m phil research proposal sample

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Your MPhil research proposal should be approximately one page in length.

• Your research proposal should clearly articulate what you want to research and why. It should indicate a proposed approach to your given field of study. It should nevertheless retain sufficient flexibility to accommodate any changes you need to make as your research progresses.
• You should try to show how your postgraduate plans emerge from your undergraduate work and may move it on.
• You should try to show how your proposed research will build on existing knowledge or address any gaps or shortcomings.  You should accordingly mention existing scholarship, if necessary with certain qualifications – (eg. ‘Smith has written extensively on the theatre of Pirandello, but fails to mention…).
• Identify a potential Supervisor.

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• How to write your research proposal

An MPhil research proposal should be 500 words long. It needs to give those assessing your application an impression of the strength and originality of your proposed research, and its potential to make a contribution to knowledge. It should be written in clear, jargon-free, and unexceptionable prose. Grammatical mistakes and typographical errors give a very bad impression. You should make sure you cover the following areas (without explicitly dividing the proposal into headings).

The research topic

• Briefly outline the area and topic of your proposed research.

The research context

• Relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields, and indicate in what ways your research will differ; you might mention monographs on the subject, as well as important theoretical models or methodological exemplars: this is a chance to show your understanding of the background against which your research will be defined.

The contribution you will make

• This is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research, and what it is that makes it both new and important; you should indicate what areas and debates it will have an impact on, what methodological example it sets (if appropriate) – in short how it contributes to knowledge and to the practice of Digital Humanities.  Give examples of the sort of evidence you might consider, and of the questions it might help you to raise. Show that you are already thinking about the area in detail and not only in outline.

Your methods

• You do not necessarily need to define a methodology but if there is something striking about your proposed methodology, and this is central to your proposal you should point to this.

The sources and resources you will use

• You should delimit your field of enquiry, showing where the project begins and ends; in certain cases, Cambridge will have unique collections and resources of central relevance to your project, and you should mention these if they are relevant.

How the project will develop

• You might indicate some of the possible ways in which the project could develop, perhaps by giving a broader or narrower version depending on what materials and issues you uncover, or which critical, theoretical or methodological approaches you decide to pursue.

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Research Proposal Example/Sample

Detailed Walkthrough + Free Proposal Template

If you’re getting started crafting your research proposal and are looking for a few examples of research proposals , you’ve come to the right place.

In this video, we walk you through two successful (approved) research proposals , one for a Master’s-level project, and one for a PhD-level dissertation. We also start off by unpacking our free research proposal template and discussing the four core sections of a research proposal, so that you have a clear understanding of the basics before diving into the actual proposals.

• Research proposal example/sample – Master’s-level (PDF/Word)
• Research proposal example/sample – PhD-level (PDF/Word)
• Proposal template (Fully editable) 

If you’re working on a research proposal for a dissertation or thesis, you may also find the following useful:

• Research Proposal Bootcamp : Learn how to write a research proposal as efficiently and effectively as possible
• 1:1 Proposal Coaching : Get hands-on help with your research proposal

FAQ: Research Proposal Example

Research proposal example: frequently asked questions, are the sample proposals real.

Yes. The proposals are real and were approved by the respective universities.

Can I copy one of these proposals for my own research?

As we discuss in the video, every research proposal will be slightly different, depending on the university’s unique requirements, as well as the nature of the research itself. Therefore, you’ll need to tailor your research proposal to suit your specific context.

You can learn more about the basics of writing a research proposal here .

How do I get the research proposal template?

You can access our free proposal template here .

Is the proposal template really free?

Yes. There is no cost for the proposal template and you are free to use it as a foundation for your research proposal.

Where can I learn more about proposal writing?

For self-directed learners, our Research Proposal Bootcamp is a great starting point.

