A supervisor-ready proposal should make the intended study easy to understand and difficult to misinterpret. Before submission, check the chain of decisions rather than polishing isolated sections.
1. Confirm the research problem
State the practical or scholarly problem precisely. Identify who or what is affected, in which setting, and why existing knowledge or practice is insufficient.
Avoid presenting a broad topic as a problem. A topic names an area; a problem identifies an unresolved condition that the study will investigate.
- Current evidence establishes the problem
- The scope is appropriate to the degree
- The setting, population, or unit of analysis is clear
2. Align the title, questions, and objectives
The title, central question, sub-questions, and objectives should describe the same study. Terms should not change meaning across sections, and every objective should have a realistic evidence source and analysis route.
- Each question maps to an objective
- Variables or key concepts are used consistently
- The intended contribution does not exceed the design
3. Build a critical literature route
A literature review should explain what is known, how it is known, where findings disagree, and what remains unresolved. Organise sources around concepts, debates, methods, or evidence patterns rather than one-study-at-a-time summaries.
- Search terms and databases are documented
- Recent and foundational sources are balanced
- The stated gap follows from the reviewed evidence
4. Make the method executable
Specify the design, population, sampling logic, instrument or data source, collection procedure, analysis plan, quality criteria, ethics, limitations, and feasibility. Name software only after the analytical requirements are clear.
- The method can answer every research question
- Access and recruitment are realistic
- Validity, reliability, trustworthiness, or reflexivity are addressed
5. Complete the submission check
Use the official template, required citation style, word limit, headings, declarations, and timeline. Verify every citation against the source and make unresolved supervisor decisions visible instead of guessing.
- All required sections are present
- In-text citations and references correspond
- Tables, figures, appendices, and schedules are labelled
Apply the checklist to your project.
Download the printable resource, review the related service, or send a structured enquiry with your programme, current stage, exact issue, and deadline.