how to write research proposal for mphil

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How to write your research proposal

An MPhil research proposal should be 500 words long. It needs to give those assessing your application an impression of the strength and originality of your proposed research, and its potential to make a contribution to knowledge. It should be written in clear, jargon-free, and unexceptionable prose. Grammatical mistakes and typographical errors give a very bad impression. You should make sure you cover the following areas (without explicitly dividing the proposal into headings).

The research topic

Briefly outline the area and topic of your proposed research.

The research context

Relate your proposed research to other work in its field or related fields, and indicate in what ways your research will differ; you might mention monographs on the subject, as well as important theoretical models or methodological exemplars: this is a chance to show your understanding of the background against which your research will be defined.

The contribution you will make

This is your chance to show how you have arrived at your position and recognised the need for your research, and what it is that makes it both new and important; you should indicate what areas and debates it will have an impact on, what methodological example it sets (if appropriate) – in short how it contributes to knowledge and to the practice of Digital Humanities. Give examples of the sort of evidence you might consider, and of the questions it might help you to raise. Show that you are already thinking about the area in detail and not only in outline.

Your methods

You do not necessarily need to define a methodology but if there is something striking about your proposed methodology, and this is central to your proposal you should point to this.

The sources and resources you will use

You should delimit your field of enquiry, showing where the project begins and ends; in certain cases, Cambridge will have unique collections and resources of central relevance to your project, and you should mention these if they are relevant.

How the project will develop

You might indicate some of the possible ways in which the project could develop, perhaps by giving a broader or narrower version depending on what materials and issues you uncover, or which critical, theoretical or methodological approaches you decide to pursue.

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Your MPhil research proposal should be approximately one page in length.

Your research proposal should clearly articulate what you want to research and why. It should indicate a proposed approach to your given field of study. It should nevertheless retain sufficient flexibility to accommodate any changes you need to make as your research progresses.
You should try to show how your postgraduate plans emerge from your undergraduate work and may move it on.
You should try to show how your proposed research will build on existing knowledge or address any gaps or shortcomings. You should accordingly mention existing scholarship, if necessary with certain qualifications – (eg. ‘Smith has written extensively on the theatre of Pirandello, but fails to mention…).
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How to write a research proposal

If you decide to apply for a research project, you will need to write a research proposal, which will form part of your MPhil/PhD application. Before creating your research proposal, we suggest that you read about the application process for MPhils/PhDs at Derby.

Planning your research proposal

Before applying to study an MPhil/PhD, you should review the critical literature in your subject area and specifically in your topic of interest. You should have a clear understanding of the current questions within your chosen topic; from this, you can identify the research question you want to investigate.

Speak to a supervisor

We recommend that you speak to a potential supervisor before creating your research proposal. The supervisor will be able to provide initial feedback on whether your research interests align with research at our University. Also, they can tell you if there are additional requirements, specific to their College, that need to be added into the research proposal template we’ve outlined below.

To search for a supervisor, take a look at our list of researchers , Colleges or our Research Centres and Groups .

To check if there are college-specific requirements for your research proposal, you can contact the Chair of the relevant College Research Committee:

College of Arts, Humanities and Education:  Dr Bill Esmond
College of Business, Law and Social Sciences: Professor Qile He
College of Science and Engineering: Professor Stephan Reiff-Marganiec
College of Health, Psychology and Social Care: Dr Sigrid Lipka

Creating your research proposal

When you have identified a potential research question, you need to prepare an outline research proposal, which should be a maximum of 1,000 words. This should consist of:

Title: recognising that this may change should the research project progress
Context: a brief overview of the general area of study within which your proposed research falls, summarising the current state of knowledge and recent debates on the topic
Initial research questions: the central aim and questions that will guide your research
Research methods: outline of how you are going to conduct your research, for example, by visiting libraries or archives, by conducting field work or interviews etc
Research significance: demonstrate the originality of your intended research
A bibliography (maximum of six references)

The proposal is not fixed and may change after discussion with your potential supervisory team and as your research develops.

