FYP Proposal 點寫：4 段 workflow 由 background 推到 research question

本文由 UniWriterPro 學術規例研究組 verify · Last updated: 2026-08-26 · 本文係按 HKUST CSE FYP guide、PolyU ELC FYP guide、CUHK 崇基 GECC3130 Proposal Guidelines、HKU Graduate School Faculty proposal requirements 逐條解讀。冇公開文件嘅位一律標「搵唔到官方文件」，唔搬其他學校套用。

目錄

• Proposal 唔係「交嚟過關」，係之後半年嘅 foundation
• Segment 1：Research Background — 由大範圍收窄到你要處理嘅位
• Segment 2：Research Gap — 由現有 literature 逼出嚟
• Segment 3：Research Question — 由 gap 直接對應返一條可答嘅問題
• Segment 4：Methodology — 由 question 反推點答
• 4 段之間最常斷嘅位
• FAQ

Proposal 唔係「交嚟過關」，係之後半年嘅 foundation

好多同學諗 fyp proposal 點寫嘅時候，focus 喺「supervisor 要幾多字」、「格式跟邊份 template」。呢個角度錯咗。Proposal 真正嘅作用，HKUST Computer Science and Engineering 講得好直接：

For most FYPs and FYTs, the proposal is the first main deliverable item. It sets the direction of your project and becomes the foundation for your progress report.

HKUST CSE — FYP Proposal

換句話講，proposal 寫得散，之後嘅 literature review、data collection、result chapter 全部要重新對齊；proposal 寫得緊，後面每個 chapter 都有一條清晰嘅 thread 拉住。分別唔係 marker 畀幾多分，係你之後半年做嘢有冇方向。

Proposal 嘅核心結構係 4 段：research background → research gap → research question → methodology。呢 4 段之間有一條 推導邏輯 chain：每段都必須由上一段直接推出嚟。如果 gap 唔係由 background 逼出嚟、question 唔係由 gap 對應返、method 唔係由 question 反推，成份 proposal 就會散——marker 睇到嘅係「4 段獨立嘅段落」而唔係「一條 argument」。

如果你未 confirm 過個 topic 本身做唔做得，建議先睇返 FYP 題目點揀？交 proposal 前 10 分鐘可行性檢查。過咗 6 項可行性檢查先落筆寫 proposal，唔會蝕重寫時間。

都可以直接交俾我哋幫你做proposal：FYP / Final Year Project 全程支援

好擔心你份 FYP? 即時睇吓每一 part 點做：FYP 研究方法點揀、Literature Review 點先展示到你嘅 critical engagement? 、FYP Discussion 點先展示到 interpretation?、SPSS 結果論文點寫、論文剩返兩個禮拜？即睇點應對

Segment 1：Research Background — 由大範圍收窄到你要處理嘅位

PolyU English Language Centre 對 Introduction chapter 列出咗 11 項元素，第一項就係 background：

Give background information about the topic / Refer to the important findings of other researchers / Identify the need for further investigation / Indicate your plans for further investigation / State your hypothesis/research questions / State your aim / State your objectives / Indicate the scope of your study, i.e. the width versus the depth of your research / Refer to any limitations of your study / Give a definition of key terms / Outline the content of each chapter

PolyU ELC — FYP Introduction

Research background 呢段唔係「講返個 topic 有幾重要」（好多同學一開頭就寫「In recent years, XXX has become increasingly important…」——呢類 opening 對 marker 嚟講係 zero signal）。呢段真正嘅任務係 做一個 funnel：由 broad context 收窄落去到你 proposal 要處理嘅具體位。

