scientific phd research proposal example

• Postgraduate

Research degrees

• Examples of Research proposals
• Find a course
• Accessibility

Examples of research proposals

How to write your research proposal, with examples of good proposals.

Research proposals

Your research proposal is a key part of your application. It tells us about the question you want to answer through your research. It is a chance for you to show your knowledge of the subject area and tell us about the methods you want to use.

We use your research proposal to match you with a supervisor or team of supervisors.

In your proposal, please tell us if you have an interest in the work of a specific academic at York St John. You can get in touch with this academic to discuss your proposal. You can also speak to one of our Research Leads. There is a list of our Research Leads on the Apply page.

When you write your proposal you need to:

• Highlight how it is original or significant
• Explain how it will develop or challenge current knowledge of your subject
• Identify the importance of your research
• Show why you are the right person to do this research
• Research Proposal Example 1 (DOC, 49kB)
• Research Proposal Example 2 (DOC, 0.9MB)
• Research Proposal Example 3 (DOC, 55.5kB)
• Research Proposal Example 4 (DOC, 49.5kB)

Subject specific guidance

• Writing a Humanities PhD Proposal (PDF, 0.1MB)
• Writing a Creative Writing PhD Proposal (PDF, 0.1MB)
• About the University
• Our culture and values
• Academic schools
• Academic dates
• Press office

Our wider work

• Business support
• Work in the community
• Donate or support

Connect with us

York St John University

Lord Mayor’s Walk

[email protected]

01904 624 624

York St John London Campus

6th Floor Export Building

1 Clove Crescent

[email protected]

01904 876 944

• Policies and documents
• Module documents
• Programme specifications
• Quality gateway
• Admissions documents
• Access and Participation Plan
• Freedom of information
• Accessibility statement
• Modern slavery and human trafficking statement

© York St John University 2024

Colour Picker

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Dui id ornare arcu odio.

Felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis ipsum. Et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Faucibus pulvinar elementum integer enim neque volutpat ac. Hac habitasse platea dictumst vestibulum rhoncus.

Nec ullamcorper sit amet risus nullam eget felis eget. Eget felis eget nunc lobortis mattis aliquam faucibus purus.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Starting the research process
• How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

Published on October 12, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 21, 2023.

A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it’s important, and how you will conduct your research.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals will contain at least these elements:

Introduction

Literature review.

• Research design

Reference list

While the sections may vary, the overall objective is always the same. A research proposal serves as a blueprint and guide for your research plan, helping you get organized and feel confident in the path forward you choose to take.

Table of contents

Research proposal purpose, research proposal examples, research design and methods, contribution to knowledge, research schedule, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research proposals.

Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application , or prior to starting your thesis or dissertation .

In addition to helping you figure out what your research can look like, a proposal can also serve to demonstrate why your project is worth pursuing to a funder, educational institution, or supervisor.

Research proposal length

The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.

One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.

Download our research proposal template

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.

• Example research proposal #1: “A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management”
• Example research proposal #2: “Medical Students as Mediators of Change in Tobacco Use”

Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:

• The proposed title of your project
• Your supervisor’s name
• Your institution and department

The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.

Your introduction should:

• Introduce your topic
• Give necessary background and context
• Outline your  problem statement  and research questions

To guide your introduction , include information about:

• Who could have an interest in the topic (e.g., scientists, policymakers)
• How much is already known about the topic
• What is missing from this current knowledge
• What new insights your research will contribute
• Why you believe this research is worth doing

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review  shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.

In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:

• Comparing and contrasting the main theories, methods, and debates
• Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
• Explaining how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize prior scholarship

Following the literature review, restate your main  objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.

To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.

For example, your results might have implications for:

• Improving best practices
• Informing policymaking decisions
• Strengthening a theory or model
• Challenging popular or scientific beliefs
• Creating a basis for future research

Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .

Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.

Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.

Download our research schedule template

If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.

Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:

• Cost : exactly how much money do you need?
• Justification : why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
• Source : how did you calculate the amount?

To determine your budget, think about:

• Travel costs : do you need to go somewhere to collect your data? How will you get there, and how much time will you need? What will you do there (e.g., interviews, archival research)?
• Materials : do you need access to any tools or technologies?
• Help : do you need to hire any research assistants for the project? What will they do, and how much will you pay them?

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .

Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.

I will compare …

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. & George, T. (2023, November 21). How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-proposal/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write a problem statement | guide & examples, writing strong research questions | criteria & examples, how to write a literature review | guide, examples, & templates, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

• How to Write a Great PhD Research Proposal | FindAPhD.com

How to Write a Great PhD Research Proposal

Written by Mark Bennett

You'll need to write a research proposal if you're submitting your own project plan as part of a PhD application. A good PhD proposal outlines the scope and significance of your topic and explains how you plan to research it.

It's helpful to think about the proposal like this: if the rest of your application explains your ability to do a PhD, the proposal demonstrates the actual PhD you plan to do. Of course, being able to effectively plan and explain a research project is one of the key qualifications for being able to complete one, which is why the proposal is such an important part of the PhD application process.

Thankfully, the secret to writing a good research proposal isn't complicated. It's simply a case of understanding what the proposal is for, what it needs to do and how it needs to be put together.

On this page

What is a phd research proposal.

First things first, do you need a research proposal for your PhD? It depends on the kind of project you want to do:

• If your PhD is advertised by a university, you probably won't need to submit a research proposal for it. The broad aims and objectives for your PhD will already be defined: you just need to prove you're the right person to do it.
• But, if you're proposing your own research topic to research within a university's PhD programme, you will need to write a proposal for it (the clue is in the word "proposing")

As a rule, advertised PhDs are very common in STEM subjects, whereas Arts, Humanities and Social Science students are more likely to propose their own PhDs.

Some PhD programmes actually wait and ask students to develop their research proposal during the degree (usually after they've completed some initial training). This is normal in the USA , but it's becoming more common for some UKRI-funded UK PhDs.

For the purposes of this guide we're going to assume that you do need to write a good research proposal for your PhD application. So let's explore what's involved in that.

Pick the right programme for you

There are lots of choices, let us help you to make the right one. Sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest advice and guidance from our team of experts.

What should a research proposal for PhD admission include?

It's natural to be a little intimidated at the thought of structuring a PhD proposal, particularly if you've never written anything like this before.

But here's the thing: a research proposal isn't a fiendish test designed to catch you out and stop you ever doing a PhD. It's actually much more boring than that.

All a research proposal really is is a document that demonstrates three things:

• Your PhD is worthwhile
• Your PhD is feasible
• You are capable of completing it at this university

Or to put it even more simply: the PhD is worth doing, it's doable and you can do it.

Demonstrate your PhD is worthwhile (the what and the why)

A successful PhD project has to make a significant original contribution to knowledge. If it doesn't, it won't meet the criteria for a doctoral degree and will probably fail the viva exam .

Your PhD proposal itself doesn't have to meet those criteria (or pass a viva!) but it does need to indicate that your PhD project eventually will.

It does that by first demonstrating that your research topic is original. That means nobody else has studied this same topic (or one very similar) before.

There are all sorts of ways a PhD can be original. You might examine new data or primary sources, to look at existing material from a fresh perspective, or deal with the impact of new events. It doesn't matter how your project is original, so long as your proposal is really specific about what makes it original.

You also need to explain why your proposed research will be academically significant. To do this properly, you'll need to acknowledge relevant existing scholarship and explain how your research will relate to it. You don't need to be exhaustive at this point, but you should be able to show how your PhD will contribute to its field and – ideally – indicate some of the gaps in knowledge it will aim to fill.

The final step in demonstrating your PhD is worthwhile is to suggest what will become possible as a result of your research. How could other researchers use or build upon your results? What might closing those gaps in academic knowledge mean for audiences outside the unviversity?

Demonstrate your PhD is feasible (the how)

It isn't enough just to show that your research is worth doing; it also needs to actually be doable.

The length of a full-time PhD is around three to four years in most countries (it's longer in for a PhD in the USA , but you don't spend all that time doing research).

Three years may seem like a long time, but researching a PhD is a lot of work and you'll probably spend at least some of your time on other activities like teaching, conference presentations or even publication.

So, one of the things your proposal needs to do is demonstrate that your project is feasible: that it fits within the scope of a PhD.

The most important criteria for this is to be clear about what you plan to do. It should be obvious from your proposal what the scope of your project is – what is and isn't included within it.

You also need to outline how you plan to go about your research. Where will you start and what order do you expect to proceed in? Is the logic for that obvious? If not, it's probably a good idea to explain it.

Finally, you need to explain the methodology you plan to use. This could include techniques for collecting data and sources, theoretical perspectives for analysing them – or both. You may also need to detail specific equipment you expect to use or fieldwork you'll need to undertake (including trips to archives or other external resources).

None of this needs to be exact or completely final. The key word here is 'plan' – but you do need to have one.

Demonstrate that you can complete it at this university (the who and the where)

So far we've thought about the project itself: what makes it worth doing and how it's going to get done. But your proposal also needs to address the who and the where: why are you the right person to carry out this research, and why do you want to do it at this particular university?

The first part of this is easier than it probably looks. Writing a good research proposal demonstrates enthusiasm for your project much more convincingly than simply saying you're very interested in it (a classic case of 'show, don't tell').

You also don't need to repeat your grades and academic achievements (other parts of your PhD application will cover those). Instead, try to underline experiences that relate to this project. Has a particular module or Masters dissertation topic prepared you with useful subject knowledge or methodological skills? If so, highlight it.

It's also fine, within reason, to be honest about the skills you don't have and to identify your training needs. This shows you're being practical about your project and thinking seriously about what it will require. Just make sure you can realistically acquire the skills and training you need within the time available (this goes back to the feasibility).

Showing your project is a good fit for the university is also relatively simple. There should already be some reasons why you've chosen this university for your PhD so make sure you explain what they are. Perhaps there's a particular supervisor you'd like to work with , or facilities and resources your research could use. The key is to emphasise the fit between the project and the university – so don't just say you want to research there because it's highly ranked .

PhD research proposal structure

Hopefully the above sections have given you a few ideas for the things your proposal needs to include. Let's be honest though, the scariest thing about a proposal isn't deciding what to include: it's actually writing it.

But, if we flip that on its head, we remember that all a research proposal really is is a piece of writing that follows a pretty standard format. And that's a lot less scary.

Research proposal structure

Because proposals for PhD all have to do the same things, they mostly follow a similar structure. Yours will probably go something like this:

• Title – Keep it simple and descriptive: the clever alliteration and quotes can come later when you write up your thesis. For now, you just want the person reading this to know exactly what your research is about and, perhaps, which prospective supervisor to send it to.
• Overview – Start by defining your research question (the what) and explaining how it contributes to current work in your field (the why). This is also a good place to reference one or two pieces of scholarship: the full literature review can wait until your PhD begins, but you should show that you have some understanding of relevant academic research.
• Methodology – Make sure the reader understands the practical and / or theoretical approaches you'll take to your research. What data will you collect, how will you collect it and how will you analyse it? Ideally refer to relevant research methods and models. It's also a good idea to provide some sort of roadmap for how you'll go about things. Don't worry, you can change it later (and you will).
• Outcomes and impact – What will exist as a result of your research (other than just another PhD on a library shelf) and what will it make possible? You don't need to identify every specific outcome from your project (blue sky research is fine) but you should think about what some potential outcomes might be.

You probably won't need to include a specific conclusion - it should be obvious, by now, what your project is doing, how you're going to do it and why that matters. A quick summary sentence is fine though, if you think it will help.

Writing tips

Being able to effectively communicate academic concepts, ideas and results is a key skill for PhD research in all subjects . Think of your proposal as a chance to demonstrate this.

The good news is that the key principles of good proposal writing aren't that different from other work you've probably done as a Bachelors or Masters student:

• Be clear – The person reading your research proposal should know exactly what it is you're proposing to research, with no room for ambiguity and confusion. This is important on a practical level (they need to know where to send it) but it's also important to the success of your application: a confusing proposal suggests a confused project. Try having a friend read it and ask them "do you know what it is I'm proposing to do here?" (even if they don't understand the details).
• Be concise – You will have more ideas than you can include in your proposal. That's fine. Choose the best ones and leave the others for your interview .
• be coherent – Follow something like the structure above. Don't start with your methodology, then say what it is you want to research.

How long should a PhD research proposal be?

Honestly? As long as the university asks for it to be. Most will have guidelines and you should follow them closely if so.

If you honestly can't find a suggested word count for your proposal, then consider asking a prospective supervisor . If you still aren't sure, aim for somewhere between 1,000-2,000 words .

As a very general rule, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are a bit longer than STEM proposals (and a lot of STEM students don't have to write one anyway, as we've explained).

Research proposal for PhD admission - dos and don'ts

Research proposals are a popular topic over on the FindAPhD blog , where we've shared stories of how students wrote theirs , along with mistakes to avoid and a counter-intuitive look at the things a PhD proposal doesn't actually need to do .

Here are a few general tips and mistakes to avoid:

#1 Give yourself enough time to do a good job

Preparing to write a PhD proposal takes time and effort. None of this is wasted as the process of evaluating and framing your ideas for a proposal will improve your project plan immensely. So will the need to decide which ideas to include.

But you need time and space to do that, so make sure you get it. How long it will take to write your PhD proposal is heavily dependent on your personal working style, but you'll likely need to give yourself at least a few weeks to do a good job.

#2 Set out to impress

A good proposal isn't a begging letter. You're approaching the university with a great idea that's going to contribute to and enhance their research. Be honest, be realistic, but don't be unnecessarily humble. They should want you and your project.

#3 Demonstrate original thinking!

You may not need to present original research findings yet, but your proposal does need to present original ideas – and it should be clear why and how those ideas are original.

Make sure you indicate how your project is going to expand, enhance or even correct existing work in your field. Remember that making an "original contribution to knowledge" is a key part of what a PhD is .

#1 Send the same proposal to several universities

A good proposal needs to explain why you want to do your research at a particular university. That's a big part of the feasibility (the fit between project, person and place) and methodology (how are you going to use this university's equipment and archives; when and where will you need to travel).

It's OK to apply to more than one university in parallel, but, in that case, you're writing research proposals .

#2 Use online proposal templates (without evaluating them first!)

It can be tempting to search for PhD proposal samples on the internet, but make sure you evaluate what you find. Some websites may host old proposals from previous PhD students, but there's no way of knowing how relevant these are to your subject and university – or if they were even successful! More 'generic' research proposal examples can offer guidance, but they won't be tailored to your specific project.

The best place to look for a PhD proposal sample is your university. Consider asking your supervisor if they can share a good proposal from a previous student in your subject – or put you in touch with a current student you can ask.

#3 Confuse the proposal with the PhD

We've covered this on the blog , but it's simple enough to include here too.

You're setting out to do a PhD, but you (probably!) haven't done one yet. So you don't need to include research findings, in-depth analysis or a comprehesive literature review. You need to make a case for the research and analysis you want to do.

#4 Ignore your university's help and guidance

The advice on this page is necessarily quite general. We're considering adding guides to writing PhD proposals in specific subjects in future but, for now, the best place to get specific advice for your academic field is probably the university you're applying to.

See if you can get some subject-specific tips by contacting a supervisor , or just checking with the admissions team for your department.

And remember: if they give you a structure and a word count, stick to it.

Ready to apply for a PhD?

Find out what PhD opportunities are currently available with our FindAPhD course listings .

Our postgrad newsletter shares courses, funding news, stories and advice

You may also like....

We've answered some of the most frequently asked questions about PhDs, covering course types, applications, funding and the benefits of further study.

Getting ready to apply for a PhD? Our guides explain research proposals, references and entry tests for doctoral programmes.

Our guide explains how to contact a potential PhD supervisor to discuss your proposal or ideas with them before applying.

A checklist of the things you'll need to do when making an international PhD application, from meeting the entry requirements to sorting out your visa.

FindAPhD. Copyright 2005-2024 All rights reserved.

