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Guidelines for Writing a Research Proposal for PhD Students within the LMCB

  1. Writing a research proposal at the beginning of your thesis work will be required for progression from MPhil registration to PhD registration.

  2. The proposal should be written with guidance from your supervisor and should be handed in by 31st October. It will be read by your monitoring committee and will form the basis of your first meeting with them in November/December.

  3. The purpose of writing the proposal is to ensure (i) that you are familiar with the relevant literature regarding the proposed research, (ii) that there is a clear question to be addressed, and (iii) that there is a clear plan for experiments over the next year. The intent is that you find writing the proposal helpful.

  4. The proposal should be ~3000 words and no longer than 3300 words (excluding figure legends and references). The style, format, and the exact length are flexible, but it should be modelled on a standard grant proposal with background, aims and experimental plan, together with a reference list. The emphasis should be on clearly framing the questions to be addressed in your thesis work. Writing the proposal should also help you become sufficiently familiar with your research area that you can engage in a fruitful discussion with your supervisor and your committee