Here I’ll explain how to write a research proposal for a PhD
- Explanation of a research proposal
- Format of a research proposal
If you decide to pursue PhD in India, there will come a stage when you’ll be required to submit a research proposal, an SOP or both. It’s an integral part of the admission process.
A research proposal is well, a summary of your proposed research and the full form of SOP is a statement of purpose, which details your attributes and research aptitude. Both these things will judge if you are capable of bearing 3-5 years of gruelling research, so make sure it’s good!
- It’s used to test your ability in your proposed area of expertise.
- It’s used to assess your application.
- It forms the basis of your research and serves as a benchmark for your journey.
But do you know how to make it good? While I am not an expert, I have written a few well-received research proposals so that I can share my experience. Here’s what a research proposal sample should look like:
What Is A Research Proposal?
A research proposal is an executive summary of your planned research during your PhD. It’s your research outline, a blueprint of sorts, that will help you find your supervisor and your area of interest and guide you when you feel lost and confused. A lot of universities will mandate this as a part of the admission process, and it is often the first step in your PhD. A good research proposal is a reflection of your abilities to conduct research, so do not skimp on it.
What Is The Format Of A Research Proposal?
So what should you include in your proposal? First things first, your research proposal should not be more than 2500-4000 words long. It should be crisp and clear.
- Give an engaging title: The title is the first thing anyone will see. It should indicate what your research is about and also be striking. Avoid using ostentatious language and stick to the basics.
- Introduction: Introduce your topic and the beginnings of your research. Everyone has a story to tell, and in brief, explain how the seeds of this research germinated in you. Do not ramble, this isn’t a personal narrative. Stick to the relevancy of your story to the research.
- Rationale: You must justify why you want to take on this research. So you ask the whys here! Why is this study important, and what will it contribute to the research field? Why should you conduct this research, and why should you be the one taking it up?
- Literature review: This section details studies that have already been done in your field and those studies relevant to you. This serves as the backbone to build your research, so read and read before you write down your proposal. What has already been said and done in your research field, and where are the gaps? How does your research proposal fill these gaps? This will be the longest section of your research proposal. So read up!
- Objectives/Research Questions: This is simple, you list down the 3-5 main questions you wish to answer through your research. What questions are you planning to ask through your study?
- Methodology: This will include the methods you’ll use to conduct your research, the framework your study hinges upon, the tools you’ll use for data collection and analysis and so on. Methodology forms the framework for your research; for example, I use the feminist methodology in my research. Methods are tools you use to collect data, like interviews and focus-group discussions. This part can also include tools you plan to use to analyse the data you collect, like discourse analysis and so on.
- Ethical concerns: How will you ensure your study is ethical, and where do you see the gaps to commit mistakes? Listing them down shows you are prepared for anything and are self-aware of your position as a researcher.
- Scope and limitations of your research: This is optional. This part will detail where you think your study can be limited. For example, geographical concerns, not enough diversity in the sample of respondents and so on.
- References: List your citations and studies used in the research proposal over here.
Does this help? I’d be happy to talk to you about your PhD too. PhD can be extremely isolating, so it’s good to talk to people going through the same. Tell me in the comments what your PhD topic is!