Dissertation / Major Project Proposal Template

Connect the question to the evidence

Write one research question before choosing a method. Identify the people, material or setting you want to study, then ask what evidence would let you answer the question. A proposal should make that connection visible rather than simply name a familiar method.

The University of Edinburgh's proposal guidance asks applicants to explain their intended research and its contribution. Your own programme may ask for different sections or a different level of detail.

• State a question you can investigate within the available time.
• Separate the overall aim from the steps needed to achieve it.
• Use relevant literature to explain what is known and what remains uncertain.

Work through a teaching example

Hypothetical example: a student wants to explore how first-year students describe using library study spaces during assessment weeks. Interviews could explore those experiences, but they would not establish that a particular space causes better grades. A question about measured differences would need a different design and suitable data.

Before committing to that project, the student would check access to participants, recruitment arrangements, institutional ethics requirements and the time needed to analyse interviews. If access were unavailable, the question or design would need to change. This is an example of planning a study, not a report of research findings.

Check feasibility before polishing the prose

Read the draft from the question through to the analysis plan. Each choice should have a reason. If the proposed evidence cannot answer the question, revise the design before spending time on formatting.

• Explain the selection of participants, cases or source material.
• Describe how the data will be collected and analysed.
• Identify consent, confidentiality and ethics requirements; obtain any required approval before collecting data.
• Allow time for access, analysis, revisions and supervisor feedback.
• State limitations without pretending the study can answer more than it can.

Your working copy

Copy the prompts below into your own document, or download the editable text file.

Working title:

Research question:

Aim:

Objectives:
1.
2.
3.

Background and relevant literature:

What remains uncertain, and why it matters:

Proposed design and reasons for choosing it:

Participants, cases or source material:

Access and recruitment plan:

Data collection:

Analysis plan:

Ethics, consent and confidentiality:

Limitations:

Timeline and dependencies:

References:

Questions to discuss with my supervisor:

Sources and further guidance

• University of Edinburgh: writing a research proposal

  University guidance on explaining a proposed study and its contribution. Programme requirements take precedence.