Writing a Research Brief

Suggested check list of details to include in your research brief:

Introductory statement - A concise
(one or two sentence) statement of
the overall purpose of the research.

Background - Relevant facts,
history, circumstances related to the
research.

Previous research - Relevant
research information that already
exists. Appropriate findings should
be given in summary form or made
available where possible. Consider
primary research, secondary
research and any information
available in the public domain.

Need for research - Provide a
specific statement of why research
is needed and how findings will be
used.

Research objectives - This is the
most important part of the brief and
should detail the questions that need
to be answered and the issues that
need to be explored. They should
be clear and realistic and avoid
including information that is ‘nice
to know’ but has no real purpose.

Target audience - The brief needs to
be as specific as possible about who
the research should include as it can
be the main determinant of the
consultant’s research solution and
costs.

Reporting - What level of reporting
is required? How do you want
results presented - computer tables,
written report, presentation etc.

Budget - State the amount of
money available for the research
and indicate whether this is
inclusive/exclusive of VAT..
Particularly in the case of an open
brief, withholding the budget may
result in consultant costings that
cannot be usefully compared. A
budget provides parameters for
consultants and ensures they only
propose what is realistic.

Timeline - Provide a detailed
timeline which specifies dates for
all project stages from brief date to
final reporting.

Expectations of proposal/selection
criteria - Outline in separate
sections what proposals must
include and how proposals will be
assessed