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PhD Proposal Format: An Important Part Of Your Thesis Journey

What is a Research/Thesis Proposal?

A research or a thesis proposal aims to outline the idea of your entire research/thesis paper. It tends to answer the why and what of your research purpose, research questions, statement of problem, research methodology, expected findings/outcomes, conclusion, the time required for research, references etc.

It is like defining the plan of action before you begin writing your thesis paper. It sets a base for your successful final paper and it helps you avoid any confusion while you are working hard on your actual research, hence following a proper PhD proposal format is important.

First reason to work on a good research proposal is that you will get a clear picture of your research work and second significant reason is that you will be able to submit a convincing proposal to the universities you want to apply into.

The Basic PhD Thesis Proposal Format-

Title of the Project/Research/Thesis-

An eye catchy, relevant, to the point, engaging title is all what you need to select. The title should be crisp enough yet you should make sure that it explains what your research is going to be all about.

Introduction-

Introduction includes the statement of your research in a few words that comprises of the research idea you are working on.

Research Objectives/ Purpose of Research-

This part includes all the research objectives you want to showcase, you can explain three to four research objectives related to the scope of your study and the objective of your study.
The objectives would define the purpose of your research, as in what is the aim or goal of your research, what do you want to achieve at the end of your research.

Review of Literature-

This part is really important as it contains previously published work of research experts who have done somewhat similar research which can help you further in your work.
Taking help of previously published research papers is crucial as you get a base for how do you have to move ahead in your research.
Going through similar topics will enhance your knowledge even more and you will have a broader perspective towards the topic your are researching on.

Research methodology-

This section will define the methods, techniques, tools, framework, theories that you are going to use for carrying out your research study.
Selecting a particular method and the reason to select the same is what you will explain in this section.
For example, you are going to use qualitative method or quantitative method or may be a mix of both methods depending on what is the topic of your research.

Data collection-

In this section you have to mention about the data collection tools and techniques that you are going to use.
For example, using the questionnaire method with the implementation of semantic likert scale.

Which method is right and why that you are supposed to explain here.

Expected Outcomes/Findings-

This section contains the expected or possible outcomes of your research study.

Conclusion-

This part includes the conclusion that you can possibly generate out of the overall research and findings.

Bibliography or References-

This will contain the references that you have used.

Following proper PhD proposal format is very crucial, if you find any issues in doing so you can always reach us at: https://www.phdthesis.in/contact-us/ or +91-80-4675-9500

How to Pen Down an Approval-Ready Research Proposal in Sociology Like a Pro?

Research proposal is a project outline that presents the need for the study and practical approaches used to obtain the key findings. It identifies the subject matter of the proposed study and enables the reader to judge originality and quality of the proposed study. Since research proposal is what the PhD applicant & his/her application gets judged for, it is therefore necessary to ensure it includes nil or minimum typographical and other language errors.

Generally, a proposal includes about 2000-3000 words and involves articulating research problem & hypothesis. However, the number of words and the elements included within the proposal may vary according to the needs of the subject. In this blog, we guide you on proposal development for research in sociology.

Working title – The title must describe the nature of the study (For example, describing a comparative study) and should include empirical focus or key concepts . Avoid using uninformative title, instead employ title that is original and describes what you aspire in your research. For example, social movements in the modern age, what and how demonstrations lead social policy change?, etc.
Topic & hypothesis– Research question or hypothesis is required to progress with the study. Include both broad as well as narrow question and less certain & potential possibilities. Translate the theoretical issue into hypothesis and ensure your hypothesis distinguishes competing arguments. Provide an explanation as to why the chosen issue is worth exploring. Next, clearly state the importance of the chosen topic and how does it contribute to your field of study. Identify the research gaps (theoretical & practical) and demonstrate your understanding in addressing the gap.

Note: hypothesis should be derived from theoretical arguments and not from empirical projections.

