research proposal presentation phd

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for  GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

• Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

• Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

• Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

• Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

• Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

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Research Tips and Infromation

Ph.D. Proposal Presentation Template

A Ph.D. proposal presentation template is a pre-designed set of slides that can be used as a starting point for creating a presentation for your Ph.D. proposal Registration. It includes a series of suggested slides, which you can customize to your specific needs. This template can be used by Ph.D. candidates from various fields who are preparing for their Ph.D. registration.

Slide 1: Title Slide

• Title of the work
• Candidate’s name and affiliation
• Supervisor’s name and affiliation

Slide 2: Introduction

• Briefly introduce the topic
• Explain why the topic is important and relevant
• Provide a brief overview of what the presentation will cover

Slide 3: Literature Review

• Summarize the key findings of relevant literature
• Identify gaps and limitations in the existing research
• Explain how your work will contribute to filling these gaps

Slide 4: Motivation and Research Problem

• Explain the motivation behind your work
• Clearly state the research problem you are addressing

Slide 5: Research Question and Objectives

• State your research question
• Clearly articulate your research objectives

Slide 6: Study Design and Methods

• Explain your study design and why you chose it
• Describe your data collection methods and measures

Slide 7: Predicted Outcomes

• Present your predicted outcomes if everything goes according to plan
• Explain how these outcomes will contribute to the field

Slide 8: Resources

• Identify the resources you will need to complete your work
• Explain how you will obtain these resources

Slide 9: Societal Impact

• Describe the potential societal impact of your work
• Explain how your work will benefit society

Slide 10: Gantt Chart

• Present a Gantt chart representing the timetable of the activities planned
• Explain how you will manage your time to complete your work on schedule

Slide 11: Potential Challenges

• Identify potential challenges you may encounter during your research
• Explain how you plan to address these challenges

Slide 12: Conclusion

• Summarize the key points of your presentation
• Conclude by emphasizing the significance of your work and its potential impact

Slide 13: Questions

• Encourage the audience to ask questions
• Thank the audience for their attention

Remember to keep your presentation simple, well-structured, and effective. Use clear and concise language, and make sure your presentation is visually engaging. Good luck with your PhD proposal presentation!

• Title of the work: “A Comparative Study of Deep Learning Techniques for Image Recognition in Medical Imaging”
• Candidate’s name and affiliation: Sarah Johnson, Department of Computer Science, University of ABC
• Supervisor’s name and affiliation: Dr. Robert Lee, Department of Computer Science, University of ABC

In this slide, you have to include the title of your work, your name and affiliation as the PhD candidate, and your supervisor’s name and affiliation. The title should be concise and descriptive, conveying the essence of your research.

• Briefly introduce the topic: Deep Learning Techniques for Image Recognition in Medical Imaging
• Explain why the topic is important and relevant: Accurate and efficient image recognition in medical imaging is crucial for diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring of patient progress. However, the current state-of-the-art algorithms still have limitations in handling the complexities of medical images, such as noise, variation in size and shape, and variation in imaging protocols.
• Provide a brief overview of what the presentation will cover: In this presentation, I will introduce my proposed research on a comparative study of deep learning techniques for image recognition in medical imaging. I will briefly cover the literature review, the research problem and goals, the study design, and the expected outcomes of the research.

In this slide, you have to provide an introduction to your research topic, explaining its importance and relevance in the field. The introduction should set the context for your research and explain why it matters.

• Summarize the key findings of relevant literature: Previous research has shown that deep learning techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs), have achieved state-of-the-art results in various image recognition tasks, including medical image recognition. However, the performance of these techniques can be affected by factors such as the size and complexity of the dataset, the selection of hyperparameters, and the choice of architecture.
• Identify gaps and limitations in the existing research: While previous studies have compared the performance of different deep learning techniques for image recognition in general, there is a lack of research that compares and evaluates the performance of these techniques specifically in medical imaging. Additionally, there is a need for research that investigates the effectiveness of transfer learning, data augmentation, and other techniques for improving the performance of deep learning models in medical image recognition tasks.
• Explain how your work will contribute to filling these gaps: The proposed research aims to contribute to filling these gaps by conducting a comparative study of various deep learning techniques for image recognition in medical imaging. The study will also investigate the effectiveness of transfer learning, data augmentation, and other techniques for improving the performance of these techniques in medical image recognition tasks. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of different deep-learning techniques in medical imaging, and help inform the development of more accurate and efficient algorithms in the future.

In this slide, you have to summarize the key findings of relevant literature in your research area, identify gaps and limitations in the existing research, and explain how your work will contribute to filling these gaps.

In this format, the information is organized into three sections: key findings, gaps and limitations, and contribution of proposed work. Each section is presented as a bullet point, with the main idea in bold, followed by a brief explanation. This format can be useful for presenting information in a clear and concise manner, while still providing enough detail to convey the main points.

In this format, the motivation and research problem are presented as two separate sections, with each section consisting of bullet points. The motivation section explains why the topic is important and why the proposed research is needed, while the research problem section clearly states the specific questions that the research will address. This format can help ensure that the motivation and research problem are clearly articulated and easy to understand.

In this format, the research question and research objectives are presented as two separate sections, with each section consisting of bullet points. The research question clearly states the specific problem that the research will address, while the research objectives explain the specific goals that the research aims to achieve in order to answer the research question. This format can help ensure that the research question and objectives are clearly articulated and easy to understand.

In this format, the study design and data collection methods are presented as two separate sections, with each section consisting of bullet points. The study design section provides an overview of the design of the study, including the specific groups being compared and the methods used to control for confounding factors. The data collection methods section describes the datasets and measures being used, as well as the specific methods being employed to train and test the deep learning models. This format can help ensure that the study design and methods are clearly explained and easy to understand.

In this format, the predicted outcomes are presented as bullet points, along with an explanation of how they will contribute to the field. The predicted outcomes are based on the study design and methods described in previous slides and can help to demonstrate the potential impact of the proposed research.

This slide presents the resources needed to complete the work, along with an explanation of how these resources will be obtained. This can help to demonstrate that the necessary resources have been identified and that a plan is in place to obtain them.

This slide presents the potential societal impact of the work and how it will benefit society. This can help to demonstrate the broader implications and significance of the research.

Gnatt chart representing the timetable of the activities planned

You have to create a Gantt chart to represent the activities that are planned for completing this research work within the given time frame. The time frame can change depending on the Univesity’s stipulated guidelines for full-time and part-time Ph.D. programs.

The chart is divided into five different stages, which are:

• Completion of the Course Work: You need to complete the coursework papers as per University Guidelines. This stage is expected to take 12 months.
• Literature review: In this stage, we will review and analyze the existing literature to identify gaps and limitations in the research. This stage is expected to take 06 months.
• Data collection: In this stage, we will collect the required data by conducting experiments and surveys. This stage is expected to take 06 months.
• Data analysis: In this stage, we will analyze the collected data to draw meaningful insights and conclusions. This stage is expected to take 3 months.
• Model development: In this stage, we will develop the proposed model and implement it. This stage is expected to take 12 months.
• Results and Analysis: In this stage, we will gather the results from various dimensions of the proposed model and analyze them. This stage is expected to take 03 months.
• Writing and submission: In this stage, we will write and submit the final research report and the thesis. This stage is expected to take 06 months.

You have to allocate appropriate time for each stage to complete the work on schedule. You have to keep track of the progress regularly and make necessary adjustments to the plan to ensure the timely completion of the research work.

In this section, you have to discuss some potential challenges which you may encounter during your research and how you plan to address them.

Potential Challenges:

• Access to data: Since we are planning to collect data from several sources, it may be challenging to obtain access to all the necessary data.
• Time constraints: We have a strict timeline to follow, and any delays could affect the overall success of the project.
• Technical difficulties: There is always a risk of encountering technical difficulties during data collection or analysis.

Addressing the Challenges:

• Data access: We will communicate with the relevant authorities and request access to the data needed for our research. We will also explore alternative sources of data if necessary.
• Time constraints: We will break down our research into smaller, more manageable tasks and allocate sufficient time for each. We will also build in extra time in case of unexpected delays.
• Technical difficulties: We will test our data collection and analysis tools thoroughly beforehand to minimize the risk of technical difficulties. We will also have contingency plans in place in case of any issues that may arise.

By identifying potential challenges and having a plan in place to address them, you can ensure that your research progresses smoothly and efficiently.

In conclusion, this presentation has outlined a research proposal for a comparative study of deep learning techniques for image recognition in medical imaging. The key points covered in this presentation are:

• The importance of developing accurate and efficient image recognition techniques for medical imaging, which can assist in the diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions
• A review of the relevant literature in this field has identified the need for further research to compare the performance of different deep-learning techniques for image recognition in medical imaging
• The research problem, objectives, and research question, aim to address this need by comparing the performance of different deep-learning techniques for image recognition in medical imaging
• The study design and methods, which will involve collecting and analyzing medical imaging data using various deep-learning techniques
• The predicted outcomes of the study, which could contribute to improving the accuracy and efficiency of image recognition in medical imaging
• The resources required to complete the study, including access to medical imaging data and computational resources
• The potential societal impact of the study, which could benefit patients and healthcare providers by improving the accuracy and efficiency of medical imaging
• The timetable of activities, which has been represented in a Gantt chart to ensure that the study is completed on schedule
• The potential challenges that may be encountered during the research, and the strategies that will be used to address these challenges.

Overall, this research proposal has the potential to contribute to the field of medical imaging by providing valuable insights into the performance of different deep-learning techniques for image recognition. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of image recognition in medical imaging, this research could ultimately benefit patients and healthcare providers.

Download the PhD Proposal Presentation Template here:

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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• 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

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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

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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.

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How to Present Research Proposal Convincingly and Effectively

Correct research proposal presentation is essential in getting your research approved.

Why Is a Proposal for Presentation Important?

A presentation is an essential component that will help you showcase your research from the best angle. It is a roadmap that shows your central research question, how you will find the solution, and what awarenesses and issues stand in your way. A way to present research proposal writing in the form of a paper is essential, but it sets limits on your abilities to demonstrate the content to the audience.

Having a set of slides is good because it is more understandable than writing. Showcasing your future project using graphics and tables is even better because the information becomes more convincing and coherent. Sometimes, the presentation allows individuals to say more than they could do when writing a research plan. Let’s move on and discover how to make research proposal presentation.

4 Steps to Create a Great Thesis Proposal Presentation

When you present your project, you literally sell it to the officials, proving its value and importance within the whole field. That’s why it’s essential to consider valuable points when working on the project. So, below are points to follow when preparing research proposal presentation.

• Show the topic knowledge. Your task is to present fresh ideas and show how well you know the subject. By doing so, you demonstrate how well you studied the topic and understand what should be added to the existing gaps.
• Structure your content. It works the same as with writing and should flow logically. You should smoothly move from one part to another, showcasing all aspects of your research. Also, ensure your presentation proposal does not contain information that does not belong to the topic.
• Use bulleted lists. It makes the writing readable and makes it easy for the audience to absorb the information. Moreover, writing huge sentences on slides has negative impact, so consider using bulleted lists as an alternative.
• Add visuals. Writing too much text is not good, as it is hard to perceive many words on slides visually. Add graphs, images, and infographics to make the information easier to understand. Nevertheless, keep enough ample space not to overload the slides.

Research proposal PowerPoint format allows you to be more creative using tools to compose and deliver the information. Start working beforehand to select the proper background, fonts, and visuals to ensure your slides look great. Still, if you find it difficult to complete the task, asking someone for assistance is a good decision. Consider getting professional help writing research proposal from our experienced pros.

What Should Research Proposal Presentation Consist Of?

When presenting the concept of your study, you should understand what it consists of and what is the purpose of each part. You will understand how to write a presentation proposal. Stick to this plan. Use it like a template, and make sure you include all the needed information. Another great idea is to use dissertation proposal guidelines provided by your institution. Besides, you can look for samples and check how others handle such a task.

Tips to Effectively Present Research Proposal

The concept you create should be impressive and informative. Everything should be focused on your study, showcasing the topic, highlighting its importance, and saying what you expect to achieve. That’s why you should make your thesis proposal presentation a visual aid that helps the audience to understand you. Below are some tips to help you.

• Limit the amount of text on each slide. Focus on writing key phrases only.
• Create contrast by using different colors for text and background to enhance readability. The best combo is a “light text-black background.”
• Use simple design solutions and avoid flashy transitions because they may distract the audience.
• Don’t create too many slides. Decide how many slides you need in each part of your PhD proposal presentation, and don’t go beyond this number.
• Do not read from slides. The visual content is for the audience, so you should give them additional information.
• Avoid templates. There is no need to fit your original proposal for presentation into already-made structures.

To ensure the final version looks good, show it to someone who hasn’t seen it before. With feedback from an independent viewer, you will understand whether everything looks good or not.

How to Present a Research Proposal and Defense It

Simply switching the slides and repeating all the information is not enough. The purpose of the proposal defense is to convince the audience that your research is significant, fundamental, and worth investing in. Those who will listen to you won’t be very interested in research projects. So, how to present a research proposal in a way that makes them listen?

You have to be confident and stick to your agenda. Make notes about what you will say at each stage of the defense. Left the most significant information on the slides, supplementing it with additional abstracts during the demonstration. Keep the pace and show one slide per minute. Rushing is not what’s needed since you aim to show the research project’s significance.