You should also prepare a personal statement (maximum 500 words) indicating:

Why you are interested in undertaking a research degree
Why you are passionate about the subject area of the proposed research project
Why you want to undertake your studies at the University of Derby

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parada_del_tren_juliaca_cuzco.jpg

As part of your application for the MPhil in Latin American Studies, you are asked to submit a short research proposal for the dissertation you intend to write. Your proposal should persuade your readers of the significance and feasibility of your project, and of your suitability to carry it out. Be as specific as you can about the material/subject you wish to research, your methods, and your hypotheses. Any research project will naturally change shape as you begin work on it, and you are free to alter your approach later, in agreement with your supervisor. You may also choose a different topic when you arrive in Cambridge, providing that suitable supervision can be found.

You are not expected to contact a proposed supervisor before you submit your application, but you may, if you wish, indicate on your application form if there is someone you would particularly like to supervise your dissertation.

How will my research proposal be evaluated?

Your proposal will be assessed against a range of criteria. These are likely to include:

the significance of the research project
the quality and originality of your ideas
the feasibility of your project: does it look likely that it will be completed within the time available? Are your methods appropriately chosen?
how well you are able to situate your ideas within broader debates
your knowledge of the subject and existing literature relevant to your project
evidence of critical thinking
the degree to which your previous studies have adequately equipped you for this project
the precision, accuracy and fluency of your written style, and your ability to formulate and structure ideas effectively

What should I include in my research proposal?

A research proposal should identify a problem, justify its importance, and propose a feasible and effective way of addressing it. You must therefore contextualize your research questions in the relevant literature, argue convincingly that these questions should be studied, and show that you are capable of answering them in the space of 15,000 words, which is the maximum length of the dissertation for the MPhil in Latin American Studies. You should draft a clear, concise, and coherent research proposal of around 500 words (excluding any references), ensuring that you cover all the points below.

Define your research questions clearly and succinctly, and explain why they are important.
Indicate what has already been published on the subject and how your research will extend or challenge that work, or how it will fill a gap in scholarship.
Outline the intervention(s) you intend to make within broader debates and the original contribution(s) you expect to make to existing knowledge and/or conceptual frameworks.
Explain the methods you will use in your research and justify them as appropriate.
Give details of any fieldwork you intend to carry out.
Outline the skills and experience you bring to the project, and how your previous studies have prepared you to carry it through to successful completion.

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How to Write a Research Proposal

As part of the application for admission onto our MJur, MPhil and PhD programmes, you must prepare a research proposal outlining your proposed area of study.

What is a research proposal?

A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research. It sets out the central issues or questions that you intend to address. It outlines the general area of study within which your research falls, referring to the current state of knowledge and any recent debates on the topic. It also demonstrates the originality of your proposed research.

The proposal is the most important document that you submit as part of the application process. It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate that you have the aptitude for graduate level research, for example, by demonstrating that you have the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely and critically. The proposal also helps us to match your research interest with an appropriate supervisor.

What should you include in the proposal?

Regardless of whether you are applying for the MJur, MPhil or PhD programmes, your research proposal should normally include the following information:

This is just a tentative title for your intended research. You will be able to revise your title during the course of your research if you are accepted for admission.

Examples of the thesis titles of some of our current and recent research students can be seen on our Current Projects page .

2. Abstract

The proposal should include a concise statement of your intended research of no more than 100 words. This may be a couple of sentences setting out the problem that you want to examine or the central question that you wish to address.

3. Research Context

You should explain the broad background against which you will conduct your research. You should include a brief overview of the general area of study within which your proposed research falls, summarising the current state of knowledge and recent debates on the topic. This will allow you to demonstrate a familiarity with the relevant field as well as the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

4. Research Questions

The proposal should set out the central aims and questions that will guide your research. Before writing your proposal, you should take time to reflect on the key questions that you are seeking to answer. Many research proposals are too broad, so reflecting on your key research questions is a good way to make sure that your project is sufficiently narrow and feasible (i.e. one that is likely to be completed with the normal period for a MJur, MPhil or PhD degree).

