Writing research recommendations and proposals is one of the most prominent stages concludingscientific research, where theoretical results are translated into practical guidance and future proposals that contribute to developing the cognitive, environmental, or social aspect of the research. Many researchers focus on collecting and analyzing data, but they fall into the trap of repetition or generalization when writing this sensitive part. Recommendations and proposals are not just a formal procedure, but rather serve as a compass that indicates where future efforts can head based on what the researcher has concluded. In this guide, we will review how to write recommendations and proposals professionally, with models and examples, and clarify the fundamental difference between them, so that this formulation reflects a mature expression of the research’s value and quality.

What Are Recommendations in Scientific Research?

Recommendations in scientific research are a practical summary presented by the researcher at the end of their study based on the results they have reached, aiming to guide decision-makers, practitioners, or researchers toward practical steps that can be taken to addressthe study problemor improve a certain reality.

Recommendations are usually written in a direct and clear style, and are built on proven results during the research, which gives them credibility and practical applicability. The areas of recommendation usually include: policy development, program improvement, modification of current practices, or guiding future research.

For example:
In a research on students’ weak achievement in mathematics, one of the recommendations could be:
“It is recommended that the Ministry of Education redesign the curricula to include practical activities that develop computational thinking among middle school students”.

So, recommendations represent what “should be implemented” as a result of what the research revealed.

What Are Research Proposals?

Research proposals are insights and recommendations presented by the researcher at the conclusion of their study, through which they propose ideas or future research directions that complete what was not expanded upon within the current study. Research proposals often stem from the limitations of the research, or from gaps that were not covered, or from new questions raised by the study’s results.

Unlike recommendations that are directed at practical application, proposals are aimed at other researchers, with the aim of stimulating subsequent studies in the same field or in related fields.

For example:
In a study that addressed the impact of vocational training on the performance of high school teachers, one of the research proposals could be:
“The researcher suggests conducting a similar study targeting elementary school teachers to compare the differences in the impact of training between different educational stages”.

Proposals are usually written in the form “The researcher suggests…” or “It is proposed in the future…”, and express the researcher’s awareness of the breadth of their research field and its need for further study.

The Difference Between Recommendations and Proposals

Although recommendations and proposals are mentioned together in the conclusion of most scientific research, there is a clear difference between them in terms of purpose, language used, and target audience. Clarifying this difference helps the researcher to formulate each of them accurately and prevents confusion or repetition of meanings.

The Differences Between Recommendations and Proposals in Scientific Research:

This distinction is very important in academic writing, and shows the researcher’s maturity and ability to think about the theoretical and practical dimensions of their research.

Steps for Writing Recommendations in Scientific Research

Formulating recommendations scientifically requires the researcher to go through several organized steps, to ensure that these recommendations are actually related to the study’s results, realistic, and executable. Here are the main steps that are recommended to be followed:

1. Review the study results carefully
   Start by reading the results you reached in Chapter Four, and identify the most impactful points or those that can be built upon in the recommendation.

2. Identifying the parties concerned with the recommendations
   Think about who can benefit from the research results (such as: ministry, university, educational institution, practitioners, decision-makers), and direct the recommendation to them clearly.

3. Linking the recommendation to the results
   Each recommendation must be based on a clear result you mentioned in your study. Do not present a general recommendation or one outside the scope of the research.

4. Using professional and clear language
   Recommendations should be written in a firm and direct form such as: “It is recommended to…”, or “It is necessary that the institution…”.

5. Considering realism and applicability
   Avoid proposing exaggerated solutions or non-implementable ones within the local or temporal context of the study.

6. Arranging recommendations by importance
   Start with the most important or most impactful, and they can be divided into: practical, educational, administrative, or research recommendations.

Practical example:
Result: Weak level of achievement among first-year high school students in physics.
Recommendation: “It is recommended that the Ministry of Education reconsider the methods of teaching physics in high school, and intensify practical training in laboratories to enhance the practical understanding of students.”

Steps for Writing Research Proposals

Writing research proposals is a necessary step to connect what the researcher has accomplished in their study with what can be built upon in the future from more in-depth or extended research. These proposals express the researcher’s awareness of the limitations of their research, and their realization of the research opportunities that still need to be explored.

To Formulate Effective Research Proposals, Follow the Following Steps:

1. Identifying research gaps
   Reviewprevious studies, the limitations of your study, and your results to identify the areas or aspects that were not addressed sufficiently, which represent opportunities for subsequent research.

2. Building the proposal on a result or observation
   Choose an exciting result or an aspect that was not fully resolved in your study, and formulate it as a proposal that can be researched in the future.

3. Clarifying the proposed objective
   Briefly explain the purpose of the proposal, such as developing a tool, studying the impact of a new variable, or comparing different categories.