The ability to answer audience questions is another essential of how to make a proposal presentation. Be ready for this because the committee may want to test how well you know your research topic. An unclear answer or a typical “I don’t know” can negatively impact their decision. Practice before the official demonstration and ensure you are confident enough to defend a presentation without notes.

Get Assisted in Creating a Proposal Presentation

Creating a proposal presentation is a responsible task because you are showcasing your future research, explaining why it’s important and how it will close the existing gaps in the field. It requires a deep analysis, which takes lots of time and effort and may be challenging for some individuals.

However, it’s not a problem for our specialists. As well as providing professional thesis writing services , we assist customers with presentation creation. Our experts carefully investigate the topic, do in-depth research, and find relevant data. Moreover, they can help you select research topics, offering unique niches that match your interests.

Contact us anytime you want to achieve outstanding quality and get the writing task done on time.

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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. 

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Must-have Research Proposal for Ph.D. Interview PPT Templates with Samples and Examples

Kavesh Malhotra

In the realm of academia, a well-crafted research proposal is your passport to the fascinating domain of advanced knowledge. The journey to earning a Ph.D. requires rigorous research and deep inquiry. As you prepare to take on this academic feat, one critical element stands as a gateway between your dreams and your degree: the research proposal for your Ph.D. interview. This document holds the power to shape your future as an academic and researcher.

However, crafting a  research paper proposal  that shines requires structure, clarity, and precision. A  research paper proposal  for a Ph.D. interview serves as the blueprint for your doctoral journey. It summarizes the research you plan to undertake and presents your ideas,  data collection,  questions, and expected outcomes with clarity and definition. This document isn't just a formality; it's the key to unlocking the doors to advanced research, Ph.D. Thesis , and a Ph.D. degree.

This is where SlideTeam's PPT collection of research proposals for PhD interview PPT templates enters the stage. In this blog, we'll explore why a research proposal is crucial for a Ph.D. interview and present the must-have research proposal templates designed to assist you in your Ph.D. interview preparations. Before we dive into the templates, let's grasp the significance of a research proposal in the context of a PhD interview. Alongside this, discover indispensable  marketing research proposal templates  to boost your research.

Here, the research proposal presentations come as a guiding light. It saves you time, energy, and potential confusion. These slides are content-ready and 100% editable, providing you with a strong foundation for your PhD interview preparations. Instead of starting from scratch, you can use these templates to streamline your research proposal, making the path to your PhD less strenuous. Similarly, get your research proposal off to a strong start with these  introduction templates.

Now, let's delve into the ten must-have research proposal templates designed to simplify your PhD interview journey:

Template 1: Research Proposal for Thesis Template

This comprehensive template is the gateway to your research proposal, including the introductory slide, an abstract summarizing the entire study, and a table of contents. The abstract summary defines different sections of the thesis. It offers a brief description of the subject of the study in one or two lines, giving your interviewers a snapshot of your research. Download this cornerstone of your research proposal, offering a structured overview of your research.

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Template 2: Research Paper Proposal Template

The PPT Template introduces your thesis research paper proposal , including the abstract and an introduction to the study. It's your first impression in your interview preparations. It includes crucial information such as the dissertation proposal , a brief summary of the  research paper proposal  (Scope, research, and conclusion), and a table of contents. Download this comprehensive template that aids in crafting a captivating cover letter to introduce your study and research intentions.

Template 3: Research Proposal Steps Introduction Slide

A step-by-step approach is a must for your research proposal. This slide helps you break down your  research paper proposal  into manageable sections, including your Ph.D. thesis topic, abstract, introduction, and thesis statement. Download this introductory will help you present your research clearly and concisely, setting the stage for your entire proposal.

Template 4: Dissertation Methodology

A solid research  dissertation methodology  is vital. This  PPT Template  outlines the methodology you intend to employ in your research. The slide guides you through the process, ensuring you establish the right approaches for your research like:

• List of resources used in the study
• Methods of data analysis
• Different approaches to  data collection

Download this slide that clarifies your  data collection  and analysis methods, offering an essential framework for your study.

Template 5: Research Proposal for Thesis Constraints

Every research project has its challenges. It's crucial to have a plan for addressing these challenges. This slide helps you identify and outline the constraints you may encounter during your research. Some of the possible challenges include:

• Lack of previous studies in the research area
• Difficulty in identifying the significance relationship due to the small sample size.
• Scope of discussions

Download this layout that helps you identify and address potential constraints and limitations, demonstrating your awareness and readiness to overcome them.

Template 6: Research Questions/Hypothesis for Thesis Research Paper Proposal

Critical questions and hypotheses fuel your  research paper proposal . This slide helps you articulate them clearly, laying the foundation for your entire study. It includes critical research questions, a primary hypothesis statement, and the expected impact. Download this slide that aids in formulating your research questions or hypotheses, a fundamental aspect of your proposal.

Template 7: Literature Review for Thesis Research Paper Proposal 

A solid  literature review  is vital in positioning your research within the existing body of knowledge. This preset assists in constructing a comprehensive  literature review,  which includes the following: 

• Describing the summary of previous related research on the stated project problem
• Strengths and weakness of the study
• Theoretical and methodological contributions
• Current study analysis and more

Download this presentation that helps you outline and organize the relevant literature.

Template 8: Research Method Overview for Thesis Research Paper Proposal

Your research methods are the backbone of your study. This slide offers an overview of the research methods you'll employ, providing clarity on your approach. It includes all the crucial steps that will be adopted in the research methodology: 

• The type of research methodology that will be employed, such as survey, modeling, or case study.
• Ways to solve the problem
• How to execute the study

Download this slide that provides an overview to ensure your approach is well-defined.

Template 9: Methods or Approach Template

When it comes to conducting thorough research, it's crucial to have a unique and detailed approach. This layout helps you outline your research approach or methods you will adopt, like surveys, questionnaires, interviews, case studies, and observations. By downloading this template, you can ensure that your research is comprehensive, accurate, and tailored to your specific needs and objectives.

Template 10: Preliminary Discussion and Results

The preliminary discussion and results section is vital. After conducting thorough research and testing your hypothesis (if applicable), it is now time to present your findings and draw conclusions from them. Here, you will present the results that you have come up with and draw conclusions relating to the research that you have done. It is based solely on the evidence gathered during the research and presented in a way that is easy for the reader to understand and interpret. This factual report should provide an objective account of both the positive and negative results that were obtained. Overall, this section of the report should provide a comprehensive overview of the research conducted and the insights gained from it.

Conclusion:

The path to a Ph.D. can be challenging and arduous, with numerous pain points along the way. A well-crafted research proposal provides clarity, direction, and organization to your research ideas. But, many students face the daunting task of creating an impactful research proposal that meets the expectations of academic committees. Crafting a research proposal from scratch is time-consuming and can leave you grappling for the proper structure and content. Here, SlideTeam's collection of research proposal presentation templates becomes your solution. By leveraging them, you can streamline your interview preparations and embark on your PhD journey with confidence. Likewise, explore essential psychology research proposal templates  that will assist you in streamlining your work.

Explore these templates and take the first step toward a successful PhD interview. Best of luck in your academic pursuit!

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Presentation Guidelines for PhD Proposal

June 13, 2023 by Batuhan Altundas, Arthur Scaquetti do Nascimento, Manisha Natarajan and Matthew Gombolay

Presenting your PhD Thesis Proposal is an exciting step in your PhD journey. At this point, you will have formed your PhD committee, developed initial results (potentially published one or more papers as the foundation to your proposal), and formulated a plan for conducting your proposed research. Many students can find the proposal experience stressful. In a sense, the proposal defines the “story” you will tell for years to come, including at your Thesis Defense, faculty job talks, and beyond. However, it is important to focus on the here and now rather than getting wrapped up in the expectations for the future and so many things that are outside of your control. Try to focus on what you can control and do the best you can to deliver a high-quality proposal.

This blog is a guide to help you do that — give a high-quality proposal presentation. This guide omits much about how to give a talk in general and instead focuses on common issues that come up specifically at the PhD Proposal Presentation stage of one’s academic development. For many, this may be the first time you will be presenting to an audience of professors your prior work and a proposal for what you will accomplish in a longform (e.g., 45-50 minutes) talk and be expected to defend your plan for an additional 45-50 minutes. Remember, the Committee’s job is to critique your work and challenge you into a better Thesis direction, to make your research better. Expect to be challenged and for your proposed work to change coming out of the proposal — this is a good thing 🙂

Having said all that, here is a non-exhaustive list of tips in three sections: Before, During, and After (i.e., the Q&A session) the proposal presentation.

Before The Proposal

1) meet committee members a priori.

Interviewing your Committee members before your Proposal is a great way to get to know them personally and allow you to assess the compatibility of the Committee Candidate and yourself. Share with them a compressed thesis pitch and get their feedback (include the proposed Thesis Statement from Point 2 below). If there appears to be an irreconcilable issue with your proposed work, you should both (1) consider the feedback you received with your PhD advisor to see if you can make the proposal better and (2) consider whether that committee member might present an insurmountable critic for you in successfully defending. Not everyone will like your work — that is ok. Just try to learn from every critic to see if you can make your proposal sharper.

After selecting your committee, meet with each member before the Proposal Presentation to ask if you are ready to Propose. That will give you a good indication (and hopefully lead to more profound feedback) of the level of critique of your work, as well as their expectations for improvements.

• It allows you to get comfortable with them, making the Proposal presentation less stressful.
• It gives you an opportunity to present the work to your Committee Members and give them an overview of what they can expect from the Proposal.
• If they support you going through with presenting your Proposal, they are more likely to support you during the Proposal and vote in your favor. If they state that your work is not ready to be proposed, they can also offer suggestions to improve it and ensure that you are ready to  propose.
• It allows the student to get a sneak peek at questions the Committee Members may ask during the Proposal and gives you time to prepare answers.

During The Proposal

2) have a clear thesis statement.

• Present the thesis statement before going over your research and at the end, tying everything together with that “golden” paragraph.
• A Thesis Statement should be nonobvious. Always remember that the proposal should set up the proposed research, experiments, and analysis. These components will serve as the supporting arguments and evidence in favor of your Thesis Statement.

3) Have a Venn Diagram of the Literature Review

Every proposal needs to present to the committee a review of the relevant literature. The proposer needs to convey that the proposer has assimilated a representative set of knowledge from prior work and that the proposed work is novel and significant. A Venn Diagram of the research based on topics is a good method of presenting prior work and situating your proposed work within this sea of prior work.  Typically, your Thesis will be at the intersection of multiple (sub-)fields, and your work would lie at the intersection. Here are some advantages of this diagram:

• Having a Venn Diagram of previous literature, and where your own previous and future works fall into shows that you have done your literature review, have worked on topics related to these research and how your work fits in the broad scope of the fields.
• It showcases the novelties that you are bringing to the research committee. Most theses combine multiple topics into a cohesive whole and address a problem that had not been addressed, or use an approach that has not been used in the past.
• It makes your committee have more confidence in your work given your understanding of relevant literature and how your scientific production fit in to the field.

Pro Tip: While a Venn Diagram is a good starting point, you can consider variations.

4) Reminders, scaffolds, and roadmaps

The flow of your presentation must be smooth, and this is a great technique to let the audience know how things are connected and whether you are done with a point, or still talking about it. Jumping from topic to topic would get your audience confused. Each work should be linked to the Thesis Statement and ideally to each other. Make sure you verbally and graphically tell the audience when you are switching from one topic to another, and how they relate (in case they do).

• Roadmap: Your Thesis should hold cohesion, a story that you can refer to as you progress through your presentation. A roadmap is an overview of the steps, aims, and previous research you have conducted that make up your work. These are the parts that make up your Thesis. The purpose of the roadmap is to allow for a smooth flow of your presentation and a method for your Committee to evaluate each work with respect to the whole.
• Scaffolding: Before presenting each research aim, refer back to the Thesis Statement and previous research you have done, point out what needs to be addressed next and how it relates to the next research aim you are going to present.
• Reminders: Once each section of your research is complete, refer back to your Thesis statement, explain how what you have presented fits into the broader scope of your Thesis, and re-emphasize your Thesis Statement.

Consider the example outline slide shown below (Figures 1-2) that combines a presentation overview and elements of a thesis statement that would appear throughout the presentation to transition between sections.

5) Acknowledge collaboration

It is likely that you have worked with others when doing research. Be clear on who has done what and assign credit where it is due as you go through each of your research aims, preventing possible accusations of plagiarism. Acknowledge second authorship (i.e. “in this study led by Jane Doe, we looked into…”). Collaboration is not a bad thing! You just need to acknowledge it up front.

6) The Art of Story Telling (Your Technical Deep-dive)

The best stories have one nadir or low-point. In a story like Cinderella , the low-point is typically sad, coinciding with the protagonist’s efforts having fallen apart. However, in the PhD thesis proposal, you can think of this point as the opportunity for the deepest technical dive in your talk.  Typically, an audience has a hard time handling multiple deep-dives — humans can only pay attention hard enough to understand challenging, technical content about once in a talk. Proposals that start with the low-level technical details and stay low-level for the next hour are going to cause your audience to have their eyes glaze over.

Note: You can also think of the beginning of the story as either an exciting motivation (like Man In Hole or Boy Meets Girl ) or a motivation based upon a tragic or scary problem that your research is trying to address (e.g., like Cinderella ). This point deserves its own whole blog post! Stay tuned 🙂

7) Modulate your voice and body language

Just like the entire presentation tells a story, think of each slide as telling a story. Your voice and body language can do a lot to help the audience follow the argument you are trying to make.

