Slides from an introductory session onresearch proposal writing, delivered at the Postgrad LIVE virtual study fair in July 2021.

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PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass
What is a Research Proposal?

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What is a Research Proposal?
• Key part of the PhD application process for self-proposed
projects
• Existing qualifications / experience
• References
• Research proposal
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

3. Who needs a research proposal?
• Usually more common in Arts, Humanities and Social
Sciences
• Less common in STEM
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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What is a research proposal for?
• Defines your research question (what and why)
• Outlines your methodology and approach (how)
• Demonstrates your suitability for the project (who)
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Who is a Research Proposal for?
• Prospective supervisor
• Admissions staff
• Funding bodies
• …you?
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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What does a research proposal do?
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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A research proposal
demonstrates that your
project will fulfil the criteria
for a PhD
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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What are the criteria for a
PhD?
Research that presents a
significant original
contribution to knowledge
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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It needs to convince that:
1. Your project is worthwhile
2. Your project is viable
3. You are capable of completing it
The proposal demonstrates that your
project will become a PhD.
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Your project is worthwhile:
 Originality
 Value
 Outcomes
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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• Study something completely new!
o New primary sources
o New theory
o New topics / events / interactions
• Fix something
o Gaps / blindspots in existing studies
o Limitations in existing methodologies
• Compare and combine
o Interdisciplinarity
o Comparative study
…how can you be original?
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Your project is worthwhile:
 Value
o What will your research create and why does that matter?
 Outcomes
o What will the existence of your research make possible?
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Your project is viable:
 Methodology
 Feasibility
 Suitability
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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 Qualifications / Experience
 Dedication
 Training needs
 Ambition (sell yourself)
You are capable of completing it:
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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What does a research proposal look like?
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Basic structure:
 Title
 Overview / Context
 Existing literature
 Methodology / Timescale
 Outcomes / Impact
 Conclusion
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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How long is it?
• 1,000-2,000 words is a rough
ballpark
• Follow the guidelines set by your
university
• Don’t simply write to a word
count
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Three Cs:
 Clear
 Concise
 Coherent
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Example of a weak research proposal:
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Spaces of Spectrality: Connecting Gothic Novels and Travelogues
Lots of Gothic authors used travelogues in their work, but this has not been sufficiently examined. My PhD is
important because it will examine this question more extensively.
I will look at a range of authors and analyse their works to see how different texts use different travelogues.
This will allow me to build up a picture of the relationship between gothic and travel writing across the
eighteenth century.
Authors I might look at include Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Gregory Lewis, William Gilpin, Hester Piozzi, Charlotte
Smith, Jane Austen, Joseph Addison, Tobias Smollett, Charlotte Dacre, Henry Fielding and Samuel Johnson.
I have an MA and a BA in literature, with good marks. I now feel I am ready to undertake the challenges of a
PhD. This is a topic I am very interested in and I am sure I will be dedicated enough to see it through.
I know that this is a very good university with lots of academics working on literature. I would be very happy to
be supervised by them.
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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Example of a stronger research proposal:
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass

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The Relationship Between Gothic and Travel Writing 1764-1795
This project will investigate the function of non-fictional travel writing as a context for the development of the British
Gothic novel within late eighteenth-century print culture.
Critics have long acknowledged that authors of Gothic fictions draw upon contemporary travelogues, but maintain a
historical and geographical distance from the cultural and political world of eighteenth-century British readers. My study
will re-evaluate this assumption and demonstrate that Gothic novels use travel-writing actively, rather than passively:
intervening in contemporary print culture and adopting a significant place in the eighteenth-century imagination.
I will use Ann Radcliffe as an exemplary author for this study, analysing her developing use of different traditions of travel
writing and ending with a reading of her own 1795 travelogue.
I feel this project is especially suited to the expertise and focus of the Department of English. I will aim to draw upon the
work of Professor x and Doctor Y and feel my research objectives would complement their current projects. This
research will also make significant use of the university’s archival holdings, particularly the Corvey Collection of
Eighteenth Century travelogues and its accompanying digital bibliography.
Opportunities also exist for public engagement activities and research outcomes with impact outside the academy. The
region around the university was a key area for eighteenth century travel writers and was also Radcliffe’s birthplace.
Reconstructing the cultural history of local sites could have value for a range of audiences.
My MA studies have prepared me for this work. I have experience working on eighteenth-century literature and history,
including a module on book history and the development of popular readerships.
PhD Research Proposal Writing Masterclass