4. Using appropriate proposal language
   Use phrases such as: “The researcher proposes”, or “It is proposed in the future”, or “The proposal is that future studies should address…”

5. Not deviating from the specialization framework
   Ensure that the research proposal is logically related to the study problem or field of specialization, and is not a general proposal outside the scope of the topic.

6. Providing practical examples
   When possible, clarify a specific proposal with measurable variables.

Practical example:
“The researcher proposes conducting a comparative study to measure the effectiveness of e-learning versus face-to-face education in high school, focusing on gender differences in academic achievement.”

Specifications of Good Recommendations and Proposals

Not every recommendation or proposal is necessarily strong or valuable, as it requires skill in formulation and a deep understanding of the study results and context. Below is a set of specifications that should be present in good research recommendations and proposals:

1. Direct connection to research results
   General recommendations or proposals outside the scope of the study will not be accepted. Each item must be based on documented analysis or observation within the research results.

2. Clarity and precision in formulation
   The recommendation or proposal sentence should be written in understandable language, free from complexity, and specific in objective.

3. Applicability (in the case of recommendations)
   Recommendations should preferably be implementable, whether at the institutional, policy, program, or field practice level.

4. Realism and relevance
   Exaggeration or proposing solutions that exceed available resources or are outside the temporal and environmental context of the study field should be avoided.

5. Orientation towards a specific category
   It is preferable that the recommendation be directed to a specific entity: such as teachers, administrators, government agencies, researchers, etc.

6. Methodical presentation
   Arranging recommendations and proposals according to importance or logical order reflects academic maturity in organization.

7. Balance in the number of recommendations and proposals
   Excessive proliferation is not preferred, nor is limiting to one recommendation or proposal. Usually, 3-6 recommendations and a similar number of proposals are recommended, depending on the nature of the research.

Example of a good recommendation:
It is recommended to prepare specialized training programs for mathematics teachers that include strategies for teaching critical thinking to high school students.

Example of a good research proposal:
The researcher proposes conducting a qualitative study to explore teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of modern assessment methods in distance education.

Examples of Ready-made Research Recommendations and Proposals

To master writing research recommendations and proposals, it is useful to review practical real-world models that illustrate the differences between the two types, and highlight how to formulate them in an effective academic style.

First: Research Recommendation Models

Recommendation in an educational research:
It is recommended to include training units on self-learning skills within the high school curriculum to enhance students’ ability to take responsibility for their learning.

Recommendation in an administrative research:
It is recommended that human resources managers adopt flexible performance evaluation systems based on behavioral analysis of employees, not just on quantitative achievement indicators.

Recommendation in a technical research:
It is recommended that developers use predictive artificial intelligence techniques to improve the accuracy of cybersecurity systems in financial institutions.

Second: Research Proposal Models

Proposal in the educational field:
The researcher proposes conducting a comparative study on the impact of project-based teaching versus traditional education on developing creative thinking among middle school students.

Proposal in the administrative field:
It is proposed to study the impact of hybrid work systems on employee productivity in startups over the next five years.

Proposal in the medical field:
The researcher proposes conducting future experiments to test the effectiveness of a new treatment protocol for chronic depression using virtual reality sessions.

Presenting such models guides the researcher to understand the most appropriate way of formulation, choose the correct terminology, and connect what is written to the context of their study.

Common Mistakes in Writing Recommendations and Proposals

Many researchers – especially in postgraduate studies – make repeated mistakes when formulating recommendations and proposals, which reduces their credibility or makes them without practical value. Below are the most prominent of these mistakes that should be avoided:

1. Literal repetition of research results
   Converting search results into recommendations requires rephrasing and linking the result to the expected practical action, not just restating the result in different words.

2. Using general and vague phrases
   For example: ‘Education level should be improved,’ or ‘Further studies are suggested,’ without specifying what needs to be improved, how, and why.

3. Not addressing a specific party
   A recommendation that doesn’t target a specific group or party loses its value and becomes difficult to implement or hold anyone accountable for.

4. Ignoring the relationship between the recommendation or proposal and the results
   Every recommendation or proposal should be justified by a study result or based on a clear gap identified.

5. Formulating recommendations in vague or conditional terms
   For example: ‘It might be better if…’ or ‘It could be useful…’. It’s better to use a firm and direct form: ‘It is recommended to…’.

6. Exaggeration or recommending unrealistic things
   For example: ‘It is recommended to restructure the entire education system,’ while the scope of the research does not exceed a single case study.

7. Providing unbalanced recommendations and proposals
   Either being satisfied with only one recommendation, or listing dozens of recommendations and proposals without logical order or sequence of importance.

8. Merging recommendations and proposals in one paragraph
   Despite the similarity in context, recommendations and proposals serve different purposes, and it’s preferable to separate them in presentation and formulation.

Avoiding these mistakes reflects the researcher’s awareness and gives their research strong concluding value that adds high scientific and practical importance.