For students that want hands-on guidance, our private coaching service is recommended.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling Udemy Course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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PhD in Latin American Studies

Funding for Postgraduate Study

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As part of your application for the MPhil in Latin American Studies, you are asked to submit a short research proposal for the dissertation you intend to write. Your proposal should persuade your readers of the significance and feasibility of your project, and of your suitability to carry it out. Be as specific as you can about the material/subject you wish to research, your methods, and your hypotheses. Any research project will naturally change shape as you begin work on it, and you are free to alter your approach later, in agreement with your supervisor. You may also choose a different topic when you arrive in Cambridge, providing that suitable supervision can be found.

You are not expected to contact a proposed supervisor before you submit your application, but you may, if you wish, indicate on your application form if there is someone you would particularly like to supervise your dissertation.

How will my research proposal be evaluated?

Your proposal will be assessed against a range of criteria. These are likely to include:

• the significance of the research project
• the quality and originality of your ideas
• the feasibility of your project: does it look likely that it will be completed within the time available? Are your methods appropriately chosen?
• how well you are able to situate your ideas within broader debates
• your knowledge of the subject and existing literature relevant to your project
• evidence of critical thinking
• the degree to which your previous studies have adequately equipped you for this project
• the precision, accuracy and fluency of your written style, and your ability to formulate and structure ideas effectively

What should I include in my research proposal?

A research proposal should identify a problem, justify its importance, and propose a feasible and effective way of addressing it. You must therefore contextualize your research questions in the relevant literature, argue convincingly that these questions should be studied, and show that you are capable of answering them in the space of 15,000 words, which is the maximum length of the dissertation for the MPhil in Latin American Studies. You should draft a clear, concise, and coherent research proposal of around 500 words (excluding any references), ensuring that you cover all the points below.

• Define your research questions clearly and succinctly, and explain why they are important.
• Indicate what has already been published on the subject and how your research will extend or challenge that work, or how it will fill a gap in scholarship.
• Outline the intervention(s) you intend to make within broader debates and the original contribution(s) you expect to make to existing knowledge and/or conceptual frameworks.
• Explain the methods you will use in your research and justify them as appropriate.
• Give details of any fieldwork you intend to carry out.
• Outline the skills and experience you bring to the project, and how your previous studies have prepared you to carry it through to successful completion.

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Research Proposals

• the research topic briefly outline the area and topic of your research.
• the research context relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields, and indicate in what ways your research will differ; you might mention monographs on the subject, as well as important theoretical models or methodological exemplars. This is a chance to show your understanding of the background against which your research will be defined.
• the contribution you will make this is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research, and what it is that makes it both new and important; you should indicate what areas and debates it will have an impact on, what methodological example it sets (if appropriate) – in short how it contributes to knowledge and to the practice of our subject. Give examples of the sort of evidence you might consider, and of the questions it might help you to raise. Show that you are already thinking about the area in detail and not only in outline.
• your methods in some cases there will be little to say here, but if there is something striking about your methodology, you should explain it.
• the sources and resources you will use you should delimit your field of enquiry, showing where the project begins and ends; in certain cases, Cambridge will have unique collections and resources of central relevance to your project, and you should mention these.
• how the project will develop you might indicate some of the possible ways in which the project could develop, perhaps by giving a broader or narrower version depending on what materials and issues you uncover

You should ask yourself how your work might change the present state of scholarship in your field, and whether the topic is well suited to the resources provided at Cambridge. Even for MPhil courses we generally aim to admit not just those who propose a sensible topic, but those who have the potential to modify the present paradigms of research in their field. Most students, though, refine their research topics after they arrive in the light of what they discover or of advice from their supervisor, so you need not feel that you are inscribing your future in tablets of stone as you compose your proposal.

You may find it helpful to look at the following examples of successful research proposals.

It is vital that you show that your research is necessary. It is not enough that it happens to interest you. You should make clear that it will be of use and interest to others working in your field, or on a particular author, or indeed in neighbouring fields. You should show how your work will make a contribution to knowledge and to the practice of our subject.

