jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • SEO Jobs Profile
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

How To Write PhD Proposals

phd proposals2

Most lecturers see dozens of PhD proposals annually. Some are obvious winners, some are promising but need additional work before approval, and some are rejected out of hand. What can you do to make yours rise to the top?

Follow directions.

Many prospective students fall at the first hurdle: they fail to read and follow the guidance given to PhD applicants by the university they are targeting. Most have specific forms you need to fill in as part of your application, and many have a specific format that your proposal must follow. Miss either step and you have no chance.

This means that if you are applying to more than one university, you must package your PhD proposal separately for each.

Tailor PhD proposals.

It’s not just the format that needs to be distinct for each application, it’s the content itself. The PhD proposal must help academics make a judgment about your suitability for PhD research, particularly in relation to:

  • The originality and rationale of your proposed area of study: it must show that you have begun to identify and develop an interesting and original research question in relation to your chosen topic
  • The clarity of your argument
  • The alignment of your proposed research with the interests and expertise of available supervisors

Your proposal should show that you know what resources are available at that university and you have chosen to apply there in order to make good use of them. Include references to anything from specific pieces of lab kit or library collections to staff expertise. Play up the importance of any advantages the geographic location has for your work.

Research the members of the academic team who will read your proposal. Read their research papers. Think about ways to incorporate their interests and passions into your proposal. This step is especially crucial if you are applying to join an existing project as a PhD student.

Provide complete details.

Most PhD proposals follow roughly the same structure (as noted above, however, details may differ by institution):

Introduction:

Explain what the research objective is, why the research is needed and what original contribution it will make to existing knowledge. Place your PhD proposal in context by discussing its relevance to theoretical and conceptual debates, practice or policy. Include a concise review of the most relevant literature—incidentally, one of the best ways to immediately demonstrate your proposal’s worth is showing how your research will address a gap in the existing literature.

Methodology:

Provide as much detail as possible about the methodology you intend to use, and give a clear rationale for why it is suitable. Name-drop software programmes, technical processes and specific research methods, don’t just say something meaningless like “I will use both quantitative and qualitative methods.” It should include attention to ethics as well as processes: if you will work with human populations, for example, spell out what guidelines you will adhere to.

Research plan:

Provide a trajectory of how you will actually carry out the work, from start to finish. Give clear evidence of strong project-management skills, identifying any areas where you anticipate possible difficulties and suggesting how these could be addressed. Include a reasonable time scale for each part of the work, including write-up. If you are unsure about how long any part of the process might take, ask a colleague or a researcher at your current or former university for advice.

Conclusion:

Restate how the work you have proposed will address the topic of your research, and reiterate the original contribution to knowledge that will result. Explain in this section what the potential impact of your research will be.

Tips for stronger applications:

Your proposal should be typed. Some universities provide forms on paper or as a non-fillable PDF. Unless these are triplicate-style forms, either one can be turned into a fillable PDF using software like Adobe Acrobat Pro. Alternatively, fill in the basic fields and attach typed pages for the actual proposal.

If you have concerns about the quality of your English, ask a native speaker with a postgraduate qualification to proofread your work: hire a professional proofreader if necessary. Ensure that your references are formatted in the style used by the department you are applying to.

What did you think of our article? - please rate

4.5 / 5. 4


Share this article

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

  • Quiet Mornings with a Tea

    How to stay calm for your PhD defence

  • PhD academic interview panel seated around table

    PhD interview questions

  • Happy young woman with moving boxes in new home. New beginnings

    Moving to the UK checklist

Comments

  1. Ahmed Mohmed Ibrahim says

    12th January 2020 at 9:25 am

    Thank you so much for these guidelines and advice, that helpful for writing a good PHD research proposal. I have one request if possible, I have interesting in Environmental related issues (PHD) Can you send me an examples.

    Reply
  2. Kuralay says

    6th April 2020 at 10:05 am

    Hello,

    Can you ensure what quantitative and qualitative methods there are or recommend some websites about them. Thanks in advance.

    Reply
  3. Nasiha says

    10th May 2020 at 11:40 am

    Hi
    I’m intrested in research in cultural influences of English language which type of methodologies should apply there which can be mentioned in proposal

    Reply
  4. Albert Gebeh says

    24th May 2020 at 11:27 am

    Can I get example of a research proposal for MSc.?

    Reply
  5. Tilksew says

    1st June 2020 at 11:39 am

    It is helpful.Can I have a sample on women’s reproductive health?

    Reply
  6. Foued says

    7th November 2022 at 3:28 pm

    I’m intrested in research in cultural influences of English language which type of biomédical should apply there which can be mentioned in proposal

    Reply

    Reply
  7. Neelum Arshad says

    12th June 2023 at 12:42 pm

    Can I have any sample research proposal for PhD in chemistry specifically working on organic inorganic hybrid materials for removal of toxins from environment?

    Reply
  8. Cherinet Kasahun says

    5th August 2023 at 7:11 am

    I’m interested in research in food science and technology of food characterization so please share me examples of PhD proposal

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 × 3 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Searching for a job in the United Kingdom

Latest Jobs

  • Faculty Position in AI/ML for Biosciences

    Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics, Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University

    Location: Suzhou

    Salary: Competitive salary in the market


  • Apprentice - Chemical & Environmental Engineering

    Engineering, University of Nottingham

    Location: Nottingham

    Salary: £23,563 - £23,946 per annum, depending on skills and experience.


  • Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term)

    Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

    Location: Cambridge

    Salary: £32,546 - £45,413 per annum


  • Professor of Computer Science and Head of Department

    School of Mathematical Physical & Computational Sciences - Computer Science, University of Reading

    Location: Reading

    Salary: Competitive Salary plus excellent benefits


  • Head of Student Marketing & Recruitment

    College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow

    Location: Glasgow

    Salary: £49,559 - £57,422 Grade 8, per annum


  • CISM Research Assistant

    Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University

    Location: Swansea

    Salary: £34,132 - £38,249 per annum


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025