• Use your steps around the room to help with your pacing (it is often helpful to sync your voice with your steps).
• Use dramatic pauses (and stop walking) after each argument or punchline – that helps the audience to absorb your point or catch up with the train of thought.
• Upspeak can be helpful to show enthusiasm in between points, but be mindful that its overuse could be perceived as a lack of confidence.
• Breathe from your diaphragm.
• Other voice dynamics techniques can be useful.

8) Talk about everything on your slide

If you have content on your slide, your audience will want to understand it. If you do not explain it, that will frustrate your audience. Please take the time to talk through everything on your slide. If you don’t want to talk about it, then perhaps you shouldn’t have it on the slide to begin with!

If you have a lot of content on a slide, use animations to control when piece of text or figures pop up on your slides. Otherwise, your committee may start paying attention to the slide to understand the myriad of content and ultimately ignore everything you are saying. Animations are your friend for complex slides. Use animations (or sequences of “build-up” slides) to get the timing right so that your voice and the slide visuals are synergistic. Though, please note that animations can become cheeky, so don’t go overboard.

A key issue here is that proposer often forgets to explain all figures and plot axes. Your committee will not instantly understand a figure even though it is a visual. Describe the metrics used, go through the legend, and detail every aspect of the plot so that each member of the audience can see the patterns you want them to recognize.

In summary, you need to:

• Convey clarity and transparency.
• Define and explain the axes and metrics.
• Make it clear whether higher or lower is better for each figure.
• Note : explaining a figure helps with controlling your own pacing and locking the attention of the audience. Use that moment to re-calibrate it.

9) Have takeaways or “bumpers” on your slides

Clearly show what the scientific novelties/engineering advances of your work are and why it is worth doing what you are doing. This is the part where salesmanship comes in. Answer the following questions:

• What is the Scientific Impact/Advancement?
• Where does it stand with respect to prior literature and how is it novel?

10) Have a Timeline and a List of Planned Publications

A Proposal is a plan for the future that your Committee can look into and suggest changes going forward to the final stretch of the Thesis. As such, a timeline in the form of a Gantt Chart, along with a list of Planned Publications would provide a greater insight on what the Proposed work will be and how it will be done.

The planned work acts as a preview of what the Committee can expect from the Thesis Defense and when it will take place. It also allows them to assess both the quality and feasibility of the proposed work.

After The Proposal Presentation (The Q&A Session)

11) first things first….

• It allows the audience to pay attention to the question being answered if they have not heard it at first.
• It gives you time to think over an answer.
• It allows you to get a confirmation that you understood the question. It also allows them a chance to interrupt and clarify the question.
• If you are unfamiliar with a jargon, ask them to explain it, especially if it is within their specific area of expertise.
• If you do know what the jargon means (or if it has multiple definitions and one is best for your purposes), define it from your perspective (ideally backed up by literature that you can reference).
• Discuss the scope of your research with respect to the field in question. How does it fit in with other research? What specifically is being tested and what is not being tested, and for what reason.
• First, note that “good” and “bad” are commonly used adjectives but are judgmental, unhelpful, and best to avoid. A better way of describing these types of questions would be to differentiate between 1) questions for which there is not an established answer and would require an expert to deeply think about the answer and possibly conduct experiments or analysis versus 2) questions with a well-established answer. It is best never to say a question is actually good or bad.
• With that established, a common practice is for an answerer (e.g., the PhD Thesis Proposer) to say, “That’s a good question,” before answering each question. The challenge here is that experts in the field hearing the proposer label a question as “good” when the question has a well-established answer can make the proposer appear either ignorant or patronizing.

12) When someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer…

In the case you get asked a question to which you do not know the answer, say that you do not know the answer . A part of being a scientist is to admit one’s ignorance and work to address it. Not everyone is aware of everything. Acknowledging a lack of familiarity with a topic or a research is acceptable and shows a scientific mindset.

• “I am unfamiliar with that work, but I will be glad to look into it after the proposal.”
• “I am not sure, but I would hypothesize/speculate that the outcome would be…”
• “I have not heard that term before. Could you please define it for me?”
• “I do not have an answer to that, but here is how I would go about conducting an experiment to find out the answer: …”
• DO NOT pretend to know something you do not know. It is easy for an expert to tell your familiarity with a topic with the right questions.
• After proposing, look up the information the Committee presented. By following up any mistake or discussion point, you show your diligence and reassures the Committee that you are willing to compensate for your lack of knowledge.
• Follow up, either in a later meeting or through email, after doing the research related to the information you are unfamiliar with. Show that you are willing to learn and improve.

13) When the audience points out a reasonable weakness or limitation in your approach, acknowledge it.

If the person asking a question makes you realize you have a weakness in your proposal or position, admit the validity of their question or point. This may be a “proposal defense,” but don’t dig in your heels and defend a flawed position with weak arguments. Be respectful and humble.

Research is never perfect. Being aware of where and when your research fails is an important part of being ready to be a PhD Candidate. The Committee wants to see the limitations/weaknesses of your work. They also want to see that you are aware of these limitations and either work to address them, or have an idea of how it can be addressed in future works.

14) Have Backup Slides

Show off your preparation and have backup slides. Prepare for questions that you would expect (e.g., regarding more technical details, ablation studies, metrics’ definitions, why you have chosen this approach compared to any other alternatives).

When a question comes up, do not try to answer the question just with your own voice. Take advantage of the preparation you have done and go to backup slide you prepared. The more you can show you were prepared, the more likely the committee will be to give you the benefit of the doubt and cease their interrogation.

Be careful, though. Often students will copy+paste equations or simply “dump” material from external sources into backup slides. When the proposer then pulls up this content and seeks to present it, the proposer will fall short of coherently explaining the content on the slide. You are responsible for everything you put on every one of your slides, so please do your due diligence to understand the material you are presenting.

Pro tip: Don’t copy+paste any equations. Professors often look for this and see it as a sign you might not understand the content.  Take the time to recreate the equations with your own symbology using an equation editor in the software you are using to create your slide deck.

15) When the Committee Asks About Applications, You Do Not Have to Invent Something New

Your research should address an important, existing problem — or at least one the committee thinks is likely to exist and be important in the near future. Your motivation slides should present that problem and show the committee that you have considered why the work you have done is important.

• If asked about a potential application that you have not thought through before, be open to think-aloud to consider how you might go about applying your work to that scenario. However, let the committee know first that you have not studied that potential application and are thinking aloud about how to assess both the feasibility and success of such an application in the future.
• Ideally, work done in a simulated or toy domain has a real-world analogue. Without over-selling your work, ground your analysis in the real-world domain that motivates your work.
• Have a very pithy description of the domains you tested or are planning on testing. What are the scientific novelties/engineering advances of your work and why it is worth doing what you are doing. Keep it short and relatable, similar to an elevator pitch. Provide generic examples and do not over-complicate. If someone requires a more in-depth explanation, they can always ask.

PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Tips for designing the slides

• Tips for designing the slides
• Presentation checklist
• Example slides
• Additional Resources

Example Slides Repository

• Defense slides examples Link to examples dissertation defense slides.

Email me for questions and schedule an appointment

General tips for slide design

Use a plain background, for engineering, a plain, white background is generally ideal for dissertation proposals and defenses. don't pick a template that is too busy and distracting.,     , remember to add p age numbers, having page numbers in your slides will allow your advisors and peers to give comments. during your presentation, the committee members can use page numbers to reference specific slides for their questions. .

Less is more

Don't put too many words on one slide (no more than 20 words per slide, in general)., when words are inevitable, highlight the keywords in each sentence (see examples from i. daniel posen's and l. cook's slides).

Take advantage of animations

Use animations to explain complicated ideas in figures, tables, etc. you can use different slides instead of the animation functions in ms powerpoint; it will avoid overlapping text boxes or pictures when converted to pdf. , below is an example from c. kolb's defense slides. by a step-by-step revealing process, kolb was able to explain each detail without the distraction of other results. .

Write down your notes 

Write down your notes with either bullet points or full sentences as a script. this can help you to remember what you want to say during your defense. when you are practicing, you won't have to come up with new things to say every time and won't forget what you planned to talk about. .

Example 1: slide with notes - exact words to say (C. Mailings 2017)                                               Example 2: slide with notes - bullet points (I. D. Posen 2016) 

Be smart about the title of each slide

Use descriptive language to summarize the key point of the slide, and avoid using vague terms or the same title for several slides that have different contents..

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How to nail your PhD proposal and get accepted

Bethany Fagan Head of Content Marketing at PandaDoc

Reviewed by:

Olga Asheychik Senior Web Analytics Manager at PandaDoc

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A good PhD research proposal may be the deciding factor between acceptance and approval into your desired program or finding yourself back at the drawing board. Being accepted for a PhD placement is no easy task, and this is why your PhD proposal needs to truly stand out among a sea of submissions.

That’s why a PhD research proposal is important: It formally outlines the intended research, including methodology, timeline, feasibility, and many other factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Here is a closer look at the PhD proposal process and what it should look like.

→DOWNLOAD NOW: FREE PHD PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Key takeaways

• A PhD proposal summarizes the research project you intend to conduct as part of your PhD program.
• These proposals are relatively short (1000-2000 words), and should include all basic information and project goals, including the methodologies/strategies you intend to use in order to accomplish them.
• Formats are varied. You may be able to create your own formats, but your college or university may have a required document structure that you should follow.

What is a PhD proposal?

In short, a PhD research proposal is a summary of the project you intend to undertake as part of your PhD program.

It should pose a specific question or idea, make a case for the research, and explain the predicted outcomes of that research.

However, while your PhD proposal may predict expected outcomes, it won’t fully answer your questions for the reader.

Your research into the topic will provide that answer.

Usually, a PhD proposal contains the following elements:

• A clear question that you intend to answer through copious amounts of study and research.
• Your plan to answer that question, including any methodologies, frameworks, and resources required to adequately find the answer.
• Why your question or project is significant to your specific field of study.
• How your proposal impacts, challenges, or improves the existing body of knowledge around a given topic.
• Why your work is important and why you should be the one to receive this opportunity.

In terms of length when writing a PhD proposal, there isn’t a universal answer.

Some institutions will require a short, concise proposal (1000 words), while others allow for a greater amount of flexibility in the length and format of the proposal.

Fortunately, most institutions will provide some guidelines regarding the format and length of your research proposal, so you should have a strong idea of your requirements before you begin.

Benefits of a strong PhD application

While the most obvious benefit of having a strong PhD application is being accepted to the PhD program , there are other reasons to build the strongest PhD application you can:

Better funding opportunities

Many PhD programs offer funding to students , which can be used to cover tuition fees and may provide a stipend for living expenses.

The stronger your PhD application, the better your chances of being offered funding opportunities that can alleviate financial burdens and allow you to focus on your research.

Enhanced academic credentials

A strong PhD application, particularly in hot-button areas of study, can lead to better career opportunities in academics or across a variety of industries.

Opportunities for networking and research

Research proposals that are very well grounded can provide footholds to networking opportunities and mentorships that would not be otherwise available.

However, creating an incredible proposal isn’t always easy.

In fact, it’s easy to get confused by the process since it requires a lot of procedural information.

Many institutions also place a heavy emphasis on using the correct proposal structure.

That doesn’t have to be the issue, though.

Often, pre-designed templates, like the PandaDoc research proposal templates or PhD proposal templates provided by the institution of your choice, can do most of the heavy lifting for you.

Research Proposal Template

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How to write a Phd proposal with a clear structure

We know that the prospect of writing a research proposal for PhD admission may appear the stuff of nightmares. Even more so if you are new to producing a piece such as this.

But, when you get down to the nitty gritty of what it is, it really isn’t so intimidating. When writing your PhD proposal you need to show that your PhD is worth it, achievable, and that you have the ability to do it at your chosen university.

With all of that in mind, let’s take a closer look at each section of a standard PhD research proposal and the overall structure.

1. Front matter

The first pages of your PhD proposal should outline the basic information about the project. That will include each of the following:

Project title

Typically placed on the first page, your title should be engaging enough to attract attention and clear enough that readers will understand what you’re trying to achieve.

Many proposals also include a secondary headline to further (concisely) clarify the main concept.

Contact information

Depending on the instructions provided by your institution, you may need to include your basic contact information with your proposal.

Some institutions may ask for blind submissions and ask that you omit identifying information, so check the program guidelines to be sure.

Research supervisor

If you already have a supervisor for the project, you’ll typically want to list that information.

Someone who is established in the field can add credibility to your proposal, particularly if your project requires extensive funding or has special considerations.

The guidelines from your PhD program should provide some guidance regarding any other auxiliary information that you should add to the front of your proposal.

Be sure to check all documentation to ensure that everything fits into the designated format.

2. Goals, summaries, and objectives

Once you’ve added the basic information to your document, you’ll need to get into the meat of your PhD proposal.

Depending on your institution, your research proposal may need to follow a rigid format or you may have the flexibility to add various sections and fully explain your concepts.

These sections will primarily be focused on providing high-level overviews surrounding your PhD proposal, including most of the following:

Overall aims, objectives, and goals

In these sections, you’ll need to state plainly what you aim to accomplish with your PhD research.

If awarded funding, what questions will your PHd proposal seek to answer? What theories will you test? What concepts will you explore in your research?

Briefly, how would you summarize your approach to this project?

Provide high-level summaries detailing how you mean to achieve your answers, what the predicted outcomes of your PhD research might be, and precisely what you intend to test or discover.