Funnel 三層寫法：

• 層 1（廣）：所屬 field 嘅 big picture。例如「香港 fintech 由 2020 增長速度」、「social media adoption 在青少年群體嘅普及」。1–2 句，一定要有 concrete data／trend，唔係空口講「becoming important」。
• 層 2（中）：呢個 field 裡面，最近 3–5 年 researcher 集中處理邊幾條 question。例如「近期 literature 集中喺 mobile trading app 對投資決策嘅影響」、「近期研究集中喺 Instagram usage 同 body image 嘅 correlation」。呢層等於畫低你嘅 subfield boundary。
• 層 3（窄）：喺 subfield 入面，有一個具體位仲未有人做／做得未夠。呢個位就係下一段 research gap 嘅 setup。

Marker 喺呢段睇邊個 signal：由層 1 讀到層 3，讀者應該可以講出「呢個 proposal 要處理嘅具體位喺邊」。如果讀完成段 background 都仲係 broad context，marker 會直接寫「narrow the scope」。呢個 comment 出現，代表 funnel 冇 land 到具體位——層 3 缺失。

層 2 嘅 literature 引用，唔需要 exhaustive review（呢個係之後 literature review chapter 嘅嘢），但至少要引 3–5 篇最近 3–5 年、直接相關嘅 paper，show 你有 map 過個 subfield。引用格式對返你 department 要求（APA 7、Harvard、Chicago 等），搵唔到官方文件講明就直接問 supervisor。

Segment 2：Research Gap — 由現有 literature 逼出嚟

Research gap 呢段係 4 段裡面最多同學處理錯嘅位。錯法通常兩種：

• 錯法 A：直接寫「There is a gap in the literature about X」，冇 evidence，冇 citation，等於空口講。
• 錯法 B：寫「No one has studied X in Hong Kong context」，但完全冇 verify 過。呢句一寫，marker 隨手搜下 Google Scholar 就搵到有人做過，proposal 直接被打回頭。

Gap 呢段嘅正確寫法，係 由 background 段層 2 引用嘅 literature 直接逼出嚟。做法：對 background 引嘅 3–5 篇 paper，逐篇問一次「呢篇處理咗咩、冇處理咩」。三個常見 gap type：

• Population gap：現有 literature 主要研究 population A（例如美國大學生、跨國 corporate），未 cover population B（例如香港 Year 2–3 undergraduate）。
• Time gap：現有 literature 主要係 pandemic 前嘅 data／某個 policy 前嘅 data，policy 變咗之後未有更新研究。
• Method gap：現有 literature 主要係 quantitative survey，未有 qualitative in-depth understanding；或者反過嚟。

SNHU Shapiro Library 對 research gap 定義得幾準：

A research gap is a question or a problem that has not been answered by any of the existing studies or research within your field.

SNHU Shapiro Library — What is a research gap

意思係 gap 唔係「我覺得應該有人研究呢個」，係「有一條具體 question／problem，現有 literature 冇 answer」。所以 gap 段寫法有一個 template：

• 「Study A (Author, Year) examined X in population P1.」
• 「Study B (Author, Year) extended this to population P2, but focused only on variable V1.」
• 「However, the relationship between V1 and V2 in population P3 remains unexamined.」

三句下來，marker 見到你唔係嗌口號，而係由具體引用逼出一個具體嘅未答問題。

Marker 喺呢段睇邊個 signal：gap statement 有冇 citation 支撐。冇 citation 嘅 gap = 空口 gap = marker 唔認。呢個係最常見嘅 rewrite comment：「support your claim with literature」。

Segment 3：Research Question — 由 gap 直接對應返一條可答嘅問題

Research question 段嘅唯一任務：將上一段嘅 gap 翻譯成一條你可以喺 undergraduate FYP timeline / resource 之內答到嘅具體 question。

CUHK 崇基書院 GECC3130 對呢層嘅要求好直接：

To begin a study, you must have an unambiguous research question. Choosing a subject matter for investigation does not mean that you already have a research problem. A phenomenon can be studied in many ways for addressing different questions. Therefore, you need to narrow down your research focus to a particular problem in the proposal.