Unknown    ( change )

Have you got time to answer some quick questions about PhD study?

Select your nearest city

You haven’t completed your profile yet. To get the most out of FindAPhD, finish your profile and receive these benefits:

• Monthly chance to win one of ten £10 Amazon vouchers ; winners will be notified every month.*
• The latest PhD projects delivered straight to your inbox
• Access to our £6,000 scholarship competition
• Weekly newsletter with funding opportunities, research proposal tips and much more
• Early access to our physical and virtual postgraduate study fairs

Or begin browsing FindAPhD.com

or begin browsing FindAPhD.com

*Offer only available for the duration of your active subscription, and subject to change. You MUST claim your prize within 72 hours, if not we will redraw.

Do you want hassle-free information and advice?

Create your FindAPhD account and sign up to our newsletter:

• Find out about funding opportunities and application tips
• Receive weekly advice, student stories and the latest PhD news
• Hear about our upcoming study fairs
• Save your favourite projects, track enquiries and get personalised subject updates

Create your account

Looking to list your PhD opportunities? Log in here .

How to write a research proposal

What is a research proposal.

A research proposal should present your idea or question and expected outcomes with clarity and definition – the what.

It should also make a case for why your question is significant and what value it will bring to your discipline – the why. 

What it shouldn't do is answer the question – that's what your research will do.

Why is it important?

Research proposals are significant because Another reason why it formally outlines your intended research. Which means you need to provide details on how you will go about your research, including:

• your approach and methodology
• timeline and feasibility
• all other considerations needed to progress your research, such as resources.

Think of it as a tool that will help you clarify your idea and make conducting your research easier.

How long should it be?

Usually no more than 2000 words, but check the requirements of your degree, and your supervisor or research coordinator.

Presenting your idea clearly and concisely demonstrates that you can write this way – an attribute of a potential research candidate that is valued by assessors.

What should it include?

Project title.

Your title should clearly indicate what your proposed research is about.

Research supervisor

State the name, department and faculty or school of the academic who has agreed to supervise you. Rest assured, your research supervisor will work with you to refine your research proposal ahead of submission to ensure it meets the needs of your discipline.

Proposed mode of research

Describe your proposed mode of research. Which may be closely linked to your discipline, and is where you will describe the style or format of your research, e.g. data, field research, composition, written work, social performance and mixed media etc. 

This is not required for research in the sciences, but your research supervisor will be able to guide you on discipline-specific requirements.

Aims and objectives

What are you trying to achieve with your research? What is the purpose? This section should reference why you're applying for a research degree. Are you addressing a gap in the current research? Do you want to look at a theory more closely and test it out? Is there something you're trying to prove or disprove? To help you clarify this, think about the potential outcome of your research if you were successful – that is your aim. Make sure that this is a focused statement.

Your objectives will be your aim broken down – the steps to achieving the intended outcome. They are the smaller proof points that will underpin your research's purpose. Be logical in the order of how you present these so that each succeeds the previous, i.e. if you need to achieve 'a' before 'b' before 'c', then make sure you order your objectives a, b, c.

A concise summary of what your research is about. It outlines the key aspects of what you will investigate as well as the expected outcomes. It briefly covers the what, why and how of your research. 

A good way to evaluate if you have written a strong synopsis, is to get somebody to read it without reading the rest of your research proposal. Would they know what your research is about?

Now that you have your question clarified, it is time to explain the why. Here, you need to demonstrate an understanding of the current research climate in your area of interest.

Providing context around your research topic through a literature review will show the assessor that you understand current dialogue around your research, and what is published.

Demonstrate you have a strong understanding of the key topics, significant studies and notable researchers in your area of research and how these have contributed to the current landscape.

Expected research contribution

In this section, you should consider the following:

• Why is your research question or hypothesis worth asking?
• How is the current research lacking or falling short?
• What impact will your research have on the discipline?
• Will you be extending an area of knowledge, applying it to new contexts, solving a problem, testing a theory, or challenging an existing one?
• Establish why your research is important by convincing your audience there is a gap.
• What will be the outcome of your research contribution?
• Demonstrate both your current level of knowledge and how the pursuit of your question or hypothesis will create a new understanding and generate new information.
• Show how your research is innovative and original.

Draw links between your research and the faculty or school you are applying at, and explain why you have chosen your supervisor, and what research have they or their school done to reinforce and support your own work. Cite these reasons to demonstrate how your research will benefit and contribute to the current body of knowledge.

Proposed methodology

Provide an overview of the methodology and techniques you will use to conduct your research. Cover what materials and equipment you will use, what theoretical frameworks will you draw on, and how will you collect data.

Highlight why you have chosen this particular methodology, but also why others may not have been as suitable. You need to demonstrate that you have put thought into your approach and why it's the most appropriate way to carry out your research. 

It should also highlight potential limitations you anticipate, feasibility within time and other constraints, ethical considerations and how you will address these, as well as general resources.

A work plan is a critical component of your research proposal because it indicates the feasibility of completion within the timeframe and supports you in achieving your objectives throughout your degree.

Consider the milestones you aim to achieve at each stage of your research. A PhD or master's degree by research can take two to four years of full-time study to complete. It might be helpful to offer year one in detail and the following years in broader terms. Ultimately you have to show that your research is likely to be both original and finished – and that you understand the time involved.

Provide details of the resources you will need to carry out your research project. Consider equipment, fieldwork expenses, travel and a proposed budget, to indicate how realistic your research proposal is in terms of financial requirements and whether any adjustments are needed.

Bibliography

Provide a list of references that you've made throughout your research proposal. 

Apply for postgraduate study

New hdr curriculum, find a supervisor.

Search by keyword, topic, location, or supervisor name

• 1800 SYD UNI ( 1800 793 864 )
• or +61 2 8627 1444
• Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
• Student Centre Level 3 Jane Foss Russell Building Darlington Campus

Scholarships

Find the right scholarship for you

Research areas

Our research covers the spectrum – from linguistics to nanoscience

Our breadth of expertise across our faculties and schools is supported by deep disciplinary knowledge. We have significant capability in more than 20 major areas of research.

Research facilities

High-impact research through state-of-the-art infrastructure

How to Write a PhD Research Proposal

• Applying to a PhD
• A research proposal summarises your intended research.
• Your research proposal is used to confirm you understand the topic, and that the university has the expertise to support your study.
• The length of a research proposal varies. It is usually specified by either the programme requirements or the supervisor upon request. 1500 to 3500 words is common.
• The typical research proposal structure consists of: Title, Abstract, Background and Rationale, Research Aims and Objectives, Research Design and Methodology, Timetable, and a Bibliography.

What is a Research Proposal?

A research proposal is a supporting document that may be required when applying to a research degree. It summarises your intended research by outlining what your research questions are, why they’re important to your field and what knowledge gaps surround your topic. It also outlines your research in terms of your aims, methods and proposed timetable .

What Is It Used for and Why Is It Important?

A research proposal will be used to:

• Confirm whether you understand the topic and can communicate complex ideas.
• Confirm whether the university has adequate expertise to support you in your research topic.
• Apply for funding or research grants to external bodies.

How Long Should a PhD Research Proposal Be?

Some universities will specify a word count all students will need to adhere to. You will typically find these in the description of the PhD listing. If they haven’t stated a word count limit, you should contact the potential supervisor to clarify whether there are any requirements. If not, aim for 1500 to 3500 words (3 to 7 pages).

Your title should indicate clearly what your research question is. It needs to be simple and to the point; if the reader needs to read further into your proposal to understand your question, your working title isn’t clear enough.

Directly below your title, state the topic your research question relates to. Whether you include this information at the top of your proposal or insert a dedicated title page is your choice and will come down to personal preference.

2. Abstract

If your research proposal is over 2000 words, consider providing an abstract. Your abstract should summarise your question, why it’s important to your field and how you intend to answer it; in other words, explain your research context.

Only include crucial information in this section – 250 words should be sufficient to get across your main points.

3. Background & Rationale

First, specify which subject area your research problem falls in. This will help set the context of your study and will help the reader anticipate the direction of your proposed research.

Following this, include a literature review . A literature review summarises the existing knowledge which surrounds your research topic. This should include a discussion of the theories, models and bodies of text which directly relate to your research problem. As well as discussing the information available, discuss those which aren’t. In other words, identify what the current gaps in knowledge are and discuss how this will influence your research. Your aim here is to convince the potential supervisor and funding providers of why your intended research is worth investing time and money into.

Last, discuss the key debates and developments currently at the centre of your research area.

4. Research Aims & Objectives

Identify the aims and objectives of your research. The aims are the problems your project intends to solve; the objectives are the measurable steps and outcomes required to achieve the aim.

In outlining your aims and objectives, you will need to explain why your proposed research is worth exploring. Consider these aspects:

• Will your research solve a problem?
• Will your research address a current gap in knowledge?
• Will your research have any social or practical benefits?

If you fail to address the above questions, it’s unlikely they will accept your proposal – all PhD research projects must show originality and value to be considered.

5. Research Design and Methodology

The following structure is recommended when discussing your research design:

• Sample/Population – Discuss your sample size, target populations, specimen types etc.
• Methods – What research methods have you considered, how did you evaluate them and how did you decide on your chosen one?
• Data Collection – How are you going to collect and validate your data? Are there any limitations?
• Data Analysis – How are you going to interpret your results and obtain a meaningful conclusion from them?
• Ethical Considerations – Are there any potential implications associated with your research approach? This could either be to research participants or to your field as a whole on the outcome of your findings (i.e. if you’re researching a particularly controversial area). How are you going to monitor for these implications and what types of preventive steps will you need to put into place?

6. Timetable

We’ve outlined the various stages of a PhD and the approximate duration of a PhD programme which you can refer to when designing your own research study.

7. Bibliography

Plagiarism is taken seriously across all academic levels, but even more so for doctorates. Therefore, ensure you reference the existing literature you have used in writing your PhD proposal. Besides this, try to adopt the same referencing style as the University you’re applying to uses. You can easily find this information in the PhD Thesis formatting guidelines published on the University’s website.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Questions & Answers

Here are answers to some of the most common questions we’re asked about the Research Proposal:

Can You Change a Research Proposal?

Yes, your PhD research proposal outlines the start of your project only. It’s well accepted that the direction of your research will develop with time, therefore, you can revise it at later dates.

Can the Potential Supervisor Review My Draft Proposal?

Whether the potential supervisor will review your draft will depend on the individual. However, it is highly advisable that you at least attempt to discuss your draft with them. Even if they can’t review it, they may provide you with useful information regarding their department’s expertise which could help shape your PhD proposal. For example, you may amend your methodology should you come to learn that their laboratory is better equipped for an alternative method.

How Should I Structure and Format My Proposal?

Ensure you follow the same order as the headings given above. This is the most logical structure and will be the order your proposed supervisor will expect.

Most universities don’t provide formatting requirements for research proposals on the basis that they are a supporting document only, however, we recommend that you follow the same format they require for their PhD thesis submissions. This will give your reader familiarity and their guidelines should be readily available on their website.

Last, try to have someone within the same academic field or discipline area to review your proposal. The key is to confirm that they understand the importance of your work and how you intend to execute it. If they don’t, it’s likely a sign you need to rewrite some of your sections to be more coherent.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

• Schools & departments

Writing your PhD research proposal

Find guidance on how to write your PhD research proposal and a template form for you to use to submit your research proposal.

By asking you for an outline  research proposal we hope to get a good picture of your research interests and your understanding of what such research is likely to entail.

The University's application form is designed to enable you to give an overview of your academic experience and qualifications for study at postgraduate level. Your outline research proposal then gives us an idea of the kind of research you want to undertake. This, together with information from your referees, will help us assess whether the Moray House School of Education and Sport would be the appropriate place for you to pursue your research interests.

At  the application stage, you are unlikely to be in a position to provide a comprehensive research proposal; the detailed shaping up of a research plan would be done in conjunction with your supervisor(s). But it is important for us to appreciate what you are hoping to investigate, how you plan to carry out the research, and what the results might be expected to contribute to current knowledge and understanding in the relevant academic field(s) of study. In writing your proposal, please indicate any prior academic or employment experience relevant to your planned research.

In your research proposal, please also ensure that you clearly identify the Moray House research cluster your proposal falls under, as well as two to three staff members  with expertise in this area. We also encourage you to contact potential supervisors within your area of proposed research before submitting your application to gauge their interest and availability.

How to write your research proposal

The description of your proposed research should consist of 4-5 typed A4 sheets. It can take whatever form seems best, but should include some information about the following:

• The general area within which you wish to conduct research, and why (you might find it helpful to explain what stimulated your interest in your chosen research field, and any study or research in the area that you have already undertaken)
• The kind of research questions that you would hope to address, and why (in explaining what is likely to be the main focus of your research, it may be helpful to indicate, for example, why these issues are of particular concern and the way in which they relate to existing literature)
• The sources of information and type of research methods you plan to use (for example, how you plan to collect your data, which sources you will be targeting and how you will access these data sources).

In addition to the above, please include any comments you are able to make concerning:

• The approach that you will take to analyse your research data
• The general timetable you would follow for carrying out and writing up your research
• Any plans you may have for undertaking fieldwork away from Edinburgh
• Any problems that might be anticipated in carrying out your proposed research

Please note: This guidance applies to all candidates, except those applying to conduct PhD research as part of a larger, already established research project (for example, in the Institute for Sport, Physical Education & Health Sciences).

In this case, you should provide a two- to three-page description of a research project you have undertaken, to complement information in the application form. If you are in any doubt as to what is appropriate, please contact us:

Email: Education@[email protected]

All doctoral proposals submitted as part of an application will be run through plagiarism detection software.

Template form for your research proposal

All applicants for a PhD or MSc by Research must submit a research proposal as part of their application. Applicants  must   use the template form below for their research proposal. This research proposal should then be submitted online as part of your application. Please use Calibri size 11 font size and do not change the paragraph spacing (single, with 6pt after each paragraph) or the page margins.

Learning from a sample PhD Research Proposal: A step by step guide.

Developing a PhD Research Proposal is a pivotal step towards delving into scholarly inquiry, shaping the trajectory of one’s academic journey and contributing to the body of knowledge. Doctoral candidates incessantly look for a sample PhD research proposal to serve as a blueprint, illuminating the intricacies of their research endeavor to contribute meaningfully to their chosen field through rigorous research and inquiry.

In this blog post, I share a sample PhD Research Proposal that may serve as a starting point for doctoral candidates’ scholarly pursuit. This sample research proposal represents not only a culmination of years of my academic endeavor but shall also provide a gateway to the doctoral candidates to unlock new insights, push the boundaries of existing knowledge and make a tangible impact in the academic community and beyond.

Starting from the title, this write-up presents the content of my PhD research proposal in an abridged form as per following format:

• Context of the study-higher education dynamics in Pakistan.
• Statement of the problem.
• Rationale of the study and evolution of the research questions.
• Research Questions.
• Objectives of the study.
• An overview of Human Resource Management.
• HRM in the public sector.
• HRM in the public sector in Pakistan.
• An overview of HRM in universities.
• HRM in the universities in Pakistan.
• Recruitment and Selection.
• Recruitment and selection in the universities in Pakistan.
• The gaps in literature and propositions.
• Theoretical Framework.
• General Systems Theory.
• General Systems Theory and its application to diverse disciplines.
• General Systems Theory and its application to organization.
• General Systems Theory and its application to HRM.
• Application of General Systems Theory to recruitment and selection
• Case Selection and Design
• Observations
• Documents and archival records.
• Data Analysis.
• Ethical considerations.
• Informed consent
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Significance, expected outcome and contribution of the study.
• Implications of the study.
• Outline of the Thesis.

An Exploratory Study of Recruitment and Selection of Administrative Staff in the Public Sector Universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Contemporary discourse on recruitment and selection underpins the researchers’ argument in articulating that staffing function does not take place in isolation in any organization. This is influenced, not only by internal factors but also by external environmental forces. While undertaking staffing function in any setting, HR managers must be cognizant that they select the right person for the right job as the critically important function set the stage for other human resources subsystems to pragmatically and smoothly function.

