This guidance on writing a research proposal has been adapted from advice for applicants from Heriot-Watt University.
One of the most crucial parts of a PhD application is the research proposal. This shows that you have thought a bit about what you want to research and so makes you a more attractive candidate: it also helps potential supervisors to see if you are in their area of interest. The research proposal helps us understand how you have thought about research and the background work that you have done. However, if you join us as a PhD student it will inevitably change as you have discussions with your supervisor and learn more about the topic. Sometimes, students completely change their ideas. This is OK – you do not have to do the work that you have defined in your proposal.
Many people have not had to write a proposal before and so here are a few suggestions on what to include and what to avoid. Do not feel that you have to write a perfect document: we know that independent research may be something you are starting for the first time and that writing a research proposal may seem a little intimidating. Just do your best to cover the topics below.
In making an application, you should check whether the specialist area you wish to study is covered by a member(s) of the department you are applying to join. You can do this by looking through our research group web pages. You can also explore staff research interests by looking at individual staff web pages.
Normally a proposal should be around 1000 words + references and will include the following:
A working title of the topic area. This should do more than convey the key words associated with the proposed research: try and be precise.
General overview of area. This should take the form of a brief abstract of the general area of study and identify the discipline(s) within which it falls. You might also refer to the way in which your own background gives you competences in your chosen area. Try to avoid extremely broad topics like “software engineering”, “computer science”, “computer graphics” – your previous project work may for example give you a starting point for a specific area, or maybe you have read a paper that sounds cool or seen a piece of software that inspires you.
Identification of the relevant literature. In this section you should develop your proposal to demonstrate that you are aware of the debates and issues raised in relevant bodies of literature. References to a small number key articles and texts should be made to show that you appreciate their relevance to your research area. A PhD is an original piece of research: and so you should try to explain what you think might be original about your idea.
Key research questions. You need to pick a topic that could be completed within the normal time period allowed and that is manageable. So what questions do you think you would have to answer in order to do the research?
Methodology. Once you know what questions you would have to answer, then you need to think about what methodologies and tools are available to you and which would be suitable for your research. Maybe you need specific hardware, like a PDA, a cluster of computers or high-end graphical display systems? Is there specific software that you will need? Is your research primarily about developing algorithms or something else? Maybe you are interested in interfaces, and will need to use quantitative or qualitative evaluation methods? You need to specify the approach you feel will be most appropriate.
Timescale/research planning. You need to demonstrate an awareness of the need for planning and the timescale of the research: how long might it take to answer each of the questions you set out using the methods you have just mentioned, plus write the whole thesis up?.
Bibliography. You should include a short list of references to key articles and texts included in the application. You do not need to count these in the 1000 words.
You should be specific in making your proposal and should avoid suggesting very broad topics and vague descriptions of research areas.
PS：http://researchproposal.blog.163.com/blog/static/177078410201011286138309/
http://researchproposal.blog.163.com/
3.研究计划（RESEARCH PROPOSAL）：类似国外大学要求的个人陈述。不过这个研究计划是纯学术的，无须加入诸如个人经历、感情这些东西。它要求申请者要有一个明确的研究方案并对此有较好的掌握。这个计划必须是非常具体的，不能太宽泛。研究计划一般包括以下几点：
（1）研究对象（TOPIC），即你想要解决的问题
（2）研究此问题的意义
（3）前人的研究状况即遗留的问题
（4）你的研究方法（METHODOLOGY）
（5）参考文献（BIBLIOGRAPHY）：这一点很重要，但往往会被忽视。
