#idk how many times ive read this exchange and yet every time i dont get what mob means here

[mangateru]

[medieval-canadian]

Do you have any advice on creating a research proposal?

hello anon! sure, i could probably give you a couple pointers. keep in mind that a) im not an expert - im only an ma student! and b) the parameters of the research proposal you need to produce will affect what the process of creating it will look like. so, given that i am working in the humanities and have really only written actual research proposals for a canadian federal funding body, my experience is specific to those parameters and requirements. 

however. i think (theoretically, mind you, i have no practical knowledge to back this up) that some things remain constant across the board. so here’s my attempt to articulate those at my bedtime after a glass of wine and what feels like a long day (but it wasn’t really)

ONE - remember that this is a research proposal. therefore, you cannot in any feasible way have done the research yet. you are not expected to have read every source in your bibliography. however, please DO take advantage of the (seemingly hundreds) of book/article reviews you can find on any database. you know the ones that take up the first three pages of your database search before you realize that this database doesn’t actually have the text you’re looking for because you fall into this trap every damn time? okay maybe that’s just me but still. in this case these will actually be what you’re looking for ON PURPOSE! 

TWO - and related to one: though as ive mentioned you can’t have done the research yet, it is best to stick to a field for which you have at least a basic grasp of the current state of scholarship. you don’t want to have to do all the groundwork and/or miss any big glaring chunks of important field-specific history that would completely derail your argument

THREE - choose your strategy: pick something that truly interests you or pick something you know you can create good a proposal for. which one you choose will likely depend on the parameters of the required proposal. for the ones i’ve applied to, the proposal i write is not a contract; the funding body doesn’t care if i change my project once they’ve given me money. it’s about proving that i can think in a way that they deem “worthy” of funding. however, if you’re applying for a grant or something that funds specific projects, then you should probably make sure the project is interesting to you. otherwise your work life might suck for a while.

FOUR - my best piece of advice regarding the creation of a research proposal is………….. TEAMWORK! no for real. create a group of fellow proposal-writers and brainstorm everyone’s project together; exchange drafts, get thoughts, get feedback on what works and what doesn’t. it’s honestly even better if this group is field-diverse. for example, i wouldn’t want to write a research proposal about medieval lit and then exchange it with 3 other medievalists - we would get too bogged down in the details, in the “have you read this, have you considered that”s and in the “actually, i disagree”s. when i wrote my proposals, i was working with a modernist, a contemporary/video games person, a political scientist, and a narratologist. this, in my experience, much more accurately reflects the kind of selection committee that a discipline-non-specific research grant (like SSHRC) would put together. this way, your proposal can speak to scholars that are not experts in your particular area, which is important if they’re the ones deciding whether your ideas are worth money

FIVE - and i guess a bit trite. but remember: not everyone can be funded. if you dont get the award or scholarship or grant you’re applying to, it doesn’t mean your ideas are worthless or that you won’t be a great scholar or that you can’t succeed in the field. rejection is a huge part of academia, unfortunately - but you can’t let that stop you from thinking in interesting and innovative ways. 

i hope this helps! idk how relevant it is because, as i said, i’ve not applied to very many research grants. but if you have more questions, or want a follow up or clarification, let me know. and also, to anyone else who happens to read this beast, if you have input or something to add then please do!

xx