Significance

Why does your research matter? Unlike with many other forms of academic study (such as a master’s thesis ), doctorate-level research often pushes the bounds of specific fields or contributes to a given body of work in some unique way.

How will your proposed PhD research do those things?

Background details

Because PhD research is about pushing boundaries, adding background context regarding the current state of affairs in your given field can help readers better understand why you want to pursue this research and how you arrived at this specific point of interest.

While the information here may (or may not) be broken into multiple sections, the content here is largely designed to provide a high-level overview of your PhD proposal and entice readers to dig deeper into the methodologies and angles of approach in future sections.

Because so much of this section relies on the remainder of your document, it’s sometimes better to skip this portion of the PhD proposal until the later sections are complete and then circle back to it.

That way, you can provide concise summaries that refer to fully defined research methods that you’ve already explained in subsequent areas.

3. Methodologies and plans

Unlike a master’s thesis or a similar academic document, PhD research is designed to push the boundaries of its subject matter in some way.

The idea behind doctoral research is to expand the field with new insights and viewpoints that are the culmination of years of research and study, combined with a deep familiarity of the topic at hand.

The methodologies and work plans you provide will give advisors some insights into how you plan to conduct your research.

While there is no one right way to develop this section, you’ll need to include a few key details:

Research methods

Are there specific research methods you plan to use to conduct your PhD research?

Are you conducting experiments? Conducting qualitative research? Surveying specific individuals in a given environment?

Benefits and drawbacks of your approach

Regardless of your approach to your topic, there will be upsides and downsides to that methodology.

Explain what you feel are the primary benefits to your research method, where there are potential flaws, and how you plan to account for those shortfalls.

Choice of methodology

Why did you choose a given methodology?

What makes it the best method (or collection of methods) for your research and/or specific use case?

Outline of proposed work

What work is required for PhD research to be complete?

What steps will you need to take in order to capture the appropriate information? How will you complete those steps?

Schedule of work (including timelines/deadlines)

How long will it take you to complete each stage or step of your project?

If your PhDproject will take several years, you may need to provide specifics for more immediate timelines up front while future deadlines may be flexible or estimated.

There is some flexibility here.

It’s unlikely that your advisors will expect you to have the answer for every question regarding how you plan to approach your body of research.

When trying to push the boundaries of any given topic, it’s expected that some things may not go to plan.

However, you should do your best to make timelines and schedules of work that are consistent with your listed goals.

Remember : At the end of your work, you are expected to have a body of original research that is complete within the scope and limitations of the PhD proposal you set forth.

If your advisors feel that your subject matter is too broad, they may encourage you to narrow the scope to better fit into more standardized expectations.

4. Resources and citations

No PhD research proposal is complete without a full list of the resources required to carry out the project and references to help prove and validate the research.

Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need to submit in order to explain costs and prove the validity of your proposal:

Estimated costs and resources

Most doctoral programs offer some level of funding for these projects.

To take advantage of those funds, you’ll need to submit a budget of estimated costs so that assessors can better understand the financial requirements.

This might include equipment, expenses for fieldwork or travel, and more.

Citations and bibliographies

No matter your field of study, doctoral research is built on the data and observations provided by past contributors.

Because of this, you’ll need to provide citations and sources referenced in your PhD proposal documentation.

Particularly when it comes to finances and funding, it might be tempting to downplay the cost of the project.

However, it’s best to provide a realistic estimate in terms of costs so that you have enough of a budget to cover the PhD research.

Adjustments can be made at a later date, particularly as you conduct more research and dive further into the project.

Resources are often presented in the form of a table to make things easier to track and identify.

Using PhD proposal templates

Aside from any guidelines set forth by your institution, there are no particularly strict rules when it comes to the format of PhD proposals.

Your supervisor will be more than capable of guiding you through the process.

However, since everything is so structured and formal, you might want to use a PhD proposal template to help you get started.

Templates can help you stay on track and make sure your research proposal follows a certain logic.

A lot of proposal software solutions offer templates for different types of proposals, including PhD proposals.

But, should you use Phd proposal templates? Here are some pros and cons to help you make a decision.

• Expedites the proposal process.
• Helps you jumpstart the process with a flexible document structure.
• Often provides sections with pre-filled examples.
• Looks better than your average Word document.
• May be limiting if you adhere to it too much.
• Might not be perfectly suited to your specific field of research, requiring some customization.

In our PhD research proposal template , we give you just enough direction to help you follow through but we don’t limit your creativity to a point that you can’t express yourself and all the nuances of your research.

For almost all sections, you get a few useful PhD research proposal examples to point you in the right direction.

The template provides you with a typical PhD proposal structure that’s perfect for almost all disciplines.

It can come in quite handy when you have everything planned out in your head but you’re just having trouble putting it onto the page!

Writing a PhD proposal that convinces

Writing and completing a PhD proposal might be confusing at first.

You need to follow a certain logic and share all the required information without going too long or sharing too much about the project.

And, while your supervisor will certainly be there to guide you, the brunt of the work will still fall on your shoulders.

That’s why you need to stay informed, do your research, and don’t give up until you feel comfortable with what you’ve created.

If you want to get a head start, you might want to consider our research proposal template .

It will offer you a structure to follow when writing a PhD proposal and give you an idea on what to write in each section.

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Research proposals for PhD admission: tips and advice

One of the most important tips for any piece of writing is to know your audience. The staff reviewing your PhD proposal are going through a pile of them, so you need to make sure yours stands within a few seconds of opening it.

The way to do this is by demonstrating value and impact. Academic work is often written for a niche community of researchers in one field, so you need to demonstrate why your work would be valuable to people in that area.

The people reviewing your proposal will likely be in that field. So your proposal should be a little like a sales pitch: you need to write something engaging that identifies with the “customer”, speaks to a problem they’re having, and shows them a solution.

Taking some inspiration from the former University of Chicago professor Larry McEnerney , here are some ideas to keep in mind…

• It’s common for undergraduates and even seasoned academics to write in a specific format or style to demonstrate their understanding and signal that they’re part of the academic community. Instead, you want to write in such a way that actually engages the reader.
• Identify an uncharted or underexplored knowledge gap in your field, and show the reader you have what it takes to fill in that gap.
• Challenge the status quo. Set up an idea that people in your field take for granted — maybe a famous study you think is flawed — and outline how your project could knock it down.
• This is why it’s important to understand who your audience is. You have to write your proposal in such a way that it’s valuable for reviewers. But within your proposal, you should also clearly define which community of researchers your project is for, what problems they have, and how your project is going to solve those problems.
• Every community of researchers has their own implicit “codes” and “keywords” that signal understanding. These will be very different in each field and could be very subtle. But just by reading successful PhD research proposal examples in your field, you can get a sense of what those are and decide how you want to employ them in your own work.
• In this model authors start “at the bottom of the glass” with a very narrow introduction to the idea of the paper, then “fill the glass” with a broader and broader version of the same idea.
• Instead, follow a “problem-solution” framework. Introduce a problem that’s relevant to your intended reader, then offer a solution. Since “solutions” often raise their own new problems or questions, you can rinse and repeat this framework all the way through any section of your proposal.

But how can you apply that advice? If you’re following something like our research proposal template , here are some actionable ways to get started.

• Your title should be eye-catching , and signal value by speaking to either a gap in the field or challenging the status quo.
• Your abstract should speak to a problem in the field, one the reviewers will care about, and clearly outline how you’d like to solve it.
• When you list the objectives of your proposal , each one should repeat this problem-solution framework. You should concretely state what you want to achieve, and what you’re going to do to achieve it.
• While you survey your chosen field in the literature review, you should refer back to the knowledge gap or status quo that you intend to work on. This reinforces how important your proposed project is, and how valuable it would be to the community if your project was successful.
• While listing your research limitations , try to hint at new territory researchers might be able to explore off the back of your work. This illustrates that you’re proposing boundary-pushing work that will really advance knowledge of the field.
• While you’re outlining your funding requirements , be clear about why each line item is necessary and bring it back to the value of your proposed research. Every cent counts!

Frequently asked questions

How long should a phd proposal be.

There really isn’t a specific rule when it comes to the length of a PhD proposal. However, it’s generally accepted that it should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words.

It’s difficult to elaborate on such a serious project in less than 1,000 words but going over 2,000 is often overkill. You’ll lose people’s attention and water down your points.

What’s the difference between a dissertation proposal and a PhD proposal?

There seems to be some confusion over the terms “dissertation” and “PhD” and how you write proposals for each one. However, “dissertation” is just another name for your PhD research so the proposal for a dissertation would be the same since it’s quite literally the same thing.

Does a PhD proposal include budgeting?

Yes, as mentioned, you need to demonstrate the feasibility of your project within the given time frame and with the resources you need, including budgets. You don’t need to be exact, but you need to have accurate estimates for everything.

How is a PhD proposal evaluated?

This will change from one institution to another but these things will generally have a big impact on the reviewers:

• The contribution of the project to the field.
• Design and feasibility of the project.
• The validity of the methodology and objectives.
• The supervisor and their role in the field.

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Originally published June 9, 2023, updated February 6, 2024

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• PowerPoint Templates

17 Free Research Proposal PowerPoint Templates for Scientific Project, Thesis Defence

Are you a scientist who wishes to create a research proposal presentation in the best manner? If you do, then this excellent list of Research Proposal PowerPoint Templates is truly a demand!

The research proposal is a document that a researcher needs to write, It outlines the details of a research project and gives team members or readers a summary of the information in a project.

In order to allow readers to understand the project information more clearly, a research proposal presentation will be a better way to present the information of a research project.

A research proposal PPT should include the following:

• Research title or topic: make sure your title can clearly describe the research project, or supplement your research project with a short statement.
• Research background: why do this research project
• literature review: describe research progress on your research topic, and the gap or remaining questions need to research.
• Research aim, objective, and hypothesis
• Research method: explain how to conduct your research, how data is collected and analyzed.
• Results: the results you expect.
• Question: provides an overview of the problems encountered during the research process, and how to solve them.
• Summary: make sure the reader has a complete understanding of your research project.

Note: this PDF file made by Australian National University provides more information about the research proposal presentation.

In this collection, you’ll find numerous and diverse styles of research proposals ppt templates that you can pick as part of your inspiration.

Table of Contents

Free research proposal powerpoint templates, premium research proposal powerpoint templates, 1. rea thesis presentation template.

You can create a professional research proposal with Rea in a matter of minutes. Why? Because you don’t need any design knowledge or sophisticated design software like Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, the Rea ppt template gives you everything you need to create a research proposal, it provides a complete pre-built slide set. What you need to do is focus on your study.

To assist you in presenting your research proposal in a structured way, the Rea template divides your research proposal into seven sections: introduction, literature review, research, results, discussion, conclusion, reference list. The majority of research proposals can follow this structure.

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When learning how to write a research proposal, it is important to start with a detailed plan that outlines the objectives, methodology, and significance of a research project. A research proposal is a crucial document for securing funding, gaining approval from academic committees, or outlining a structured plan for personal research endeavours. Crafting a compelling research proposal requires a clear understanding of the subject matter, a well-defined research question, and a meticulous approach to planning and presenting your research. This article will explore how to write a winning research proposal and how to navigate the challenges associated with it.

Understanding the Components of a Research Proposal

A well-structured research proposal typically includes several key components. Each section serves a specific purpose and contributes to the overall coherence and persuasiveness of the proposal.

The title of your research proposal should be concise, descriptive, and indicative of the main research question or hypothesis. A well-crafted title captures the essence of the study and draws the reader’s attention.

2. Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of the research proposal, usually no more than 250 words. It should provide an overview of the research problem, objectives, methodology, and potential implications. The abstract should be clear and succinct, giving readers a quick understanding of what the proposal entails.

3. Introduction

The introduction sets the stage for your research by providing background information on the topic, outlining the research problem, and stating the research objectives. This section should:

• Introduce the topic: Provide context and explain why the topic is important.
• State the research problem: Clearly define the issue or gap in knowledge that your research aims to address.
• Outline the research objectives: Specify the aims of your research and the questions you intend to answer.

4. Literature Review

The literature review demonstrates your understanding of the existing research on your topic. This section should:

• Summarise relevant studies: Discuss key findings from previous research that relate to your topic.
• Identify gaps: Highlight areas where further research is needed.
• Justify your research: Explain how your study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge.

5. Research Methodology

The methodology section outlines the research design and the methods you will use to collect and analyse data. This section should include:

• Research design: Describe whether your study is qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods.
• Data collection methods: Detail how you will gather data (e.g., surveys, interviews, experiments).
• Data analysis methods: Explain how you will analyse the data (e.g., statistical analysis, thematic analysis).
• Ethical considerations: Address any ethical issues related to your research and how you will handle them.

6. Research Plan and Timeline

Provide a detailed plan of the research activities and a timeline for completing each phase of the project. This section should demonstrate that your research is feasible within the given timeframe.

7. Budget (if applicable)

If you are seeking funding, include a budget that outlines the estimated costs of your research. Be specific about how funds will be allocated (e.g., equipment, travel, participant incentives).

8. Expected Outcomes and Impact

Discuss the potential outcomes of your research and its significance. Explain how your findings could contribute to the field, inform policy, or have practical applications.

9. References

List all the sources you cited in your proposal. Use a consistent and appropriate citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).

Tips for Writing a Strong Research Proposal

Be clear and concise.

