This coming semester, I will be teaching an undergraduate class on graduate school preparation for science majors. One of the main assignments during the class will be the assembly of a full research proposal, which I would explain as (if they did it well) something they could take with them to a prospective graduate advisor. The students would need to include all the sections that would be looked for in a proposal, such as a literature review, research question, properly-framed hypothesis, research methodology, proposed statistical analysis, budget, time frame, etc.) I will be honest with the students that a graduate advisor may tell them, "That's nice, but this is what we are going to do" or "Here's how we are going to tweak it", etc. Would this be helpful? What would you think if a student came to you with a proposal already done?
Yes, this is the model I advocate.
It forces the student to demonstrate research skills, not to rely too heavily on the advisor, and to pick a field that is do-able and of interest to the student. (It also forces the advisor to stretch his/her interests.)
Indeed it is helpful for prospective students to develop a research proposal during their application to graduate school. The following reasons will substantiate the necessity of doing so.
1. It provides the necessary basic knowldge and experience in research writing which is an instrumental to complete a graduate dissertation, thesis or project.
2. It prepares a prospective student psychologically for future academic writing and therefore provide the mental attitude and mood to undertake a comprehensive and thorough research endevour.
3. It is a step forward into the right direction. In other words, the student will on their way to create a research proposal.
Based on the reason provided above, it is therefore imperative for prospective graduate students to develop a concept note in form of a research proposal to forge a clear research path for the graduate studies.
I feel it will be helpful. At the end of this activity, the student will be able to show their skills and competencies required for conducting research and will be more independent researcher. Also, they will be able to identify their interests strength and improvement opportunities which play a vital role during the research. This activity will help the supervisors to more focus on the area of preference of the student and allocate research in that area.Introducing the same will eventually benefit student and supervisor both.
When applying for my DBA a research proposal was mandatory, looking back I can see that it demonstrated:
- I had an understanding and commitment to the topic I was planning on spending several years of my life researching.
- There was a genuine research gap.
- It allows the supervisor(s) and student to establish that their areas of interest had a good overlap. They are committing to working together for a long time, so a shared interest in the subject matter goes a long way towards a productive relationship
- That suitable supervisor(s) are available and willing to supervise the subject.
- The student has, or has the potential, to write at a suitable academic level for the qualification and is willing and interested enough to do so. Looking at it another way, if the student thinks the proposal is too much effort or too difficult, how do we think they would cope with a dissertation or thesis?
Inevitably, the final version of the research evolves into something different from the first research proposal, but this is to be expected and the proposal serves as a sound 'starting point'.
I applied to several Universities and each required a research proposal, after the initial drafting the version sent to each school only required tweaking to meet their specific requirements. The proposal is significant initial investment in time, and learning curve, but once complete can be used multiple times and for the reasons above is a good investment.
Do not expect a prospective graduate student to prepare a research proposal in the correct format. But they must be encouraged to bring one or two ideas, which they would be able to develop into a proposal.
Yes it is very important to have a research proposal ready in your hands. But is more important to have in your mind the readiness to redo it if it takes you to do so. Every time you put your thoughts in paper your research plan gets clearer and more matured.
yes. It is helpful not only to take admission but for the students that he/she knows about research.
In my opinion, it is an excellent decision by Graduate schools to require prospective graduate student a research proposal in hand. A priori, this proposal makes it possible to appreciate the applicant's analytical capacity and facilitates not merely his orientation, but also the choice by the Graduate school of future research directors of the applicant for postgraduate studies.
Your class will be very helpful for the students. Indeed, it will allow students to make up for their shortcomings in the development of research proposals. I am always very happy to receive students who have a proposal already done. Reading the document leads me to (i) an in-depth analysis of the student's file; (ii) an interview with the student to assess their understanding of the subject; his ability to work in a team; his level of autonomy; his research experiences. In addition, it avoids wasting time and money in scientific activities where human motivation can considerably affect their efficiency.
It will be a great start for your students in the next step. This made it easier to broaden the appreciation of his doctoral mentor.
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