Using General Systems Theory as a theoretical lens, this qualitative study shall investigate the system of recruitment and selection in the public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan with a focus on administrative staff. Data shall be collected through in-depth interviews with purposefully selected participants and thematic analysis shall be undertaken to analyse the data to unearth how the system of recruitment and selection has been designed in the public sector universities.

Furthermore, this multiple case study shall identify loopholes in the system of recruitment and selection in the universities and will pinpoint the major factors responsible for the bottlenecks that need to be addressed if the institutions of higher education were to meet emerging challenges of the competitive academic world and growing expectations of all stakeholders. The study shall conclude with recommendations, how the system of recruitment and selection in public sector universities may be improved.

1.Introduction

This empirical study is aimed at investigating how the system of recruitment and selection is designed in the public sector universities by carrying out a comprehensive scrutiny of the current employment practices, investigating major problem areas, nd various factors responsible for these loopholes which need to be addressed if the institutions of higher education were to meet challenges of the competitive academic world and growing expectations of the stakeholders.

1.1 Background

The growing forces of globalization and increasing significance of emerging market economies advocate strongly that success of managers in the contemporary world rests on the degree to which they grasp a deep understanding of the issues confronted by organizations while managing human resources (Budhwar & Debrah, 2001).

For effective management of human resources, organizations require a sound Human Resource Management system. The HRM system is defined as “a set of distinct but interrelated activities, functions, and processes that are directed at attracting, developing, and maintaining (or disposing of) a firm’s human resources” (Lado & Wilson, 1994:701). An effective HRM system requires interconnected and dependent subsystems to work in harmony for its smooth functioning. HR subsystems connote those relationships and interactive activities ingrained in a larger organizational context which is aimed at managing the pool of human resources and making sure that these resources are utilized in the most effective and efficient manner so that strategic goals of the organization may be accomplished (Tiwari & Saxena, 2012:671).

The paramount HR subsystems include recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, career development, performance evaluation, working environment and succession management to mention a few. Each of these subsystems has its own peculiar dynamics and significance. Amongst them, the most exigent is recruitment and selection. Recruitment is the process through which organizations hunt for potential applicants intended for productive employment while selection implies the process by which organizations attempt to identify the most suitable candidates with the desired knowledge, skills and ability to perform the desired tasks to help the organization realize its goals (Searle, 2009:151).

Concerted efforts aimed at reforming employment management practices were underway in developed countries for the last couple of decades. These initiatives were primarily set off by financial crisis confronted by both developed as well as developing economies. The role of the state was challenged for mismanagement and bad governance and the efficacy of service delivery system in the public domain came under enormous pressure. Hence, the public sector was censured severely for its lack of efficiency, transparency and flexibility. HRM has become one of the central themes of the public sector reform agenda (Colley, McCourt & Waterhouse, 2012:508; Gray & Jenkins, 1995: 80; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2009:30).

Indeed, HRM is at the embryonic stage in Pakistan (Khilji, 2001:250), the case with the public sector universities is not much different. Since inception, much attention was not paid to the management of human resources in the higher education sector. With mushroom growth of universities, the HR problems confronted by these academic bodies multiplied with the passage of time. The traditional HR department, regarded as Establishment Section, in the universities used to be grossly deficient in having the requisite skilled and experienced HR professionals. Recruitment and selection was not conducted in a systematic manner. Training and development of employees were undertaken in the most orthodox fashion. Career development opportunities were scarce and infrequent. Pay was not performance based and performance appraisal was equally defective. Nevertheless, serious and sincere efforts were not undertaken in the past to revamp, redesign and restructure the same, to put it according to the changing needs of the globalized world. To be brief, HR was found to be one of the most neglected areas in the public sector universities in Pakistan (Abbas & Ahmad, 2011:21; Qadeer, Rehman, Ahmad & Shafiq, 2011:230).

Over the years, much attention has not been paid to evolve HRM system in the universities. The scenario of staffing function is not much different. Especially, the recruitment and selection system of administrative staff remained overlooked. Having taken for granted, this area remained grossly deficient and out-rightly neglected. In fact, the system of recruitment and selection of administrative staff has not received the desired level of attention and consideration. It remained controversial for being non-meritocratic, asymmetrical and even unlawful (Husain, 2007:1; Khilji, 2001:104). This area received little attention from academics, researchers and scholars despite its overall significance.

This study shall investigate the prevailing employment practices in the six public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with prime focus on recruitment and selection system of administrative staff. This multiple case study research shall unveil numerous loopholes in the prevailing system of recruitment and selection in the public sector universities in the province and makes several recommendations in light of which the system of recruitment and selection system of administrative staff may be revived in the institutes of higher education in the country.

1.2 Context   of the study-higher education dynamics in Pakistan

Institutions of higher education exist in all kinds of configurations, sizes and shapes (Edgley-Pyshorn & Huisman, 2011:610). Universities are generally esteemed as “communities of scholars researching and teaching together in collegial ways” (Deem, 1998:47). University is a seat of advanced learning, a meeting place for researchers, scholars, academicians and academic workers where students pursue their higher studies after school or college level education. It is an intellectual center of the highest level offering various academic programs and different schemes of studies for graduate and postgraduate students (Ahmad & Junaid, 2008:501).

It is essential to have a background understanding of the landscape in which higher education sector operates in Pakistan. The contemporary higher education system in Pakistan is fundamentally influenced by its historical traditions (Altbach, 2004:15)  and the Universities in Pakistan have a robust colonial legacy Rahman (1998:669).

At the time of creation of Pakistan in 1947, there was only one university functioning in Pakistan, namely University of Punjab established by the British rulers (HEC, 2013; Rahman, 1998:672). The rationale for setting up a university, in this part of the world, was that many British officers, essentially, felt that the cost of running the administration would substantially decrease if the lower level jobs were given to the Indians. And secondly, to appease the concerns of the Indians as they were left frustrated and got alienated from the British rule by the fact that they were debarred from all offices of trust, lucre and authority. Therefore, the colonial masters desired that the Indians should be educated —“educated to be westernized — and employed under British superiors” (Rahman, 1998:670). Altbach (2004:17) argues that the aim of the colonial university was to train obedient and loyal civil servants to serve the colonizers. This system of governance, subservient administrative arrangement, docile academic models and pliable managerial practices influenced from the British era persisted in universities in Pakistan with cosmetic changes even today (Altbach, 2004:15). 

Sharp increase has been recorded in the number of universities established, both in public as well as private sector, in Pakistan during the last two decades. The public sector universities are government chartered, self-governing autonomous bodies funded by the Government of Pakistan through HEC. According to Hayward (2009:19), universities and institutions of higher education remained, largely, neglected in Pakistan throughout, its history. “The crisis in higher education was acknowledged as early as 1947, followed by more than a dozen commissions and policy document s. In 1998, some small steps were finally taken to improve access by increasing the number of higher education institutions from 18 to 78 and encouraging private higher education”. Major changes took place, in the sector with Musharraf’s takeover and the establishment of HEC in 2002, development budget of higher education has risen exponentially, and the number of new universities increased manifold.

Hence, based on the dates of inception, space, diversity of programs offered, availability of internet and video conferencing facilities, these universities can be classified into two broad categories of universities (i.e. the first generation and second generation universities).

The ‘first generation’ of these universities were established since 1947 till 2002 (before the establishment of HEC). The ‘second generation’ comprises of those universities, established in the last 10 to 15 years. The ‘first generation’ of these universities are marked by spacious flat buildings, serene academic environment, intellectual richness, outdated libraries, on-campus residency, little automation and a vast pool of imaginative students. University of the Punjab University of Peshawar, and Quid-e-Azam University, Islamabad are few among those. The ‘second generation’ comprises of those universities, established in the last ten to fifteen years. These are distinguished, mainly, by multistory buildings, fully automated offices, Wi-Fi and video conferencing facilities, with newly established well-furnished Offices of Research Innovation and Commercialization, Quality Enhancement Cell, Career Counseling and Student Aid and Placement Offices. Some of the recently established universities are housed in rented buildings while others have erected their own structures. University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Kohat University of Science and Technology and Karakurum International University, Gilgit, Baltistan are few of the second-generation universities.

These public sector universities, in general, share symmetrical organizational composition having top-down hierarchical structure. The governor of the respective provinces or the president of the country, in the case of federal universities, used to be the Chancellor by virtue of their designation. They accord approval for appointment of the vice- chancellors, some members of the Senate, Syndicate and Selection Board (the key statutory bodies of the universities) and the Deans, the most distinguished academic position in the universities (Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan, 2000; Rahman, 1998:673).

Most of these institutions are following the government timeworn policies while managing human resources. Notwithstanding, these universities have own statutory bodies to revamp and redesign their own employment system, but little efforts have been made in the past to this effect. Resultantly, these universities are confronting a myriad of challenges pertaining to employment practices. Some of these are external; nevertheless, most of these are internal challenges.

These challenges have the potential, to engender serious repercussions for employment practices in the public sector universities. At the same time, key stakeholders have varied expectations from the contemporary universities in the country (Ahmad & Ghani, 2013).

In the face of these challenges and growing expectations of the stakeholders, the university top management has to overhaul, redesign and restructure the entire HRM system in order to hunt the best lot in the market to circumvent total collapse of the higher education system in the days to come. The next ten years are anticipated to be crucial for the universities in Pakistan. This might turn out to be the golden era for higher education sector if university authorities, policy makers, government functionaries and funding agencies realize this, seize the opportunity, take the initiative and act ambitiously. If failed, “an avalanche of change will sweep the system away” (Barber, Donnelly & Rizvi, 2013).

1.3 Statement of the problem

Recruitment and selection of administrative staff are among the most redundant areas in the institutions of higher education in Pakistan. Being one of the most crucial HRM subsystems, staffing function failed to muster the desired level of attention in the public sector universities for a variety of reasons. Little effort has been made in the past to revamp and overhaul recruitment and selection system in the universities in Pakistan by appreciating its contribution as a strategic undertaking and a change agent role. At a time, when unprecedented modernization and innovation are taking place in the system of recruitment and selection across the globe, staffing function in the public sector universities in Pakistan is operating in the most obsolete and redundant fashion. Similarly, limited research has been undertaken in the area to explore its dynamics and inform reforms initiatives and enlighten necessary improvement.

This pioneering multiple case study research shall divulge the problems confronted by higher education sector with a prime focus on the system of recruitment and selection of administrative staff in the public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while using General Systems Theory as a theoretical lens.

This study shall open up new avenues for further research in other subsystems of HRM in the institutions of higher education in the country. The study shall come up with some recommendations to regenerate and transform the system of recruitment and selection of administrative staff that successfully address the varied needs of the universities and growing expectations of all stakeholders.

1.4 Rationale of the study and evolution of the research questions

A detailed review of the literature revealed that management of the human resource is one of the most neglected areas in the higher education sector in Pakistan (Abbas & Ahmad, 2011:4). The traditional HR practices prevailing in the public sector are in place in the universities across the board. HR policy is hardly designed in any public sector university. Job descriptions are not available for any position. Compensation is not performance based. Performance appraisal is not systematic. Recruitment and selections are not merit based. This invariably engenders serious administrative problems besides audit objections and legal complications. The entire process is tiresome, hectic and time-consuming, essentially, characterized by bureaucratic behavior and red-tapism. A great deal of confidentially is involved in the process culminating in serious doubts and concerns.

Serious efforts were not undertaken in the past in the universities to address these problems at the strategic level. Similarly, limited research can be found in the HR domain in the context of higher education sector. Dubosc & Kelo (2012:1) argued that there is a serious deficiency of research on strategic HR practices prevailing in universities across the globe. In the same vein, very limited research can be found on recruitment and selection system with a focus on institutions of higher education in Pakistan (Shahzad, Bashir & Ramay, 2008:302; Iqbal, Arif, & Abbas, 2011:217; Qadeer et al ., 2011:231).

This provided the desired impetus and thrust to undertake this study. This research is aimed at investigating the existing recruitment and selection system in the higher education sector exploring how this subsystem of the overall HR system is aligned with the remaining HR subsystems to drive the overall academic business of the public sector universities. This study will be looking into the ways in which recruitment and selection system in the public sector universities may be reshaped to meet burgeoning aspirations and growing challenges of the knowledge economy.

In view of the above, this study shall address the following three broad research questions:

1.5 Research Questions:

• How for the function of recruitment and selection of administrative staff in the public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is designed in a systematic manner?
• What are the major loopholes in recruitment and selection of administrative staff in the public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
• What are the major factors responsible for these loopholes?.

1.6 Objectives of the study

This research study will probe the current employment practices in the public sector universities of Pakistan. This study, in the first instance, will investigate the prevailing system of recruitment and selection in the selected universities, in order to develop a deep understanding of the current practices. This study will, then, identify various loopholes in the recruitment and selection system. All the key factors responsible for these loopholes will be inquired to delineate how to bridge these gaps. The study will conclude with recommendations for policy makers at university level, authorities at the federal and provincial government level, HEC, provincial higher education departments and donor agencies to prioritize the area.

The study will help in realizing the following objectives:

• To investigate the current system of recruitment and selection of administrative staff in the public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• To identify gaps/loopholes in the prevailing system of recruitment and selection of administrative staff in the public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• To examine the factors mainly responsible for the gaps/loopholes in the system of recruitment and selection of administrative staff
• To explore how the system of recruitment and selection system of administrative staff may be revisited to overcome these gaps/loopholes?

2. A brief review of literature

HRM is the effective management of people at work. This brief review of existing literature discusses HRM in the era of globalization with focus on HR system, policies and practices prevailing in the public sector and functioning of HRM in the public sector in both developed as well as developing countries having a special focus on HR practices in the institutes of higher education in Pakistan with peculiar attention on recruitment and selection practices in the public sector universities. Identifying research gaps in the prevailing staffing function, the preceding section provide rationale for the study.

2.1 An overview of Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management is the management of people working in an organization. This primarily deals with human dimension in an organization. To match an organization’s needs of the capable and committed workforce, to the skills and abilities of its employees, essentially comes under the domain of HRM (Decenzo, Robbins & Verhulst, 2010:4). “HRM is a system that strives to achieve a dynamic balance between the personal interests and concerns of people and their economic added value” (Hussain & Ahmad, 2012:10).

To manage human resource is a challenging task. The organizations that have learned to manage human resources diligently and professionally enjoy an edge over others (Wright, MacMahan & MacWilliams, 1994:320). It is a vital element for the success of any organization. Undoubtedly, HR is one of the most essential assets for an organization; nonetheless, very few have realized it significance and even very few have harnessed its real potential (Ahmad & Schroeder, 2003:19).

“HRM includes anything and everything associated with the management of employment relationships in the firm” (Boxall & Purcell, 2003: 1). Price (2007: 32) defines HRM as a “Philosophy of people management based on the belief that human resources are uniquely important in sustained business success…HRM is aimed at recruiting capable, flexible and committed people, managing and rewarding their performance and developing key competencies”.

HR, since its inception has transformed a great deal in significance from its role largely as maintenance and administrative function of diminutive impression to the contemporary world, where it is widely reckoned to have strategic business partner status, having bottom-line implications for the organization (Ferris, Perrewé, Ranft, Zinko, Stoner, Brouer & Laird, 2007: 117). Nevertheless, there is a common misconception that HR has become “a reactive, fire-fighting and administrative” function, has lost its relevance and dismally failed to be connected with strategic aims of the organization (Collings & Wood, 2009: 5; Lundy, 1994: 687).

