Preparing a Research Proposal

Writing a convincing and well argued research proposal is an essential part of being accepted for a research degree. * It meets several purposes:

1. It helps you to clarify your own ideas on what you want to do and what your priorities are;

2. It enables the department to which you have applied to decide whether or not it has the expertise to supervise you, and, if it does, to identify appropriate supervisors. It also enables us to discuss with you any changes which we might wish to suggest so that we are able to supervise it more appropriately; we recognise that in the Science-based areas the research proposal may already be determined by a departmental research team or the supervisor in the context of a funded research project. In these cases, many of the guidelines presented here may not apply.

3. At an early stage it allows potential supervisors and other members of the department to ask questions about content, approach, values and methodology before you embark on the study proper and to determine the facilities required for the research;

4. It allows potential problems to be identified at this preliminary stage and to be resolved before you move much further down the line;

Your application, then, should be up to about 1,000 words in length or up to 3 to 4 sides of A4 (though the exact length varies between disciplines - you are therefore advise to check with the relevant department before applying), and should ensure:

a) that the title indicates the field, scope and topic of the proposed study;

b) that you can indicate an awareness of some of the significant literature in your chosen field or whether there is very little, if any, relevant literature in this field;

c) that you formulate clearly the research question, problem or issue that you wish to address and indicate how it might contribute to the advancement of knowledge and scholarship in this field: in other words, you have to state why you think your proposed research is important and how you might make an original contribution to knowledge;

d) that you provide an account of the kind of research methods you feel appropriate to such a study i.e. will this be by questionnaire, interviews, participant observation, archival and library research, laboratory work, team-based research etc., and the balance between these;

e) that you provide enough background on yourself and the topic to show how the study fits with your past or present experience, your concerns and interests, and, if appropriate, the concerns of your current employer or organisation;

f) that you have already ascertained that the data sources, organisations and individuals who will be critical to your study will be accessible to you.

IN SUMMARY, then, you need to provide evidence in your proposal of

• Appropriateness of title
• Literature appreciation
• Carefully framed research question or problem
• Research methods
• Suitability to personal situation and experience
• Accessibility of information sources

If these are properly covered in your proposal, we will be able to provide you with a more helpful, accurate and quick response to your application.

* Please note that for international students there is a more detailed ‘Guide to Study Skills’ which gives you a step-by-step guide to preparing a research proposal. This can be obtained as a printed booklet from the International Office.