← Services08 / Academic & research services

Rigorous research support, from proposal to submission.

Structured, ethical support for proposals, field data tools and dissertations.

Why this matters

Good research rarely stalls for lack of ideas.

It stalls on the unglamorous parts: a proposal that will not survive a supervisor's red pen, a data-collection tool that breaks offline in the field, a literature review that sprawls without an argument, a methodology chapter a panel can pick apart. Most postgraduate students and research teams we meet are not short of intelligence or effort. They are short of a steady hand on structure.

We work alongside students, academics, NGOs and corporate R&D teams across Kenya and East Africa to provide that structure: a defensible proposal, a survey instrument that holds up on a 2GB Android in Turkana, and chapters that read like one argument rather than seven disconnected drafts. We coach and edit; we do not ghost-write or fabricate data. The work, the analysis and the conclusions stay yours.

Every engagement is scoped in writing first, with a timeline mapped to your funding window, submission deadline or fieldwork calendar, so nothing important is left to the last fortnight.

Our capabilities

What we actually deliver in this practice.

Each engagement is scoped against one or more of the capabilities below. Pick what you need, leave what you do not. No surprises, no hidden line items.

Capability 01

Research proposal writing

End-to-end drafting of academic and grant proposals, structured to survive a supervisor's review or a funder's scoring rubric. For postgraduate students, academic researchers, NGOs, fellowship applicants and corporate R&D teams.

Problem statement & objectivesA focused research problem, clear questions and measurable objectives a panel or funder can assess at a glance.
Literature reviewSourced and synthesised around an argument rather than a pile of summaries, with a reference library you keep and extend.
Methodology designSampling strategy, instruments and an analysis plan matched to your questions and defensible under scrutiny.
Budget & timelineCosted budget justification and a realistic research timeline mapped to your funding window or submission deadline.

Capability 02

Data collection tools programming

Custom survey and data-collection tools configured for real field research, tested to hold up offline on low-end devices over weak networks. For health researchers, social scientists, humanitarian organisations, universities doing fieldwork and government survey teams.

Platform configurationKoboToolbox, ODK, SurveyCTO, REDCap, CommCare, ArcGIS Survey123, Jotform, Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Magpi and Qualtrics, set up to your protocol.
Skip logic & offline captureSkip logic, validation and routing, with offline-capable configuration so enumerators keep working where there is no signal.
Multi-language setupForms localised so respondents answer in the language they actually speak, with clean labels every enumerator can read.
Export pipelines & dashboardsData-export pipelines, dashboard setup and enumerator training guides so data lands ready to analyse, not ready to clean.

Capability 03

Thesis & dissertation writing support

Structured academic writing guidance from proposal through to final submission, positioned as coaching and editorial support, not ghost-writing. For undergraduates, master's candidates, PhD researchers and academic consultants.

Chapter structuringA clear spine for the whole document so each chapter advances one argument instead of repeating the last.
Argument & literature supportReview of your reasoning and evidence, with literature-review support that strengthens rather than pads the case.
Editing & proofreadingLine editing and consistency passes that keep your voice while removing the friction a reader trips on.
Citations & integrityAPA, MLA, Chicago or Harvard formatting and plagiarism guidance, so attribution is correct and the work stays unmistakably yours.

Tools & platforms

KoboToolboxODKSurveyCTOREDCapCommCareSurvey123QualtricsJotformGoogle FormsSPSSRNVivoZotero

What changes

Outcomes our clients see.

Proposal-ready

Defensible first drafts

Structured to your supervisor's or funder's template before review.

Offline-first

Field tools that hold up

Tested on low-end Android over weak networks before enumerators deploy.

Your work

Coaching, not ghost-writing

We structure and edit; the research and conclusions stay yours.

How we work

Four steps. Same rhythm every engagement.

Scope

We map your research questions, deadline and institutional or funder requirements into a written plan and fixed budget.

Draft or build

Proposal sections, survey instruments or chapter structures produced in reviewable increments, not one final dump.

Review

Supervisor-style feedback, methodology pressure-testing and pilot checks on data tools before they reach the field.

Finalise

Editing, formatting, citation cleanup and export pipelines, handed over ready to submit or deploy.

Where this lives

Real examples from the market.

Postgraduate

A master's candidate at a Nairobi university restructures a stalled proposal into a defensible draft ahead of a departmental panel.

Humanitarian

An NGO programmes a multi-language KoboToolbox survey with offline capture and dashboards for a baseline study in northern Kenya.

Health research

A research team configures REDCap with skip logic and a clean export pipeline for a clinical data-collection exercise.

Fellowships & grants

A fellowship applicant develops a costed proposal with problem statement, methodology and budget justification before the funding deadline.

Common questions

Things buyers usually ask before signing.

Do you write the thesis for me?

No. This is a coaching and editorial service, not ghost-writing. We help you structure chapters, sharpen your argument, edit, proofread and format citations. The research, the analysis and the conclusions remain entirely yours, which is also what your institution's integrity rules require.

Which data-collection platforms do you support?

KoboToolbox, ODK, SurveyCTO, REDCap, CommCare, ArcGIS Survey123, Jotform, Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Magpi and Qualtrics. We design the form, build skip logic and routing, set up offline and multi-language capture, and wire the data-export and dashboard pipelines, plus an enumerator training guide.

Can you help with citation styles and plagiarism formatting?

Yes. We format references in APA, MLA, Chicago or Harvard and run a similarity check so you can address any flagged passages properly before submission. We guide you on paraphrasing and attribution; we do not disguise copied work.

Who do you usually work with?

Undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD researchers, academic consultants, NGOs running field studies, fellowship and grant applicants, and corporate R&D teams. We adapt the scope to your deadline, whether that is a submission date, a funding window or a fieldwork calendar.

Ready to start? Let's talk.

One business day. Written plan. Fixed budget. No PDFs in a fortnight, no exploratory calls in disguise.

Start a research project ← All services