I was talking to some of the MA students here applying to the PhD program. They were told something between 2 pages (single spaced) to 10 pages (double spaced) would be the standard expectations. Mine was a little bit of overkill, but since I hadn’t done a NT research project, I needed to show that I had developed some background in the area in order to go into the PhD program instead of having to do the MATR first and then PhD.
Here’s the proposal format that a friend of mine passed on to me and that I used. It’s really designed for the first chapter of a thesis, so you may drop 1.9 and 1.10 for the proposal.
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Framing the Issues (basic readings on the topic—how people approach it)
1.3 Seeing the Problem (what’s the angle you’re looking at and which approach you take)
1.4 Justification of Study
1.5 Asking the Questions
1.6 A Working Hypothesis
1.7 Aims and Objectives
1.8 Tools for the Task (aka Methodology)
1.9 Definitions
1.10 Presuppositions
The key thing for the proposal is to clarify what question and subquestions you are attempting to answer.
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Also, here’s the layout of a research proposal that I found on one university’s website:
The Research Proposal (c. 1000 words) should cover the following:
Thesis title: You must provide a provisional title that reflects your research focus.
Research Focus: You must identify a clear research focus:
· what major field your research will be in
· which particular topic of research you intend to pursue; stating the main research questions or hypotheses you intend to address, and why these are worthy of investigation.
· how your proposed topic of research relates to current scholarship; and how it may contribute to or advance work in the field.
Indicative Bibliography: You must provide a sample of around 10 key books that you consider essential to, and representative of, your proposed field and topic of research.
Research Method(s): You must provide an overview of the research methods you think most applicable to the proposed field and topic of research.
Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 9:19 am
Here’s another good summary of what’s needed in a proposal:
The application needs to identify clearly and succinctly:
(a) main research question;
(b) significance of (a);
(c) intellectual field the research would contribute to;
(d) methodology/how you would investigate (a);
(e) indicative bibliography.
Thus, it needs:
A brief statement that puts your proposal/topic in context.
A brief comment that suggests a gap, that something is needed: e.g., ‘up to now there has been insufficient attention given to …’
Two or three sentences pinpointing your particular research question(s). Perhaps one major question, with a small number of subordinate and connected questions.
A few sentences on significance: why this question/these questions matter and to whom; its/their potential implications for policy/practice/understanding.
Two or three sentences ‘locating’ the investigation academically: the study would build upon and contribute to work in the field; bringing two or more different fields of inquiry into dialogue. Imagine the thesis is published: where, on the library shelf, would it be placed?
A few sentences outlining methodology to be adopted (concentrate on your verbs here); what ‘tools of enquiry’ will be used. [And if, appropriate, some of the skills needed] (Will there be travel; observation; action research; questionnaires; interviews; analysis of institutional documentation; literature review; conceptual analysis; archive work … ).
Somewhere in the above it would help to suggest wherein might lie the originality of your proposed study.
Provide an indicative bibliography (be aware of the type of material you refer to); its intellectual status; aspects considered by a panel might be ‘up-to-dateness’, authoritativeness, depth, representativeness, relevance, etc of items identified.
Thursday, 5 June 2008 at 7:44 pm
This, I’m sure, will prove to be of great use (in the early stages of applying to do my PhD in Theology) - Thank you, Ben!
Friday, 6 June 2008 at 7:02 pm
glad to be of help.
Thursday, 19 June 2008 at 12:50 pm
Ben,
Thanks for the very helpful information. How far developed should the proposal be before beginning an email correspondence with a potential supervisor? I would like to contact Prof. Watson at Durham with an idea but do not have it developed enough yet for a thorough proposal.
Thursday, 19 June 2008 at 9:23 pm
Greg. That’s a good question. I had a paragraph that I sent to each of my prospects in addition to my CV and general info about myself for initial contact. You’ll find, in fact, that the best prospects will give you ideas about your proposal. For instance, John Barclay sent me about a page response with some great ideas that really sharped my proposal. In the end you just need a research question and potentially a proposed solution for the paragraph and something that sets it within a wider context. I suppose it should be like an abstract for an article or a conference proposal.