CRA-W Grad Cohort: Research Proposals

What exactly is a research proposal and how do you prepare a good one? The following advice, given at the 2011 CRA-W Grad Cohort, is mainly intended for your PhD thesis proposal, but can apply to other research proposals as well.

What is a PhD Proposal?

• Not the end product but rather the brainstorming and planning part of the process
• A succinct write-up of your proposed research goals, strategies, justifications, and contributions
• Allows you to get feedback from your committee
• Helps you focus

General Process

• Use your abstract to recruit your committee members
• Write the proposal and iterate with your supervisor (length will depend on department)
• Give the proposal to the committee after your supervisor agrees it's ready
• Prepare a lot, reduce nervousness
• Present the proposal to committee
• Expect hard questions to follow

Makeup of the Committee

• Supervisor
• Faculty in topic area
• Faculty outside topic area (great for high level feedback)
• External member (possibly in your area - good chance for networking)

Role of the Committee

• Gives you guidance, feedback, and eventually reference letters
• They make sure you know your stuff at the defence, that you have thought about the issues, that the work will be novel and important enough for a PhD, and that your techniques are sound

Goals of Proposal: Be Sure You Clearly Answer These Questions

• What problem are you studying?
• Why is it important?
• What results have you achieved so far and why do they matter?
• How substantially different is your approach from prior work?
• How will you systematically evaluate your results?
• What do you need to complete the work?

Before You Start Writing

• Figure out what you want to accomplish
• Write a succinct thesis statement or hypothesis
• Discuss your ideas with others
• Present parts of thesis at seminars, conferences, etc
• Think about 3-4 major contributions or papers
• Formulate your contributions in writing
• Think about your audience (they are not aware of the prior work, your skills, etc), and provide the appropriate background, terminology, and so on
• Figure out how the state of the art relates to your problem

Presentation Tips

• Attend other proposal/thesis defences
• Thank the committee
• Introduce yourself and your background
• Practice!!
• Be polite about interruptions for questions
• Ask someone to take note of the questions asked
• Remember that it's ok to not have an answer to a question, and to ask for help and direction

 Anyone have any more specific tips, especially for the big day of the defence?