Use clear and straightforward language. Avoid jargon and complex sentences that might confuse readers. Aim for clarity and precision in explaining your research.

Stay Focused

Ensure that your proposal remains focused on the research question and objectives. Avoid including irrelevant information that does not contribute to the understanding of your proposed study.

Demonstrate Feasibility

Provide a realistic assessment of what can be achieved within the given timeframe and resources. Be honest about the scope of your research and any potential limitations.

Edit and Proofread

Your proposal must be clear, concise, and logically organised, following all rules of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and referencing. Adhere to the specific format and style required by your funding source or institution. Proofread your proposal multiple times, ideally with the help of a colleague or mentor, to identify and correct any mistakes or inconsistencies. Enhance the proposal’s structure, flow, and language to improve its overall quality. Ensure your proposal is compelling, engaging, and professionally presented.

Writing a research proposal is a critical step in the research process. It requires careful planning, a thorough understanding of the topic, and a clear presentation of your research plan. By following the structure outlined in this guide and paying attention to detail, you can craft a compelling research proposal that effectively communicates your ideas and secures the necessary support for your research.

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Speaker 1: Hi, my name is Shady Atia. I'm going to present today a presentation on writing a research proposal. This is a very important presentation for postgraduates in order to learn how to write a research proposal. My presentation will go through four main axes. I will present how to write a what is actually a research proposal, how to define your topic, how to organize your research proposal and finally how to write it technically and presented. Well, let's see the first question. What is a research proposal? A research proposal is a statement of intent where you describe your intentions and simply we can describe it into a motivational intention manuscript where you declare your intentions and show your motivations and it's very important in this sense that you define the scope of your topic, the subject enough it has to be specific enough and you have to have a specific aim and objective related to your topic and definitely it would reflect your interest and it should be your own research so therefore you should also explain why is this topic better than other topics and you have to show that this is the first time subject that will be innovative you not previously addressed in a way and that you will carry that responsibility and present it through the research proposal. Well, the next question comes to what are the types of research proposal that we have. Many people get confused about that. We have a research proposal that is mainly under a thesis. A thesis is mainly a manuscript that you write for a master degree and it answers a research question based on existing knowledge. And here we are looking to your capacity to critical think and analyze deep information and process that and presented as new knowledge. While there is another type of manuscript that is called dissertations, the dissertations that are mainly for PhD doctoral degrees and in this sense you have to create a significant new contribution to knowledge and you have to come up with a new solution for a problem or a cure for a certain contextual problem. Well there is a third type of research proposal that you could write for funding grants like the Belgian research institutes or you write it for national research organizations in order to go through a competition process to win a funding to cover research topic okay well these are the three type of proposal that you can write next I will move to the second important question how to define your topic this is a not an easy task because you are most probably not having large experience with doing research and sometimes it's very difficult to do that so in this sense you have to define your topic and the process should start by identifying a general idea or an area of research and then develop it and focus on a certain research question so you have to ask yourself the following question is the topic related to real life because we are looking to applied science we are looking applied research So you have to make sure that this is related to real life. When you answer this question, you have to come to the next question. Is your topic related to societal problem? Is it a real problem in the society that your research is addressing? Is your topic going to be useful and interesting or did someone before answer it? So you must make sure that the topic is useful and interesting. Is your topic focused and specific or is it very broad and large? The more the topic is large and generic, the more it's difficult to come up with something new, it's difficult to process the work. Can your idea fill a gap in research? Do we have a problem or a topic that was not addressed previously by another researcher? So you have also to make sure that your research topic is not a kind of common topic that has been processed by many people. Always you must look for a gap or something that is missing and make sure that your research will cover that area and definitely you should ask yourself will this study generate new knowledge and this is very important because when you generate new knowledge then you have a real contribution and your research is worthy and you should also ask would the benefit from it the architects the engineers the professional in your field is it going to advance the understanding or influence policy this is very important and definitely finally should ask yourself Will this study fill a gap in existing knowledge or resolve current controversies? So these kind of series of questions, you can use them as a kind of checklist, as a starting approach, after defining a general topic you are interested in, and go step by step trying to answer them until you can define and shape your research topic. Well, there are some golden rules you should keep in mind while defining your research topic. You must be passionate about the topic because it should come from you. It should be your interest that you are related. You might ask your supervisor or follow a previously developed idea or concept from your supervisor or your professor. But in the same time, you must have the passion related to this topic. So this is very important. The second Gordon rule is related to the discoveries. Could the topic lead to discoveries? you should not promise to guarantee a discovery, but you should have a kind of estimation this could topic lead to discoveries or not. And you have to make sure that this is catchy topic. It catch the attention. People will be interested in it. It's grabby. It's really related to society. People will really would like to listen to what you are going to present and read it through your manuscripts. And definitely you have to formulate very clearly your objectives and aims so that you are focused in your research and having a very specific topic. And finally, you should select a supervisor, he or she that can help you through this process and has the ability and the skills to guide you through the process. So these are kind of five golden rules I would like to highlight. You must follow them to make sure that you are on the right track. Now, after describing what is a research proposal and how to do it, I would start to talk about the content. The content is very important. Many people don't know how to write a proposal, what should be the order of the information. And here are kind of 10 major elements you should focus on in writing a research proposal. You should cover issues related to the title and the keywords related to your research topic, brief abstract describing your topic, a problem statement, aims and objectives, the significance and importance of your topic and the audience that your research is catering for, the state of the art, the methodologies, your expected results and definitely you should describe the project outline and the impact and the biography of your research. Well let's start with this and and I'm going to describe everyone into detail. Well, when I'm talking about title and keywords, this is very important. Why? Because a title and a keyword is not an easy task. A title in general should be catchy and should be precise. So these are some rules that you should follow to have a good title. It has to be a specific title, accurate, not too long, catchy, and it has to contain the main idea. I should read the title and figure out most probably what is this thesis about or what is this dissertation about. So you have to look at the title in a way and revise it and think about it and most of the time good titles start with an action verb let's say like simulation of comparison of assessment of these are all examples that you can look at and start with them your title. Once you have an action verb it shows already that you are trying to do something to cater or to address a certain problem and most of the time a researcher doing a master thesis or a PhD thesis or even a research for grant proposals he or she should look at these verbs as a starting to identify and formulate their title well once you are done with your title that's not enough you have to define next to the title keywords well you will ask what's the point I just defined the topic and I have a title now why should I use keywords well keywords are very important they should not exceed six to eight words and actually we use terminologies or we will use words that are not in the title in this sense you are helping the search engine to extend the topic so I let me let me give you an example. My topic of my research is called Dynamic Building Kit for Adaptable and Reusable Wall Solutions. That's the title. The title is talking about developing a building kit that could be adaptable, that could be assembled and disassembled for materials or building components that could be reused, okay, and specifically on walls. This is the title and I understand it like that? Well, I can add to that some keywords. These keywords can help me to describe more. I can say that I'm talking about design solutions. I'm talking specifically on post-war housing. I can add a context or a city to describe where I am, Liège in this case. I can add the keyword energy efficiency renovation like that I am extending my title and amending additional words that can help in the understanding of topic and once you do a research with these keywords the topic will pop up in the search engine much much easier so actually this is very important to define your keywords associated with your topic and in this sense they are very complementary well the next step is to move to the abstract well the abstract is one of the things you do at the end so you don't start with an abstract but let me tell you first what is an abstract an abstract simply is a text a piece of text that is not longer than 250 words and it describes simply your topic the research problem the objectives the methodology your results and the audience and the impact of your work so simply the abstract should be read by somebody in less than 3-4 minutes he or she can directly grasp the whole overview of your topic so you summarize the essence of your whole master thesis or PhD thesis in 250 words and therefore it should be really well thought well written and following this structure well let me give you an example here is a topic related to health the topic title is called the effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities and observational population study. As we can see those words are not exceeding 250 words, we have a background statement just two sentences, we have a methodology fully described where it has been done, what is the population, the population size, the sampling and finally we find the findings talking about this observational study results with some statistical analysis and the rates of the study that the rates of the study and finally we have to look at the final two sentences talking about interpretation in this sense this is an abstract it's compact but it's describing the whole study into a systematical approach so this is actually you do when you finish your thesis you write your abstract in order to communicate to people and actually when you publish your work on your abstract will be an open source and then after that when a researcher looking on internet they will be interested by your topic by title by keywords then when they will go through your abstract if they find the topic interesting they find interesting findings and interpretation they come up with the idea of investing in reading the whole manuscript or ordering the master thesis from another library or from another country okay so this is very important to start with after having defining the title and the keyword the third step is mainly related to the problem statement and here we are really starting the real work the serious work related to the research proposal well what is a problem statement you must start in your problem statement to contextualize your problem and you have to be concise you have to define exactly what's the what's the problem and most of the time it's good to link your background problem with authorities. So you start by saying the European Union has this objective, the national government has this objective, the region or the province or the city has these objectives. So you relate your background and the problem with political, governmental or non-governmental the United Nations, the World Health Organization, whatever authority that is stating something related to the topic. Also it's important to quantify this information and quantify the background. So it's advised here to define the problem into numbers, give some statistics, some figures related to the issue and you must also contain an overview of most relevant work. You should also try to cover others work saying in this context of this problem those stakeholders are doing that or doing that or covering this problem or addressing it from an angle or another. It's also important here to describe clearly your hypothesis that you have been done and how you are going to enter to propose the problem. Well, after describing this background and preparing the reader for the topic, you can directly now start to propose the problem and you have to show a really significant problem that is related to a a topic. So you should not make the reader get lost on the opposite. You should start to define a statement clearly and make sure that it's a societal problem in a certain context. Well this is an example. Just remember that at the end of the day a research proposal maybe in a master's thesis or a dissertation you will get funding or sometimes you don't get funding you do it work for free but at the end no one will fund a research proposal or find it reasonable as long as it's not solving a local or global problem. So my advice in writing a research proposal, make sure that your problem definition is by default solving a local or a global problem, trying to solve it in a way or another, linking to reality, linking to statistics, putting some figures, variables, and contextualizing the problem, describing it in a way that is viable, up-to-date, related to our current practice. Once you are done with that, you can start to define your aim and objectives. And you should take into account that an aim is not an objective. An aim is like a bullet. It's very important to define your aim. Once you define a good aim, you are sure that you will do a good research. So, aim well and you should hit your target cleanly. If you don't write a clear aim that is targeting a specific goal, you'll not succeed in doing your research. And simply you have to say what you want to simply and directly want to say. You have to explain what is this research going to do and who will benefit from it. I will give you some examples related to aims, but keep into account it has to be short, it has to be to the point, and it's like a bullet. you don't need to write a lot. It's the shorter the better. Well, what's the definition of an aim? An aim simply provides an answer to a general problem. So, so far we are not talking about the specific problem. This is the objective. In an aim I'm talking about the general problem. And the aim goes along with an adjective. It has to be concise. You should be aware that your grandmother can read the aim and understand it. And you should also keep in mind that it should be related to what's motivating you so this is very important and it should assist on improving the decision lead this is very important some examples of aims you can have a look lowering the dependency or the dependence on fossil fuel increasing the energy efficiency of improving the situation of increasing renovation rate dissemination knowledge sharing information general overall aims related to a serious problem and in this sense you don't need to write it more than one sentence maximum and then you are describing the topic in general in a sense in an aim that a non-technical person can understand it when I say here my aim of my research is to increase energy efficiency in the building sector this is a very broad generic aim anybody can understand and that's the purpose you should have this aim now once you define the aim you cannot be more specific and focus on the objective. But let me tell you what's the objective. The objective is more specific to your study, it's more accurate than the aim, and it's operational. So there is an action in it, you have to do something in it. In the aim, in the objective also it has to correspond to what you will try to produce and generate. So it has to be very precise in description, it has to focus on the central research question, and often contextualize it to a specific climate, context, country, region. Very important and these are some examples for objectives. So here I'm saying my objective to develop a software or a program to calculate turbulent nonlinear equation. Here the objective became very clear. Analyze the reason of low renovation rate identify barriers understand study the impact of assess compare so the objective has to be very clear very precise to the point talking about a specific aspect so in general it should be combined with the aim but let me give you an example with a good description of an aim with an objective well have a a look and read this sentence sorry just have a look I have a aim here the main aim of this research is this to disseminate technological knowledge on adaptive facade at a European level that's the overall aim very general I want to spread or share information related to a specific type of building facades in Europe and do it on a European level so this is a very broad aim and this is very successful one sentence like a bullet now how I'm going to do this aim I need to describe at least three four objectives to do this aim first of all I'm aiming to increase knowledge sharing secondly I'm looking to develop a new knowledge thirdly I'm starting new collaboration so in this sense I am precisely describing how I'm going to achieve this aim through operational tactical objectives. Another example could be interesting here, have a look at that. The project is aiming to improving building energy labeling schemes. So I would like to improve the labeling of buildings, so like you buy any food product you have a label telling what's the ingredients, I want to improve the labeling of buildings. But how I'm going to do that? These are the objectives that I'm going to do. I'm going to review different building labeling. I'm going to review different performance indicators. I will investigate possibilities for developing other labels. I will choose some case studies. I will examine the robustness of labeling schemes. I will evaluate their social acceptance. I will analyze the results. I will create a fair framework. Directly, you can see that we have here at least something around eight objectives