Research Proposal and Synopsis
A proposal that states a real gap, answerable objectives and a method your committee can approve.
A research proposal plans your PhD at the start, and a synopsis mostly summarises the finished thesis before submission, though some universities mix the names. The proposal is written near the beginning, usually after coursework or while it is going on. You present it to your Research Advisory Committee or doctoral committee, and they approve it. It says what you plan to study and how you will study it. In most universities the synopsis is at the other end of the PhD. It summarises the work you have finished, and you send it some weeks or months before the thesis. But some universities call the first document also a synopsis. So check which one your department means before you start writing.
PhD Desk helps with the proposal and the synopsis both. In a proposal, the main work is making the problem sharp and keeping the objectives answerable in the time you really have. Then the method has to be one your committee will accept. A synopsis is a different kind of job. Three or more years of work has to come down to a few pages, and those pages must match the thesis that follows.
In both cases the thinking has to be your own. Your committee will question you on the proposal. On the synopsis you will face questions at the pre-submission seminar and again in the viva-voce. Our job is to question the draft, show you where it needs restructuring and edit the language with tracked changes. The research ideas remain with you only.
Quick answers
- What help do I get with a proposal or synopsis?
We take a hard look at your problem and the gap. You turn the aims into three to five objectives that can be answered, and we review them. We also check the method and work plan. For a pre-submission synopsis, we check its summary against your thesis chapters. In both cases we can review the slides for your committee also.
- How long does a proposal or synopsis take?
Problem and gap review is 5–7 working days. The objectives and method review takes 1–2 weeks. A synopsis is usually 2–3 weeks, once your chapters are ready. The committee meeting date is fixed by your department, not by us.
- Do you write the proposal?
No. You have to defend it in front of your committee, and every semester they review you against it. That is why the ideas and the drafting must stay yours. We question what you write and edit the language. How we work is explained in our ethics policy.
- Is there a similarity report?
Yes. Every draft we send back comes with a full report. You can see where you stand against your university’s limit before the university does its own check. We don’t promise any set percentage.
- How do I start, and how many revisions do I get?
Book the free consultation and tell us the date of your committee meeting or synopsis. After we read your draft, you get a written scope. It lists the revision rounds for each stage and gives a fixed quote, and both are agreed before you pay anything.
Scope
What’s included
You can take any stage alone. Many times the topic is already settled and the draft just needs some tightening before the committee meets, and in that case the review and presentation stages alone may be enough for you.
Problem and gap review
We read your problem statement and the literature behind it with a critical eye. Is the gap real, recent and specific? Does the proposal give evidence for the gap, or does it just claim one?
Review of objectives and research questions
You turn the broad aims into three to five objectives, and we review each one. Each one should be specific, answerable by your method, and possible to finish inside the UGC’s minimum and maximum PhD duration.
Methodology and work plan review
We see whether your design, sampling, data sources, tools and analysis plan actually fit the objectives. Your semester-wise work plan is also checked. It has to be realistic, and the committee should be able to track your progress with it.
Synopsis review
This stage is for the pre-submission synopsis. You set out the summary in your university’s format, and we check that it gives a true picture of the thesis. We also check that the objectives and findings in it line up with the chapters.
Committee presentation review
Your slides for the proposal talk or the pre-submission seminar get reviewed. Along with that you get a list of questions the committee may ask, taken from your own document.
Quality
How quality is verified
These are the checks every piece of work goes through before it reaches you.
Reviewer from your discipline
The person reading your proposal knows the literature and methods of your field. They read it the way a doctoral committee member would.
Gap checked against recent literature
We do our own search of recent literature to see if somebody has already filled your stated gap. If any papers come close, we show them to you.
Objectives mapped to method
For every objective we trace the data, method and analysis that will answer it. When some objective has no clear route, we flag it early, so you can fix it before the committee sits.
References checked against sources
We check that each cited work exists and that it supports the claim you have made from it. Correct references make your argument for the gap stronger.
Similarity report with every draft
You get a full similarity report with each draft we return. So you already know your position before the university runs its check.
Format matched to your university
We check your draft against your university’s template for the proposal or synopsis, with its word limits, headings and required sections. If something is missing, we point it out.
Time
Realistic timelines
Our part of the work on a proposal or synopsis takes some weeks. How long approval takes is up to your committee and the university calendar.
| Stage | Typical time | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Problem and gap review | 5–7 working days | Us |
| Objectives and methodology review | 1–2 weeks | Us and you, with drafts going back and forth |
| Your revisions and supervisor’s review | 1–4 weeks | You and your supervisor |
| Presentation review | 3–5 working days | Us |
| Committee meeting and decision | Set by the department | Your university |
| Synopsis review (pre-submission) | 2–3 weeks | Us and you, once the thesis chapters are ready |
Where each document fits
Proposal, synopsis and the UGC 2022 regulations
These rules are from the UGC’s 2022 PhD regulations. Each university applies them in its own way, so check the details in your university’s ordinance.
