieved and can be relied on for further development.
• How the concept has been evaluated and that it has proved to be a reliable milestone.
• That the concept really works as envisioned in the research paper.

Proof of a concept, therefore, will suggest further developments after a successful determination process that has approved the idea and can now turn it into a reality. The proof of concept is also similar to the proof of principle. A successful proof of concept will allow the new concept to be constructed further into a theory. In business studies for example, proof of concept will bring new products on the market after a successful research and development process. For you to write a quality proof of concept paper, you can engage the writing services of professional writers at the website address essaytutors.com. on the internet.