CUHK 崇基 — GECC3130 Proposal Guidelines

「Unambiguous」呢個字係 key。PolyU ELC 用其他字表達同一件事：

A strong research question should be clear, focused, and researchable

PolyU ELC — Final Year Project

三個 criteria 逐個 verify 你 draft 條 research question：

• Clear：句 question 有明確 subject（邊班人）、明確 variable（量緊乜）、明確 relationship（點對照）。「What is the impact of social media on youth?」全部三樣冇——邊班 youth、邊個 platform、乜嘢 impact、點量。
• Focused：只答一件事。「What is the impact of X on Y, and how does Z moderate this relationship, and are there differences between A and B populations?」 = 三條 question 塞埋一齊，undergraduate FYP 唔應該咁 ambitious。拆一條主 question + 最多 2 條 sub-question。
• Researchable：你 physically 可以喺半年入面收到相關 data 去答呢條 question。答唔到就唔係 researchable——呢層等於返返上一篇 6 項 feasibility 檢查嘅 data availability 閘。

好嘅 research question 例子（同時通過 clear / focused / researchable）：

• 「Among Hong Kong Year 2–3 business undergraduates, is there a correlation between weekly hours spent on mobile trading apps and self-reported financial literacy score (measured by the [具體 scale name])?」
• 「Do secondary school students in Hong Kong who use Instagram Reels for more than 2 hours daily report lower body image scores on the [具體 scale name] compared to those using less than 30 minutes daily?」

兩條例子都有：明確 population、明確 variable、明確量度工具（用邊個 scale）、明確 comparison。呢個係 clear 嘅具體 form。

Gap → question 對應返 signal：如果你 gap 段講嘅係「population P3 in HK unexamined」，你 question 段就必須要 explicit 講明 population 係 P3 in HK。Gap 講 method，question 用返個 method。Gap 講 time period，question 錨定返個 period。呢個對應唔到，marker 一睇就見到——「the research question does not address the gap identified」係 marker 最常寫嘅 comment 之一。

Segment 4：Methodology — 由 question 反推點答

Methodology 段最常見嘅錯：寫成 method textbook 講義。同學花咗一大 page 講「什麼是 regression analysis」、「什麼是 thematic analysis」，冇講返自己個 study 具體點做。呢類寫法 marker 會寫「reduce textbook content, focus on your own procedures」。

PolyU ELC 對 methodology 段嘅任務講得非常清楚：

Describes the exact procedures carried out to achieve the aim of the project. / Shows a careful and methodical approach to the investigation. / Gives the reader confidence in the study. / Provides sufficient detail for another researcher to replicate the study precisely.

PolyU ELC — FYP Methodology

Keyword 係 「replicate the study precisely」。意思係另一個 researcher 拎住你份 proposal，可唔可以喺唔問你嘅情況下，用返同一個 procedure 做出同一個 study。呢個 replication test 係最好嘅 methodology self-check。

由 research question 反推 methodology 嘅 4 個 sub-block：

• Research design：quantitative / qualitative / mixed methods，同點解揀呢個 design（一定要對應返 question 嘅 nature——問 correlation 用 quantitative，問 lived experience 用 qualitative）。
• Participants / Sample：具體邊班人、幾多個、點 recruit、inclusion / exclusion criteria。「Undergraduate students」係 vague，「Year 2–3 undergraduates from three UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong majoring in business, recruited via departmental mailing list, target n = 150」係 concrete。
• Instruments / Data collection：用邊個 scale、邊份 questionnaire、interview protocol 邊道問題、data 收集 procedure 幾多 phase。如果用現成 scale 要 cite 出處，如果自建要講點 validate。
• Data analysis：用邊個 software（SPSS 30 / R 4.5 / NVivo 15）、跑邊啲 test（Pearson correlation / multiple regression / thematic analysis using Braun & Clarke 6 phases）、點解揀呢啲 test。

Proposal 呢個階段個 methodology 段用嘅時態，PolyU ELC 有一個提醒係 methodology chapter（proposal 階段就要跟嗎，係另一件事）：

The tense usually used to describe the procedures that have been carried out in a research project is the simple past tense. The reason for the choice of simple past tense is that it is assumed that you are describing work that has already been completed.

