How to write a research proposal for a PhD or scholarship

A research proposal tells a supervisor or scholarship committee what you want to study, why it matters and how you'll do it. Most universities expect about 1,500 to 3,000 words. Always check the programme's own limit first, then use this outline as your skeleton.

Write your research question first. Every other section exists to show that the question matters and that you can answer it.

The structure

Section	Share of words	What it does
Title	about 15 words	Names the topic and method clearly
Background and problem	~15%	What is known, what is missing, and why the gap matters
Research questions and objectives	~10%	One main question with two or three sub-questions
Literature review	~25%	Key studies grouped by theme, ending with the gap you'll fill
Methodology	~30%	Data, methods, sample, ethics, and why this approach fits
Timeline	~10%	A realistic plan across the 3–4 years of a PhD
Contribution and references	~10%	What will change because of your work, plus consistent citations

Section by section

Title

Make it specific. "Water access in Africa" is too broad. "Community-managed boreholes and household water access in rural northern Nigeria" tells the reader the topic, place and angle.

Background and problem

Start with the real-world or academic problem, then narrow down to the specific gap. Use a few strong, recent sources rather than many weak ones.

Research questions

Keep the main question answerable within your time and resources. Sub-questions should break it into parts your methods can actually address.

Literature review

Group studies by theme or debate, not one paragraph per paper. End by stating clearly what the literature has not yet answered.

Methodology

This is where most proposals are weakest. Say what data you'll collect or use, how you'll analyse it, why this method suits your question, and how you'll handle ethics and access.

Timeline

A simple table by year or semester is enough. It shows the committee you've thought about feasibility.

Common mistakes

A topic so broad it would take a career, not a PhD
Methods that don't match the research question
No clear gap: the proposal summarises others' work without saying what's new
Ignoring the supervisor's interests: read their recent publications and show a fit
Copying text from other proposals, which plagiarism checks will catch

Before you submit

Ask someone in your field to read it. If they can't state your research question in one sentence after reading, revise until they can.

Want personal feedback? See our research proposal guidance.