When applying for a PhD programme (or an MPhil as a route towards a PhD) you will doubtless be required to submit a research proposal as part of the application, and from the point of view of the academics in the department where you want to undertake the research this is the most important element of the application. Necessarily, research is an activity with unknown outcomes and it is in part directed by discoveries along the way, so one cannot state at the outset precisely what one hopes to discover. But one can give a sense of the project, and perhaps the most useful analogy would be to think of yourself as an explorer trying to persuade a patron to support an expedition you wish to undertake. You cannot state what you will find in the undiscovered region to which you want to travel, but you can state where you will be looking, what tools (maps, guides, and other resources) you will be taking, what means of transport you will adopt, how you will determine your route, and what things might be found when you reach wherever it is you will end up. Likewise there are analogous things that can be said about the journey of a research project, and it is the job of the research proposal to articulate these things. You should not feel bound to the proposal, rather it is an indication of the direction in which your research will go. The proposal helps the department assess your research potential

A research proposal is often developed by beginning with the following considerations:

You should, if possible, discuss your ideas with your current Head of Department/tutor/supervisor, and/or with someone who has experience in the field in which you are interested.

The research proposal itself should give your name, the title of your research, and the degree for which it is intended, followed by:

1. description of your research topic in around 300 to 700 words, which foregrounds the basic question that forms the core of your enquiry, and includes a summary of the overall scope of your topic, as well as providing some information on the methods/approach/theory which you will be adopting.
2. a set of chapter headings each followed by a short outline of the chapter’s likely content;
3. a bibliography of the reading which you consider to be relevant to your research , using an asterisk to mark those titles which you have already consulted;
4. a plan of work or a timetable for the proposed research showing the separate stages of your research, indicating how long these stages will last, and in what order they will be undertaken.

It should be possible to fit the whole research proposal onto two typed sheets of A4 paper. It should not be longer than three typed sheets.

Qualifications Students must, normally, have a good 2.1 degree from a British University or equivalent.

Time Scale and Stages of Application On receipt of your application form, your application will be considered by the Research Coordinator of the department to which you are applying. If your application and research proposal conform to the requirements of the department, the Research Coordinator will then approach a potential supervisor. You may be called for interview at this stage if this is appropriate. Finally, you will receive the Department's formal decision, usually through the Postgraduate Office.