2.2 HRM in the public sector

For successful operations, every organization, whether public or private, commercial or not-for-profit requires people (Tessema & Soeters, 2006:86). Since, this study is taking up public sector intuitions of higher education, therefore, the focus primarily converges on public sector HR practice. Public sector implies that part of the economy, which is predominantly concerned with the provision of basic public services. This is generally regarded as government sector or public service. In general terms, the public sector consists of government and all publicly controlled or publicly funded agencies, enterprises, and entities that deliver public programs, goods, or services.

The structure and composition of the public sector vary from country to country and region to region. Nevertheless, basic services such as education, healthcare, communication, transportation, army and police services fall under the ambit of the public sector. These services are essentially not for profit, tailored to the need of public in general and aimed at serving the welfare of the society at large (Colley & Price, 2010; OECD, 2008:18). Being highly ‘personnel intensive’, the functioning of public sector enterprises, their efficiency and transparency are assessed on the basis of performance of their workforce (Tessema & Soeters, 2006:86). Hence, HR practices are regarded as vital to improving the overall quality of public services extended by the government functionaries (Ingraham & Kneedler, 2000:245).

Indeed, public sector plays a vital role in delivering goods and services and maintaining law and order. The workforce being the public service providers and executors of duties is the critical core of public management. The effective management of human capital not only determines efficiency and quality of service delivery in the public sector (Tessema & Soeters, 2006:86) but having serious bearing upon the socio-economic development of the entire country (Chang & Gang, 2010:1).“The ability of governments to recruit, train, promote and dismiss employees is a key determinant of their capacity to obtain staff with the skills needed to provide public services that meet client needs and to face current economic and governance challenges” (OECD, 2009:75).

HRM is of prime importance for every state agency as the government functionaries are expected to deliver commodities and services, efficiently and effectively (Anazodo, Okoye & Chukwuemeka, 2012:1; Nyameh & James, 2013:68). HRM in the public sector symbolizes flexible and flatter management structure. Decentralization of decision making, devolution of authority, uniformity of rules, sharing of responsibility with line managers are some of the key dimensions of HRM in the government sector (OECD, 2009:76).

Notwithstanding, HRM has been sharing common attributes across all sectors, whether public or private for its prime focus on workforce issues and concerns, HRM in the public sector is vastly different from HRM in the private sector in all most all kind of employment practices. Indeed, public interest has always been the focus of attention for public sector entities, whereas private sector organizations remained concern more with private interests. The notion of public interest is perplexing, as the theme does not “easily fit with HRM as a strategic partner in accomplishing organizational competitiveness and business outcomes” (Brown, 2004:305).

2.3 HRM in the public sector in Pakistan

As a British colony, before independence in 1947, the government machinery was run under the bureaucratic administrative structure set up by the colonial masters. Even after sixty years of independence, the public sector is still getting hitched with British legacy (Ali et al., 2010:3; Rehman, 1998:678). The public sector, as a whole, is having a passive management culture. To run the administrative affairs of the government, key strategic decisions are being made, essentially based on political clientele rather than sound business acumen (Khilji, 2001:104). “Decades of mismanagement, political manipulation and corruption have rendered Pakistan’s civil service incapable of providing effective governance and basic public services” (International Crisis Group, 2010).  To get away with British traditions in many spheres of public management, particularly, bureaucratic setup and employment practices have become cumbersome for the Pakistani public sector over the years (Husain, 2007:1; Khilji, 2001:104).

According to Khilji (2001:250), HRM is at the very early stage of evolution in Pakistan. Very few organizations in the country have adopted a strategic approach to managing human resources. In some organizations, the function of HRM has broadened in scope and importance. HR departments have been linked with service delivery function and communication channels have been established. Some organizations are pursuing HR practices in a piecemeal manner. These organizations have adopted new practices such as ‘Management by Objectives’ and ‘pay for performance’. Concerted efforts are being made to adopt ‘open’ appraisal systems and further expound the role of their training programs.

To transform the existing corporate culture of public sector enterprises, nonetheless, the government took a number of reform measures during the 1990s. Hiring teams of sound professionals at the top level to invigorate the entire HRM culture as to make it flexible, meritocratic and responsive was one of those initiatives (Khilji, 2001:104).

Resultantly, a series of business concerns in Pakistan restructured their personnel divisions. HR departments were established. The role of HRM was further expanded. In the face of these reforms, one of the dilemma with the application of HR best practices in Pakistan is that the “policy-makers and HR managers repeatedly talk of bringing about revolutionary changes in the HRM system, but do little to implement it. This has left employees frustrated, demotivated and largely dissatisfied” (Khilji, 2003:136).

Husain (2007:8) argued that recruitment at all levels and cadres of public services needs to be made open, transparent and merit-based. Performance needs to be evaluated based on quantifiable objectives and according to well-defined key performance indicators.

Today in Pakistan, there is a dire need for a smaller but efficient government machinery. Such a government, in the contemporary world, is essential for developing a competitive advantage over other nations of the region. To accomplish these ideals, public sector institutions require potential and talented human resources which are equipped with knowledge and skill sets congruent with the compulsions of the twenty first Century (Qureshi, 2014).

2.4 An overview of HRM in the Universities

Managing human resource has become ‘a critical issue for contemporary universities’ as a result of mounting pressures from government, society at large as well as global academic market. In fact, the autonomous status has entrusted the capacity of the employer upon the universities resulting in enhanced expectations of faculty and administrative staff and constituent institutes about terms and conditions of employment, working conditions, as well as broader aspects of work-life balance ultimately affecting academic and professional identities (Gordon & Whitchurch, 2007:1).

Dubosc & Kelo (2012:7) in their study found that managing and developing human resource is becoming a key challenge in the institutes of higher education worldwide. Complex academic communities need appropriate career management procedures as well as national HR policies underpinning the institutions of further education in recruiting, motivating and retaining qualified and committed academic workforce.

Guest & Clinton (2007: 6) in their study noted that in the institutions of higher education, HRM has remained merely an administrative activity. In the same vein Larkin & Neumann (2012:4) argue that universities, in general, have only partially adopted HRM practices ranging from career development, performance evaluation to retirement preparation and succession planning. By and large, HRM policies and practices in the universities are “reactive and ad-hoc, designed to respond to immediate needs and lack an organizational strategy to workforce planning”.

For that very reason, universities are castigated for viewing HRM in operational and not in strategic terms (Archer, 2005). Dubosc & Kelo (2012:7) observed that the ongoing reflections and analyses by the researchers, academicians, and practitioners concerning modernization of the educational institutions highlight among many other impediments, the human factor and the trouble to make people change their attitude and adhere to new approaches and methods. They conclude that structural reforms often fail because of lack of commitment and motivation of individual actors.

2.5 HRM in the universities in Pakistan

Public sector universities in Pakistan, by and large, share symmetrical organizational structure having a top-down hierarchy. The governor of the respective provinces or the president of the country, in the case of federal universities, used to be the chancellors of these universities by virtue of their designation. Vice-chancellor being the chief executive, principal accounting officer and chief academic officer of the university wields overwhelming authority. He chairs almost all key decision-making forums (i.e. the Syndicate, Academic Council, Finance and Planning Committee and Advance Studies & Research Board).

Qadeer et al .,  (2011:230) found that highly centralized HRM structure, a colonial legacy still prevails in public sector universities in Pakistan. Abbas & Ahmad (2011:21) arguably underpinned these findings stating that HR units do not effectively exist in the universities and HR functions have been made perplexed and complicated which is mainly looked after by the administration with no expertise and training to deal with it. Strong resistance to integrate HRM practices and the high power distance culture in Pakistan are detrimental in framing HR policies and practices (Qadeer, Ahmad & Rehman, 2010).

Very limited research can be found on HRM practices in universities in Pakistan (Shazad et al., 2008:302; Iqbal et al., 2011; Qadeer et al., 2011:231). Not a single research endeavor has been made to address HR issues in the institutions of higher education in a holistic fashion. However, discrete studies can be found taking up HR practices in the institutions of higher education.

2.6 Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment is the process through which organizations hunt for the potential applicants for productive employment while selection implies the process by which organizations attempt to identify the most suitable applicant with the desired knowledge, skill and ability to perform the desired task to help the organization realize its goals (Searle, 2009:151).

Huselid (1995:635) asserted that HRM practices influence employees’ skills by means of acquiring and nurturing human resources in an organization. The staffing function in an organization predominantly encompasses the process of hunting, attracting and selecting right people for the right jobs, the people who shall serve the organization, productively and for a longer period of time. Armstrong (2009:515), believes that staffing function is the exercise of looking for the most suitable candidate so that selection of the right person with the right qualification and right frame of mind can be made. Staffing function or the hiring phase include hunting for the prospective and potential candidates for the available vacant slots, assessing their suitability from various aspects, and ultimately selecting those who are deemed to be the most suitable candidates to serve the organization (Itika, 2011:75).

Research has established that organizations perform better when the process of selection is systemic, straight and transparent (Rehman, 2012:77). According to Decenzo, Robbins & Verhulst (2010: 134), the overall performance of an organization invariably hinges on employees productivity, therefore, selection of a right person for the right slot has remained the utmost priority for the dynamic organizations. The more effective and transparent the process is; the better the performance of the organization shall be. Otherwise, competitive advantage, goodwill, and quality of working environment shall be highly compromised (Hays & Sowa, 1998: 98).

As a matter of fact, recruitment and selection cannot be undertaken in sequestered fashion in any set up in any environment. This function is impinged upon, not only by the nature and size of an organization but also by the outside forces that affect the organization as a whole (Catano et al., 2009:6). Since general systems theory has been evolved over the years, its basic tenants can still be applied to the recruitment and selection in any organization. Its sense of holism provides a synopsis for the entire HR system by encompassing various relationships and interaction persisting within the subsystem of recruitment and selection (O’Meara & Petzall, 2013:26).

2.7 Recruitment and selection in the universities in Pakistan

The modern university is a multi-million dollar enterprise, operating in a highly complex landscape, immensely competitive global marketplace and an increasingly challenging economic environment. The quality of university management, especially the administrative staff comprising of top management and midcareer level managers, has thus never been more significant, and it follows that appointing the best candidates has become indispensable (Shepherd, 2011: 3).

Bibi et al., (2012:5) argued that staffing function includes various activities of recruiting employees such as defining evaluation mechanism, designing screening tests and conducting interview before the final decision of selecting the right candidates is being made. Recruitment in public sector organizations involves ensuring that the organizations adhere strictly to established government laws and regulations in order to avoid discrimination.HR managers in the public sector universities are responsible to follow the established procedure and put down the entire hiring and recruiting process in black and white to best serve the organization, protect the candidates, avoid complications and reduce chances of lawsuits.

Similarly, Nabi, Wei, Husheng, Shabbir, Altaf & Zhao (2014:12), analyzed the effectiveness of fair recruitment and selection procedures in the public sector universities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and found that organizational politics and line management have greater influence on the effectiveness of fair recruitment and selection system which are detrimental to organizational success and affect the overall productivity of the universities. The study made suggested that a comprehensive research is needed to analyze the recruitment and selection of the administrative cadre specially the relevant officials of human resource department and their functioning on modern lines.

2.8 Gaps in the literature and propositions

Modern organizations, as envisaged by Ployhart (2006:868) are struggling with staffing challenges stemming, essentially from “increased knowledge work, labor shortages, competition for applicants, and workforce diversity.” Nevertheless, in spite of its immense significance and critical needs for an effective employment system, staffing research continues to be neglected altogether or misconstrued by many decision makers in a great deal of organizations taking up its more constringed outlook. Solving these challenges requires staffing scholars to expand their focus from individual-level recruitment and selection research to multilevel research concentrating on business unit standpoint and organizational level perspective.

As a matter of fact, the staffing function does not take place in isolation in any organization. The other internal HR subsystems, size, structure, leadership styles and the events occurring outside the system that affects the organization as a whole are some of the most climacteric influencing factors. This dynamic relationship between the organization and its environment is having last longing impact upon the organization and its employees (Catano et al., (2009:6). French & Rumbles (2010:171) have rightly pointed out “that recruitment and selection do not operate in a vacuum, insulated from wider social trends, so it is very important to keep abreast of current research”.

While systems theory is developed over the years, its basic principles can still be employed to the recruitment and selection system in any organization (O’Meara & Petzall, 2013:26). The concept that how the HRM subsystems are influenced by external challenges such as globalization, technological revolution, new legislations, political intervention, unionization, labor market conditions, national cultures and accountability is yet to be explored (Jackson & Schuler, 1995:237). Within the system if HR managers fail to acknowledge the contributions of others or if they fail to coordinate closely with other parts of the system or sub systems, senior management may begin, to question the added value that HR brings to the organization. This underline the need, to study recruitment and selection in the context of a system, not simply as an isolated function divorced from other functional areas in the organization but as a sub-system embedded in a larger organizational system (Catano et al., 2009:6).

Limited research studies are available on HRM in universities with a focus on recruitment and selection. These studies only underline the significance of the area as critically important HR function; nevertheless, much further investigation has not been undertaken with the intentions to explore its dynamics with the changeling times. For example Nabi et al., (2014:12) mention recruitment and selection as being vital to organizational performance in the public sector in Pakistan but there is no in-depth analysis of how it is linked with the rest of HRM functions or how to make the current system of recruitment and selection more transparent, accountable and systemic. Similarly, Iqbal & Ahmad (2006:629) in their study with a focus on public sector governance in Pakistan, highlighted the lack of systemic approach and structural issues as the major bottlenecks in civil services reform initiatives in the country. In view of the above discussion, this study propounds the following proposition:

Proposition 1: The Recruitment and Selection in public sector universities in  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not managed systematically since it is not linked with other HR subsystems in a systematic manner.

Van den Brink, Benschop, & Jansen in their qualitative study (2010: 1459) provided insight in multiple ways to understand the notions of transparency and accountability in academic recruitment and selection in the universities in Netherlands stating that recruitment and selection processes in academia are characterized by ‘bounded transparency’ and ‘limited accountability’ at best.

High frequency of internal recruitment, lack of transparency, corruption, nepotism, use of flawed selection methods favouring poorly qualified and inferior candidates at the cost of  best ‐ suited candidates for the jobs, and restrictive legal frameworks are some of the grey areas identified by Dubosc & Kelo (2012:9) in the recruitment and selection of academic staff in the universities. Khilji (2002:238) argued that decisions involving fresh hiring are made in Pakistani public sector organizations in a dubious manner. The merit-based system of selection does not prevail. Family relationships receive preferential treatment, thus guiding major decisions involving hiring and promotions. Given this, the second proposition for this study is:

Proposition 2:     The Recruitment and Selection system in public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not   merit based, impartial and transparent.

In public sector universities in Pakistan, the colonial legacy with highly centralized structure and the traditional personnel management system still prevail. There is hardly any university in the public sector in the country that has a full-fledged HR section staffed by HR professionals to address and look after HR affairs (Qadeer et al ., 2011:230). Abbas & Ahmad (2011a:21) have similar findings. They observed that separate HR unit does not exist in the universities, and the HR functions have been made intertwined and complex mainly looked after by the staff having no requisite qualification, capacity, and experience to deal with it. This state of affairs call for a detailed, in-depth research study in order to unearth real issues so that corrective measures may be undertaken in light of the same (Qadeer et al., 2010). This leads to the third proposition:

Proposition 3: Public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa do not have any specialized   Human Resource Department or Section to look after HR functions such as Recruitment and Selection.

Similarly, there exist no independent statutory body such HR council or HR board to have an oversight role in the HR domain in universities in Pakistan. A closer examination of all the relevant legislations such as University of Peshawar Act, 1974, North-West Frontier Province University of Engineering and Technology Ordinance, 1980, Khyber Medical University Act, 2007, University of Peshawar Act, 2011, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities (Amendment) Act, 2015 and detailed scrutiny of intrinsic material revealed that there are various authorities looking after administrative, financial and academic business in the public sector universities across the Province. Nevertheless, no legal entity subsists in public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to address HR issues.

Proposition 4: Public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa do not have an   HR   Council   onthe analogy of Academic Council in universities, to keep an eye on   HR affairs in the universities.

