How to Write a Research Proposal for a PhD or Fellowship

Last updated: 18 October 2026

A research proposal is required for most PhD scholarships (CSC, Commonwealth PhD, DAAD, Gates Cambridge PhD), many research master’s and every postdoctoral fellowship (MSCA, Humboldt). It shows that you can identify a real question, design a feasible study and explain why it matters. Committees rarely expect you to follow it exactly — they judge your thinking.

Standard structure (typically 1,000–3,000 words)

1. Working title. Specific and informative, e.g. “Low-cost sensor networks for early flood warning in the Indus basin”.
2. Background and problem (15%). What is known, and what is still missing? Cite the key 5–10 recent studies.
3. Research questions or hypotheses (10%). One main question and two or three sub-questions. Each must be answerable.
4. Literature review (20%). Group existing work by theme and show the gap your project fills. Do not just summarise papers one by one.
5. Methodology (30%). Data, methods, sample, tools, analysis and why they suit the question. Mention ethics approval if you work with people or animals.
6. Expected contribution and impact (10%). What new knowledge, method or application will result, and for whom?
7. Timeline (5%). A simple year-by-year or quarter-by-quarter plan (a table or Gantt chart). Show milestones such as data collection, papers and thesis writing.
8. Fit with the host (5%). Why this supervisor, lab or university — their methods, data, equipment or previous papers.
9. References. Use one consistent style (APA, IEEE, Harvard).

Fellowships such as MSCA and Humboldt use their own templates and scoring criteria — follow them exactly, section by section.

How to choose a good topic

• Start from the potential supervisor’s recent papers and find an open question they mention.
• Build on your master’s thesis or work experience — reviewers trust continuity.
• Check feasibility: can you get the data, equipment or field access within 3–4 years?
• Keep it narrow. “Climate change in Pakistan” is a field; “How heat waves affect wheat yield in southern Punjab, 2000–2025” is a project.

Contacting a supervisor with your proposal

1. Send a short email (150–200 words): who you are, your research interest, one sentence on how it links to their work, and what you are applying for.
2. Attach your CV and a one- or two-page proposal summary — not the full document.
3. Follow up once after 10–14 days. If there is no reply, contact another supervisor.

Common mistakes

• A topic far too broad for the time and budget.
• No clear research question.
• Methods described in one vague sentence.
• Copying sections from papers or theses — proposals are checked for plagiarism.
• Ignoring the word limit or the funder’s template.

Funded PhD and postdoc opportunities