Aims of the research – The research aims are broader than the hypothesis or question. Give a clear and concise outline of the objectives you want to achieve in your study. The aim should be an answer to questions like ‘what will the study contribute to the field of study?’ or ‘what will the study explore?’. Provide a general overview of the study and establish relevance with the existing academic thinking. Remember, your proposal should explain why your study is important to the research community.
Literature review – This section illustrates your understanding regarding your field of study and are capable of performing the research. Demonstrate how your proposal adds value to the existing knowledge. This is achieved by presenting how your work fits in the existing framework. Give a logical explanation on the theoretical scope of framework used to support the research. You can also mention the important contributions of other researchers in your field of study. Also, do not simply summarise the literature & law. Instead, identify the trends, results, and incorporate a critical assessment.
Research method/approach – Having defined the research question and establishing a relationship with the existing study, the next step is to outline the research methods. This section should give detailed information about the approaches to be used to answer the research question. Provide details about the method of investigation (survey, interviews, content analysis, etc.) you wish to employ. List the resources ( field visits, specialist library, access to database, analytical software, data gathering methods, controls to be introduced, etc.) used in the study. Additionally, explain the tools and techniques used to analyse the data. If necessary, ethical issues and challenges faced during data collection can be included in this section.
Time scale – Provide details pertaining to the estimated time taken to complete the research. This demonstrates the sequence of research phases and time required to complete each phase. You can also include the estimated budget and means of funding for your study.
References & bibliography – List the references using standard formatting style or the one demanded by your target institute. Make sure you list only those sources which you have used to develop the proposal.

Some of the pitfalls to avoid while crafting the proposal include:

Including overly broad research topic. Realistic topic that can be completed in the given time limits have higher chances of acceptance.
Incorporating references that are more than 5years old. Instead, include sources that cover the latest advancement in your field of study. Also, ensure to include more than 10 references.
Including unclear explanation on choice of research methods and techniques used to arrive at the desired result.
Overuse of jargon and too lengthy/wordy proposal.
Sloppy presentation. Despite including all the necessary elements, a proposal may get rejected due to the poor presentation. Therefore, ensure it is well-organised and is neatly presented.

Crafting a proposal can be tedious. But on knowing what needs to be included and what must be excluded, you can do justice to your research proposal.

Ethnography: A comprehensive guide to approach used to study people & culture

Research in social science, anthropology, religious studies, etc. often aims at studying the behavior and facet of a culture of a community. This can be achieved by using research methods such as ethnography and phenomenology. While phenomenology focuses on individual behavior or experience, it is an ethnography approach that focuses on studying the behavior of a collective community.

Ethnography, employed in the initial stage of research, is a qualitative research method that provides an in-depth understanding of the behaviors and interactions of people of a specific community. This type of research method aims at understanding the underlying issue and designing effective solutions.

Generally, this research method involves a combination of fieldwork such as interviews, surveys, and observation, which can be utilized to assess the existing research design and support future study decisions.

Some of the key characteristics of ethnography are:

a) Has the ability to function with unstructured data
b) Can explore the nature of the specific social phenomenon
c) Capable of investigation small number of cases

Distinct from simple observational method, ethnography demands researcher to integrate into the community under study. The steps involved in this method include:

1) Identifying the research question – The first step involved in the process is determining the apt research problem you wish to find solutions for. Create a problem statement that gives rise to many more in-depth questions. The issue or question can pertain to any topic that addresses the factors (relationship, culture, processes, interactions, etc.) affecting the behavior of the people.

2) Choosing the research location (s) –Determining the research question is followed by identifying a suitable location to perform the research. Choose a place that enables you to take field notes, observe, participate, observe and determine the behavior of people in that specific environment. If your research question/problem demands, you can choose more than one apt location.

3) Formulating data collection approach – Choose the most effective approach(s) to gather the required information. However, prior to selecting the method, decide if you will be playing the role of an individual in the community you are observing? Will the individuals know you are a researcher or will you be a covert? If the individuals aren’t aware of your being the researcher, consider an ethical approach to observe and gather data.

4) Acquiring permissions –Being considerate and ethical in vital in research. Since ethnographic research is intrusive, it is necessary to take permission to get access to the environment under study and in implementing the recorded observations in your ethnography paper. Let the decision-makers know the observational methods you will be using, how the collected data will be utilized, and so on.

5) Participation –Ethnographic research involves more than observation. To perform the research effectively, participate in the events you are researching. Identify the information (pertaining to your research question and problem) you are looking for and determine ideal methods to collect the information. Behave as an objective throughout the process of collecting the data.

6) Interviewing ideal respondent – Interviews are necessary to get a deep understanding of the actions and behaviors. Identify suitable questions and individuals to obtain relevant answers to your question. Interviews can be done at any stage including, immediately after witnessing an activity, at the end of the day, at the end of the designated observation duration, or at the end of the complete research period.