Hence, an empirical research study is needed to explore the recruitment and selection system of the administrative cadre in public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as there is a wide scope to investigate the matter further. This study is the pioneering work to address these issues by adopting systems approach to fill this gap. While using general systems theory as a theoretical framework, this study endeavors to find answers to some of the most critical questions researchers and academics raised as mentioned earlier.

• Theoretical Framework

Current discourse on employment practices enunciates that staffing function does not take place in isolation in any organization. This is shaped not only by internal environment, but it is also molded by external forces. While undertaking recruitment and selection in any setting, HR managers must be cognizant that the new appointees are properly trained. They have plentiful of opportunities for growth and promotion. Their hard work is acknowledged, and once they quit, they are praised formally and eloquently for their contribution. At the same time, HR managers have to keep an eye on external challenges such as globalization, technological advancement, socio-economic pressures, legal and judicial activism, political interloping and accountability impacting staffing function. These are some of the critically important questions that must be addressed by HR managers. To understand these dynamics, a theoretical lens is needed. While General Systems Theory evolved over the years, its basic principles can still be applied to the system of employees’ recruitment and selection in an organization.  This theory is used to build up theoretical foundation of this research study.

3.1 General Systems Theory

The theoretical lens for this study is provided by Bertalanffy (1950, 1968).  General systems theory is one of the contemporary theories of management postulated first by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1930s as a means of explaining the complexity, interaction and relationship among various groups. While propounding his theory, Bertalanffy was reacting against reductionism and attempting to revive the unity of science (1968:49). He is considered to be the founder and principal author of general systems theory. In general systems theory (1950a:23) the unit of analysis is empathized as a complex whole of interdependent parts.

The systemic perspective of Bertalanffy (1968:38) postulates that comprehending a phenomenon in its entirety merely by splitting it up into basic components and then reconstituting is impracticable; instead, global vision is needed to apply in order to underscore its functioning from a strategic point of view in a holistic fashion.

Bertalanffy premised the idea of a systems approach as part of his general systems theory which he introduced to scrutinize the interaction between organisms and the environment. His systems approach was founded on the theories of Stafford Beer and Kenneth Boulding, both management scientists. The basic idea of general systems theory entails its focus on interactions and relationship. The preeminence of interconnection leads to believe that the conduct of a single autonomous element is different from its behavior when the element interacts with other elements in unison (Mele, Pels & Polese, 2010:127). “General system theory, therefore, is a general science of wholeness.” “The meaning of the somewhat mystical expression, the whole is more than the sum of parts is simply that constitutive characteristics are not explainable from the characteristics of the isolated parts” nevertheless, “the total of parts contained in a system and the relations between them, the behavior of the system may be derived from the behavior of the parts” (Bertalanffy, 1968:55).

3.2 General Systems theory and its application to diverse disciplines

Von Bertalanffy (1968) put forward general systems theory and applied the same in a variety of contexts (Weinberger, 1998:88). Its initial application was in numerical sciences, biological sciences, and physical sciences but has since been applied to a wide range of other disciplines such as organizational theory (O’Meara & Petzall, 2013:23), marketing and management (Mele, Pels, & Polese, 2010:126). This theory presumes that there are universal principles of organization which holds for all systems, whether they are physical, chemical, biological, behavioural, cultural and social (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972: 447) . This is considered to be a ‘grand’ theory for having universal relevance and applicability. “Systems theory is a broad view which far transcends technological problems and demands, a reorientation that has become necessary in science in general and in the gamut of disciplines from physics and biology to the behavioral and social sciences and to philosophy” (Bertalanffy, 1968: vii).

Katz & Kahn (1966) applied systems theory to organizations. The organization is seen as a system, built by energetic input-output where the energy coming from the output reactivates the system. Jacobs (1989:65) argues that systems theory is the unifying theory for HRD and “forms the most underlining structure for the HRD profession.” Using a systems approach to realize organizational and individual goals, Jacobs (1988:2) proposed a domain of human performance technology and used the theory for the development of human performance systems and the management of the resulting systems, which is another dimension of performance improvement within the systems concept.

Capra (1997) contended that systems theory is an ‘interdisciplinary theory’ about every system in nature, in society and in many scientific disciplines, as well as, a framework with which one can investigate a phenomenon from a holistic perspective. Before going into minute details of this theory and it application to organizational HR practices with a focus on recruitment and selection, it is important to explain what the system entails and how it works for better understanding the theoretical framework.

3.3 General systems theory and its application to organization

The didactics of general systems theory are quite basic. Notwithstanding, decades of management training and practices in the workplace, HR managers have not followed this theory in letter and spirit. However, in recent times, in the face of tremendous changes taking place all around, the way organizations function and the way they operate, academics and managers come across this new lens of looking at things. This new overture has brought about a paradigm shift in the thought process of academicians, researchers, managers and the way they approach or manage the organizations.

The effects of systems theory on organization espouse managers to look at the organization from a broader perspective. Systems theory has brought home a very impertinent aspect for the managers to interpret patterns and events in the workplace. They recognize various parts of the organization, and, in particular, the interrelations of these various parts, cognized as subsystems. This encompasses coordination at all levels, for instance: i) Coordination of central administration with its subsidiaries, programs, projects, departments and other administrative units; ii) Coordination within the departments for example engineering and manufacturing and iii) Coordination among supervisors and workers. This is regarded as a major breakthrough in the organizational life. In the past, managers typically took one particular unit of the organization and focused on that. Then they moved their attention to other parts. Here, the predicament was that an organization could, have a strong central administrative system and an incredible set of body parts, but the individual units/departments were working in isolation as these same were not synchronized at all.

3.4 General systems theory and its application to HRM

Systems theory carries a momentous effect on the discipline of management sciences and understanding organizations. Mowday (1983) was one of the first HRM researchers who applied systems model to HRM practices. Katz & Kahn (1978:189) argue that HRM is a subsystem embedded in a larger organizational system. The open systems approach towards HRM has been further developed by Wright & Snell (1991:203).

In the same vein, the description of HRM as a controlled system postulated by Snell (1992: 292) is based upon open systems theory. A more refined discourse on the system theory led us to believe what Kozlowski & Salas (1994: 281) argued to be a multilevel organizational systems approach for better understanding of the implementation and transfer of capacity building initiatives. Many of the more specific theories delineated by Jackson & Schuler (1995:239) in their review to broaden understanding of HRM in context assume that organizations function like open systems.

Alsabbah & Ibrahim (2014:11) used General Systems Theory while studying HR practices in the organizations postulated that certain HR practices if implemented intuitively lead to overwhelming organizational outcome. They found the theory as exceedingly pertinent to the HR domain as it envisages HRM as a vast system blending various processes. The study, establishing the viability of the General Systems Theory when applied to HR practices and employees competence, concluded that understanding the theory assist in improving HR performance in many ways. Hence, the application of the theory elucidates the effectiveness of HR practices in raising employee’s competence in an organization.

3.5 Application of General Systems Theory to recruitment and selection

Since Aristotle’s assertion that knowledge is extrapolated from comprehending a phenomenon in its entirety and not from its individual parts, scholars have been painstakingly engaged in the discourse on systems, its constituent components and their comparative dynamics (Mele, Pels, & Polese, 2010:126). The employees who work in an organization are drawn from the external market, and they add new knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies to the organization resources to enable it to respond to indigenous, national and global innovative market trends, growth and sustainability. Systems theory is having a critical and useful function in comprehending the dynamic connection between the organization and its environment through recruitment and selection (O’Meara & Petzall, 2013:26).

Catano et al., (2009:6) in their study contended that recruitment and selection do not take place in isolation in any organization. They are influenced not only by the context and type of organization, its type, size, structure, leadership styles, strategic objectives but also by the events occurring in the surroundings that affect the organization as a whole.

While systems theory has germinated over the years, its basic principles can still be employed to the recruitment and selection system in any setup. Its holistic approach offers a synopsis of the entire HR system by encompassing various relationships and interaction persisting within the subsystem of recruitment and selection (O’Meara & Petzall, 2013:26).

Catano et al., (2009:6) in their study postulates that there are a number of questions that must be addressed by any HR manager or practitioner in setting up a recruitment and selection system in any organizations. Some of these are: i) How do employers ensure that the people they hire will have the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the best performance of the job?; ii) How do employers ensure that the recruitment and selection system function in a transparent and unbiased manner?; And iii) How do employers ensure that their hiring policies and procedures are gender sensitive and treat candidates from different ethnic groups fairly and accommodate people with disabilities?.

In fact, “recruitment and selection set the stage for other human resources interventions. If recruitment and selection are done properly, the subsequent movement of the worker through the organizational system is made easier, and the individual makes a long-term, positive contribution to organizational survival and success”. When this happens, HRM makes a positive contribution to the organizational system as a whole. On the other hand, if a new employee enters the firm on a ‘flat trajectory’ because of a flawed recruitment and selection system then the smooth functioning of the entire structure of the organization, including HRM, is adversely affected (Catano et al., 2009:7).

This study shall combine general systems theory with strategic human resource practices with a prime focus on recruitment and selection in order for talent acquisition to have maximum impact. It stresses the importance of continual improvement in attracting talent and engaging, motivating and retaining staff in line with best practices in the face of unbridled market pressures and global challenges. This furthers the concept that how the HRM subsystems are influenced by internal as well as external challenges (Jackson & Schuler, 1995:237).

• Methodology

Review of literature revealed scarcity of research studies, addressing HR issues in a methodical manner in developing countries (Budhwar & Debrah, 2001; Yeganeh & Su, 2008:203), including Pakistan (Aycan, Kanungo, Mendonca, Deller, Stahl & Khurshid, 2000: 217; Khilji, 2001). In the same vein, very few studies can be found exploring employment practices with a focus on staffing function in the field of higher education in Pakistan (Shazad et al., 2008; Qadeer et al., 2011). Since little empirical evidence is available in the area of recruitment and selection of administrative staff in the context of public sector universities in Pakistan for quantitative analysis and theory development, this study is aimed at bridging this gap by espousing qualitative research paradigm.

Qualitative research generates new insight into a situation and behaviour so that the meaning of what is happening around can be easily understood. It lays emphasis on the interpretation of behaviour from the perspective of the participants, in view of their personal experiences (Smith, 2007: 53). It is based on evidence that may not be effortlessly reduced to numbers. It makes use of interviews, archival record and observations as data collection methods (Armstrong, 2009:181).  

Qualitative research paradigm has been selected for the study for a variety of reasons. The most compelling among those are the conspicuous lack of previous conclusive research on the subject matter (Creswell, 2011; Morse, 1991). Qualitative approach is valuable for the in-depth understanding of a phenomenon, exploration of new dimensions and discovering their interrelationship (Creswell, 1994). As not much background information was available on the theme for empirical analysis, choosing a qualitative approach provides a strong rationale for exploring and describing the phenomenon in minute details for developing a theory (Gay, Mills & Airasian, 2005).

The constructivist worldview of Creswell (2009) regarded as paradigms by Lincoln, Lynham, & Guba (2011), epistemologies and ontologies by Crotty (1998), or broadly conceived research methodologies by Neuman (2009) shall be used for the study believing that individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work and develop subjective meanings of their experiences. Hence, the processes of interaction among individuals with focus on the specific contexts in which they work in order to understand the historical and cultural settings of the participants.

Moreover, the case study approach adopted for the study aids in developing a profound understanding of contemporary employment issues confronted by Pakistani public sector universities in a systematic manner with a prime focus on recruitment and selection of administrative staff. The study involves probing a small number of key informants through extensive and prolonged engagements in order to develop patterns and relationships of key themes and subthemes for further analysis (Nieswiadomy, 1993).

4.1 Case Study

This is basically a case study research. Being one of the most challenging of all the social sciences research endeavours, case study method digs deeper into the situation for a better understanding of prevailing capacities and dynamics of a particular case (Yin, 2003:1). Case study research helps in developing a deeper understanding of a complex issue and may add strength to what is already known through previous research (Stake, 1995). Yin (1993) argues that the case study is appropriate when the aim is to define a topic broadly and not narrowly. Similarly, case study research is recommended by Yin (1989) when little previous research has been carried out within the context, and there is a gap that needs to be filled in the research examining a situation (Bonoma, 1985; Stake, 1995).

As Yin (2003:13) argues that empirical inquiry “investigates a contemporary phenomenon in-depth and with its real-life context when the boundaries between the context and the phenomenon are not clearly evident.” Hence, taking the above into consideration the research design used for the said study is a  multiple case study design . Hence, this study employs a six case research design- all from the public sector with three from among the first generation and three among the second generation universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan for data collection. The justification for selection of these universities is discussed in the next section.

4.2 Case Selection and Design

The study will be carried out with prime focus on public sector Universities and Degree Awarding Institutes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the north-western province of Pakistan. According to the data, available on HEC website, there are one hundred and sixty-three universities and degree awarding institutes in the country. Amongst those, ninety-four are public sector (HEC, 2015). In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are nineteen public sector universities and DAIs, with five established in the last seven years, whereas, the establishment of four new universities is in the pipeline. These universities/DAIs are government chartered, self-governing and autonomous bodies established and regulated under the law enacted by the Provincial Assembly and funded by the federal government through HEC.

For the study, a total of six universities (three among the first generation and three among the second generation universities) shall purposefully be selected out of the total 19 public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Among the ‘first generation’ of the universities, University of Peshawar, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar and Agriculture University, Peshawar shall be chosen. Whereas, among the ‘second generation’ universities/DAIs, Islamia College University Peshawar, Khyber Medical University Peshawar and Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar shall be selected. To maintain anonymity these universities were designated as University-A, University-B, University-C, University-D, University-E and University- F.

4.3 Data collection

For data collection, three sources of information shall be used: i) Interview; ii) Non-participant observations, and iii) Documents and archival records. These are discussed in detail in the following:

4.3.1 Interview

Semi- structured interviews were held with low, middle and top management as multiple key informants. The key informant is an expert source of information (Marshall, 1996:92). Since, the Establishment and the Meetings Sections are the two main HR sections/departments in the universities, therefore, the top, mid and low career level manager/administrative officers working in these sections (i.e. Registrar, Additional Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar) were selected for the purpose.

These units of analysis are highly pertinent for obtaining the type of data required for the study, and this is one of the most important considerations for selection of respondents for the study.

Semi-structured interviews shall mainly be conducted for looking into the phenomenon from the perspective of participants assuming that the respondents explicitly demonstrate their understanding of the phenomenon (Patton, 1990). The interviews will be organized in an open-ended manner to allow participants’ perspectives to emerge but will be having closed-ended questions to provide some structure to the interview to allow for comparability of findings across cases if required.

Thus, a total of thirty semi-structured, in-depth interviews with open-ended questions given at  Appendix-I  shall be conducted with the purposefully selected individuals. The interview guide shall be designed and each interview session shall span over two to three hours of duration. The interviews shall be tape recorded and transcribed in a narrative format accordingly. Overall, field notes shall be taken during interview sessions and data will be analyzed once this stage of data collection is completed.

4.3.2 Observation

Furthermore, the non-participant observation shall also be used for triangulation of data gathered from primary source as well as secondary sources. “Nonparticipant observation is a data collection method used extensively in case study research in which the researcher enters a social system to observe events, activities, and interactions with the aim of gaining a direct understanding of a phenomenon in its natural context.

4.3.3 Documents and archival records

In addition to semi-structured interviews and non-participant’ observations, archival records and official documents shall also be consulted for the collection of data. These sources include annual reports of the universities and their official websites, as well as official website of HEC. These sources provide information about the act, statutes, rules and regulations of these universities apart from their size, vision and mission statement, structure, their number of faculty members, and the number of the student population.

Using the secondary source, accessible official documents of the universities shall also be thoroughly reviewed such as official letters, appointment orders, office notes, memoranda, agenda and minutes of the meetings, complaints, inquiry reports, court cases, statutes, rules, regulations, acts and published/unpublished reports of the World Bank, HEC, Planning Commission of Pakistan, Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan and provincial higher education department.