You might find it helpful to prioritize one or two main questions, from which you can then derive a number of secondary research questions. The proposal should also explain your intended approach to answering the questions: will your approach be empirical, doctrinal or theoretical etc?

5. Research Methods

The proposal should outline your research methods, explaining how you are going to conduct your research. Your methods may include visiting particular libraries or archives, field work or interviews.

Most research is library-based. If your proposed research is library-based, you should explain where your key resources (e.g. law reports, journal articles) are located (in the Law School’s library, Westlaw etc). If you plan to conduct field work or collect empirical data, you should provide details about this (e.g. if you plan interviews, who will you interview? How many interviews will you conduct? Will there be problems of access?). This section should also explain how you are going to analyse your research findings.

6. Significance of Research

The proposal should demonstrate the originality of your intended research. You should therefore explain why your research is important (for example, by explaining how your research builds on and adds to the current state of knowledge in the field or by setting out reasons why it is timely to research your proposed topic).

7. Bibliography

The proposal should include a short bibliography identifying the most relevant works for your topic.

How long should the proposal be?

The proposal should usually be around 2,500 words. It is important to bear in mind that specific funding bodies might have different word limits.

Can the School comment on my draft proposal?

We recognise that you are likely still developing your research topic. We therefore recommend that you contact a member of our staff with appropriate expertise to discuss your proposed research. If there is a good fit between your proposed research and our research strengths, we will give you advice on a draft of your research proposal before you make a formal application. For details of our staff and there areas of expertise please visit our staff pages .

Read a sample proposal from a successful application

Learn more about Birmingham's doctoral research programmes in Law:

Birmingham Law School is home to a broad range of internationally excellent and world-leading legal academics, with a thriving postgraduate research community. The perfect place for your postgraduate study.

Law PhD / PhD by Distance Learning / MPhil / MJur

Department of Communication Design

Kwame nkrumah university of science and technology, guidelines for mcomm/mphil research proposal.

These are general guidelines only and may vary depending on the writing style of the student

Study these Guidelines carefully and incorporate the instructions in the proposal before submission.
Pay special attention to the Evaluation Checklist. This will help you evaluate your proposal using similar criteria to those used by the faculty research committee and funding agencies.
Provide a table of contents, including sub-headings and page numbers.
A mini-thesis comprises a 50% mini-thesis, (50% studio course work), especially for MCOMM criteria.
A thesis comprises a 100% research project.
For candidates appliying for admission the proposal should not be more than five pages (For admitted students see Downloads).
When admitted, candidates will first have to register the research topic (CDPG 1.1) through the office of the coordinator, and should be done within three months of registration.
The final research proposal (CDPG 1.2) must be ratified within six months of registering the topic.

Purpose of the research proposal

To establish that the candidate has:

a viable and researchable problem that the department will be able to handle
an acceptable plan of action for undertaking the project/research
done sufficient preparation to establish the rationale for the research
a feasible chance of completing the programme.

The order of the layout suggested below may be changed and certain sections may be combined; additional points may also be added. The suggested headings serve as road signs to indicate to the evaluator:

what the research problem is
how the candidate intends doing the research
what the outcomes of the research could be

The examination criteria for a master’s thesis are that candidates;

must prove that they understand a particular problem in the industry in which they have done their research/project
are able to analyse and set it out logically;
are able to arrive at logical conclusions or a diagnosis; and
are then able to make proposals for the improvement/elimination of the problem.

1. Title

The title should be concise, as long titles are cumbersome to accommodate in information retrieval systems. Select appropriate key words or phrases, and avoid rambling and meaningless statements such as: An investigation into the possibility of conducting research in . . . Do not start a title with a present participle, such as Investigating , or Analysing . The title should rather read: An analysis of …

2. Statement of research/project problem

This is the heart of the proposal. Normally a sentence, or at most a paragraph, is all that is required to describe exactly what the problem is. Many candidates have difficulty in describing the problem: instead they list the objectives, outcomes, needs or other irrelevant aspects.