7) Gathering archival information –Many communities and culture include several other information and artifacts which can be employed to collect required data. Analyze Emails, written documents, telephonic conversations, physical artifacts, websites, and other sources to improve the overall understanding of the community/environment.

8) Coding and data analysis –Coding data is a proven way to add sense to the observations. This is followed by data analysis and interpretation. The steps included here are

(1) coding & labeling collected data,

(2) sorting out patterns

(3) identifying outliers

(4) comparing theories and

(5) noting the reflective remarks.

Ethnography is widely used due to the number of benefits it offers. However, it also has a few limitations as listed below.

Advantages

a) It gives a better understanding of the cultures
b) Let’s ethnographers to discover new aspects
c) It provides deeper insights into human behavior, irrespective of culture, location, etc.

Disadvantages

a) As it relies on qualitative research, it becomes difficult to select a representative sample
b) Can result in cultural bias
c) Is time-consuming
d) The success of the study depends on the honesty & openness of respondents

Although sounds fascinating, performing the ethnographic research adept knowledge and ability to build relationships with the respondents. Master the art of deploying ethnographic approaches and gather the required data for your study.

Know How Research Method and Methodology Differ from each Other

As a PhD scholar, your main aim would be to determine answers/solutions to a specific question/issue. To identify the appropriate solution, choosing the right research method is a must. However, selection of research method often suffers setback due to the confusion between the method and methodology. Although it sounds outlandish, but the fact is that not all scholars are aware of the difference between those two concepts.

A source of confusion is that the words ‘method’ & ‘methodology’ are treated interchangeable in academics.

So what exactly is research method and methodology?

1. Research method

Research methods are the approaches used to define primary goals and determine the specific issue with deeper understanding. Simply said, the procedures and techniques utilised during the course of investigating the research problem, collect & perform data analysis is known as research method. This incorporates experimental studies, numerical schemes, statistical approaches, theoretical procedures, and many more. Typically, research methods are segregated into:

Exploratory research – This type of approach assists in identifying a problem
Constructive research– This approach utilises empirical evidence to evaluate the feasibility of solution
Empirical research – This type of research method used to assess the theories

These methods can be further divided into descriptive, applied, conceptual, qualitative and quantitative research. Unknown to many, research methods is categorised into three groups.

Group one – This category covers approaches pertaining to data collection. However, such methods are utilised only when the existing data isn’t sufficient to obtain the solution.
Group two – This category includes the approaches used to conduct data analysis. That is, to determine the data patterns and develop a relationship between the known & unknown data.
Group three – It encompasses approaches which are utilised to determine the accuracy of the obtained findings and generally incorporate analytical methods.

2. Research methodology

As the name suggests, research methodology is the study of the methods used to solve the problem/issue. It is the reasoning behind why the particular approach was used. In any study, research methodology serves the purpose of symmetrically solving the research problem and also explains how the result was obtained. I.e., the research methods employed and the manner in which the data was collected & analysed. A research methodology provides comprehensive theoretical and practical framework employed to describe the reasoning and functioning of the selected research methods in the initial stage of the study. Methodology plays a crucial role in research as it determines the reliability of the significant findings and adds value to the overall study. Key characteristics of methodology include:

Identifying appropriate research method to solve the chosen issue
Ensuring the efficiency of the selected research method
Determining the accuracy of the obtained results

Unlike research method, methodology isn’t a collection of tools or techniques. Instead offers detailed explanation to the reader pertaining to the techniques or tools used to collect data, perform data analysis, equipment used to conduct an experiment (in case of study in science), etc. A well-crafted methodology section should:

Introduce and describe reasons for research methods (qualitative, quantitative or mixed) used for investigation of an issue
Offer rationale for selecting the specific research method
Explain how the research methods are relevant to the study
Demonstrate specific data collection approach
Provide an explanation on data analysis procedures

Features	Research Methods	Research Methodology
Meaning	Implies approaches used by the scholar to perform the research	Signifies ways to solve research problems
What is it?	Behaviour and tools used to collect data and perform data analysis	Provides an explanation and rationale behind choosing a specific research method
What it encompasses?	Includes tests, surveys, experiments, etc.	Studies the technique utilised in conducting tests, survey, experiment, etc.
Objective	Identify solution to research problem	Apply suitable procedures to identify solutions
Scope of practice	Has narrow scope of practice	Has wider scope of practice
When is it used?	Used in later stages of research	Used in initial stages of research

Sample of research methodology section

To summarise, research methodology is required to solve the research problem systematically by evaluating the logic behind implementation of research methods. On the other hand, research method is the facet of methodology providing an avenue to determine the solutions for the research problem.