4.4 Data Triangulation

Interview being the primary source of data collection, for the study, shall not solely be relied upon and shall be substantiated from multiple sources, as discussed in the preceding section. This shall serve as a cross-check for the validity of the conclusions drawn, and the additional sources of information shall gave more insight into the topic and shall also serve as a means of assessing the researcher’s interpretation, and the conclusion drawn and recommendations made.

Two other sources of data collection (i.e., archival records and non-participant observations) shall also be used for triangulation purposes. The researcher shall also confirm such information from official documents and archival record of the university. All this shall also be done in order to confirm and revalidate the original interview responses of the participants.

4.5 Data Analysis

The data analysis process involves determining categories, subthemes, main themes and the essence from the participants’ descriptions (Braun & Clarke, 2006:79). For analysis of data thematic analytic approach propounded by Braun & Clarke shall be adopted (2006:79). Under this approach analysis is not a linear process. The steps outlined by Braun & Clarke (2006:87) shall be followed for the data analysis include: i) Becoming familiar with the data; ii) Generating initial codes; iii) Searching for themes; iv) Reviewing themes; v) Defining and naming themes, and vi) Producing the report.

Once data is collected, the same will be transcribed, accordingly. In this very first step, the task will be to get familiar with the data and comprehend the nature and meaning of the data. The second step will be to generate initial codes. Then data relevant to each code shall be organized. This exercise will be done manually. In the process, all the potential themes shall be coded and patterns will be established from the codes. The third step will be searching for sub-themes and themes. In this step, codes become categories, subthemes and central themes. Reviewing the themes will be the fourth step. Defining and naming themes will be the fifth step. In this step, the emerging themes will be described in a way that captured the essence of the theme. Here, the themes will be defined and will ultimately be keyed out. Writing the analysis will be the last and final step. Here, an analytic narrative of the data will be presented.

4.6 Ethical considerations

Ethical considerations for this study shall be the participants’ right to informed consent, autonomy, confidentiality and anonymity which are discussed in detail here.

4.6.1 Informed consent

For the study, informed voluntary consent of all the respondents shall be obtained in writing beforehand. Participants’ information sheet shall be provided to all of them and their queries shall be addressed before the commencement of interview sessions.

4.6.2 Autonomy

While following the spirit of autonomy, it shall be scrupulously elucidated to the participants that their participation in the research study was entirely voluntary. In addition, their willingness to participate or otherwise would not affect them in any way. Even, it will be assured that they were free to back out from the study any time at any stage of the study if they desire so.

4.6.3 Privacy and confidentiality

The personal information of the participants shall be recorded on demographic data sheet gathered during the interview process and all the information provided by the participants shall be kept confidential if they desire so.

5.  Significance, expected outcome and contribution of the study

Appreciating that human resource is one of the most valuable assets, effective recruitment and induction system is critically important for organizations to ensure that the new employees become productive in the shortest possible time. Indeed, the benefits which can be derived from a merit-based selection system are widely established and frequently reported in the body of knowledge (Ulrich & Allen, 2009:33). This helps in developing intrinsic capabilities; organizations direly need to acquire, nourish and nurture to compete and win. This study is not only about undertaking fresh induction in a transparent manner but also focused on stimulating academic success and adding value to the academic business by connecting all HR functions in a systematic manner rather than simply reckoning recruitment and selection as a function in isolation.

The study will unearth gray areas in the staffing function in the institutes of higher education in the public sector in Pakistan. The study will give new insight to the academicians, university administrators, researchers, practitioners, and HR professionals. The study will provide useful guidelines for social scientists working in the field of higher education and policy makers at the national level. It will add, not only to the body of knowledge but will also help in unleashing reforms in the higher education sector by paving the way for standardization of recruitment and selection practices in universities in Pakistan.

The study will be helpful in persuading the people at the helm of universities’ affairs to manage employment practices strategically, in order, to avoid a total collapse of higher education sector, in the days to come. The study shall enable the universities, to put the recruitment and selection system according to the demands and challenges of the contemporary academic world. The study holds immense significance for the university administrators, researchers, decision makers and HR practitioners. The study will help the universities in revisiting recruitment and selection system, to make it more transparent, unbiased and meritocratic, thus, minimizing personal influence, political clout and external pressures.

6. Implications of the study

This study shall provide rich insight, in multiple ways, in which the notion of fair play, transparency and accountability required to be put in practice while pursuing fresh hiring, at all the levels, in public sector universities. The study shall contribute to the system of HR in the higher education sector, by discerning shortcomings mainly in various areas.

The study shall highlight multiple gray areas in the system of recruitment and selection in the institutes of higher education in Pakistan. This study is not only about performing recruitment and selection function in a better way but also focused on building academic success and adding value to the academic business rather than simply optimizing HR as a function. The study shall make certain recommendations postulating; how the institutes of higher education in this part of the world learn from best practices prevailing in developed countries. In light of the participants’ suggestions, the study shall come up with concrete, practical recommendations to regenerate staffing function in public sector universities in the country.

7. Outline of the Thesis

The thesis shall be divided into three major parts, comprising of nine chapters including Chapter 01- Introduction. These shall be structured as follows. Chapter 02 shall present an overview of the available literature on HRM concentrating on the historical perspective of the discipline. The first section of this Chapter shall discuss basic concepts of HRM, its historical evolution and its application in the public sector. This Chapter shall outline how HRM is designed in the public sector. A brief historical background of HRM in the public sector and working of HRM in both developing as well as developed countries shall be taken up in this section. The second section of Chapter 02 shall talk about the background of the study, hence, setting the stage for the thesis. This section shall discuss organizational structure of the universities in Pakistan. This Chapter shall cover HRM policies and practices in the public sector universities across the globe, with a particular focus on the public sector universities in Pakistan. The third section shall divulge a brief review of the basics of the system of recruitment and selection. Here, the focus shall rest on the public sector in Pakistan, and this further converges at the public sector universities in the country.

Chapter 03 shall focus on the theoretical framework of the study considering the interplay of competing demands, changing trends and varied aspirations of the competitive academic world where university top management has to set the strategic directions of institutions of higher education to survive in the competitive academic world.

The second part shall include the empirical Chapters. Chapter 04 shall present methodological underpinnings of the study starting with a brief description of the research paradigm, elucidating case study research and research design pursued in the study, drawing attention to case study methodology and data collection mechanism. This Chapter shall present the method of data analysis, the scheme of coding, interpretation of data to develop themes and patterns and define headings and subheadings for a systematic presentation of data.

The final part of the thesis shall consist of Chapters 05, 06, 07, 08 and 09. These chapters shall elucidate and provide further reflection on the outcomes of the study. Chapter 05 shall outline, how the staffing function, starting from job analysis to final selection of a candidate, is undertaken in the selected public sector universities.

Chapter 06 shall describe various loopholes in the staffing function. Chapter 07 shall explain various factors responsible for these loopholes. Chapter 08 shall discuss various suggestions made by the respondents to address these issues. All the three finding Chapters shall be assembled and discussed succinctly in Chapter 09 with implications and recommendations of the overall research study.

References:

Abbas, F., & Ahmad, S. (2011).  Human resource management practices: perceptions of academia. Paper presented at the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Business Management.

Aguinaldo, J. P. (2012). Qualitative analysis in gay men’s health research: Comparing thematic, critical discourse and conversation analysis.  Journal of Homosexuality,  59(6), 765-787.

Ahmad, S. H., & Ghani, U. (2013). Managing human resources in public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: problems and prospects. Unpublished/discussion paper.

Ahmad, S., & Schroeder, R.G. (2003). The impact of human resource management practices on operational performance: recognizing country and industry differences.  Journal of Operations Management , 21(1), 19-43.

Ahmad, S., & Shahzad, K. (2011). HRM and employee performance: a case of university teachers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan.  African Journal of Business Management,  5(13), 5249-5253.

Ahmad, S.H., & Junaid, F.A. (2008).  A conceptual framework for developing strategic partnership between university and industry in Pakistan with particular reference to NWFP. In: 2nd International Conference on Assessing Quality in Higher Education. Lahore, Pakistan: December 1-2.

Ahmed, A., Hussain, I., Ahmed, S., & Akbar, M. F. (2010). Performance appraisals impact on attitudinal outcomes and organisational performance.  International Journal of Business and Management , 5(10), 62-68.

Ali, J.A., Nelarine, C., & James, W. (2009). Human resource management practices in a postcolonial and post-9/11 climate: empirical evidence from Pakistan.  Journal of Scientific Research , 33(2), 279-29.

Alsabbah, M. Y., & Ibrahim, H. (2014). HRM practices and employee competence: A general system perspective. International Journal of Business, Economics and Law, 4(1), 11-17.

Altbach, P. G. (2004). The past and future of Asian universities: Twenty first century challenges. In P. G. Altbach, & T. Umakoshi (Eds.),  Asian universities: Historical perspectives and contemporary challenges  (pp.13-32). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Archer, W. (2005).  Mission Critical? Modernizing human resource management in higher education . Oxford: Higher Education Policy Institute.

Arif, M.I., and Hassan, A. (2013). HRM practices in public and private universities of Pakistan. In  Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Business Management.

Arif, S. (2011). Broken wings: Issues faced by female doctors in Pakistan regarding career development.  International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences , 1(3) (Special), 69-91.

Armstrong, M. (2009).  Armstrong’s handbook of performance management: An evidence-based guide to delivering high performance . London: Kogan Page Publishers.

Arthur, J. B. (1992). The link between business strategy and industrial relations systems in American Steel Minimills.  Industrial and Labor Relations Review , 45, 488-506.

Aycan, Z., Kanungo, R.N., Mendonca, M.Yu, K., Deller, J., Stahl, G. & Khurshid, A. (2000). Impact of culture on human resource management practices: a 10-county comparison.  Applied Psychology: An International Review,  49(1), 67-81.

Barber, M., Donnelly K, & Rizvi, S. (2013).  An avalanche is coming, higher education and the revolution ahead . The Institute for Public Policy Research, UK.

Bashir, S., & Khattak, H. R. (2008). Impact of selected HR practices on perceived employee performance, a study of Public Sector Employees in Pakistan.  Editorial Advisory Board , 5(4), 243.

Bashir, S., & Ramay, M. I. (2008). Determinants of organizational commitment: A study of Information Technology professionals in Pakistan.  Institute of behavioral and applied management , 7(4), 226-238.

Bibi, A., Lanrong, Y., Haseeb, M., & Ahmad, I. (2012). The effect of human resource management practices on employees’ job satisfaction in the universities of Pakistan.  Business Management Dynamics , 1(12), 1-14.

Bonoma, T., (1985). Case research in marketing: opportunities, problems, and a process.  Journal of Marketing Research,  22(2), 199-208.

Boxall, P. F. (1993). The significance of human resource management: a reconsideration of the evidence.  International Journal of Human Resource Management , 4(3), 645-664.

Boxall, P. F., & Dowling, P. J. (1990). Human resource management and the industrial relations tradition.  Labour & Industry: A Journal of the Social and Economic Relations of Work , 3(2-3), 195-214.

Boxall, P., Purcell, J., & Wright, P. M. (2007). Human resource management: Scope, analysis and significance. In P. Boxall, J. Purcell, & P. M. Wright (Eds.),  The Handbook of Human Resource Management  (pp.1-16). UK: Oxford University Press.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology.  Qualitative Research in Psychology , 3(2), 77-101.

Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2009)  Business Research Methods . (2 nd  ed.). New York, Oxford University Press.

Bryman, A. (1988)  Quantity and Quality in Social Research . Canada: Unwin Hayman Ltd.

Budhwar, P. & Debrah., Y. (2001). Introduction. In P. Budhwar  & Y.Debrah (Eds)  Human resource management in developing countries  (pp.

RELATED ARTICLES

• Universities’ Governance
• Human Resource Management
• University Industry Linkages
• Book Review
• Academic integrity
• Public Policy
• Public Sector Reforms
• Innovations

Recent Posts

• 01 The 10 most common mistakes in Research Proposal Writing
• 02 Strengthening Higher Education in Pakistan: The case for establishment of Provincial HEC in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• 03 The 10 most powerful barriers in developing strong university-industry linkages?
• 04 Choosing the Right Research Philosophy for Grounded Theory Research Design
• 05 Developing strong university-industry linkages in Pakistan
• 06 The PTI Government’s plan to establish a university in the Prime Minister’s House never saw the light of the day
• 07 The 05 alarming trends of drug addiction in the universities in Pakistan
• 08 The Power of Critical Thinking in Effective Problem-Solving
• 09 The top 10 reasons why HR issues in the Universities in Pakistan are getting complex
• 010 How the upgradation of KMC and AMC to the university status will negatively impact KMU?

Most Popular

• Log in
• Site search

How to write a successful research proposal

As the competition for PhD places is incredibly fierce, your research proposal can have a strong bearing on the success of your application - so discover how to make the best impression

What is a research proposal?

Research proposals are used to persuade potential supervisors and funders that your work is worthy of their support. These documents set out your proposed research that will result in a Doctoral thesis. They are typically between 1,500 and 3,000 words.

Your PhD research proposal must passionately articulate what you want to research and why, convey your understanding of existing literature, and clearly define at least one research question that could lead to new or original knowledge and how you propose to answer it.

Professor Leigh Wilson, head of the graduate school at the University of Westminster , explains that while the research proposal is about work that hasn't been done yet, what prospective supervisors and funders are focusing on just as strongly is evidence of what you've done.

This includes how well you know existing literature in the area, including very recent publications and debates, and how clearly you've seen what's missing from this and so what your research can do that's new. Giving a strong sense of this background or frame for the proposed work is crucial.

'Although it's tempting to make large claims and propose research that sweeps across time and space, narrower, more focused research is much more convincing,' she adds. 'To be thorough and rigorous in the way that academic work needs to be, even something as long as a PhD thesis can only cover a fairly narrow topic. Depth not breadth is called for.'

The structure of your research proposal is therefore important to achieving this goal, yet it should still retain sufficient flexibility to comfortably accommodate any changes you need to make as your PhD progresses.

Layout and formats vary, so it's advisable to consult your potential PhD supervisor before you begin. Here's what to bear in mind when writing a research proposal.

Your provisional title should be around ten words in length, and clearly and accurately indicate your area of study and/or proposed approach. It should be catchy, informative and interesting.

The title page should also include personal information, such as:

• academic title
• date of birth
• nationality
• contact details.

Aims and objectives

This is a summary of your project. Your aims should be two or three broad statements that emphasise what you want to achieve, complemented by several focused, feasible and measurable objectives - the steps that you'll take to answer each of your research questions.

You'll need to clearly and briefly outline:

• how your research addresses a gap in, or builds upon, existing knowledge
• how your research links to the department that you're applying to
• the academic, cultural, political and/or social significance of your research questions.

Literature review

This section of your PhD proposal discusses the most important theories, models and texts that surround and influence your research questions, conveying your understanding and awareness of the key issues and debates.

It should focus on the theoretical and practical knowledge gaps that your work aims to address, as this ultimately justifies and provides the motivation for your project.

Methodology

Here, you're expected to outline how you'll answer each of your research questions. A strong, well-written methodology is crucial, but especially so if your project involves extensive collection and significant analysis of primary data.

In disciplines such as humanities, the research proposal methodology identifies the data collection and analytical techniques available to you, before justifying the ones you'll use in greater detail. You'll also define the population that you're intending to examine.

You should also show that you're aware of the limitations of your research, qualifying the parameters you plan to introduce. Remember, it's more impressive to do a fantastic job of exploring a narrower topic than a decent job of exploring a wider one.

Concluding or following on from your methodology, your timetable should identify how long you'll need to complete each step - perhaps using bi-weekly or monthly timeslots. This helps the reader to evaluate the feasibility of your project and shows that you've considered how you'll go about putting the PhD proposal into practice.