Professional Tips for Writing Effective Recommendations

To maximize the benefit of the concluding section in the research, the researcher should formulate recommendations that achieve a balance between scientific accuracy, practical clarity, and applicability. Here is a set of professional tips:

1. Link each recommendation to a clear result
   Don’t write a recommendation unless it stems from a documented result in the study, and it’s preferable to implicitly refer to the result within the recommendation to strengthen the context.

2. Use professional direct language
   Start the recommendation with a clear verb like: ‘It is recommended to…’, ‘It is important that the relevant party…’, and avoid vague or rhetorical phrases.

3. Make the recommendation applicable
   When formulating, think: Can what I recommend be implemented in reality? Are there capabilities, policies, or resources available in the target environment?

4. Direct the recommendation to a specific party
   Clearly identify who the relevant party is (for example: Ministry of Education, school leaders, future researchers), as this gives the recommendation weight and a direct purpose.

5. Don’t overdo the number of recommendations
   Choose the most important and most related to your results, and ensure balance and diversity in the recommendations (administrative, practical, educational, etc.).

6. Make the recommendations diverse in scope
   Provide short-term recommendations that can be implemented immediately, and long-term ones that represent long-term development.

7. Review style and grammar carefully
   A recommendation written in an unclear style or with grammatical errors may weaken the credibility of the entire message.

Professional recommendation example:
Saudi universities are recommended to adopt a comprehensive electronic training model to qualify faculty members on interactive teaching strategies, in line with the digital transformation in higher education.

How Do We Support Researchers in Writing Recommendations and Proposals?

Idea Study for Research and Development company recognizes that research recommendations and proposals are not just a concluding paragraph, but are one of the basic indicators that show the researcher’s awareness of the impact of their study and the possibilities of developing the scientific field. For this reason, the company offers specialized and targeted services for researchers who want to formulate professional and carefully studied recommendations and proposals.

Our Services Include:

1. Formulating accurate recommendations and proposals based on scientific research results, in professional academic language.

2. Reviewing the researcher’s current recommendations and developing them to become clearer, more realistic, and executable.

3. Preparing customized recommendation models according to the scientific field (educational, administrative, medical, technical, etc.).

4. Supporting researchers in understanding the differences between recommendations and proposals and how to present each of them independently.

5. Providing methodological consultations on how to link results to recommendations without falling into repetition or deviating from the research context.

6. Providing the researcher with a structured version of recommendations and proposals in Word or PDF format ready for direct use within the thesis or publication.

Do you need support in writing your research recommendations?
Contact the ‘Idea Study’ team to get a professional service that helps you complete your scientific thesis with high quality.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Writing Research Recommendations and Suggestions

Below is a collection of common questions researchers ask when reaching the stage of writing recommendations and suggestions in their research, with concise and accurate answers:

1. What is the minimum number of recommendations and suggestions in research?
   There is no fixed number, but 3-5 recommendations and a similar number of suggestions are often recommended. The most important thing is that they are related to the study’s results and not just filler.

2. Is it required that each recommendation directly result from a finding?
   Yes, a good recommendation should be based on a proven finding. As for suggestions, they may be built on the limitations of the study or gaps in previous literature.

3. Can recommendations from previous research be quoted?
   Quoting is possible if the recommendation aligns with your research results, but it is always preferable that your recommendations stem from your own study.

4. What is the difference between a general recommendation and a practical one?
   A general recommendation is directed toward a conceptual or philosophical framework, while a practical recommendation is specific to an implementing entity or a direct practical procedure.

5. Can recommendations and suggestions be combined in one paragraph?
   It is preferable to separate them into paragraphs or subheadings, as each has a different goal and audience. Combining them weakens the clarity of the message.

6. Does the formulation of recommendations differ according to the type of research?
   Yes. In quantitative research, recommendations tend to be direct and measurable, while in qualitative research, they are more flexible and may be based on in-depth analytical insights.

7. What is the best time to write recommendations?
   It is recommended to write them after completing the formulation of the research results and their full discussion, as this ensures a precise link between the results and the recommendations.

Conclusion

Research recommendations and suggestions constitute an important core in building the practical and scientific impact of the research, as the benefit of the study is not complete unless its results are translated into executable steps or through which new horizons are opened for researchers in the future. Understanding the difference between recommendations and suggestions, and the ability to formulate them professionally, reflect the maturity of the academic researcher and the extent of their understanding of the role of science in developing society and the knowledge field.

Whether you are a master’s student, a doctoral researcher, or preparing a paper for publication, ensure that your recommendations are targeted and clear, and your suggestions are logical and scalable, to add real value to your academic effort.

And if you need professional support, the company ‘Idea Study for Research and Development’ places at your disposal a elite team of academic experts to help you in this important phase of your research, from review to formulating recommendations and suggestions suitable for publication or university approval.