华威大学PhD申请：研究计划怎么写？

正值PhD申请季，对于所有研究型学位的申请者来说，一份research proposal是不可或缺的申请材料，也是整个申请中占比重最大的部分。那么一篇research proposal到底要涵括什么内容？哪些细节会让你的文章脱颖而出呢？今天就和大家说一说research proposal该怎么写，内容由华威大学校方提供。

首先，要搞清楚什么是research proposal以及它需要说明哪些问题。

A research propsal is a document explaining what you would like to research for your PhD. The proposal needs to address the following key quesions:

Why your proposed research is important
What gap in current literature you plan to fill
What relevance your proposed research has

整篇research proposal大约2000字，不过有时候院系对篇幅会有特别的要求。

那么一篇完整的research proposal需要包括哪些部分呢？

· Intended area of research
· Core research questions
· Possible methodologies
· Approach proposed
· Timescale
· Potential supervisor (if you have identified one)

接下来一个一个和大家细说。

Intended Area of Research

The intended area of research should provide a general outline of discipline, and sub discipline, into which your project falls. This involves identifying previous literature in the area, and demonstrating your knowledge of current academic debates.

Core Research Questions

Research questions需要涉及到以下几个方面：

· What your research intends to show or find

· What specific questions your research will attempt to answer

· What the relevance is of the topic within the discipline and more widely

· What your research is of academic or practical importance

通过列出关键的研究问题你可以展示为什么你的PhD课题值得研究。

Possible Methodologies and Approach Proposed

主要研究方法需要包括以下部分：

· State what resources you will require (e.g. access to specialist libraries, equipment, proposed fieldwork)

· Highlight any problems you may encounter and how you hope to solve them

· Demonstrate an awareness of planning and the timescale of the research

Timescale

尽管在实际研究过程中，时间安排肯定会变动，但是在最初的proposal里还是写出大致的schedule，各个研究部分需要耗时多久，会在什么日期前完成。

Potential Supervisor

在proposal最后阶段提及希望跟从的导师，可以是教授或一个研究项目组。在此强烈建议提交PhD之前先联系好导师。
最后说一下大多数同学会犯得错，主要就是三个：

· The research topic is too general - you need to be specific as possible
· The proposal does not demonstrate strong critical insight into current academic debates
· The focus of the research does not fit with our supervisory competencies

所以同学们在写proposal的时候务必缩小研究课题，尽可能写出对课题较深的理解，提前查好导师的research interests并与其反复沟通，以确保他们可以指导你的研究课题。