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
- References
- Appendix
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.
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.
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.
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.