Bibliography

Finally, you'll provide a list of the most significant texts, plus any attachments such as your academic CV .

Demonstrate your skills in critical reflection by selecting only those resources that are most appropriate.

Final checks

Before submitting this document along with your PhD application, you'll need to ensure that you've adhered to the research proposal format. This means that:

• every page is numbered
• it's professional, interesting and informative
• the research proposal has been proofread by both an experienced academic (to confirm that it conforms to academic standards) and a layperson (to correct any grammatical or spelling errors)
• it has a contents page
• you've used a clear and easy-to-read structure, with appropriate headings.

Research proposal examples

To get a better idea of how your PhD proposal may look, some universities have provided examples of research proposals for specific subjects, including:

• The Open University - Social Policy and Criminology
• Queen's University Belfast - Nursing and Midwifery
• University of Sheffield - Sociological Studies
• University of Sussex
• University of York - Politics
• York St John University

Find out more

• Explore PhD studentships .
• For tips on writing a thesis, see 7 steps to writing a dissertation .
• Consider your PhD, what next?

How would you rate this page?

On a scale where 1 is dislike and 5 is like

• Dislike 1 unhappy-very
• Like 5 happy-very

Thank you for rating the page

• Interesting for you
• My settings

How to Write a Successful PhD Research Proposal

What is a research proposal.

A research proposal is a document of around 3,000-4,000 words outlining the research you are going to undertake. The majority of universities require PhD applicants to submit a research proposal when applying for a PhD position.

Find PhD programmes abroad

Why a research proposal?

Apart from being an essential requirement for PhD entry, a research proposal helps your future supervisors to better understand your line of thinking, experience in doing research and how you are planning to go about writing your thesis. In addition to this, a research proposal is a great tool that can help you to structure your thinking and outline the path you would like to follow during your PhD studies.

What should I include in a research proposal?

Before you start writing a research proposal, carefully check the website of the university you are applying for. Many universities provide guidelines on writing research proposals that will help you both to structure your thinking and meet the requirements of a specific university.

Regardless of university specific requirements, most of the research proposals usually include:

• Title and abstract: In case of predefined PhD projects, a title is usually provided by the university. In other cases, an applicant is expected to provide a preliminary title which will be further elaborated in the process of thesis writing. An abstract should usually be no longer than a page, and provide a brief summary of what you are going to cover in your research proposal.
• Literature review: The literature review demonstrates the applicant’s knowledge of the main research achievements in the area of study. You should pay attention to providing some of the key references in your area of research which requires doing extensive research on your part.
• Research problem, aim and objectives: As a result of your literature review, you should identify the main gap in your research area on which you are going to focus in your PhD project. Once the research problem is identified, you will be able to pose the main aim and objectives of your project.
• You should dedicate some space to Research methodology , or, in other words, explaining how you are going to go about doing your research. This section also demonstrates your knowledge of the existing research methodologies in your area of study.
• Ethical considerations: You should check some literature on ethics of conducting research in your area and outline some key ethical aspects related to the proposed project.
• Increasingly applicants are asked to outline the impact of their research studies . This can include both the impact on your research area and society in general. It is important to dedicate some time to this section since it will add more value to your proposal.
• References: Do not forget to specify all the references at the end of the proposal.

An obvious but very important point is the format of your research proposal. Make sure that the formatting of the document is consistent throughout and that the structure is clear. If possible, it can be a good idea to give the document to your academic tutor or colleague for revision.

It is important to remember that a research proposal is a provisional rather than a definitive document. It will most likely change extensively during the first several months of your PhD programme. Nevertheless, at the stage of application it is an essential document that helps evaluators make their decision in relation to your application. Therefore, it is worth investing time and effort in it! Good luck!

Interesting programmes for you

Explore more than 10000 Ph.D. Degrees from all around the world with Studyportals.

Go to your profile page to get personalised recommendations!

Department of Politics and International Relations

University | A to Z | Departments

• Politics and International Relations
• PhD research proposal
• Undergraduate study
• Postgraduate taught degrees
• PhD in Politics
• PhD in Politics Distance Learning
• PhD in Environment and Politics
• PhD in Global Development
• Fees and funding
• How to apply
• Training and facilities
• Postgraduate Research studentships
• About our research
• Research - Information for Staff (login required)
• News & events
• Current students
• Careers and Student Employability
• International students
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Wellbeing, welfare and support

Writing a research proposal

The research proposal is the main way in which we evaluate the quality of your research plans. You should aim to make your proposal about 1500-2000 words long.

Your proposal should include the following:

The title indicates the overall question or topic of the PhD. It should include any key concepts, empirical focus, or lines of inquiry that you aim to pursue, and it should be concise and descriptive. You can normally discuss changes in the title with your supervisor(s) should you be successful but it is important to try to choose a clear and engaging title.

Research questions

What are the questions or problems for politics or international relations that you are trying to understand and solve? In explaining these, it will be helpful to spell out what else we need to know in order to understand why you are framing the problem this way.

Research aims

In answering these questions, what will your research project do? What will it shed light on or help us to understand that we don’t really understand better?

Contribution

Why this project? Explain why your project is interesting, what its broader implications are, and – if you think this is relevant – why you are particularly well placed to tackle it. It is also valuable to reflect on who has worked on the topic before and to provide a brief literature review. Are there any good approaches to the topic, or particular articles or books, that you are drawing on or bad ones you want to push back against?

What are the sources you plan to use to answer your research questions? These will vary according to the nature of your research but may include study of particular texts, interviews, published or unpublished data, archival or policy documents, or field site visits, among others. Try to be as specific as you can and assess the possibility of access to relevant sources.

This includes thinking about the research methods you will use to analyse empirical sources (e.g., sampling, survey or interview design, data collection, discourse analysis) but may also include setting out the kind of theoretical framework you will employ or your approach to history or political ideas. What prior knowledge and skills do you bring to the project? What extra training may you need?

Structure and timetable

Include a provisional chapter structure and timetable to completion, covering the three years of the full-time programme or six years of the part-time programme, as appropriate.

To help you with your application here are some examples of PhD proposals which were successful in obtaining funding:  PhD sample research proposal 1 (PDF , 96kb) PhD sample research proposal 2 (PDF , 79kb) PhD sample research proposal 3 (PDF , 197kb)

Apply for a PhD now

Department of Politics and International Relations University of York , York , YO10 5DD , UK Tel: work +44 (0) 1904 323542 | Fax: fax 01904 323563

Legal statements | Privacy | Cookies | Accessibility © University of York | Modify | Direct Edit

• Research Process
• Manuscript Preparation
• Manuscript Review
• Publication Process
• Publication Recognition

Language Editing Services

• Translation Services

Writing a Scientific Research Project Proposal

• 5 minute read
• 110.1K views

Table of Contents

The importance of a well-written research proposal cannot be underestimated. Your research really is only as good as your proposal. A poorly written, or poorly conceived research proposal will doom even an otherwise worthy project. On the other hand, a well-written, high-quality proposal will increase your chances for success.

In this article, we’ll outline the basics of writing an effective scientific research proposal, including the differences between research proposals, grants and cover letters. We’ll also touch on common mistakes made when submitting research proposals, as well as a simple example or template that you can follow.

What is a scientific research proposal?

The main purpose of a scientific research proposal is to convince your audience that your project is worthwhile, and that you have the expertise and wherewithal to complete it. The elements of an effective research proposal mirror those of the research process itself, which we’ll outline below. Essentially, the research proposal should include enough information for the reader to determine if your proposed study is worth pursuing.

It is not an uncommon misunderstanding to think that a research proposal and a cover letter are the same things. However, they are different. The main difference between a research proposal vs cover letter content is distinct. Whereas the research proposal summarizes the proposal for future research, the cover letter connects you to the research, and how you are the right person to complete the proposed research.

There is also sometimes confusion around a research proposal vs grant application. Whereas a research proposal is a statement of intent, related to answering a research question, a grant application is a specific request for funding to complete the research proposed. Of course, there are elements of overlap between the two documents; it’s the purpose of the document that defines one or the other.

Scientific Research Proposal Format

Although there is no one way to write a scientific research proposal, there are specific guidelines. A lot depends on which journal you’re submitting your research proposal to, so you may need to follow their scientific research proposal template.

In general, however, there are fairly universal sections to every scientific research proposal. These include:

• Title: Make sure the title of your proposal is descriptive and concise. Make it catch and informative at the same time, avoiding dry phrases like, “An investigation…” Your title should pique the interest of the reader.
• Abstract: This is a brief (300-500 words) summary that includes the research question, your rationale for the study, and any applicable hypothesis. You should also include a brief description of your methodology, including procedures, samples, instruments, etc.
• Introduction: The opening paragraph of your research proposal is, perhaps, the most important. Here you want to introduce the research problem in a creative way, and demonstrate your understanding of the need for the research. You want the reader to think that your proposed research is current, important and relevant.
• Background: Include a brief history of the topic and link it to a contemporary context to show its relevance for today. Identify key researchers and institutions also looking at the problem
• Literature Review: This is the section that may take the longest amount of time to assemble. Here you want to synthesize prior research, and place your proposed research into the larger picture of what’s been studied in the past. You want to show your reader that your work is original, and adds to the current knowledge.
• Research Design and Methodology: This section should be very clearly and logically written and organized. You are letting your reader know that you know what you are going to do, and how. The reader should feel confident that you have the skills and knowledge needed to get the project done.
• Preliminary Implications: Here you’ll be outlining how you anticipate your research will extend current knowledge in your field. You might also want to discuss how your findings will impact future research needs.
• Conclusion: This section reinforces the significance and importance of your proposed research, and summarizes the entire proposal.
• References/Citations: Of course, you need to include a full and accurate list of any and all sources you used to write your research proposal.

Common Mistakes in Writing a Scientific Research Project Proposal

Remember, the best research proposal can be rejected if it’s not well written or is ill-conceived. The most common mistakes made include:

• Not providing the proper context for your research question or the problem
• Failing to reference landmark/key studies
• Losing focus of the research question or problem
• Not accurately presenting contributions by other researchers and institutions
• Incompletely developing a persuasive argument for the research that is being proposed
• Misplaced attention on minor points and/or not enough detail on major issues
• Sloppy, low-quality writing without effective logic and flow
• Incorrect or lapses in references and citations, and/or references not in proper format
• The proposal is too long – or too short

Scientific Research Proposal Example

There are countless examples that you can find for successful research proposals. In addition, you can also find examples of unsuccessful research proposals. Search for successful research proposals in your field, and even for your target journal, to get a good idea on what specifically your audience may be looking for.

While there’s no one example that will show you everything you need to know, looking at a few will give you a good idea of what you need to include in your own research proposal. Talk, also, to colleagues in your field, especially if you are a student or a new researcher. We can often learn from the mistakes of others. The more prepared and knowledgeable you are prior to writing your research proposal, the more likely you are to succeed.

One of the top reasons scientific research proposals are rejected is due to poor logic and flow. Check out our Language Editing Services to ensure a great proposal , that’s clear and concise, and properly referenced. Check our video for more information, and get started today.

Research Fraud: Falsification and Fabrication in Research Data

Research Team Structure

You may also like.

Descriptive Research Design and Its Myriad Uses

Five Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Biomedical Research Paper

Making Technical Writing in Environmental Engineering Accessible

To Err is Not Human: The Dangers of AI-assisted Academic Writing

When Data Speak, Listen: Importance of Data Collection and Analysis Methods

Choosing the Right Research Methodology: A Guide for Researchers

Why is data validation important in research?

Writing a good review article

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

What’s Included: Research Proposal Template

Our free dissertation/thesis proposal template covers the core essential ingredients for a strong research proposal. It includes clear explanations of what you need to address in each section, as well as straightforward examples and links to further resources.

The research proposal template covers the following core elements:

• Introduction & background (including the research problem)
• Literature review
• Research design / methodology
• Project plan , resource requirements and risk management

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

PS – if you’d like a high-level template for the entire thesis, you can we’ve got that too .

Research Proposal Template FAQS

What types of research proposals can this template be used for.

The proposal template follows the standard format for academic research projects, which means it will be suitable for the vast majority of dissertations and theses (especially those within the sciences), whether they are qualitative or quantitative in terms of design.

Keep in mind that the exact requirements for the introduction chapter/section will vary between universities and degree programs. These are typically minor, but it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Is this template for an undergrad, Master or PhD-level proposal?

This template can be used for a research project at any level of study. Doctoral-level projects typically require the research proposal to be more extensive/comprehensive, but the structure will typically remain the same.

How long should my research proposal be?

The length of a research proposal varies by institution and subject, but as a ballpark, it’s usually between 1,500 and 3,000 words.

To be safe, it’s best to check with your university if they have any preferences or requirements in terms of minimum and maximum word count for the research propsal.

How detailed should the methodology of the proposal be?

You don’t need to go into the fine details of your methodology, but this section should be detailed enough to demonstrate that your research approach is feasible and will address your research questions effectively. Be sure to include your intended methods for data collection and analysis.

Can I include preliminary data or pilot study results in my proposal?

Generally, yes. This can strengthen your proposal by demonstrating the feasibility of your research. However, make sure that your pilot study is approved by your university before collecting any data.

Can I share this template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template in its original format (no editing allowed). If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, we kindly request that you reference this page as your source.

What format is the template (DOC, PDF, PPT, etc.)?

The research proposal template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

Do you have templates for the other chapters?

Yes, we do. We are constantly developing our collection of free resources to help students complete their dissertations and theses. You can view all of our template resources here .

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Yes, you’re welcome to get in touch with us to discuss our private coaching services .

Further Resources: Proposal Writing

The template provides step-by-step guidance for each section of your research proposal, but if you’d like to learn more about how to write up a high-quality research proposal, check out the rest of our free proposal-related resources:

• Research Proposal 101
• Examples of research proposals
• How To Find A Research Topic
• How To Find A Research Gap
• Developing Your Golden Thread
• How To Write A Research Proposal
• 8 Common Proposal Writing Mistakes

You can also visit the Grad Coach blog for more proposal-related resources.

If you’d prefer 1-on-1 support with your research proposal, have a look at our private coaching service , where we hold your hand through the research process, step by step.

Peer Recognized

Make a name in academia

Research Proposal Examples for Every Science Field

Looking for research funding can be a daunting task, especially when you are starting out. A great way to improve grant-writing skills is to get inspired by winning research proposal examples.

To assist you in writing a competitive proposal, I have curated a collection of real-life research proposal examples from various scientific disciplines. These examples will allow you to gain inspiration about the way research proposals are structured and written.

Structure of a Research Proposal

A research proposal serves as a road-map for a project, outlining the objectives, methodology, resources, and expected outcomes. The main goal of writing a research proposal is to convince funding agency of the value and feasibility of a research project. But a proposal also helps scientists themselves to clarify their planned approach.

While the exact structure may vary depending on the science field and institutional guidelines, a research proposal typically includes the following sections: Problem, Objectives, Methodology, Resources, Participants, Results&Impact, Dissemination, Timeline, and Budget. I will use this structure for the example research proposals in this article.

Here is a brief description of what each of the nine proposal sections should hold.

A concise and informative title that captures the essence of the research proposal. Sometimes an abstract is required that briefly summarizes the proposed project.

Clearly define the research problem or gap in knowledge that the study aims to address. Present relevant background information and cite existing literature to support the need for further investigation.

State the specific objectives and research questions that the study seeks to answer. These objectives should be clear, measurable, and aligned with the problem statement.

Methodology

Describe the research design, methodology, and techniques that will be employed to collect and analyze data. Justify your chosen approach and discuss its strengths and limitations.

Outline the resources required for the successful execution of the research project, such as equipment, facilities, software, and access to specific datasets or archives.

Participants

Describe the research team’s qualification for implementing the research methodology and their complementary value

Results and Impact

Describe the expected results, outcomes, and potential impact of the research. Discuss how the findings will contribute to the field and address the research gap identified earlier.