If the research problem is not adequately or precisely described, it is likely to be rejected. It is important to note that poorly formulated problems might lead to long periods of completion. Furthermore, researchers often indulge in jargon, which seems to obscure rather than explain what the research problem is. CANDIDATES SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND THEIR OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE FOCUS OF THEIR THINKING AND WRITING .

3. Background to the research/project problem

Since the statement of the problem should be very brief, it is necessary to explain separately what the background to the problem is. Clarify the area of concern, or what needs to justify the research (this could be a sub-heading). Any information that helps the critical reader/evaluator to understand the problem may be included. Indicate why you believe that it is, in fact, a researchable problem. This section could be combined with the literature review, or form a sub-section of it.

4. Preliminary literature review

An adequate preliminary literature review is required for the proposals. The purpose of the preliminary literature review should:

Provide evidence to the departmental post-graduate committee that the candidates are well acquainted with past and current research in the intended field of study.
Prove that the project/research will not duplicate past or current research.
Indicate how the intended project/research relates to similar and past projects/research; in other words, the literature review positions your project/research within the existing body of knowledge.
Indicate what related aspects of existed research require further research.
Provide a rationale for the choice of problem.

In the final thesis/project report, a much more complete and extensive list of References (all sources cited) will have to be presented than in the initial review.

The guidelines provided by the School of Graduate Studies of the university entitled: Research and the APA method of reference/bibliographic citation: a research writing and style guide for postgraduate students, should be followed meticulously (see the SGS manual and the Postgraduate page on the departmental website for more on this: i.e. www.decode.knust.edu.gh ).

5. Hypotheses or research questions

If you state hypotheses, indicate whether they are statistical or non-statistical hypotheses. If statistical, indicate at what level of statistical significance they will be accepted or rejected. Depending on the nature of your methodology, it may not be necessary to base your research on hypotheses. You may list certain fundamental research questions or underlying assumptions that underpins your research.

6. Objectives of the research

Clarify the aims and objectives of the research. Where feasible, objectives should be divided into main and subsidiary objectives, and should be numbered. It must be emphasised that ALL INDICATED objectives MUST be well articulated and SHOULD BE REALISTIC and ATTAINABLE. In writing the proposal and most importantly, the thesis, it is important to remain focused on the objectives.

7. Research design and/or methodology

This is the cornerstone of the research proposal, and therefore a critically important section. Failure to handle this section properly can lead to the research proposal’s rejection and even to the rejection of your admission. While you may not be able to give final details of your methodology at this preliminary proposal stage, it is important to give a sound provisional indication so that the evaluator is satisfied that your methodology is relevant and acceptable. Candidate should also NOTE THAT THE MCOMM PROGRAMME IS A DESIGN-LED/PRACTICE-BASED PROGRAMME

Clarify your method of investigation, e.g.:

Questionnaires
Personal interviews
Focus groups
Design techniques, etc.

Indicate your sampling methodology, e.g.:

Size of sample
Experimental and control groups
Prevention of bias, etc.

Indicate statistical methods and substantiate why you intend using the proposed specific statistical methods ( should the study be directed in such methodology ).

Indicate ethical considerations and indicate how to tackle such challenges if need be.

It must be noted that within some studies there seems to be no correspondence between the stated aims of the research and the chosen methodology. Often the descriptions of the methodology are restricted to the mere statement that qualitative or quantitative research methods were to be utilised. Instruments designed in other contexts are also relevant to the studies.

Plan your investigation in phases, setting measurable target dates where feasible.

8. Delineation of the research (Delimitation)

Delineate the boundaries of your research, e.g.:

A study of design firms with fewer than 25 employees.
Festivals that take place in the Kwabre East District only.
A study of advertising agencies in the Kumasi Metropolis, etc.

It might be helpful to indicate what will not be covered by your research.

9. Significance of the research

Indicate the significance of the research. Why is it important? Whom, or what industry, will it benefit? This is usually vital, especially since this can help for funding.