serving one aim. So it's very important in your research proposal to keep this structure in your writing. You have an overall overarching aim with a very specific objectives that serves to achieve this aim and they as I told you it has to be operational with adjectives. Also a criteria to make sure that your objectives are well or right good written we call objective smart smart stands for specific measurable attainable realistic and time bound every reviewer reading your research proposal he or she will look at these objectives are the objectives specific are they measurable are they attainable realistic and time bound and this is very important you have to make sure that you have a pointed topic you are covering it you can measure the objective and measure what you are doing you must make sure that you can reach this objectives and that you have a realistic objective it's not a dream you have calculated the time and the effort and you can do it and definitely it should be time bound so you must put it in a frame of a deadline with a certain start and an end date once you make sure sure that your objectives are smart you can pass now and validate your topic and in this sense you can look to the topic and say I have smart objectives and you need some time to do it it's not easy to write it but you need just to take some time brainstorm your topic once you defined well the problem you can then define good the aim and from the aim you can break it down into specific objective. This is how it works. Another final advice for the aim and objective, don't forget to frame it. You need always to frame it. So these are the questions you should ask yourself at the end of writing your aim and objective. So first question, is it worth it answering your research question and the aim? What will benefit, am I going to benefit from it? Is the society, the community, the professional or the scientific community going to benefit from it? Is it specific, your aim and objective? Are they answerable? Can we answer them in this frame of thesis or dissertation? Is the topic original? Is it contribution to knowledge? Did somebody else do it or I'm really doing something new? What about the outcomes? Are they appropriate? Do they think ahead are the expected outcomes really achievable this is very important and finally you should ask yourself is this topic interesting to you there is many students who start a thesis and after a while they say I don't like this problem I don't like this topic they stop this means that you are not certain that you are motivated you are passionate and this topic is for your own personal interest is triggering you so these are some important advices to validate and to make sure that your aims and objectives are well written and this is a very fast example you can have a look for a winning proposal. This is simply an example showing the specific measurable and attainable realistic time-bound objectives. You can see here I have a precise problem. Agriculture is the backbone of Belgium's economy for example and it's central to the government development strategy but although the agricultural sector employs more than 75% of countries workforce and accounts both directly and indirectly for approximately 51% of countries Belgium's gross domestic product little is known about the scale of livestock farming livestock diversity distribution of livestock farms so here I have a problem very specific well described it's contextual there is a background on the national level I find some figures and statistics and the researcher simply wanted to say one thing we don't have information about the livestock farming in this country but instead of writing it directly he put a context he gives some numbers he put some figures he shows the importance of the topic and right after he will or she starts to write the objective. So the objective here is not a aim, he is directly talking about operational specific tasks. A team of eight researchers defining who will do that, eight researchers at the livestock research unit of Agricultural College for example at Liège University will research the types and extent of livestock farming in the country. A comprehensive report will be published and an online database and website will be created the project will be presented in its entirely four years after the start of the project at the sub-saharan agricultural summit in Botswana in November 2016 so you have here a very clear objective operational with steps following up and I can measure it it's specific it's attainable it's realistic it's time bound so this is the way how to write a good research aim and a research objective and this will be the start of your research proposal and just to remind you keep in mind that in the beginning of your search proposal you have to have a catchy and informative title the summary and the abstract leave it for the end you will not do it when you start this is after you finish write your six eight keywords that are not included in your title make sure that you have a good problem statement description with a problem related to contextual societal issues, define an overall aim and go for your operational step-by-step specific objectives. In this way if you keep this slide in mind while developing your first part of your proposal you are on the road to success. Well I'm done with the aims and objectives and I will move to the fifth component or element which is the significance and audience. It's very important in research to define why is this research important and who are the users of this research, who are the end users who should benefit from this study. Am I doing this study for myself, for fun? You should not do that in university. Even though that some people try to do explorational work, you can do it, but you should just succeed in translating your own interest into a common interest. Once you did it, you are on the track. So significance is meant the importance the importance here so you have to make sure and describe in your text what is the added value what is original about this work why is it important even if some people are not finding it important you have to defend the work and present it and write it in a way that is important something you should show that this is something never that was never did before and once you contextualize your topic you succeed to have a significance For example, if I'm talking about renovation using prefabricated units or if I'm talking about prefabricated housing. Once you open or would like to research the topic, you might get some feedback saying, yeah, but prefabricated construction, there is many countries who do it in the United States, in Canada, it's nothing new. But once you contextualize it, you can make it new. If you say studying prefabricated housing in Liège or in Wallonia or in Belgium or in the province X or in the region X or for residential housing or for a specific context, for a specific region. Once you contextualize a topic, you directly make it original. So there is many topics in your society, in our context here at Liège universities. Maybe there is advancement in Finland or in other European countries, but they are not contextualized. So you can also borrow ideas from abroad, from other researchers, and contextualizing and study how to implement them in our context here. Once you do that, your topic becomes significant and important and becomes unique because we don't have answers for that. Also, it's important that it does not mean that the question is new, but never approached like you. even some researchers they select a topic that has been selected or researched by many people before but you can show that how you will do it in a unique way how you will go through personal endeavor that looks differently to process the topic so don't be afraid and saying yeah I when you look at the depository of previous master seasons if you find somebody else before you did the same topic that you are interested in, you should not stop. Take the topic, read it well and see how you can do it different. Once you define this difference and set it as a significant, as added value, you can guarantee that your research topic is significant and important. Also, your topic should lead to added value. At the end of the day, you should add value and make sure that you have important and significance has to take into account of the principal aim. It should be at the end related to your principal aim. Some other questions you could look at. Questions have to be open in general when you describe your topic. Here you can add a list of keywords not included in the title and the motivation is linked to the context. Well, defining the significance is important. Now you defined your problem, your title, your aim, your objective, why is this topic important, how is it significant. Now comes a very important topic people forget about and I think personally you might start by that. The audience. Why are you doing this study? Who is going to benefit from this study? Who you want to reach? Define your target audience very clearly and from the beginning. The easier the target audience is described, the easier you can do your research. Many people forget that it could be politicians your target, your target could be professional community, it could be the research community, it could be managers, it could be whoever, community or stakeholders. But leaving your research proposal without defining the audience, there is no meaning. Because many people do interesting studies, but then they don't contact their audience. If I'm doing a study, for example, about the green area spaces in Liège city, so I want to know how much green area per square meter per citizen is in the city of Liège. And I did a very beautiful analysis and I went through the neighborhoods of Liège and And I then identified through my analysis how much square meter of green spaces are available for the citizens of Liège. If at the end of this study I did not contact the community or the local authority of Liège city or the province and tell them here is my work, how can you benefit from them? If I didn't go and do an interview with them, if I didn't contact them to make sure that the municipality is benefiting from the study, then I failed to connect my research to the audience. So you must always to make sure what's the research and ask yourself, what's the relation between my research topic and the audience? And did I allow the audience to intervene in my study? In this sense, I should have maybe went to the municipality and asked the urbanism sector or unit and tell them, I'm doing a study about Liège. Can you help me with this information? Is this information for you helpful? How can this information, can I modify it to meet a kind of certain requirement from your side? So it's very important to define the audience and not to define it theoretically on paper. No, you have to go engage with those people, contact them before starting your study, during your study, and after your study. You can even invite them to your defense. If you don't do this step, our research will have no impact. It will be just theoretical research hidden in research university without having any impact on society. So therefore, make sure always what is the audience of your research. Get in contact with these people. And as I told, why you have to reach those people? Because you have to consider your motives and why you feel this group should be targeted. You have to know why you want to reach a particular group. And you should provide insight that will help develop effective study. and you should say also why should they be interested in my research this is very important once you define that you can start now your research I'm moving now to the step number six but I would say that this is the first chunk of your research proposal it does not need to be more than one or two pages defining clearly from the title going to the keywords talking about your problem statement and the background defining the aim and objective the significance of your work and finally the audience once you define this one or two pages i can guarantee you that you have a good topic well defined and make sure that you revise it with your supervisor well you are now ready to embark and start your topic more clearly but you have to describe another additional component in your proposal? The state of the art or the literature review. What is the state of the art? Why do we do a research related to state of the art? Why do we review literature for a research proposal? Number one, you have to improve your own understanding. You have to understand, you have to become an expert because now you are talking about a topic, you don't know enough information about it. So you have to understand what has been done before and you have to read literature so number one why we do a literature review to improve the understanding number two you have to build your expertise in the specific domain number three you have to demonstrate knowledge and show that you understand a specific knowledge related to the topic and you have to update the reader with the state of the art because at the end of the of the end of the day the master thesis or the phd you will submit it to a jury or a reader or you will set it online and you would like the community to read it. Once they read it, they must make sure that they are up to date to the latest information related to this topic and therefore we should do a literature review. To do a good literature review, you must guarantee that you have good resources. You should look at major published work, you should look at a narrow specific topic and you should start your review. The review should cover the major concepts, snapshots relationships classifications and extractions so the literature review actually is like an essence you go through different publications different sources and you extract the most important information and you provide me with a snapshot with a pattern image describing what has been done before what are the major publication related to this topic and like that you can put me up-to-date related to the topic. Does one of the criteria that anybody would like a professor will look at a research proposal will ask does the proposal advance the state of the art? Does it introduce innovative approaches? This is very important and the more you go into this a PhD or a grant proposal the more the answer for these questions is very important. If the proposal shows it does it show a good understanding of the major work? Does it identify the gaps of existing knowledge and so on so this is very important and you should also say what is currently available in Liège in Belgium in Europe and worldwide so this is the aim of the literature review to make sure what is done also in the North America what's done in Asia to make sure that I am up-to-date related to this topic well you should also capture the major concept and ideas related to research and finally you should ask yourself how is your research you are doing compared with similar research in other contexts so you should not only describe your research topic and forget that others maybe did the same idea 90% of ideas are not new we are processing others ideas so 90% of ideas are not new So you should keep in mind, put an assumption in your mind, that maybe somebody else, someone, somewhere else, tried to address the same problem. What about looking, exploring, how did those other people do my work? So this is the aim of literature review, to make sure that I cover the literature, I am up to date, I am covering the major concepts and publications that describe the topic, and also similar studies related to my research topic. once you did that you can move to the methodology and the methodology should describe how you are going to do your research in the proposal and this could not should not be a long text it could be a couple of paragraphs or maybe maximum three paragraphs describing how we are going to do your research there is in general different methodologies you can do strategic research you can do applied research you can do experimental research and these are all examples of researchers that you can do if you like to do lab work and monitoring then it's experimental work if you would like to do applied then it's more like simulation case studies system analysis comparison analysis if you are looking to develop concepts model standards prototypes solutions you are more into strategical basic research and definitely if you are looking for developing things beyond applied research, pure basic research, a theory, an equation, a philosophy, then you are looking at basic research. So you should define clearly what is your methodology and these are all examples for different methodologies as you can see and every researcher and every specialization, every group of specialization has its own collection of methodologies they use. People in social sciences, we know that they use a lot interview and they use surveying techniques. This is their methodology they come up with. People working in engineering, for example, they go more for experimentation and so on and so forth. So you must make sure your domain, your expertise, your field of expertise, what are the common methodology. In the field of architecture or buildings in general, we use analysis research, development research, we do a lot of case studies research, evidence-based design, parametric research, optimization, also participatory or action research, operational research, post-occupancy evaluation, lab research, and system analysis research. So just you must be familiar with these types of methodology and describe them in your research proposals and now I will move to another thing which is called a method which means that like in the aims and objective there is an aim and there is an objective here there is something called methodology and method. A method is a small action of research done to achieve a methodology for example I can have a case study as a methodology but in order to achieve this methodology, I have several methods that I can do. I can do some drawings, photography, videotaping, visualization, sketching, mapping, process analysis, technology review, history review. These are all methods that I can use in my research to achieve my methodology. So it's very important in your research proposal that you define in the beginning your research methodological on this level. Is it basic research, is it strategical, is it applied, is it experimental. Then you pick up a methodology and don't hesitate, you can have several methodology in a research. You can combine evidence-based design with case studies, there is no problem at all. But once you define your methodology, you have to pick up a collection of methods. A systematic review is a method, data analysis is a method, GIS or simulation, visualizing, classification and categorization, These are all methods. So your research proposal should address these methods and simply your methodology in general should describe how are you going to approach your work. So as I said you start with a literature review and from the literature review you see what has been done by previous researchers. You have to outline the instrument, fix boundaries of diseases and we should look at different methodology, describe them well, make sure that you have qualitative and quantitative approaches for your methodology, and make sure how you will collect the information, how this information will be robust. I give you a very important example here you should keep into account. When we talk about methodology, one of the big problems we see today in research, the methodology should be replicable, which means that any independent researcher is going to do the same research you have been doing, he or she should be able to repeat the same methodology and come up with the same research. One of the problems we find today in research, very common, that researchers, they do the research without describing it well, without a clear methodology, and as a consequence, the results are fake, because they didn't have a methodology. And once you describe your methodology, keep into account that it should be replicable and repeatable by others. So this is very important. And how to present a