Related Links

• MPhil in Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic
• MPhil in Digital Humanities
• Part-time PhD
• MSt in Creative Writing
• MSt in Writing for Performance
• MSt in Crime and Thriller Writing
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Department of Communication Design

Kwame nkrumah university of science and technology, guidelines for mcomm/mphil research proposal.

These are general guidelines only and may vary depending on the writing style of the student

• Study these Guidelines carefully and incorporate the instructions in the proposal before submission.
• Pay special attention to the Evaluation Checklist. This will help you evaluate your proposal using similar criteria to those used by the faculty research committee and funding agencies.
• Provide a table of contents, including sub-headings and page numbers.
• A  mini-thesis  comprises a 50% mini-thesis, (50% studio course work), especially for MCOMM criteria.
• A  thesis  comprises a 100% research project.
• For candidates appliying for admission the proposal should not be more than five pages (For admitted students see Downloads). 
• When admitted, candidates will first have to register the research topic (CDPG 1.1) through the office of the coordinator, and should be done within three months of registration.
• The final research proposal (CDPG 1.2) must be ratified within six months of registering the topic.

Purpose of the research proposal

 To establish that the candidate has:

• a viable and researchable problem that the department will be able to handle
• an acceptable plan of action for undertaking the project/research
• done sufficient preparation to establish the rationale for the research
• a feasible chance of completing the programme.

The order of the layout suggested below may be changed and certain sections may be combined; additional points may also be added. The suggested headings serve as road signs to indicate to the evaluator:

• what the research problem is
• how the candidate intends doing the research
• what the outcomes of the research could be 

The examination criteria for a master’s thesis are that candidates;

• must prove that they understand a particular problem in the industry in which they have done their research/project
• are able to analyse and set it out logically;
• are able to arrive at logical conclusions or a diagnosis; and
• are then able to make proposals for the improvement/elimination of the problem. 

1.         Title

The title should be concise, as long titles are cumbersome to accommodate in information retrieval systems. Select appropriate key words or phrases, and avoid rambling and meaningless statements such as:  An investigation into the possibility of conducting research in . . .  Do not start a title with a present participle, such as  Investigating , or  Analysing . The title should rather read:  An analysis of …

2.         Statement of research/project problem

This is the heart of the proposal. Normally a sentence, or at most a paragraph, is all that is required to describe exactly what the problem is. Many candidates have difficulty in describing the problem: instead they list the objectives, outcomes, needs or other irrelevant aspects.

If the research problem is not adequately or precisely described, it is likely to be rejected. It is important to note that poorly formulated problems might lead to long periods of completion. Furthermore, researchers often indulge in jargon, which seems to obscure rather than explain what the research problem is.  CANDIDATES SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND THEIR OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE FOCUS OF THEIR THINKING AND WRITING .

3.         Background to the research/project problem

Since the statement of the problem should be very brief, it is necessary to explain separately what the background to the problem is. Clarify the area of concern, or what needs to justify the research (this could be a sub-heading). Any information that helps the critical reader/evaluator to understand the problem may be included. Indicate why you believe that it is, in fact, a researchable problem. This section could be combined with the literature review, or form a sub-section of it.

4.         Preliminary literature review

An adequate preliminary literature review is required for the proposals. The purpose of the preliminary literature review should:

• Provide evidence to the departmental post-graduate committee that the candidates are well acquainted with past and current research in the intended field of study.
• Prove that the project/research will not duplicate past or current research.
• Indicate how the intended project/research relates to similar and past projects/research; in other words, the literature review positions your project/research within the existing body of knowledge.
• Indicate what related aspects of existed research require further research.
• Provide a rationale for the choice of problem.

In the final thesis/project report, a much more complete and extensive list of  References  (all sources cited) will have to be presented than in the initial review.

The guidelines provided by the School of Graduate Studies of the university entitled:  Research and the APA method of reference/bibliographic citation: a research writing and style guide for postgraduate students,  should be followed meticulously (see the SGS manual and the Postgraduate page on the departmental website for more on this: i.e.  www.decode.knust.edu.gh ).