10. Expected outcomes, results and contributions of the research

What are the expected outcomes and what do you wish to achieve, e.g.:

A new theory
A prototype
A new model
An artefact
A new design process
A solution to a practical problem
A specific aid to practitioners in a particular field
An instrument of use in the animation industry, etc.

What contribution will this research make to the body of knowledge in the particular field of study?

11. References cited (APA)

This is a list of the literature referred to in your research proposal. Do not include titles not cited, or that have no relevance to your research problem. You should have read the references you list (or at least the relevant parts). Indicate how they relate to your research.

Distinguish clearly between a list of References cited and a Bibliography. The latter includes all material consulted, including background reading not necessarily cited. Alternatively you may provide separate lists of References Cited and Other References.

12. Keywords

Give up to ten specific keywords or phrases, which will be used to index your research in relevant databases.

OPTIONAL FEATURES

Contextualisation

If your research is multi-disciplinary, clarify which disciplines it covers, in which discipline the main thrust lies, and what interdisciplinary interaction there is with other disciplines or fields of study. Make the context of your research quite clear, e.g., does it fall within the sub-discipline of Industrial Relations, which resorts under the discipline of Human Resource Management, or does it address legal aspects of Industrial Law and thus resort under Law.

Planning and time parameters

Funding agencies find it especially useful if you give some provisional indication of what time parameters you are setting for your research and what the expected completion dates for the specific sections and tasks are.

Materials and infrastructure

“Infrastructure” includes equipment, facilities and support services.

Pilot study

In some projects a pilot study should be done. Your supervisor should advise you. When little information about the proposed research project is available, it is advisable to execute a pilot study on a few selected aspects of the research proposal. A pilot study could:

check the methods to be used
collect data on which the actual sample size will be based
iron out some practicalities of the project.

The pilot study may appear under a separate heading, or may be incorporated as a sub-section under Research Design, where the preliminary pilot study findings may serve as a basis for the actual research design.

Interface with other institutions/industry

Here you may clarify to what extent your research will be undertaken by utilising the facilities of other institutions or companies, or whether you will have access to expertise at other institutions.

For large projects it is useful to include a simple budget, stating cost of equipment, running and travel costs, salaries of research assistants, etc.

EVALUATION CHECKLIST FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS

(This checklist incorporates the items used by government funding bodies in their evaluation of research proposals.)

1. Problem identification

1.1 Is the problem/line of enquiry clearly defined?

1.2 Is the basic research problem well formulated, or is it poorly and vaguely structured?

1.3 Is it briefly and concisely stated?

1.4 Does the researcher indulge in jargon which obscures rather than explains what the research problem is?

2. Background to the research problem

2.1 Has there been an adequate description of the background to the problem either under a separate heading or as

part of the literature?

2.2 Has the area of concern regarding the problem been identified, i.e., has the need that exists to research the

problem been clarified?

2.3 Have the basic terms and concepts been clarified, either under a separate heading, or as a suitable sub-heading?

3. Preliminary literature review

3.1 Is there clear evidence of a review of the literature?

3.2 Is there a theoretical engagement with the relevant literature (where possible)?

3.3 Has appropriate literature been examined in order to provide the background and rationale to the problem and

its formulation?

3.4 Have relevant sources been used to identify the problem?

3.5 Does the literature review correspond with the aims of the research?

3.6 Are the cited references acceptable?

3.7 Are textual references and bibliographic citation correct?

4. Conceptual framework (if it is required)

4.1 To what extent are the conceptual framework and theoretical assumptions clearly stated?

4.2 Has the study been clearly delineated under a separate heading or sub-heading, i.e., have the boundaries of the

research been stated?

4.3 Has a suitable hypothesis (or hypotheses) been formulated, or has a suitable research question(s) been stated?

5. Objectives

5.1 Have the objectives been stated clearly?

5.2 If there are more than three objectives, have they been divided into main and subsidiary objectives?

6. Research design

6.1 Is the project and research design well structured and outlined, or is it poorly articulated?

6.2 Has the research methodology been articulated clearly?

6.3 Is there a clear correspondence between the stated aims of the research and the chosen methodology?

6.4 Is there a mere statement of the qualitative or quantitative research methods to be used, or is there justification

for their use?