methodology, this is how to do it. You have to come up with a study design. A study design is simply a specific plan or a protocol for conducting the study. and it allows you to investigate and translate the conceptual hypothesis into operational research. So actually in this section of methodology I should see this overview design. I'm saying that my methodology is based on quantitative and qualitative research methods. I have here case studies and so on and so forth and I here have my own other quantitative approaches and you draw it into a sort of diagram and this is another representation I have descriptive analysis I have analytical here I'm going to do a survey here I'm going to do experiment here I'm going to do a cross-sectional analysis once you think about your methodology and represented in a graph like that and describe it into a couple of paragraphs you are done with the methodology it's accessible and I have a very interesting document you can ask me for it it describes the different research methodologies in architecture. So you can go from theoretical research, interpretative research, experimental, survey, simulation, qualitative, even action research, and for each of these methodologies there are different ontological assumptions, epistemological assumptions also, methodologies, how you validate, how you have examples for each of those so this is very important very helpful you might use it and I would like to ask you to start your methodology by sketching drawing thinking about picking up some methods making sure how you will address it you have to define your method your sample your case studies what are the target users are you going to use equipment analysis this is very important and you can draw a study design scheme for that and the study design scheme like I showed you based on this analysis using this Excel or this table I provided previously. Make sure that you draw a study design scheme and integrate it in your proposal, discuss it with your supervisor, explain why it is the most appropriate to effectively answer your research question and you have also to explain what alternatives have been considered when and why these have been disregarded. So these are the golden rules for the methodology. Don't forget you have to come up with a study design scheme, describe your methodology on the level of what is the strategical level of your research, what is the methodologies you are using, what are the methods and summarize it into a scheme and present it and describe it. Well now I would like to move to the expected results even in a research proposal before doing your research you should describe your expected results this is very important and how are you going to do that it's mainly based on your literature review if you are going to read some major publication related to your topic you can be able to expect what will be the results of your work you may fragment you may grab fragments from other studies but you can predict possible outcomes and that's all what you are expected to report in this sense. You have to be based on the literature review, linked to the aims and objectives, explain what you will be producing, something concrete, evidence-based with numbers, you have to define how is it going to be usable, is it some rules of thumb, is it findings, is it guidelines, is it advice, is it a strategy, what it is and for example you can say I'm going to come up with a prototype, with a design concept, with a solution. These are all important to define in the expected results. So it's not here meant that you will say exactly what will come out from the study but you will define what parameters, what outcomes you are looking at and these are examples of outcomes you must keep into account that you answer this question very important in your research proposal because if you are just putting facts they are called data if you are classifying them they can become information they will become only knowledge if you are adding an analysis and interpretation kind of working the information into a useful information and once you have knowledge you can help in decisions and actually that's the cycle of knowledge so your thesis is mainly looking to collect the data and information and process them to generate knowledge so that this knowledge can help the community and the decision makers to take decision and become more informed, more knowledgeable. Well, what could be examples of outcomes? This is a series of outcomes. It could be a product, rules of thumb, guidelines, a manual, a website, an application, even an app. Don't hesitate to develop an app for your master's thesis. This could be interesting, a map, a tool, a website, a program, a book, an infographic, a cartographic guide, equation, model, benchmark, simulation, a checklist, sometimes some students come up with their master outcome, a checklist, a policy, a strategy, a theory. You must be sure that you come up with a concrete outcome that you will present at the end of your thesis and you link this outcome to the audience as described previously. So this is very important and to validate that you have good expected result describe how the work will be validated. You must make sure that your outcomes and what you are going to present will be compared with results published and other works. Are you going to use a user group or a case study to test this outcome because it's not enough to tell me I will come up with a map or a tool and then it was not used by anyone or it was not tested by anyone. Make sure that you have a validation process and in the validation process you have some groups or users who make sure that your outcome that you use was developed for them in a useful way and you should look for internal and external validity of your result. If this research is repeated by someone else, would they get the same results you did or not? Is your work accurate enough? Do you have a systematic approach? Can the result be generalized in another similar context? These are interesting discussion questions that you can use to develop your final conclusion later in the thesis, but also you could address them in your proposal writing to make sure that you are not only looking to produce an information and through it without making sure that it works that it function that will have an effect and impact well by that I am approaching almost the end now you are described you have described those major topics from the keywords until the research results and outcomes now it's time to talk about outline and talk in the language of professional language professional language this is not a research topic this is more related to professionalism and any institution should talk about it. Once you go through any professional document you must develop an organizational chart. Organizational chart it's a chart that tells me what are the parts and the component of your research or your research thesis. In this sense you should have a description of your chapters maybe you can put your chapters you can put the topics you are talking about and it should represent your work and it should predict the possible progress of your work. So here I'm drawing all the component of my research in one diagram. In French we call it Organigramme, in English it's called the organizational chart and any research proposal must include an organizational chart to describe the components of the work and the main work packages that you will do and in every work packages I have associated activities. This is very important to clarify the topic. I have many master students, they come up at the end of their master thesis and they are not able even to write a structure or a table of content of their own thesis. Why? Because they didn't do an organizational chart. Once you do it early enough, you know that you will start with an introduction chapter, you will have something about a methodology, what are your case studies, your results, what would be the validation part, what would be your conclusion part, the discussion. So therefore it's very important it's also important to be added you can add it in the annex of your research proposal don't hesitate to do that and you should do use it also to discuss with your supervisor in the beginning how are you going to proceed with your master's thesis or your PhD dissertation very important to include it another important organizational chart related to the professional work the Gantt chart. Any master student graduating from Liège University he or she must know what is a Gantt chart because without that you are not going to be able to process tasks on long term. A Gantt chart is a professional diagram it is a methodology used to define milestones and work packages and activities and in this sense you describe your work in sufficient details and you set up deliverables, steps, deadlines. Very important. More detail than the organizational chart. So if you look at the organization chart, it's mainly chunky. It's looking at big scale component of your research. While here you are going more into detail and it's very important to be also placed in the annex of your research proposal. As you can see, here's a list of activities. Here is the master thesis. It takes an average in Liège four months I can define every month in two weeks and define with these dark bars when I'm going to do the literature review, the interviews, the case study analysis, the simulation work, when I'm going to start to write my thesis. Very important to do that as early as possible to make sure that you go psychologically through the process of your thesis writing. Because if you leave everything till the end you will be improvising and improvising you can never become professional with improvisation as long you have a lot of time and in fact you don't have time you must try your thesis to graduate so this is the best way to do it as early as possible and try to explore previous master's thesis of older students who graduated and see how they did it to make sure that what could be the tasks and activities that you must come up and how much time they will take Some people would say, I will do a literature review in two months. In reality, it might need three months. Maybe it will need eight weeks. You never know. Six weeks. You never know. So it's very important to have this translation into deliverable steps and time. And it's very important once you finish this, that you have a section in your research proposal called project outline. The project outline. You link it to the organizational chart and you link it to your Gantt chart and your proposal must describe where are you going to start. You say when are you going to start, what steps are you going to do and where are you heading to, where will you get to, how you will get there. Very important. If you don't do this in the project outline, the certainty that you will do successful work is very weak. So make sure that you have defined the step of your research, you say where are you starting, describe what's the problem, the literature view where are you heading and make sure that you will describe that accurately and what are the final aim to go for well the last step that you should look at before leaving that I have just forgot to say that you should describe every milestone into activity description and evidence of progress the last thing you should look at is the impact and biography this This is the last part of your proposal and the last element that you should address in your proposal. And first I will start with the impact. It's very important to identify, does the proposal clarify clearly how it is relevant and realistic on the short-term and long-term. By definition, impact is the effect or influence on short-term to long-term scientific, technological or socio-economical changes produced by a research, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended. And you should ask yourself, are the impacts identified by the proposal relevant to the society at large? Can the impact be listed and realistically achieved? And let me give some examples. The impact should be able to be explained. is different from the objective and it's the only way to do an impact is to publish your work because if I'm going to spend maybe six months of my life on a manuscript for a thesis or maybe four years for my PhD work if this document is going to be in the depository of the library of Liège University no one on earth will access it even it's not on Google so forget about it the only way make sure that your work has an impact and other researchers and other professionals and the society in large is going to access it, read it, benefit from it is to publish the work and study or look at the impact of your work. Here is an example of a work I will read you I will read you this very fast energy certification labels increases the awareness of energy consumption and enables consumers to compare buildings therefore providing builders with an incentive to improve energy efficiency in buildings? Improving energy efficiency in buildings is one of the most cost-effective ways across all sectors to reduce energy consumption and hence green gas house emissions. Energy efficiency is the most cost-effective method to improve energy security. From the household perspective, energy efficiency seems to be profitable. you are telling how energy efficiency or the labels are you how is this impact of this topic energy efficient lighting and appliances can save about 465 euro per year per household in energy bills much more savings can be easily insured when the whole building is energy efficient the energy efficiency of buildings can only be guaranteed by creditable building energy label so here you are describing what is the impact of your research you are saying that while studying the labeling of buildings already I can promise to have a cost-effective savings and I can guarantee a security and independence from fossil fuels and you try to quantify it with some example saying that for example a building that has energy label a for example can save up to 465 euro per year so we give an example so this is a very important aspect that you should include what would be the impact of your study and this is difficult you have to brainstorm you have to think if I come up with my research and I publish it could it be useful examples for dissemination activities also to spread dissemination means spreading your research findings is there a clear or attainable plan for dissemination for results this is a question. Is the dissemination plan targeted, clear and attainable? Is it relevant and you have a clear exploitation of the results? These are all important topics and you can disseminate your work by publishing it, by having internal seminars, regular reporting, publication, conferences, exhibition or reaching out communicating with the community. If you go to an NGO and tell them I would like to present my master's thesis to you, I would like to share with you my document. These are all important activities you must guarantee to make sure that you are disseminating your knowledge. In a PhD it's very important to do a lot of effort to disseminate the information. In a master thesis it would be enough to publish in a conference or publish in a journal, your results, and this is the only way to validate and make sure that your information now is available to the public, it's accessible, and it could be shared and become beneficial to the society. Last part is the biography. In your research proposal, you should include a bibliographical sector. You should have references cited in a specific format. In my lab, I prefer the APA standard, and I have a presentation on that. But you should make sure that many reviewers, they go at the end of your research proposal and read the biography. And based on the quality of biography they find, they start to say this is a good research or not. This means that the more you are describing the key publication-related topic, it means that you did your homework, you read, and you should pay attention how you write it, because there are rules in citation. You should write, for example, the family name, and then the year, and then the title, and then the city, and so on. There are different styles. Make sure that you are using the right style. You just ask your supervisor for that. You can show your motivation on the subject also based on that. Use a reference management system. There are many softwares. Previously, there was a software called EndNote. Today, the most commonly used is Zotero, and I advise you to use Zotero. Well, I'm going to the end. This is it. This is the research proposal. It sounds maybe dense, very informative, but keep in mind that a research proposal does not need to be more than five, six pages. Sometimes the research proposal, a large European project, can be something like 25 pages. I'm talking about funding of millions. So in your case, all you need to have five pages, six pages, describing and covering these issues and just start to write and go through it I give you some golden final tips structure your text make sure you have headings address every topic into a heading structure section and write under it write short sentences this is a very important thing many I figured out that in the French speaking word many students seems to write long sentences chop your sentence keep it short and follow your ideas and don't make it complex just write you can write down first in a sketch what ideas you want to communicate and start to make them short sentences in a row use bullets bullets are very important because readers get bored when they find a full block of text try to make bullets to highlight important topics provide images charts i already told you that you need a gun chart an organizational chart a study research design for the methodology try as maximum to have a kind of visual component don't make it exceed 30 40 percent of the proposal so that the proposal is readable and accessible and the keys are access to success are important that you should assure that all relevant chapters of the proposal have been addressed accurately the ten themes that I described are addressed in detail be brief and concise as possible you should support your information with empirical and proof try to have always statistics numbers references to cite your work right don't hesitate don't leave it till the end if you have time write a part of the proposal later on write another part so just keep writing it's very easy it's not a difficult thing it's just that you have to get used to answer these kind of questions and do it and improvise it ask for peers you can send it to colleagues to a teaching assistant to your supervisor don't hesitate to do that to review the proposal and improve it you can make draft 1 draft 2 until you are satisfied and willing to submit it you can get expert help you can talk to the audience people you can talk to somebody who knows about the problem go consult a professor or any person who is professional you should be well organized synthesized and don't forget that we are looking for a master student a master student who has a critical appraisal who can criticize who can build up a case with new information and this is very important by describing any controversies that you find in the objectives include the evidence as possible whether it's against or with your proposition these are the key rules of success I would like to go back just to remind you that this is very important to respect this structure cover it go step by step until you have a good proposal one thing I can promise you if you developed and invested as much as possible time in writing your research proposal your master thesis process will go as smooth as possible because you thought ahead about what you are going to do so instead of going reactive and just reacting on everyday crisis the simulation is not working the interviews is not doing you have here something that protects you it makes you more certain stable and you see what are you going to do and already you are certain that you can achieve the goal easier so this is very important I would like to thank you for your presentation here are my reference and those don't hesitate to contact me I'm looking forward for your proposals thank you very much