5.         Hypotheses or research questions

If you state hypotheses, indicate whether they are statistical or non-statistical hypotheses. If statistical, indicate at what level of statistical significance they will be accepted or rejected. Depending on the nature of your methodology, it may not be necessary to base your research on hypotheses. You may list certain fundamental research questions or underlying assumptions that underpins your research.

6.         Objectives of the research

Clarify the aims and objectives of the research. Where feasible, objectives should be divided into main and subsidiary objectives, and should be numbered. It must be emphasised that ALL INDICATED objectives MUST be well articulated and SHOULD BE REALISTIC and ATTAINABLE. In writing the proposal and most importantly, the thesis, it is important to remain focused on the objectives.

7.         Research design and/or methodology

This is the cornerstone of the research proposal, and therefore a critically important section. Failure to handle this section properly can lead to the research proposal’s rejection and even to the rejection of your admission. While you may not be able to give final details of your methodology at this preliminary proposal stage, it is important to give a sound provisional indication so that the evaluator is satisfied that your methodology is relevant and acceptable.  Candidate should also NOTE THAT THE MCOMM PROGRAMME IS A DESIGN-LED/PRACTICE-BASED PROGRAMME

Clarify your method of investigation, e.g.:

• Questionnaires
• Personal interviews
• Focus groups
• Design techniques, etc.

Indicate your sampling methodology, e.g.:

• Size of sample
• Experimental and control groups
• Prevention of bias, etc.

Indicate statistical methods and substantiate why you intend using the proposed specific statistical methods ( should the study be directed in such methodology ).

Indicate ethical considerations and indicate how to tackle such challenges if need be.

It must be noted that within some studies there seems to be no correspondence between the stated aims of the research and the chosen methodology. Often the descriptions of the methodology are restricted to the mere statement that qualitative or quantitative research methods were to be utilised. Instruments designed in other contexts are also relevant to the studies.

Plan your investigation in phases, setting measurable target dates where feasible.

8.         Delineation of the research (Delimitation)

Delineate the boundaries of your research, e.g.:

• A study of design firms with fewer than 25 employees.
• Festivals that take place in the Kwabre East District only.
• A study of advertising agencies in the Kumasi Metropolis, etc.

It might be helpful to indicate what will not be covered by your research.

9.         Significance of the research

Indicate the significance of the research. Why is it important?  Whom, or what industry, will it benefit?  This is usually vital, especially since this can help for funding.

10.       Expected outcomes, results and contributions of the research

What are the expected outcomes and what do you wish to achieve, e.g.:

• A new theory
• A prototype
• A new model
• An artefact
• A new design process
• A solution to a practical problem
• A specific aid to practitioners in a particular field
• An instrument of use in the animation industry, etc. 

What contribution will this research make to the body of knowledge in the particular field of study?

11.       References cited (APA)

This is a list of the literature referred to in your research proposal. Do not include titles not cited, or that have no relevance to your research problem. You should have read the references you list (or at least the relevant parts). Indicate how they relate to your research.

Distinguish clearly between a list of References cited and a Bibliography. The latter includes all material consulted, including background reading not necessarily cited. Alternatively you may provide separate lists of References Cited and Other References.

12.       Keywords

Give up to ten  specific  keywords or phrases, which will be used to index your research in relevant databases.

OPTIONAL FEATURES

Contextualisation

If your research is multi-disciplinary, clarify which disciplines it covers, in which discipline the main thrust lies, and what interdisciplinary interaction there is with other disciplines or fields of study. Make the context of your research quite clear, e.g., does it fall within the sub-discipline of Industrial Relations, which resorts under the discipline of Human Resource Management, or does it address legal aspects of Industrial Law and thus resort under Law.

Planning and time parameters

  Funding agencies find it especially useful if you give some provisional indication of what time parameters you are setting for your research and what the expected completion dates for the specific sections and tasks are.

Materials and infrastructure

“Infrastructure” includes equipment, facilities and support services.