Dissemination

Explain how the research results will be disseminated to the academic community and wider audiences. This may include publications, conference presentations, workshops, data sharing or collaborations with industry partners.

Develop a realistic timeline that outlines the major milestones and activities of the research project. Consider potential challenges or delays and incorporate contingency plans.

Provide a detailed budget estimate, including anticipated expenses for research materials, equipment, participant compensation, travel, and other relevant costs. Justify the budget based on the project’s scope and requirements.

Consider that the above-mentioned proposal headings can be called differently depending on the funder’s requirements. However, you can be sure in one proposal’s section or another each of the mentioned sections will be included. Whenever provided, always use the proposal structure as required by the funding agency.

Research Proposal template download

This research proposal template includes the nine headings that we just discussed. For each heading, a key sentence skeleton is provided to help you to kick-start the proposal writing process.

Real-Life Research Proposal Examples

Proposals can vary from field to field so I will provide you with research proposal examples proposals in four main branches of science: social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering and technology. For each science field, you will be able to download real-life winning research proposal examples.

To illustrate the principle of writing a scientific proposal while adhering to the nine sections I outlined earlier, for each discipline I will also provide you with a sample hypothetical research proposal. These examples are formulated using the key sentence structure that is included in the download template .

In case the research proposal examples I provide do not hold exactly what you are looking for, use the Open Grants database. It holds approved research proposals from various funding agencies in many countries. When looking for research proposals examples in the database, use the filer to search for specific keywords and organize the results to view proposals that have been funded.

Research Proposals Examples in Social Sciences

Here are real-life research proposal examples of funded projects in social sciences.

Here is an outline of a hypothetical Social Sciences research proposal that is structured using the nine proposal sections we discussed earlier. This proposal example is produced using the key sentence skeleton that you will access in the proposal template .

The Influence of Social Media on Political Participation among Young Adults

Social media platforms have become prominent spaces for political discussions and information sharing. However, the impact of social media on political participation among young adults remains a topic of debate.

With the project, we aim to establish the relationship between social media usage and political engagement among young adults. To achieve this aim, we have three specific objectives:

• Examine the association between social media usage patterns and various forms of political participation, such as voting, attending political rallies, and engaging in political discussions.
• Investigate the role of social media in shaping political attitudes, opinions, and behaviors among young adults.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations for utilizing social media platforms to enhance youth political participation.

During the project, a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews will be used to determine the impact of social media use on youth political engagement. In particular, surveys will collect data on social media usage, political participation, and attitudes. Interviews will provide in-depth insights into participants’ experiences and perceptions.

The project will use survey software, transcription tools, and statistical analysis software to statistically evaluate the gathered results. The project will also use project funding for participant compensation.

Principal investigator, Jane Goodrich will lead a multidisciplinary research team comprising social scientists, political scientists, and communication experts with expertise in political science and social media research.

The project will contribute to a better understanding of the influence of social media on political participation among young adults, including:

• inform about the association between social media usage and political participation among youth.
• determine the relationship between social media content and political preferences among youth.
• provide guidelines for enhancing youth engagement in democratic processes through social media use.

We will disseminate the research results within policymakers and NGOs through academic publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at relevant conferences, and policy briefs.

The project will start will be completed within two years and for the first two objectives a periodic report will be submitted in months 12 and 18.

The total eligible project costs are 58,800 USD, where 15% covers participant recruitment and compensation, 5% covers survey software licenses, 55% are dedicated for salaries, and 25% are intended for dissemination activities.

Research Proposal Examples in Life Sciences

Here are real-life research project examples in life sciences.

Here is a hypothetical research proposal example in Life Sciences. Just like the previous example, it consists of the nine discussed proposal sections and it is structured using the key sentence skeleton that you will access in the proposal template .

Investigating the Role of Gut Microbiota in Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (GUT-MET)

Obesity and metabolic syndrome pose significant health challenges worldwide, leading to numerous chronic diseases and increasing healthcare costs. Despite extensive research, the precise mechanisms underlying these conditions remain incompletely understood. A critical knowledge gap exists regarding the role of gut microbiota in the development and progression of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

With the GUT-MET project, we aim to unravel the complex interactions between gut microbiota and obesity/metabolic syndrome. To achieve this aim, we have the following specific objectives:

• Investigate the composition and diversity of gut microbiota in individuals with obesity and metabolic syndrome.
• Determine the functional role of specific gut microbial species and their metabolites in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

During the project, we will employ the following key methodologies:

• Perform comprehensive metagenomic and metabolomic analyses to characterize the gut microbiota and associated metabolic pathways.
• Conduct animal studies to investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota alterations and the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

The project will benefit from state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, including advanced sequencing and analytical equipment, as well as access to a well-established cohort of participants with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Emma Johnson, a renowned expert in gut microbiota research and Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of PeerRecognized, will lead the project. Dr. Johnson has published extensively in high-impact journals and has received multiple research grants focused on the gut microbiota and metabolic health.

The project will deliver crucial insights into the role of gut microbiota in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Specifically, it will:

• Identify microbial signatures associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome for potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
• Uncover key microbial metabolites and pathways implicated in disease development, enabling the development of targeted interventions.

We will actively disseminate the project results within the scientific community, healthcare professionals, and relevant stakeholders through publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at international conferences, and engagement with patient advocacy groups.

The project will be executed over a period of 36 months. Key milestones include data collection and analysis, animal studies, manuscript preparation, and knowledge transfer activities.

The total eligible project costs are $1,500,000, with the budget allocated for 55% personnel, 25% laboratory supplies, 5% data analysis, and 15% knowledge dissemination activities as specified in the research call guidelines.

Research Proposals Examples in Natural Sciences

Here are real-life research proposal examples of funded projects in natural sciences.

Here is a Natural Sciences research proposal example that is structured using the same nine sections. I created this proposal example using the key sentence skeleton that you will access in the proposal template .

Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity Dynamics in Fragile Ecosystems (CLIM-BIODIV)

Climate change poses a significant threat to global biodiversity, particularly in fragile ecosystems such as tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Understanding the specific impacts of climate change on biodiversity dynamics within these ecosystems is crucial for effective conservation and management strategies. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the precise mechanisms through which climate change influences species composition, population dynamics, and ecosystem functioning in these vulnerable habitats.

With the CLIM-BIODIV project, we aim to assess the impact of climate change on biodiversity dynamics in fragile ecosystems. To achieve this aim, we have the following specific objectives:

• Investigate how changes in temperature and precipitation patterns influence species distributions and community composition in tropical rainforests.
• Assess the effects of ocean warming and acidification on coral reef ecosystems, including changes in coral bleaching events, species diversity, and ecosystem resilience.
• Conduct field surveys and employ remote sensing techniques to assess changes in species distributions and community composition in tropical rainforests.
• Utilize experimental approaches and long-term monitoring data to evaluate the response of coral reefs to varying temperature and pH conditions.

The project will benefit from access to field sites in ecologically sensitive regions, advanced remote sensing technology, and collaboration with local conservation organizations to facilitate data collection and knowledge sharing.

Dr. Alexander Chen, an established researcher in climate change and biodiversity conservation, will lead the project. Dr. Chen is a Professor of Ecology at the University of Peer Recognized, with a track record of three Nature publications and successful grant applications exceeding 25 million dollars.

The project will provide valuable insights into the impacts of climate change on biodiversity dynamics in fragile ecosystems. It will:

• Enhance our understanding of how tropical rainforest communities respond to climate change, informing targeted conservation strategies.
• Contribute to the identification of vulnerable coral reef ecosystems and guide management practices for their protection and resilience.

We will disseminate the project results to the scientific community, conservation practitioners, and policymakers through publications in reputable journals, participation in international conferences, and engagement with local communities and relevant stakeholders.

The project will commence on March 1, 2024, and will be implemented over a period of 48 months. Key milestones include data collection and analysis, modeling exercises, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge transfer activities. These are summarized in the Gantt chart.

The total eligible project costs are $2,000,000, with budget allocation for research personnel, fieldwork expenses, laboratory analyses, modeling software, data management, and dissemination activities.

Research Proposal Examples in Engineering and Technology

Here are real-life research proposal examples of funded research projects in the field of science and technology.

Here is a hypothetical Engineering and Technology research proposal example that is structured using the same nine proposal sections we discussed earlier. I used the key sentence skeleton available in the proposal template to produce this example.

Developing Sustainable Materials for Energy-Efficient Buildings (SUST-BUILD)

The construction industry is a major contributor to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing this issue requires the development of sustainable materials that promote energy efficiency in buildings. However, there is a need for innovative engineering solutions to overcome existing challenges related to the performance, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of such materials.

With the SUST-BUILD project, we aim to develop sustainable materials for energy-efficient buildings. Our specific objectives are as follows:

• Design and optimize novel insulating materials with enhanced thermal properties and reduced environmental impact.
• Develop advanced coatings and surface treatments to improve the energy efficiency and durability of building envelopes.
• Conduct extensive material characterization and simulation studies to guide the design and optimization of insulating materials.
• Utilize advanced coating techniques and perform full-scale testing to evaluate the performance and durability of building envelope treatments.

The project will benefit from access to state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, including material testing equipment, thermal analysis tools, and coating application setups. Collaboration with industry partners will facilitate the translation of research findings into practical applications.

Dr. Maria Rodriguez, an experienced researcher in sustainable materials and building technologies, will lead the project. Dr. Rodriguez holds a position as Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering at Peer Recognized University and has a strong publication record and expertise in the field.

The project will deliver tangible outcomes for energy-efficient buildings. It will:

• Develop sustainable insulating materials with superior thermal performance, contributing to reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings.
• Introduce advanced coatings and surface treatments developed from sustainable materials that enhance the durability and energy efficiency of building envelopes, thereby improving long-term building performance.

We will disseminate project results to relevant stakeholders, including industry professionals, architects, and policymakers. This will be accomplished through publications in scientific journals, presentations at conferences and seminars, and engagement with industry associations.

The project will commence on September 1, 2024, and will be implemented over a period of 36 months. Key milestones include material development and optimization, performance testing, prototype fabrication, and knowledge transfer activities. The milestones are summarized in the Gantt chart.

The total eligible project costs are $1,800,000. The budget will cover personnel salaries (60%), materials and equipment (10%), laboratory testing (5%), prototyping (15%), data analysis (5%), and dissemination activities (5%) as specified in the research call guidelines.

Final Tips for Writing an Winning Research Proposal

Come up with a good research idea.

Ideas are the currency of research world. I have prepared a 3 step approach that will help you to come up with a research idea that is worth turning into a proposal. You can download the Research Idea Generation Toolkit in this article.

Start with a strong research outline

Before even writing one sentence of the research proposal, I suggest you use the Research Project Canvas . It will help you to first come up with different research ideas and then choose the best one for writing a full research proposal.

Tailor to the requirements of the project funder

Treat the submission guide like a Monk treats the Bible and follow its strict requirements to the last detail. The funder might set requirements for the topic, your experience, employment conditions, host institution, the research team, funding amount, and so forth. 

What you would like to do in the research is irrelevant unless it falls within the boundaries defined by the funder.

Make the reviewer’s job of finding flaws in your proposal difficult by ensuring that you have addressed each requirement clearly. If applicable, you can even use a table with requirements versus your approach. This will make your proposed approach absolutely evident for the reviewers.

Before submitting, assess your proposal using the criteria reviewers have to follow.

Conduct thorough background research

Before writing your research proposal, conduct comprehensive background research to familiarize yourself with existing literature, theories, and methodologies related to your topic. This will help you identify research gaps and formulate research questions that address these gaps. You will also establish competence in the eyes of reviewers by citing relevant literature.

Be concise and clear

Define research questions that are specific, measurable, and aligned with the problem statement.

If you think the reviewers might be from a field outside your own, avoid unnecessary jargon or complex language to help them to understand the proposal better.

Be specific in describing the research methodology. For example, include a brief description of the experimental methods you will rely upon, add a summary of the materials that you are going to use, attach samples of questionnaires that you will use, and include any other proof that demonstrates the thoroughness you have put into developing the research plan. Adding a flowchart is a great way to present the methodology.

Create a realistic timeline and budget

Develop a realistic project timeline that includes key milestones and activities, allowing for potential challenges or delays. Similarly, create a detailed budget estimate that covers all anticipated expenses, ensuring that it aligns with the scope and requirements of your research project. Be transparent and justify your budget allocations.

Demonstrate the significance and potential impact of the research

Clearly articulate the significance of your research and its potential impact on the field. Discuss how your findings can contribute to theory development, practical applications, policy-making, or other relevant areas.

Pay attention to formatting and style guidelines

Follow the formatting and style guidelines provided by your institution or funding agency. Pay attention to details such as font size, margins, referencing style, and section headings. Adhering to these guidelines demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail.

Take a break before editing

After preparing the first draft, set it aside for at least a week. Then thoroughly check it for logic and revise, revise, revise. Use the proposal submission guide to review your proposal against the requirements. Remember to use grammar checking tools to check for errors.

Finally, read the proposal out loud. This will help to ensure good readability.

Seek feedback

Share your proposal with mentors, colleagues, or members of your research community to receive constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement. Take these seriously since they provide a third party view of what is written (instead of what you think you have written).

Reviewing good examples is one of the best ways to learn a new skill. I hope that the research proposal examples in this article will be useful for you to get going with writing your own research proposal.

Have fun with the writing process and I hope your project gets approved!

Learning from research proposal examples alone is not enough

The research proposal examples I provided will help you to improve your grant writing skills. But learning from example proposals alone will take you a rather long time to master writing winning proposals.

To write a winning research proposal, you have to know how to add that elusive X-Factor that convinces the reviewers to move your proposal from the category “good” to the category “support”. This includes creating self-explanatory figures, creating a budget, collaborating with co-authors, and presenting a convincing story.

To write a research proposal that maximizes your chances of receiving research funding, read my book “ Write a Winning Research Proposal “.

This isn’t just a book. It’s a complete research proposal writing toolkit that includes a  project ideation canvas, budget spreadsheet, project rating scorecard, virtual collaboration whiteboard, proposal pitch formula, graphics creation cheat sheet, review checklist and other valuable resources that will help you succeed.

Hey! My name is Martins Zaumanis and I am a materials scientist in Switzerland ( Google Scholar ). As the first person in my family with a PhD, I have first-hand experience of the challenges starting scientists face in academia. With this blog, I want to help young researchers succeed in academia. I call the blog “Peer Recognized”, because peer recognition is what lifts academic careers and pushes science forward.

Besides this blog, I have written the Peer Recognized book series and created the Peer Recognized Academy offering interactive online courses.

Related articles:

One comment

Hi Martins, I’ve recently discovered your content and it is great. I will be implementing much of it into my workflow, as well as using it to teach some graduate courses! I noticed that a materials science-focused proposal could be a very helpful addition.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I want to join the Peer Recognized newsletter!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Privacy Overview

Copyright © 2024 Martins Zaumanis

Contacts:  [email protected]  

Privacy Policy 

• About NuWrite
• Writing Advice
• Engineering & Design
• First-Year Seminars
• Global Health
• Writing in the Humanities
• Lab reports: advice & samples
• Science posters: advice & samples
• Biology honors theses: advice & samples

Sample student biology research proposal (P. Pazos & P. Hirsch 2008)

• Grant / proposal writing
• What committees look for in evaluating a proposal
• Useful web links: citation and style advice from journals, etc.
• Style-advice-science-writing
• Science writing assignments & grading
• SRP-and-SRW
• Social Science Writing
• Writing for Graduate or Professional School
• Writing Advice for International Students
• Faculty-Only Resources

  Sample student biology proposal with annotations about content and writing style

• Contact Northwestern University
• Campus Emergency Information
• University Policies

Northwestern University Library | 1970 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208-2300 |  Phone: 847.491.7658  |  Fax: 847.491.8306  |  Email: [email protected]