Writing a research proposal for a PhD in Celtic and Scottish Studies

A strong research proposal is an important element of your PhD application. It should provide us with information about your research interests, both in terms of the wider field and the specific focus of your own work.  

Your proposal should demonstrate that you have an original and important topic in mind that is the right size and shape for the scope and timescale of a PhD that we can help you refine. The length of a PhD thesis is typically 80,000 words (a maximum of 100,000 words).

Our guidelines are intended to help you put together a proposal that is appropriate for a PhD project in: 

• Celtic Studies
• Scottish Studies
• Scottish Ethnology

We welcome both ‘traditional’ and practice-based proposals. 

Please read the guidelines in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh's general guidance on How to write a good postgraduate (PG) research proposal.

How to write a good PG research proposal

You should also take a look at Section 4 (especially ‘Thesis Requirements’ on pages 12 and 13) of the Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students (July 2024).

Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students

Your proposal should be around 2,000 words in length, not including references and bibliography.

Your title should show clearly what your project is about in order to catch your readers’ interest. 

The proposal should cover the following points, intended to help you structure your outline (they do not need to be presented in the order set out below, but should each be addressed). It should also be appropriately referenced.

1. A clear thesis statement that highlights your hypothesis should provide an outline of why your project is important and how it is intended to make an original or innovative contribution to scholarship. Explain what unexplored aspects or problems of the field(s) of study your project intends to address or why previous research is in need of reassessment. Show why both scholars and wider society would benefit from your research, and why your project is worth being funded.
2. Give an overview of the primary material that your research will examine. This could consist of a literary or musical genre, the work of a particular author, or linguistic data and/or fieldwork material (existing, or that you intend to collect yourself).
3. Identify the research questions or problems that you intend to address in your thesis. This can take the form of a short list of questions.
4. Show where your research is located in the context of the wider field(s) of study and associated critical discourses and debates. It is important to demonstrate that you are engaging with material, up-to-date and/or understood as long out-of-date, that will be fundamental to developing your own original argument, re-evaluation, or rebuttal.  A strong understanding of previous research will enable you to demonstrate how your thesis would employ relevant critical and methodological approaches.
5. Provide an outline of the theoretical and methodological approaches you intend to employ to analyse your material and to address your research questions. Explain what original outcomes your approach is intended to generate, and why your chosen methodology would be appropriate to reach this aim.
6. We would like to know why you wish to undertake PhD study at the University of Edinburgh. This could include specialist supervision or the availability of specific resources in repositories at the University and in Edinburgh.

Note: Please ensure that the sources you cite from or refer to in the proposal are listed in a bibliography (not included in the suggested wordcount).  Any further material that you also consider relevant to your project should be noted here, as well.

Some projects, chiefly those involving the gathering of fieldwork material, may have ethical implications. If this could be the case for your project, please outline possible issues in the proposal. All research undertaken at the university is required to undergo ethical review in its early stages.

Find out more about research ethics reviews

A successful research project aims to make an original contribution to knowledge in your chosen field(s) of study. Your proposal should demonstrate how your topic furthers understanding of those aspects of the field(s) on which you intend to work. You are not, however, completely tied to your initial proposal if your research later develops in ways that diverge from the original plan, but still produce academically robust and innovative results.

Dr Anja Gunderloch (Celtic & Scottish Studies Director of Postgraduate Research) is happy to answer any questions you may have at this stage and, depending on your topic, will put you in touch with a potential supervisor. Before submitting your application, we advise that you share your draft proposal with both staff for advice and feedback.