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A tall ring of brushed steel plates standing in a concrete room that opens on the sea. Clamps hold it at the top and at the left. At the right the joint has sprung open, and its bolt lies on a stone block beside it. One plate is amber.

Research proposal checklist

See what your proposal still lacks.

Try the checklist
What the film shows, in words
  1. Is your proposal all there?
  2. 7 of 12 sections in place.
  3. Ethics is missing. That is an error, not a warning.
  4. 2,650 of 3,000 words. 350 left, five sections to go.
  5. Ethics drafted. Then 3,100 words: 100 over.
  6. See what is missing. Then write it yourself.

ExampleWorked example: a master’s proposal missing ethics, limitations and a timeline. One input changes at each step. Nothing is saved or sent.

The checklist on a worked example

Step 1 of 4

Seven of twelve in place. One bolt is missing.

This proposal is
An assessed student proposal
Current word count
2,650
Word limit
3,000

7 of 12350 words left

  1. Title: in place
  2. Background: in place
  3. Problem statement: in place
  4. Aims and questionsessential: in place
  5. Literature review: in place
  6. Methodsessential: in place
  7. Ethicsessentialmissing
  8. Timelineopen
  9. Budgetopen
  10. Limitationsopen
  11. References: in place
  12. Dissemination and impactopen

Ethics is the empty hole: essential, and missing.

7/12 sections present and 2,650/3,000 words: 5 sections missing. One is an error (Ethics); four are warnings. 350 words are left for all of them (3,000 − 2,650).

  • 7/12 sections present
  • 2,650/3,000 words
  • ErrorMissing: Ethics.
  • WarningsMissing: Timeline.Missing: Budget.Missing: Limitations.Missing: Dissemination and impact.
  • NoteAssessed work: coaching only.

The researcher writes every word. This tool gives questions, structure and checks, not assessed text.

Now check your own draft.

Tick the sections your draft already has and set your word count. The checklist shows what is missing, gives questions to answer in each section yourself, and includes a declaration-of-assistance template for any help you receive.

The ring is the form. Twelve sections in the tool’s own order, clockwise from the top. Nine are plates; three are the bolts that hold the ring shut. Tick a section and its place fills; the inner ring is your word count against your limit.

Live

This proposal is

7 of 12350 words left

Your draft has

Set 0 for no limit.

Your institution’s or funder’s template overrides this list. It checks presence, not quality.

7/12sections present
2,650/3,000words

Checks

  • Gap: Missing: Ethics.Consent, risk, data protection and approvals
  • Check: Missing: Timeline.Is it realistic, with slack for approvals and fieldwork?
  • Check: Missing: Budget.Does every cost serve the aims?
  • Check: Missing: Limitations.What can the study not show, and why?
  • Check: Missing: Dissemination and impact.Who will use the findings, and how will they hear?
  • Note: Assessed work: coaching only.We coach and give feedback; we do not write any part of an assessed proposal.

Questions to answer in each section (you write the answers)

Title

Does it name the population, setting and focus?

Background

What do we already know, and from where?

Problem statement

What exactly is not known or not working?

Aims and questions

Can each question be answered with the planned data?

Literature review

Which debates does the study join, and where is the gap?

Methods

Design, sample, data collection and analysis: are they justified?

Ethics (missing)

Consent, risk, data protection and approvals

Timeline (missing)

Is it realistic, with slack for approvals and fieldwork?

Budget (missing)

Does every cost serve the aims?

Limitations (missing)

What can the study not show, and why?

References

Are all sources real, cited and consistently formatted?

Dissemination and impact (missing)

Who will use the findings, and how will they hear?

Declaration of assistance (template)

Declaration

I confirm that this proposal is my own work. I received the following assistance: [describe: for example coaching sessions on structure, feedback on drafts, or language editing]. No part of the text was written for me. [Name, date]

The researcher writes every word. This tool gives questions, structure and checks, not assessed text.

Your dated checklistProposal gap checklist and outline prompts, with a declaration-of-assistance templateTry this form

Practice 11: Research supervision, academic coaching & publication supportFree · instant results on this pageTool owner: Prof. Wisdom Gagakuma and Michael GagakumaVersion 1.0 ·

Your ring, as it stands

7 of 12350 words left

Sections present
7/12
Words
2,650
Kind
Assessed

It records what is present, not how good it is. It moves with every box you change above.

Your dated checklist

Proposal gap checklist and outline prompts, with a declaration-of-assistance template, by email once delivery is connected.

What your draft has and what it lacks, the question to answer in each section, and the declaration template. It records presence only: every word stays yours.

Preview only. No email will be sent. Your results are available above.

Nothing you enter here is sent anywhere. Privacy notice

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How it works, and its limits.

The rule is published so you can check it. The list is a common one, not yours: your institution’s or funder’s template decides what a proposal must contain.

The foot of a curved concrete wall: a brushed steel joint with one fixing seat left empty, and a citrine window reveal beside it, the sea behind.

Method

  1. 01

    Twelve standard proposal sections are checked against what your draft contains.

  2. 02

    Missing aims, methods or ethics are errors; other gaps are warnings.

  3. 03

    Each section comes with a question for you to answer in your own words.

What it cannot tell you

  • Your institution’s or funder’s template overrides this list.
  • It checks presence, not quality.
  • Assessed student work is never written for the student.

Quality ruleDistinguish assessed student work from authorised institutional bids.

Prof. Wisdom Gagakuma Book the Professor · from USD 150
Michael Gagakuma Book Michael · from USD 90

When the gaps need a person

Coaching and feedback on a draft the researcher writes. Assessed student work is never written for the student, and no one here can promise what a committee, a funder or an examiner will decide.

Thesis & dissertation coaching: the student writesService · 11 Research supervision, academic coaching & publication supportResearch-grant proposals for academics & institutionsService · 11 Research supervision, academic coaching & publication support What ethical thesis coaching includes, and what the student must doGuide 11 Research supervision, academic coaching & publication supportPractice Research topicsFree toolResearch methodology decision aidFree toolReference-list consistency checkerFree toolJournal finderFree tool

What needs to move forward?

Tell us the decision, the challenge or the opportunity. We reply with a scoped approach, a named principal and a fee before any work begins.

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