Research proposal http://131.111.9.224/currentStudents/phd/pre-fieldworkTraining/resear...

Department of Social Anthropology

University of Cambridge > Department of Social Anthropology > Current students > MPhil
SAR/ PhD > Pre-fieldwork (training route 1) > Research proposal

Research Proposal

The research proposal distils your research training to date and is at the
core of your own plans. Basically it sets out the problem you intend to
Contents investigate and how you propose to go about it. Your description of the
research problem should include a discussion of relevant literature in the
Research Proposal
field, and explain why your own research will be a contribution to the
Portfolio
discipline. You should then explain why it makes sense to address your
Links research questions through fieldwork in the specific place(s) in which
you plan to work.
Funding fieldwork
The research proposal forms part of the research proposal portfolio.
After you have submitted this portfolio, you will attend a fieldwork
clearance interview with the PhD Committee.

For all first year PhD students, the proposal should be a single
continuous and complete prose document of up to 7,000 words for those
taking training route 1, and 5,000 words for those taking the MPhil SAR.
Do not attach separate documents or disks. It should be bound or
stapled and should contain the following components:

a. A review of the literature, both theoretical and ethnographic, with

discussion of selected themes/ issues in the ethnography, and of
relevant aspects of the history, economy, and languages of the
region/ field where the study will be conducted

b. An outline of the questions to be addressed and the expected

contribution of the study to anthropological understanding

c. A methodological discussion, in which theoretical questions and

general issues are translated into researchable empirical questions
and the methods to be employed are justified and described

d. A discussion of the practical, political, and ethical issues affecting

conduct of the research

e. A presentation of the schedule for the research, and its estimated

budget

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