I need to write my research proposal and I'm not sure how
Draft a proposal where the question, contribution, methods and timeline all hold together.
In short
Start here, today. Write a one-page version of your proposal: one short paragraph each on the problem, the question, the gap, your approach, and why it matters. Don't polish it. Its job is to show whether the parts line up. This takes about 40 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
0 of 7 steps done
Learn the local format
Find your program's requirements for length, sections and who reads the proposal. Ask your supervisor for two recent proposals from your department that they thought were good. Notice how long each section is and how much literature review they actually include.
Get the one-page version right first
Before writing long sections, share the one page with your supervisor and ask whether the question fits the methods and whether the scope is realistic. Fixing a mismatch on one page is quick. Fixing it in a full draft can take months.
Make each section do its job
The introduction sets out the problem and why it matters. The literature review shows which conversation you're joining and where it falls short, not everything you've read. The questions or hypotheses are specific and answerable. The methods say what data, from where, analysed how, and why that design suits the question. The contribution says what will be known afterwards that isn't known now.
Check the alignment in a table
Make four columns: research question, data needed, analysis, and the claim you'll be able to make. Fill in a row for each question. An empty or vague cell is a gap in the proposal, and committees tend to find those quickly.
Show that it's feasible
Give a timeline by phase. Say how you'll get access to data, participants, sites or archives, and list the approvals you'll need, such as ethics. If you've done a pilot or have early results, include them, even briefly.
Name the limits yourself
A short limitations section shows you've thought the project through. Say what the study won't do, what could go wrong, and what you'll do if it does: a backup site, a smaller sample, a second data source. Most committees find a backup plan reassuring.
Get feedback in rounds
Ask your supervisor which sections they'd like to see first, often the questions and methods. Track comments in the Feedback Tracker so you can show how you responded to each. Leave time for at least two rounds before the proposal goes to the committee.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You have a long file of notes and literature, but no argument running through it.
- Your literature review is twenty pages long and your methods section is two.
- You can't say in one sentence what your project will add.
- You've looked at other people's proposals and each one seems to follow a different template.
Why this happens
A proposal is an argument, not a report. It says: here is a question worth answering, here is why existing work hasn't answered it, here is how I will answer it, and here is why I can do that with the time and resources I have. Proposals that struggle usually have decent parts that don't connect, such as a broad question paired with methods that can only answer a narrow one.
Format varies a great deal. Some programs want a short document; others expect something close to the first three chapters of the thesis. Some want a full literature review and some want a brief one. Recent proposals from your own department show the local expectations far better than any general template.
Worth a look (5)
- The Craft of Research, by Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb and Joseph WilliamsClear on how questions, problems, claims and evidence fit together, which is what a proposal has to show.
- PatterPat Thomson's blog has many posts on research proposals and academic writing.
- List of Resources for Finding ETDsThis directory lists national and regional thesis collections around the world, from Theses Canada to Shodhganga. It's handy for finding past theses to see how others shaped theirs.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses GlobalThis very large database of dissertations and theses is strongest for North American universities, and many records include full text. It's usually available through your university library.
- The Thesis WhispererInger Mewburn's long-running blog about doing a PhD covers thesis writing, supervision, productivity and life after the degree. It's warm and practical, with plenty of readers' stories.
When to bring someone in
Your supervisor should be your first reader. If part of your design sits outside their expertise, ask a committee member or a methods specialist to read that section before you submit. Your writing centre can help with structure and clarity, and many run sessions for graduate students on proposals. A subject librarian can help you check you haven't missed a major strand of literature.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify