As part of the application process, all candidates should submit a research proposal. A clear and well-written research proposal will allow the admission panel to assess both the originality and relevance of the proposed research and whether it is a suitable for study at the doctoral level. The initial proposal also normally provides a clear insight into the proponent’s research potential.

In addition, the clearer you are in your explanation of what you intend to do, and why and how you intend to study that particular topic, the easier it is for us to assess whether your proposed topic fits into any of our research areas.

It is a matter of personal style how a research proposal is structured and presented. However, a good proposal will normally address all of the following aspects:

• What is the title of your proposed research?
• What is the specific topic/area which you are proposing to explore?
• Why it is worth researching this area as a research degree topic? Explain what is the academic, societal, commercial and/or industrial importance of your proposed topic.
• What is the overall objective of your research? What are you trying to find out/demonstrate? Are you planning to be make suggestions in relation to a particular area of law/practice? Remember that research at doctoral level is not merely descriptive. You need to have an original idea which you want to develop/test through your research.
• How is your research original? You need to explain how your proposed topic goes further than previous research in the overall area.
• What are the key academic ideas within the area of your proposed topic? Provide supporting references and explain how your research relates to these ideas.
• What will be your general research approach and specific research methods? Explain why you are intending to use such an approach. Research in law does not necessary require the researcher to carry out empirical research. However, if you are planning to collect primary data (e.g. through interviews/questionnaires/focus groups, etc.), you should explain why this is important and detail how you will gain access to the intended participants. How do you intend to interpret or analyse the data, once collected?

Remember that your proposal is a piece of academic writing. You should fully reference all the sources used to prepare your proposal. Please use footnotes and not endnotes or Harvard style references. The research proposal should include a bibliography.

Length of proposal: as a guide, the proposal should not exceed 2,000 words, including footnotes and bibliography. Shorter proposals will not allow you to cover all of the points above in a meaningful manner. Proposals which are overly long are generally symptomatic of a lack of clarity about the real direction of the proposed research.