The proposal and your Research Advisory Committee
As per the 2022 regulations, every scholar has a Research Advisory Committee or some equivalent body. This committee reviews the research proposal, finalises the topic and guides the research. It also reviews progress from time to time, typically once a semester, and the scholar presents progress before it. In practice you present the proposal after coursework or during it. Many universities will not confirm your registration till the proposal is approved. When the proposal is argued well, the progress reviews later are also easier, because everybody agreed in the beginning itself what “done” means.
What committees commonly ask about
Mostly the committee raise the same few points. The scope is too wide. The gap is claimed but no evidence is shown for it. Sometimes the objectives are only the title written again in other words. The method may not suit the objectives, or the sample and data access are not realistic. We also see work plans where no time is kept for publication or for ethics approval. The first two problems are covered in detail in our guide to writing a research gap statement. And if the topic itself is not fixed yet, go to topic and gap selection first.
The synopsis before submission
Many universities want a synopsis before the thesis comes in. Often it has a fixed page limit and a set structure, and it may go to the prospective examiners. The synopsis must describe the same thesis you finally submit to the university. When the synopsis promises chapters or findings the thesis does not have, scholars land in trouble that was easy to avoid. Around the same time there is usually the pre-submission seminar before your committee. For the usual order of these steps, see our PhD timeline guide once.
If the method is the weak point
If the committee’s worry is mainly the research design, like sampling or instruments or validity, you may need only a focused methodology consultation and not the full proposal review.
Pricing
How pricing works
We give the quote only after reading what you already have. That may be a draft proposal or some notes, or for a synopsis, the finished thesis chapters. A proposal which needs only some tightening is a small job for us. If the topic keeps changing, the work is much bigger. Whatever stages you pick, we put a fixed quote for them in writing before starting.
Is your committee meeting on a fixed date? Mention it at the consultation itself. We will tell you honestly if the timeline can work or not.
What the quote depends on
- Whether it is a first proposal or a pre-submission synopsis
- How far your topic, objectives and method are already settled
- The length and format your university requires
- Your subject area, and how specialised the reviewer has to be
- The date of your committee meeting or synopsis deadline
Every quote includes
- A written scope listing exactly what will be delivered
- A fixed price agreed before any payment
- Payment in stages, tied to delivery
- Revision rounds stated in the scope
Process
How it works
Free consultation
A call or message with a specialist in your subject. We review your material and say plainly whether we are the right fit.
Written scope and quote
You get a written scope, a timeline and a fixed price. Work and payment begin once you agree to it.
Staged delivery
Work arrives in stages you review, each with a similarity report where text is involved. You pay stage by stage.
Revisions and hand-over
Revision rounds are included. At the end you get the final files, and an explanation of anything you’ll need to defend.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
PhD synopsis format and structure
The sections a research committee expects, typical length, and an outline to adapt.
Writing a research gap statement
The kinds of gap, a sentence pattern that works, and weak-versus-strong examples.
PhD timeline and milestones in India
Coursework to viva under the UGC 2022 regulations, year by year, with the usual sticking points.
Research Topic and Gap Selection
A shortlist of topics with a documented gap, checked for feasibility before you commit years to one.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will my supervisor know I had help?
Our suggestion is that you tell your guide. The supervisor is anyway involved in the proposal process. Most of them see an outside review as useful, not as a problem. And since the proposal is still your own work, it is an easy thing to discuss about with them.
Is this ethical?
Yes, frank feedback on a proposal is normal in academic life. Supervisors give it, seniors give it, and people in seminars give it. The line is crossed when somebody else makes up the research for you. From us you get feedback, evidence and editing only.
Can you guarantee the committee will approve it?
No, we cannot, because approval is in your committee’s hands and even good proposals come back sometimes with a list of changes. We help you see the questions they may ask beforehand, and we point out the weak spots committees usually object to, so you can fix them.
What is the difference between a synopsis and a proposal?
In most Indian universities you write the proposal at the start, and it describes the work you are planning. The synopsis comes before you submit the thesis and summarises work that is finished. A few universities say “synopsis” for both. Your university’s PhD ordinance will tell which document is needed at which stage.
My committee rejected my proposal. Can you help?
Yes, we can. Send us proposal along with the committee’s comments, and if they told you things only orally, just write down whatever points you remember. We will help you understand what they want, and then check your new version against every comment.
Is my proposal kept confidential?
Yes. A research idea that is not yet published has real value, and we handle it like that. Only your reviewer sees it. We use the file for your project only and delete it once you ask. We sign a non-disclosure agreement also, if you want one.
Talk it through with a specialist for free
Send us where you are and what you need. We’ll reply within one working day with clear advice, a written scope and a fixed quote. No obligation.
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