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You will need to write a research proposal as part of your application if: 

• it’s a requirement for your course - check the applying information on the course page  
• you’re applying for Gates Cambridge funding  

A research proposal outlines what your research will focus on and your plan for approaching your research project. 

This page will help you to prepare your research proposal for Cambridge. 

Tips for your research proposal 

Before you start, you should check: 

• the maximum word count and character limit
• what’s included in the word count – for example, footnotes 
• if there’s anything specific that the department wants you to include 

This information is usually on the course page or the Applicant Portal.  

Plan and research 

It’s important to start planning before you start the application process. 

You should: 

• think about why your research project is important 
• find out what research is being done in the subject area, including at Cambridge 
• consider what resources you need and whether your project is achievable 
• check the University’s policy on AI and postgraduate applications

You may also want to find a supervisor and discuss your proposal before you begin writing. 

Writing your proposal 

You should aim to write a clear proposal that showcases your research project. 

Use your proposal to persuade your department that your project is valuable, achievable and fits with a supervisor or research group. 

Typically, your proposal should outline: 

• your project and research goals 
• how your project fits into the field 
• your plan for conducting your research 
• the scope of the project and timescales 

Depending on your area of research, you might want to address any ethical issues or risk factors. 

Subject-specific advice 

The information on this page is just a starting point for your proposal. 

Always follow course-specific guidance. There are usually different expectations for different subject areas. 

Get in touch with your department if you have questions. 

Watch our webinars 

Get more advice by watching our webinars. 

• Writing proposals for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects
• Writing proposals for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences subjects

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Research Proposals

• the research topic briefly outline the area and topic of your research.
• the research context relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields, and indicate in what ways your research will differ; you might mention monographs on the subject, as well as important theoretical models or methodological exemplars. This is a chance to show your understanding of the background against which your research will be defined.
• the contribution you will make this is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research, and what it is that makes it both new and important; you should indicate what areas and debates it will have an impact on, what methodological example it sets (if appropriate) – in short how it contributes to knowledge and to the practice of our subject. Give examples of the sort of evidence you might consider, and of the questions it might help you to raise. Show that you are already thinking about the area in detail and not only in outline.
• your methods in some cases there will be little to say here, but if there is something striking about your methodology, you should explain it.
• the sources and resources you will use you should delimit your field of enquiry, showing where the project begins and ends; in certain cases, Cambridge will have unique collections and resources of central relevance to your project, and you should mention these.
• how the project will develop you might indicate some of the possible ways in which the project could develop, perhaps by giving a broader or narrower version depending on what materials and issues you uncover

You should ask yourself how your work might change the present state of scholarship in your field, and whether the topic is well suited to the resources provided at Cambridge. Even for MPhil courses we generally aim to admit not just those who propose a sensible topic, but those who have the potential to modify the present paradigms of research in their field. Most students, though, refine their research topics after they arrive in the light of what they discover or of advice from their supervisor, so you need not feel that you are inscribing your future in tablets of stone as you compose your proposal.

You may find it helpful to look at the following examples of successful research proposals.

It is vital that you show that your research is necessary. It is not enough that it happens to interest you. You should make clear that it will be of use and interest to others working in your field, or on a particular author, or indeed in neighbouring fields. You should show how your work will make a contribution to knowledge and to the practice of our subject.

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Your MPhil research proposal should be approximately one A4 page in length.

• Your research proposal should clearly articulate what you want to research and why. It should indicate a proposed approach to your given field of study. It should nevertheless retain sufficient flexibility to accommodate any changes you need to make as your research progresses.
• You should try to show how your postgraduate plans emerge from your undergraduate work and may move it on.
• You should try to show how your proposed research will build on existing knowledge or address any gaps or shortcomings.  You should accordingly mention existing scholarship, if necessary with certain qualifications – (eg. ‘Smith has written extensively on the theatre of Pirandello, but fails to mention…).
• Identify a potential Supervisor.

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• How to write your research proposal

An MPhil research proposal should be 500 words long. It needs to give those assessing your application an impression of the strength and originality of your proposed research, and its potential to make a contribution to knowledge. It should be written in clear, jargon-free, and unexceptionable prose. Grammatical mistakes and typographical errors give a very bad impression. You should make sure you cover the following areas (without explicitly dividing the proposal into headings).

The research topic

• Briefly outline the area and topic of your proposed research.

The research context

• Relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields, and indicate in what ways your research will differ; you might mention monographs on the subject, as well as important theoretical models or methodological exemplars: this is a chance to show your understanding of the background against which your research will be defined.

The contribution you will make

• This is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research, and what it is that makes it both new and important; you should indicate what areas and debates it will have an impact on, what methodological example it sets (if appropriate) – in short how it contributes to knowledge and to the practice of Digital Humanities.  Give examples of the sort of evidence you might consider, and of the questions it might help you to raise. Show that you are already thinking about the area in detail and not only in outline.

Your methods

• You do not necessarily need to define a methodology but if there is something striking about your proposed methodology, and this is central to your proposal you should point to this.

The sources and resources you will use

• You should delimit your field of enquiry, showing where the project begins and ends; in certain cases, Cambridge will have unique collections and resources of central relevance to your project, and you should mention these if they are relevant.

How the project will develop

• You might indicate some of the possible ways in which the project could develop, perhaps by giving a broader or narrower version depending on what materials and issues you uncover, or which critical, theoretical or methodological approaches you decide to pursue.