Undoubtedly, the scope of research methodology is wider than that of methods as it the base which lets you determine the effectiveness of the method used.

Guide to ‘causal-comparative’ research design: Identifying causative relationship between an independent & dependent variable

Most often, in experimental research, when a researcher wants to compare groups in a more natural way, the approach used is causal design. On the other hand, in a non-experimental setting, if a researcher wants to identify consequences or causes of differences between groups of individuals, then typically causal-comparative design is deployed.

Causal-comparative, also known as ex post facto (after the fact) research design, is an approach that attempts to figure out a causative relationship between an independent variable & a dependent variable. It must be noted that the relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable is a suggested relationship and not proven as the researcher do not have complete control over the independent variable.

This method seeks to build causal relationships between events and circumstances. Simply said, it determines to find out the reasons/causes of specific occurrences or non-occurrences. Based on Mill’s canon of agreement and disagreement, causal-comparative research involves comparison in contrast to correlation studies which looks at relationships.

For example, you may wish to compare the body composition of individuals who are trained with exercise machines versus individuals trained only free weights. Here you will not be manipulating any variables, but only investigating the impact of exercise machines and free weights on body composition. However, since factors such as training programs, diet, aerobic conditioning affects the body composition, causal-comparative research will be assessed scrupulously to determine how the other factors were controlled.

This research design is further segregated into:

Retrospective causal-comparative research – In this method, a research question after the effects have occurred is investigated. The researcher aims to determine how one variable may have impacted another variable.
Prospective causal-comparative research – This method begins with studying the causes and is progressed by investigating the possible effects of a condition.

How to conduct causal-comparative research?

The basic outline for performing this type of research is similar to other researches. The steps involved in this process are:

Topic selection – Identify & define a specific phenomenon of interest and consider the possible consequences for the phenomenon. This method involves the selection of two groups that differ on a certain variable of interest.
Review the literature – Assess the literature in order to identify the independent and dependent variables for the study. This process lets you figure out external variables that contribute to a cause-effect relationship.
Develop a hypothesis – The hypothesis developed must define the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Selection of comparison groups – Choose groups that differ in regards to the independent variable. This enables you to control external variables and reduce their impact. Here, you can use the matching technique to find groups that differ mainly by the presence of the independent variable.
Choosing a tool for variable measurement variables and data collection – In this type of research, the researcher need not incorporate a treatment protocol. It is a matter of gathering data from surveys, interviews, etc. that allows comparisons to be made between the groups.
Data analysis – Here, data is reported as a frequency or mean for each group using descriptive statistics. This is followed by determining the significant mean difference between the groups using inferential statistics (T-test, Chi-square test).
Interpretation of results – In this step carefully state that the independent variable causes the dependent variable. However, due to the presence of external variables and lack of randomisation in participant selection, it is probably ideal to state that the results showcase a possible effect or cause.

Flow chart

So, when should one consider using this research design?

Typically, causal-comparative research design can be considered as an alternative to experimental design due to its feasibility, cost-affordability and easy to perform the research.

However, in causal-comparative design, the independent variables cannot be manipulated, unlike experimental research. For example, if you want to investigate if ethnicity affects self-esteem, you cannot manipulate the self-esteem of the participants’. The independent variable here is already selected, and hence, some other method needs to be utilised to determine the cause.

Threats to the internal validity of the research

In this type of research, since the participants are not randomly selected and placed in the groups, there is a threat to internal validity. Another threat to internal validity is its inability to manipulate the independent variable.

In order to counter the threats and strengthen the research, impose selection strategies of matching utilising ANCOVA or homogeneous subgroups.

Causal-comparative design includes basic features such as:

Involves selection of two comparison groups (experimental & control group) to be studied

Includes making comparisons between pre-existing groups in regards to interested variables
Studies variables which cannot be manipulated for practical or ethical reasons
Consumes reduced amount of time and cost

Although this approach gives an opportunity to analyse data on the basis of your personal opinion and come out with the best conclusion, while predicting the relationship, you might fall to post hoc fallacy. Therefore, pay extra attention while predicting the relationship and then arrive at a conclusion.