PolyU ELC — FYP Methodology

不過 proposal 階段個 study 未做完，所以呢層要對返你 department 要求：proposal 階段一般用 future tense（「Data will be collected via…」），thesis / dissertation write-up 階段 pivot 去 past tense（「Data were collected via…」）。呢個 convention 搵唔到官方文件全港統一講明，要問返你 supervisor。

HKU Graduate School 對 Arts Faculty 嘅 research proposal 亦強調 methodology 要 explicit：

It should outline a clearly-considered and defined research topic, with an account of research questions and methodology proposed, an explanation of the value and originality of the research, and a bibliography.

HKU Graduate School — Faculty Requirements for Research Proposal

留意呢句仲加咗兩樣：value and originality of the research。呢兩層等於呼應返你 gap 段——你答緊嘅 gap 有幾大 value、你嘅 approach 有幾 original。呢層唔應該搬到單獨一段做「Significance of Study」（好多 template 咁教），而係應該散喺 gap 同 methodology 兩段裡面自然帶出。呢個係 undergraduate FYP 常見嘅 template 過度使用問題——每個 section 都填一填，冇一個 argument thread 拉住。

4 段之間最常斷嘅位

Proposal 4 段推導鏈斷咗，通常斷喺呢幾個 junction：

• Background → Gap 斷：background 層 2 引用嘅 paper，同 gap 段講嘅「未有人做」冇對應。Marker 見到 gap 段 cite 嘅 paper 完全冇喺 background 出現，就會 flag「gap not derived from reviewed literature」。修法：gap 段每一句 gap statement，都要指返返 background 引過嘅 paper。
• Gap → Question 斷：Gap 講 population P3 unexamined，question 又話研究 population P1。Gap 講 method gap（缺 qualitative），question 又用 survey。呢類斷 chain 最常見於同學臨改 question（例如發現 method 用唔到而改 approach）但冇同步改 gap。修法：question 完稿之後，逐字對返 gap 段有冇 mismatch。
• Question → Method 斷：Question 問「correlation between X and Y」，methodology 又講 in-depth interview（interview 唔量 correlation）。修法：由 question 反推邊個 method design 至可以答，唔係揀自己識做嘅 method 硬砌。
• 4 段全部斷：呢個情況通常代表 topic 本身未 lock。返上一步做 feasibility check，唔好 draft proposal。

Draft 完 4 段之後，最有效嘅 self-check 方法：拎張紙由上到下寫 4 個 heading（Background / Gap / Question / Method），每段抽 1 句 core statement 寫落 heading 之下，睇下 4 句連埋讀係咪一條連貫嘅 argument。連唔到 = 斷 chain。呢個 exercise 3 分鐘做完，比 supervisor 睇完先發現 chain 斷慳好多 rewrite cycle。

如果自己讀完 4 段都睇唔出斷喺邊，或者 supervisor 已經退咗 draft 但你唔清楚點改，可以搵 UniWriterPro 由 human writer 起草嘅 FYP 代寫——我哋 review 過幾百份 proposal，可以直接指出 4 段之間邊條 chain 斷咗，唔係逐字改文法。發現有 draft 但只想有第三隻眼 tighten argument，可以睇 academic proofreading 服務。發 assignment brief 或者現有 proposal draft 過嚟就可以 quote。

另外，如果你打算用 GenAI 輔助 draft proposal（例如 brainstorm gap、check research question wording），記得對返你 department 嘅 GenAI 使用政策同 declaration 要求，詳細睇 香港八大 GenAI 使用政策同 declaration 指引。冇 declare 或者 declare 錯，proposal stage 已經可以被 flag。

FAQ

相關文章：FYP 題目點揀？交 proposal 前 10 分鐘可行性檢查、香港八大 GenAI 使用政策同 declaration 指引、Turnitin Similarity Score 香港指引。