Proposed Research Topics (PHD)
1.
Achieving Operational Excellence and
Customer Intimacy with Information Systems in Energy Sector. A case of British
Petroleum
2.
How Information Systems are
Transforming Energy Sector, by using Information Systems to Achieve Competitive
Advantage, globalization Challenges andopportunities.
Guideline
Why a good research
proposal is essential to the application process
As outlined above, your research proposal is an integral part of the
application process, so it is certainly worth investing time and energy into
it. It needs to outline the nature of your proposed study and give some
indication of how you will conduct your research.
Remember that a research proposal is about what youwant
to study; it immediately reflects your initial understanding of, and commitment
to, MPhil or PhD study. A research proposal should make a positive and powerful
first impression about your potential to become a good researcher. It should
also enable the University to assess whether you are a good ‘match’ for our
supervisors and our areas of research expertise. Therefore, in a good research
proposal you will need to demonstrate that you are capable of:
- independent
critical thinking and analysis - communicating
your ideas clearly
Applying for a research degree is in some sense rather like applying for
a job – unlike applying for a taught programme. When you start a research
degree you will become a valued researcher in an academic department. Through
your research proposal your colleagues want to know whether they can work with
you and whether your ideas are focussed, interesting and realistic. Try to
impress them! Since you are going to be investing some years of your life
working hard on your research degree, a few days spent researching and writing
a thorough research proposal is a small initial investment to make. In short, a
research proposal is an essential first step in your research degree journey.
Make sure you give it your fullest consideration and effort.
You are not expected to be the expert
Remember, you do not need to have a research degree to write a research
proposal! Your proposal should be indicative and it should outlineyour
areas of interest and your general insight into the research topic. You
are notexpected to be an expert and to be familiar with all
the specific details of your subject. However, you are expected to have a good
level of knowledge about the subject and where you might make a valuable
contribution to research.
Steps to a successful research
proposal
Some people seem to think a research proposal is too complicated and an
inconvenient part of the application process. A good research proposal should
not be complicated. However, it can be challenging to write and it is important
to get right. A research degree is challenging, so it is good training working
on your research proposal. Although there is no exact prescribed format for a
general research proposal (across all subjects), all of the following are
deemed important.
1) a clear working title for your research project
- what
will you call your project? - what
key words would describe your proposal?
2) a clear statement about what you want to work on
and why it is important, interesting, relevant and realistic
- what
are your main research objectives? – these could be articulated as
hypotheses, - propositions,
research questions, or problems to solve - what
difference do you think your research will make? - why
does this research excite you? - what
research ‘gaps’ will you be filling by undertaking your project? - how
might your research ‘add value’ to the subject? - is
your research achievable in the time allocated? (e.g. 3 years full‐time)
3) some background knowledge and context of the
area in which you wish to work, including key literature, key people, key
research findings
- how
does your work link to the work of others in the same or related fields? - would
your work support or contest the work of others? - how
does your work relate to the expertise within the department you are
applying to?
4) some consideration of the methods/approach you
might use
- how
will you conduct your research? - will
you use existing theories, new methods/approaches or develop new
methods/approaches? - how
might you design your project to get the best results/findings?
5) some indication of the strategy and timetable
for your research project and any research challenges you may face
- what
would be the main stages of your project? - what
would you be expecting to do in each year of your research degree? - what
challenges might you encounter and how might you overcome these?
6) a list of the key references which support your
research proposal
- references
should be listed in the appropriate convention for your subject area (e.g.
Harvard). Such references should be used throughout your research proposal
to demonstrate that you have read and understood the work of others. - other
relevant material that you are aware of, but not actually used in writing
your proposal, can also be added as a bibliography
All of the above six sections are important, but section 2 is
particularly important because in any research project, establishing your main
purpose represents the whole basis for completing the research programme.
Therefore, the value of your proposed research is assessed in relation to your research
aims and objectives.
The appropriate length of a research
proposal
A good research proposal is as long as it takes, but a guide would be
1000‐1500 words.
Remember that it is meant to be an accurate overview, not a thesis, so you need
to provide enough detail for the reader to understand it. It should not be too
long, or too short. A paragraph would not be enough and 2000 or more words is
too much.
The perfect research proposal
In addition to the above, an excellent research proposal will:
- Have
to be re-read and edited a number of times before it is submitted. You
must demonstrate that you have given your proposal a lot of individual
attention and care. Make sure it is well-written, without any errors. - Leave
the reader with a clear sense of the purpose and direction of your
research project. The reader should not have to read it twice to
understand it. - Leave
the reader interested, excited and wanting to find out more about your
ideas – and about you!
Follow the ‘3 Cs’ rule:
When you have written your research proposal, ask a friend to read it
critically and provide you with feedback. Also, ask yourself whether it follows
the ‘3Cs’ rule:
CLEAR: is what you have written
intelligible and clearly articulated? Does it make sense, or is it vague and
confusing?
CONCISE: have you written
your proposal in a succinct and focussed way?
COHERENT: does your
proposal link together well so that it tells the reader a short story about
what you want to do, why you want to do it and how you will do it?
If you can answer all of these ‘3C’ questions with confidence, you have
probably put together a good proposal.
Last thoughts…
Remember that your research proposal should leave a positive first
impression upon the reader about your ‘fitness’ to pursue a research degree. It
is yourproject, so it is important to demonstrate leadership
in this first stage of the application process. An ideal proposal should leave
the reader feeling in no doubt that you have done some preliminary research
about your subject and that you are knowledgeable and ready to tackle the
challenges of the research degree. Give your proposal your utmost attention and
time, but also be realistic‐ you are not expected to know everything at this stage. Your proposal
can also be flexible. It is not a contract. Always ask someone else to read
your proposal before you submit it, and to offer you some critical but
supportive feedback.
Finally, remember that a research proposal instantly reflects your
potential competence to undertake a research degree effectively. A proposal is
ultimately about yourability to demonstrate that you are
capable of research degree study, so you should put time and effort into it.
[1] If you are applying for a specific, pre‐defined research project you may not need to submit a proposal.
– See more at:
http://www.bolton.ac.uk/Research/Prospective-Students/Writing-a-Research-Proposal.aspx#sthash.V7tpipgm.dpuf
