Policy problems are characterized by uncertainties and unknowns. During your systems analysis, you will raise many questions that you cannot answer. Some of these knowledge gaps need to be filled before your client can make an informed decision. This is why an issue paper usually ends with a research proposal. In this proposal, you translate the most important knowledge gaps into crisp research questions, and you suggest methods by which these questions may be answered. This tutorial explains some important steps towards a convincing research plan: formulating good research questions, determining what kind of system model the research should produce, and explaining your method to your client.