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Dissertation Proposal - Kenny Ballou

September 8, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm mdt, event navigation.

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Exploiting Incrementality of Data-Flow Analysis to Reason About Zonotope Abstract Domains

Presented by Kenny Ballou, Computer Science emphasis City Center Plaza Conference Room 368

Developing correct, defect-free software for safety-critical systems is an important goal of software engineering. Static analysis is a powerful technique that proves the absence of defects. Since many safety-critical software uses numerical calculations, a special kind of static analysis that combines data-flow analysis and abstract interpretation is used to reason about those computations. Data-flow analysis propagates information, and abstract interpretation defines the type of information. One of the widely used types is a family of weakly-relational domains called Zonotopes, which includes the Intervals, Zones, and Octagons abstract domains. Computing Zonotope information scales poorly due to the numerous relations between variables encoded in the information. There exists a body of work on improving efficiency and effectiveness of algorithms over Zonotope information. However, this work is unique because it leverages the incremental nature of data-flow analysis to improve the results of Zonotope analyses.

The prior work explored incrementality in the context of the Zones weakly-relational domain. The first publication uses the canonical property of Zones to improve the performance of an important Zones operation used in data-flow analysis. The second work exploits incrementality for identifying minimal changed variables within a Zone abstract domain. The latest work uses the minimal changed variables within a minimal union algorithm for comparing information over weakly-relational abstract domains.

The proposal extends this prior work to the Octagons weakly-relational abstract domain. The first proposed objective is to develop an incremental, strong transitive closure algorithm, a necessary operation for comparison between two Octagon abstract states. The second objective is to create algorithms for minimally changed variables within an Octagon abstract state. The final objective is to extend the minimal union algorithm to consider abstract domain ordering to improve its efficiency and, ideally, reduce the number of variables necessary for comparing two weakly-relational abstract domains. The results of each objective will be empirically evaluated using Zones and Octagons over a set of established benchmark programs.

Dr. Elena Sherman (Chair), Dr. Jim Buffenbarger , Dr. Marion Scheepers

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Sjögren’s foundation announces 2024 research grant awardees.

General Information — Sep 5, 2024

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The Sjögren’s Foundation is excited to announce the selection of five new research grant recipients for the Foundation’s High Impact Grant, Dynamic Grant, and Pilot Grants. 

Types of Foundation Grants and their Impact

The Sjögren’s Foundation High Impact Grants are given to more fully developed research proposals to help a project that has preliminary data and good scientific methodology in place to move forward into the next phase of their project. We are fully committed to awarding one High Impact Grant each year.

The Pilot Research Grant assists investigators in obtaining resources, like preliminary data or feasibility studies, necessary to advance their project to help them pursue larger funding from other resources like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or a High Impact Grant with the Foundation. We are also committed to awarding one Pilot Grant each year. In 2024, we awarded three Pilot Grants.

The Foundation’s Dynamic Grant is given to investigators that have time-sensitive, but critical work that may fall outside the scope of the Foundation’s other funding opportunities. Proposals for this grant are considered based on their scientific strength, needs for the patient, and available funding.

These Foundation grants not only support research that will benefit patients with Sjögren's, but they are also an investment in the researchers who receive the grants. To demonstrate the importance of this, two past grant recipients, who are internationally recognized Sjögren's researchers share their gratitude. Sara McCoy, MD, PhD is a rheumatologist who established the Sjögren's Clinic at the University of Wisconsin, where she also has a Sjögren’s research lab. Dr. McCoy credits the Foundation. 

Sara McCoy, MD, PhD- Director of the UW Health Sjögren’s Clinic

My grant from the Sjögren's Foundation served as my first steppingstone toward independent research, building my research program momentum. Without this first extramural grant from the Foundation— investing not only in an idea, but also in an early stage Sjögren’s investigator— I would not be in the position to help patients that I find myself now. Since my grant, I’ve been an investigator or collaborator on four NIH-funded grants, including as an AMP® AIM Leadership Scholar Program recipient. I am thankful for the opportunity the Foundation provided and I hope that I can return the favor by improving Sjögren’s patients’ lives.

Christopher Lessard, PhD, a scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, leads the international Sjögren's Genetics Network. He received his very first research grant from the Foundation in 2013 and shared the immense value of that grant.

Christopher Lessard, PhD- Professor, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

Sjögren’s Foundation grants provide vital support for researchers focused on advancing our knowledge about Sjögren’s.  A Foundation Pilot Grant was the first grant I received as an early-career investigator. It was instrumental in the early progression of my career, and I know several other investigators that have had similar experiences.  Nearly a decade later, my research program was honored as the first recipient of the Foundation’s Dynamic Grant, which is aiding in our ongoing efforts to improve genetic understanding of the disease. Foundation grants go a long way towards building the Sjögren’s research community and providing pilot or bridge funding to projects that may otherwise not have happened.

As the only non-profit organization for Sjögren's patients, we have a key mission to fund innovative research. We are proud of the research we have funded and honored to have impacted so many amazing investigators.

We are thrilled to see where these projects lead our investigators and how it will impact Sjögren’s patients in the future. Please continue to read about this exciting research funded by the Foundation’s grants below. 

High Impact Grant Recipient

R. Hal Scofield,  MD   Professor  Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation 

Project Title: Mechanisms of Fatigue in Sjögren’s  

Abstract: Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is chronic autoimmune disease in which the deleterious immune response is directed primarily towards the exocrine glands, including the lacrimal and salivary glands. Severe fatigue is common in SjD. There is only a limited understanding of the pathophysiology of fatigue in SjD. Overall, there are large areas of unmet medical needs in SjD, including understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of the clinical manifestations. Our preliminary data demonstrate mitochondrial dysfunction in SjD patients, a novel finding. Also, fatigue is highly correlated with mitochondrial dysfunction. We find increased free radical damage and abnormal expression of mitophagy-related genes. These findings provide a powerful premise for the proposed work. The PI hypothesizes that mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with fatigue and is caused by abnormal mitophagy, with increased free radical generation by defective mitochondria. We propose the following specific aims to address our hypothesis: In Aim 1, we will determine the clinical associations and correlates of mitochondrial dysfunction among a large group of SjD patients, testing the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction is correlated with fatigue. We further hypothesize that kynurenine levels, lowered by chronic, low-level inflammation, will be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and fatigue in SjD. For Aim 2, we hypothesize that worsened free radical damage will be strongly associated with worsened mitochondrial function. Here, we will determine the role of free radicals in SjD mitochondrial dysfunction. In Aim 3, we will determine the role of mitophagy in SjD mitochondrial dysfunction, testing the hypothesis that not only will one of the two central pathways for mitophagy be abnormal within lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, but that this abnormal expression will be found among those patients with mitochondrial dysfunction and fatigue. 

What does Dr. Scofield’s research mean for Sjögren’s patients? 

According to the Living with Sjögren’s patient survey results, 88% of respondents experienced fatigue and 79% said that fatigue had a major or moderate impact on their life. Approximately 25% of patient respondents said that fatigue had the greatest negative impact on their life. Dr. Scofield’s research aims to determine the underlying mechanism of fatigue in Sjögren’s, which can help develop future management and treatment options for patients with Sjögren’s and fatigue.     

Pilot Grant Recipients  

Jennifer King, MD, PhD  Associate Clinical Professor in Medicine  University of California, Los Angeles 

Project Title: Molecular Phenotyping of Treatment Responsive Sjögren’s Patients 

Abstract: There are no FDA-approved treatments for Sjögren’s disease (SjD). The reasons for failures of immune modulating medications are multi-factorial, including diversity of clinical disease and challenges of selecting primary endpoints to define treatment response. This proposal will examine SjD patients considered treatment responsive (defined here as changes in 1 or more validated Sjögren’s outcome measures) to define objective cellular and molecular markers of change. We will compare these  patients to treatment non-responsive and no treatment. We will use single-cell sequencing to examine individual’s pre- and post-treatment samples, looking at global signatures in all immune cells, but also specifically in monocyte subsets. We hypothesize that treatment responsive SjD patients have distinct cellular and molecular characteristics that correlate with changes in disease activity. The goal is to define objective signatures that may be used in conjunction with current disease outcome measures to assess treatment response. 

  What does Dr. King’s research mean for Sjögren’s patients? 

Since Sjögren’s is a heterogeneous disease, there are many unknown factors that play a role in the effectiveness of a treatment. Dr. King’s work will determine cellular and molecular signatures of individual SjD patients and how that affects their response to treatment. This work has huge implications on patient stratification- or separating them into groups- to provide better treatments and will likely impact future drug discovery and clinical research. 

Abigail Koppes, PhD  Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering  Northeastern University  Project Title: Parsing Dysautonomia in a Dish: Neural Exposure to Exogenous Sjögren’s Patient Derived Serum  

Abstract: The complexity of nervous system interactions and cause-effect of glandular involvement in organ health in Sjögren’s patients creates a difficult disease to treat and identify. Dysautonomia and gastrointestinal disorders are correlated with the presence of autoantibodies and interferon and interleukin cascade activation, but the cause is not known. In this proposal, my lab will apply a new in vitro microphysiological system (MPS), or organ-on-a-chip, that combines human autonomic, central, and enteric neurons to systematically examine morphology and excitability in response to Sjögren’s derived serum and autoantibody insults. Our MPS will be used for effluent collection, electrophysiology, imaging, and transcriptomics with a systems biology approach to identify the molecular regulators and reveal if there are Sjögren’s-based differences in neuron responses to inflammatory cues. Through this proposal, a new MPS will be engineered to controllably study and disrupt the nervous system in the gut-brain axis environment typically inaccessible in vivo. 

What does Dr. Koppes’ research mean for Sjögren’s patients? 

Dr. Koppes’ research utilizes a newer technique to create a local nervous system microenvironment, also called a “nervous system on a chip”, to study the effect of various disease states. This research will look at how autoantibodies and other factors found in the serum of Sjögren’s patients affect developing neurological conditions associated with the gut-brain axis. We hope this will give us clues to the cause of gastrointestinal disorders and dysautonomia in Sjögren’s patients and allow us to examine the mechanisms of neuro-Sjögren’s. 

Eiko Yamada, DDS, PhD  Research Fellow  National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Project Title: Exploring Target Cells Contributing Higher Interferon Status Through cGAS-STING Pathway in Sjögren’s Disease 

Abstract: Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is a common systemic autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical presentation involving multiple biological pathways. The primary clinical symptoms include characteristic dry eyes, dry mouth, and profound fatigue. Currently, there are no approved and efficacious medications that can reverse disease progression or improve the main clinical complaints of SjD. One pathway that is classically involved in SjD is the Type-I interferon (IFN) signaling. However, the upstream mechanisms driving the increase in expression, or lack of feedback inhibition, of Type-I IFN is not elucidated deeply. The cGAS-STING pathway is a recently discovered intracellular pathogen sensing pathway that primarily responds to cytosolic double-stranded DNA. The cGAS-STING pathway has become a hot topic in immune and inflammatory diseases due to its ability to potently mediate the inflammatory response. Although a recent study offered the first direct evidence that cGAS-STING pathway is activated in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and modulates Type-I IFNs, the role of this pathway in SjD pathogenesis is unknown. Our preliminary bulk RNAseq data demonstrate enrichment of DNA Sensing Pathway and increased Type-I IFN-stimulated gene score in the blood and gland correlate with specific disease features in SjD. We discovered the novel findings that cGAS-STING proteins are activated in SjD and that correlates with Type-I IFN bioassay in sera. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that cGAS-STING pathway is chronically activated in SjD and contributes both local (glandular) and systemic (peripheral blood) symptoms via upregulated and persistent expression of IFNs. This study proposal aims to identify the specific cell types contributing cGAS-STING pathway in SjD-affected patient samples. This work will produce a deeper understanding of what happened as immune cell subset in SjD and support the future development of cGAS-STING proteins as targets for therapy.  

What does Dr. Yamada’s research mean for Sjögren’s patients? 

For autoimmune diseases, the prevention of inflammatory responses is a well-known therapeutic pathway. This work will determine deep immune phenotyping (characteristics) and the activation level of cGAS-STING pathway in Sjögren's patients. Investigation of the cGAS-STING pathway may produce a deeper understanding of its role in Sjögren’s patients and provide another therapeutic option for Sjögren’s treatment. 

Dynamic Grant Recipient  

Dana DiRenzo, MD, MHS  Assistant Professor in Medicine  University of Pennsylvania 

Project Title: Development of a Core Outcomes Set of Domains for Sjögren’s Disease 

Abstract: Sjögren’s disease (SjD) has limited precise and reliable patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) to understand health related quality of life (HRQoL) from the patient perspective. SjD highly impacts HRQoL because of symptoms such as pain and fatigue, which drive patient disability, loss of work productivity, and healthcare utilization. The overall objectives are to identify SjD domains that are important to all relevant SjD stakeholders and generate a core outcome domain set. The rationale is that through the rigorous methodologic OMERACT framework, we will define key disease domains and core set measures to generate optimal measurement tools for clinical trials. The central hypothesis will be tested by three specific aims: 1) Generate a comprehensive list of important domains in SjD for each key aspect of disease (oral, ocular, biological, extra glandular, life impact) via literature reviews and focus groups; and 2) Conduct a Delphi exercise of generated domains in SjD to gain consensus agreement and inform a core domain set; and 3) Generate a core domain set and seek approval from the OMERACT community. The research proposed is innovative because for the first time, it engages all stakeholders from at least three continents from the start of the process for generation and selection of instruments to measure response in SjD clinical trials. 

What does Dr. DiRenzo’s research mean for Sjögren’s patients? 

Dr. DiRenzo’s research is an extension of the work done by OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology) to produce reliable patient-reported outcome measures to be used for clinical trials. This work will identify Sjögren’s domains that are important and relevant to generate optimal measurement tools, and ultimately, provide critical new outcome measurements for clinical trials. The international Sjögren’s community will be involved to ensure that instruments used to measure response in Sjögren’s clinical trials are best practice and globally accepted.

Congratulations to our Foundation Research Grantees! Good luck with your research this year and we look forward to the impact your research will have on the Sjögren’s community!

Sjögren's Foundation Grants

Click below to learn more about the Foundation’s research opportunities or current and past grant recipients. 

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