How to Write a Great PhD Research Proposal

Written by Mark Bennett

Applications Advice

You'll need to write a research proposal if you're submitting your own project plan as part of a PhD application. A good PhD proposal What is a
outlines the scope and significance of your topic and explains how you plan to research it.
What sho
It's helpful to think about the proposal like this: if the rest of your application explains your ability to do a PhD, the proposal demonstrates the
actual PhD you plan to do. Of course, being able to effectively plan and explain a research project is one of the key qualifications for being able to PhD rese
complete one, which is why the proposal is such an important part of the PhD application process.
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Thankfully, the secret to writing a good research proposal isn't complicated. It's simply a case of understanding what the proposal is for, what it
needs to do and how it needs to be put together.

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First things first, do you need a research proposal for your PhD? It depends on the kind of project you want to do:

If your PhD is advertised by a university, you probably won't need to submit a research proposal for it. The broad aims and objectives for
your PhD will already be defined: you just need to prove you're the right person to do it.
But, if you're proposing your own research topic to research within a university's PhD programme, you will need to write a proposal for it
(the clue is in the word "proposing")

Integ
As a rule, advertised projects are very common in STEM subjects, whereas Arts, Humanities and Social Science students are more likely to
propose their own PhDs. PhD T
Integr
Some PhD programmes actually wait and ask students to develop their research proposal during the degree (usually after they've completed some study
initial training). This is normal in the USA, but it's becoming more common for some UKRI-funded UK PhDs.
Read
For the purposes of this guide we're going to assume that you do need to write a good research proposal for your PhD application. So let's explore
what's involved in that.

It's natural to be a little intimidated at the thought of structuring a PhD proposal, particularly if you've never written anything like this before.

But here's the thing: a research proposal isn't a fiendish test designed to catch you out and stop you ever doing a PhD. It's actually much more
boring than that.

All a research proposal really is is a document that demonstrates three things:

Your PhD is worthwhile

Your PhD is feasible
You are capable of completing it at this university

Or to put it even more simply: the PhD is worth doing, it's doable and you can do it.

Demonstrate your PhD is worthwhile (the what and the why)

A successful PhD project has to make a significant original contribution to knowledge. If it doesn't, it won't meet the criteria for a doctoral degree
and will probably fail the viva exam.

Your PhD proposal itself doesn't have to meet those criteria (or pass a viva!) but it does need to indicate that your PhD project eventually will. What
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It does that by first demonstrating that your research topic is original. That means nobody else has studied this same topic (or one very similar)
before. The D
explai
There are all sorts of ways a PhD can be original. You might examine new data or primary sources, to look at existing material from a fresh
perspective, or deal with the impact of new events. It doesn't matter how your project is original, so long as your proposal is really specific Read
about what makes it original.

You also need to explain why your proposed research will be academically significant. To do this properly, you'll need to acknowledge relevant
existing scholarship and explain how your research will relate to it. You don't need to be exhaustive at this point, but you should be able to show
how your PhD will contribute to its field and – ideally – indicate some of the gaps in knowledge it will aim to fill.

The final step in demonstrating your PhD is worthwhile is to suggest what will become possible as a result of your research. How could other
researchers use or build upon your results? What might closing those gaps in academic knowledge mean for audiences outside the unviversity?

Demonstrate your PhD is feasible (the how)

It isn't enough just to show that your research is worth doing; it also needs to actually be doable.

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use. The key is to emphasise the fit between the project and the university – so don't just say you want to research
there because it's highly ranked.
Applications Advice PhD S
Hopefully the above sections have given you a few ideas for the things your proposal needs to include. Let's be honest though, the scariest thing
about a proposal isn't deciding what to include: it's actually writing it. Canad

Our g
But, if we flip that on its head, we remember that all a research proposal really is is a piece of writing that follows a pretty standard format. And
that's a lot less scary. Read

Research proposal structure

Because proposals for PhD all have to do the same things, they mostly follow a similar structure. Yours will probably go something like this:

Title – Keep it simple and descriptive: the clever alliteration and quotes can come later when you write up your thesis. For now, you just
want the person reading this to know exactly what your research is about and, perhaps, which prospective supervisor to send it to.
Overview – Start by defining your research question (the what) and explaining how it contributes to current work in your field (the why).
This is also a good place to reference one or two pieces of scholarship: the full literature review can wait until your PhD begins, but you
should show that you have some understanding of relevant academic research.
Methodology – Make sure the reader understands the practical and / or theoretical approaches you'll take to your research. What data will
you collect, how will you collect it and how will you analyse it? Ideally refer to relevant research methods and models. It's also a good idea
to provide some sort of roadmap for how you'll go about things. Don't worry, you can change it later (and you will).
Outcomes and impact – What will exist as a result of your research (other than just another PhD on a library shelf) and what will it make
possible? You don't need to identify every specific outcome from your project (blue sky research is fine) but you should think about what
some potential outcomes might be.

You probably won't need to include a specific conclusion - it should be obvious, by now, what your project is doing, how you're going to do it and
why that matters. A quick summary sentence is fine though, if you think it will help.

Writing tips
Being able to effectively communicate academic concepts, ideas and results is a key skill for PhD research in all subjects. Think of your proposal
as a chance to demonstrate this.

The good news is that the key principles of good proposal writing aren't that different from other work you've probably done as a Bachelors or
Masters student:

Be clear – The person reading your research proposal should know exactly what it is you're proposing to research, with no room for
ambiguity and confusion. This is important on a practical level (they need to know where to send it) but it's also important to the success of
your application: a confusing proposal suggests a confused project. Try having a friend read it and ask them "do you know what it is I'm
proposing to do here?" (even if they don't understand the details).
Be concise – You will have more ideas than you can include in your proposal. That's fine. Choose the best ones and leave the others for
your interview.
be coherent – Follow something like the structure above. Don't start with your methodology, then say what it is you want to research.

How long should a PhD research proposal be?

Honestly? As long as the university asks for it to be. Most will have guidelines and you should follow them closely if so.

If you honestly can't find a suggested word count for your proposal, then consider asking a prospective supervisor. If you still aren't sure, aim
for somewhere between 1,000-2,000 words.

As a very general rule, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are a bit longer than STEM proposals (and a lot of STEM students don't have to write
one anyway, as we've explained).

Research proposals are a popular topic over on the FindAPhD blog, where we've shared stories of how students wrote theirs, along with mistakes
to avoid and a counter-intuitive look at the things a PhD proposal doesn't actually need to do.

Here are a few general tips and mistakes to avoid:

Do:
#1 Give yourself enough time to do a good job
Preparing to write a proposal takes time and effort. None of this is wasted as the process of evaluating and framing your ideas for a proposal will
improve your project plan immensely. So will the need to decide which ideas to include.

But you need time and space to do that, so make sure you get it. How long it will take to write your proposal is heavily dependent on your personal
working style, but you'll likely need to give yourself at least a few weeks to do a good job.

#2 Set out to impress

A good proposal isn't a begging letter. You're approaching the university with a great idea that's going to contribute to and enhance their research.
Be honest, be realistic, but don't be unnecessarily humble. They should want you and your project.

#3 Demonstrate original thinking!

You may not need to present original research findings yet, but your proposal does need to present original ideas – and it should be clear why and
how those ideas are original.

Make sure you indicate how your project is going to expand, enhance or even correct existing work in your field. Remember that making an