Pilot study

In some projects a pilot study should be done. Your supervisor should advise you. When little information about the proposed research project is available, it is advisable to execute a pilot study on a few selected aspects of the research proposal. A pilot study could:

• check the methods to be used
• collect data on which the actual sample size will be based
• iron out some practicalities of the project.

The pilot study may appear under a separate heading, or may be incorporated as a sub-section under Research Design, where the preliminary pilot study findings may serve as a basis for the actual research design. 

Interface with other institutions/industry

Here you may clarify to what extent your research will be undertaken by utilising the facilities of other institutions or companies, or whether you will have access to expertise at other institutions.

For large projects it is useful to include a simple budget, stating cost of equipment, running and travel costs, salaries of research assistants, etc.

EVALUATION CHECKLIST FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS

 (This checklist incorporates the items used by government funding bodies in their evaluation of research proposals.)

1.         Problem identification

1.1       Is the problem/line of enquiry clearly defined?

1.2       Is the basic research problem well formulated, or is it poorly and vaguely structured?

1.3       Is it briefly and concisely stated?

1.4       Does the researcher indulge in jargon which obscures rather than explains what the research problem is?

2.         Background to the research problem

2.1       Has there been an adequate description of the background to the problem either under a separate heading or as

            part of the literature?

2.2       Has the area of concern regarding the problem been identified, i.e., has the need that exists to research the

             problem been clarified?

2.3       Have the basic terms and concepts been clarified, either under a separate heading, or as a suitable sub-heading?

3.         Preliminary literature review

3.1       Is there clear evidence of a review of the literature?

3.2       Is there a theoretical engagement with the relevant literature (where possible)?

3.3       Has appropriate literature been examined in order to provide the background and rationale to the problem and

            its formulation?

3.4       Have relevant sources been used to identify the problem?

3.5       Does the literature review correspond with the aims of the research?

3.6       Are the cited references acceptable?

3.7       Are textual references and bibliographic citation correct? 

4.         Conceptual framework (if it is required)

4.1       To what extent are the conceptual framework and theoretical assumptions clearly stated?

4.2       Has the study been clearly delineated under a separate heading or sub-heading, i.e., have the boundaries of the

             research been stated?

4.3       Has a suitable hypothesis (or hypotheses) been formulated, or has a suitable research question(s) been stated?

5.         Objectives

5.1       Have the objectives been stated clearly?

5.2       If there are more than three objectives, have they been divided into main and subsidiary objectives?

6.         Research design

6.1       Is the project and research design well structured and outlined, or is it poorly articulated?

6.2       Has the research methodology been articulated clearly?

6.3       Is there a clear correspondence between the stated aims of the research and the chosen methodology?

6.4       Is there a mere statement of the qualitative or quantitative research methods to be used, or is there justification

            for their use?

6.5       Have the sampling methodology and data collection technique been adequately clarified?

6.6       Is the analysis appropriate to the aims of the research?

7.         Significance

7.1       To what extent will the research make an original and creative contribution to knowledge (at doctoral level)?

7.2       Alternatively, to what extent will the research analyse and diagnose a particular problem, set it out logically, arrive at

            conclusions and make proposals for the solution of the problem (at master’s level)?

7.3       Why is it important to undertake this research?  Whom will it benefit or to whom will it be important?

7.4       Is the proposed research likely to promote further investigation within and/or across disciplines and fields?

7.5       Has the expected outcome (or outcomes) of the research been clearly identified?

8.         Feasibility

8.1       Is the problem researchable and is it feasible?  Do the preliminary data and available resources support its

            feasibility?

8.2       Does the candidate’s academic profile or potential support his/her ability to accomplish the project?

8.3       Does the supervisor (or supervisors) have a research and supervision profile to support the candidate?

9.         Other general comments

            Is the proposal well structured or poorly compiled?  If the latter, what should be done to make it a well-structured

            proposal?

10.       Language

             Has the research proposal been proofread and edited?

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