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When you're writing your proposal, you'll need to:

• refer to the funder guidelines, and explain how your project meets their aims
• justify why your project matters, why it's going to be effective, and why you're suggesting your approach
• explain why your research is exciting and original
• identify any potential issues, and explain how you're going to deal with them  

University support

If you need help with your proposal, your Department is a great place to start. They can help by:

• reviewing drafts
• providing comments, and suggesting edits
• explaining the different sections of the application
• helping you make connections and collaborations

You can also get help from colleagues, line managers, collaborators, and the Research Operations Office.

Funding for grant applications

The Research Strategy Office provides tailored grant application support and manages two institutional funds to further enable this:

• Large Grant Contributions Fund , which aims to provide financial contributions to large collaborative grant proposals
• Bid Preparation Fund , which provides small grants to enable preparation of large collaborative bids.

Research Council support

Each Research Council has produced their own application guidance:

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Guidance for Postgraduate Applicants on Writing a Research Proposal

Guidance for postgraduate applicants on writing a research proposal

  The following points should be included when writing a research proposal:

• The topic that you propose to research : This should consist of a clear outline of the research you wish to do.
• The research context : relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields and indicate in what ways your research will differ.
• The contribution that your work will make to the field : this is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research and what it is that makes it both new and important.
• The methodology and methods to be used in your study : this section should describe the methods and methodology you propose to employ as well as a justification for suitability of these methods in addressing your research topic.
• Fit with the Faculty and potential supervisor for PhD only : explain how your research fits in with the Faculty’s research interests and your potential supervisor.

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Writing a PhD research proposal

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Your proposal should persuade your readers of the significance and feasibility of your project, and of your suitability to carry it out. Any research project will naturally change shape as you begin work on it, and you are free to alter your approach later, in agreement with your supervisor. But, at this point, your proposal should give the most accurate picture possible of the research you wish to undertake for the PhD. Be as specific as you can about the material/subject you wish to research, your methods, and your hypotheses.

You are strongly advised to contact a prospective PhD supervisor well in advance of the application deadline, to check if they are willing and able to supervise you. They may also be able to give you feedback on the design and scope of your proposed project before you submit your application.

How will my research proposal be evaluated?

Your proposal will be assessed against a range of criteria. These are likely to include:

• the significance of the research project
• the quality and originality of your ideas
• the feasibility of your project: does it look likely that it will be completed within 3-4 years? Are your methods appropriately chosen? Has any planned fieldwork been carefully thought through and it is likely to yield useful results?
• how well you are able to situate your ideas within broader debates
• your knowledge of the subject and existing literature relevant to your project
• evidence of critical thinking
• the degree to which your previous studies have adequately equipped you for this project
• whether there is a good “fit” with the proposed supervisor
• the precision, accuracy and fluency of your written style, and your ability to formulate and structure ideas effectively

What should I include in my research proposal?

A research proposal should identify a problem, justify its importance, and propose a feasible and effective way of addressing it. You must therefore contextualize your research questions in the relevant literature, argue convincingly that these questions should be studied, and show that you are capable of answering them in the course of a PhD programme. You should draft a clear, concise, and coherent research proposal of 1000-1500 words (excluding references), ensuring that you cover all the points below.

• Define your research questions clearly and succinctly, and explain why they are important.
• Indicate what has already been published on the subject and how your research will extend or challenge that work, or how it will fill a gap in scholarship. A proposal for a degree in Latin American studies can focus on a single country or sub-national space, but it should normally make reference to relevant literature on Latin America more broadly.
• Outline the intervention(s) you intend to make within broader debates and the original contribution(s) you expect to make to existing knowledge and/or conceptual frameworks.
• Explain the methods you will use in your research and justify them as appropriate.
• Give details of any fieldwork you intend to carry out: when, where, why, how. Mention specific people, organizations or archives, as appropriate.
• Outline the skills and experience you bring to the project, and how your previous studies have prepared you to carry it through to successful completion.

In addition, you should make sure that you include clear information on the following points, either in the research proposal itself, or elsewhere (prominently) in your application.

• Note any additional training you would need for the project.
• Name the supervisor you intend to work with and explain briefly why they would be a good supervisor for your project.
• Give reasons for wishing to undertake the PhD in this Centre and/or in Cambridge generally.
• Indicate how a PhD will fit into your current career plan.

Related Links

Consortium for the Global South

Cambridge Global Challenges

Centre of Latin American Studies 2nd floor Alison Richard Building 7 West Road Cambridge, CB3 9DP, UK

Contact: (+44) (0)1223 335390

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Students are not assigned to pre-specified projects. They are expected to propose an area or topic, and will be accepted only if an appropriate and willing supervisor is available. Applicants should therefore prepare a statement of proposed research of no more than 3000 words (this is different from a personal statement) indicating their intended topic and research strategy. This should:

• show an understanding of existing work in the field,
• identify an area for new work,
• have concrete goals and deliverables for the first year, and
• indicate that you know how to achieve them.

This could usefully be drafted in collaboration with the intended supervisor and candidates are invited to make contact with the intended supervisor, either through individual staff members or the Postgraduate Education Manager, before submitting a formal application. Staff members belong to one or more research groups and may be contacted by email in the first instance. If you contact more than one person in the Department,  please make sure that all the people you contact are aware of all the others so that we do not duplicate effort. The Department may suggest an informal visit, and may interview applicants in person, by video-conference or by telephone.

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