Jump to menu

Research proposal

A well-written and considered proposal will form the basis of your research at Queen Mary. Not only will it play a crucial part in your application, but it will also inform the direction your future work will take. Exact requirements, such as word counts, will vary slightly depending on your speciality subject area. Generally however, you will need to answer the following questions:

What area of research are you interested in and why? You should be as specific as possible.
What is your experience in the relevant area?
What are your career plans?

General advice on writing your research proposal

Your research questions must demonstrate the viability of your research project, and show how it will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding. Clearly explain what you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it, and how you are going to do it. Your proposal should usually include a section on each of the following areas:

Title – this should be concise and descriptive.
Background and rationale – this section needs to explain the background and issues of your proposed research: how you came to be interested in this subject. You can summarise what you know of the existing literature in this area, perhaps identifying where it does and does not provide enlightenment on what you are interested in.
Most importantly, you must make a convincing case as to why your research would create valuable and useful knowledge.
Research questions – you need to formulate your research questions clearly. You should have an answerable question that is clear and sufficiently well defined/focused for you to investigate thoroughly within an appropriate time frame.
Theoretical framework / methodology – in this section you need to clarify which theoretical resources you will be drawing on and why. You should demonstrate your knowledge of the research problem and your understanding of the theoretical and research issues related to your research question and their relevance and usefulness to your particular project. Give consideration to the larger issues within your chosen theoretical framework and how they will affect the research process. Give credit to those who have laid the groundwork for your research.
Methods – this section is very important as it informs the admissions committee how you plan to tackle your research problem. It is your work plan and describes the activities necessary for the completion of your project and should consist of a description of how you intend to go about the research. You could demonstrate your knowledge of alternative methods and make the case that your approach is the most appropriate and most valid way to address your research question. Explain about the data you will collect; how you will collect it and how your will analyse it. Explain what skills you will need and whether you have them or how you will acquire them.

You need to think about practical issues: if you are intending to undertake fieldwork, where and for how long? Consider for instance, whether organisations etc. where you intend to undertake fieldwork will wish to give you access to what you need (physical, time, documents).
Timescales – it is important that you map out a reasonable schedule of your work so that you can monitor your own progress and manage your project effectively. Start with your intended finishing date and do not underestimate the amount of time that it takes to finalise your drafts into a finished product.
Dissemination – a key indicator of the work of much research is whether it is of publishable quality. You might like to give some consideration at this stage as to what sorts of things might be publishable and where you would like them to appear. This is especially important if you wish to pursue a career as an academic in a UK university.

Word counts

Specific requirements may vary so it is important that you make contact and check the guidelines set down by the school in which you wish to study. The word counts listed below are intended to be a rough guide only.

Medicine and Dentistry: no more than 500 words long, or one side of A4 paper.
Science and Engineering: no more than 500 words long, or one side of A4 paper.
Humanities and Social Sciences: between 500 to 1500 words.