6.5 Have the sampling methodology and data collection technique been adequately clarified?

6.6 Is the analysis appropriate to the aims of the research?

7. Significance

7.1 To what extent will the research make an original and creative contribution to knowledge (at doctoral level)?

7.2 Alternatively, to what extent will the research analyse and diagnose a particular problem, set it out logically, arrive at

conclusions and make proposals for the solution of the problem (at master’s level)?

7.3 Why is it important to undertake this research? Whom will it benefit or to whom will it be important?

7.4 Is the proposed research likely to promote further investigation within and/or across disciplines and fields?

7.5 Has the expected outcome (or outcomes) of the research been clearly identified?

8. Feasibility

8.1 Is the problem researchable and is it feasible? Do the preliminary data and available resources support its

feasibility?

8.2 Does the candidate’s academic profile or potential support his/her ability to accomplish the project?

8.3 Does the supervisor (or supervisors) have a research and supervision profile to support the candidate?

9. Other general comments

Is the proposal well structured or poorly compiled? If the latter, what should be done to make it a well-structured

proposal?

10. Language

Has the research proposal been proofread and edited?

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Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

Our MPhil (Master of Philosophy) award is an advanced research qualification that is often awarded to students who have completed the first two years of a PhD programme, but ultimately decide not to finish the full doctorate.

The MPhil is a qualification in its own right. It resembles a PhD but generally takes two years (full time) and does not carry the same requirement for original contribution to knowledge.

You will be expected to submit a thesis at the end of your project, this will be shorter than a PhD due to the timeframe it is completed.

Some UK universities require PhD students to start their studies by registering for the degree of MPhil initially; however, this is not the case at the University of Edinburgh. You may be able to register for an MPhil from the outset, but not all our research programmes offer an MPhil option. You should check the programme listing in our degree finder to find out, or contact your potential supervisor.

As with our PhDs, you normally need to have an existing postgraduate degree (such as an MSc) to be accepted on to an MPhil.

Find an MPhil programme

Do I need to write a research proposal?

As part of your application for a Master of Philosophy programme, you will usually need to submit a research proposal demonstrating your knowledge of your field and outlining your project’s aims and expected outcomes.

You should contact a prospective supervisor for further information on what to include in your proposal.

Our guide to writing a research proposal will take you through the process step-by-step:

How to write a research proposal

Do I need to find a supervisor?

We recommend you identify a suitable supervisor to discuss your research idea before you apply to ensure that we have the right specialist area you are interested in

How to find a supervisor

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The MPhil in English Studies

Course structure
Research Frameworks
Specialist seminars

Research Training

Textual and Related Studies
Dissertation

Specialisation

In Michaelmas (autumn) term students are typically required to take one Research Frameworks seminar, one Specialist seminar, and the Research Training course. In Lent (spring) term students take one Research Frameworks seminar, two Specialist seminars, and the Research Training course. In Easter (summer) term there is some further Research Training but students otherwise focus on the dissertation.

William Blake, Ugolino and his Sons, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Poetry and Poetics
Politics and Culture: Capitalism, Ecology, Decolonisation
Material Texts
Literature and Philosophy
Narrative and Its Mediations

For indicative information about seminar content, see here .

Each seminar runs six, two-hour classes in Michaelmas, and six in Lent. Each course in each term is free-standing; Lent courses do not presuppose prior acquaintance with the Michaelmas course of the same name. Subject to availability, students can therefore request to follow the same seminar across both terms; or they can choose a different seminar each term. Research Frameworks seminars are intensively taught with set programmes of reading and may involve student presentations and other kinds of participatory activity. However, they do not involve any coursework. Sign-up for these seminars is in late August, when students are asked to list an order of preference.

Specialist Seminars

Alongside Research Frameworks seminars students follow Specialist seminars in a selection of their areas of interest. Characteristically, these seminars range widely in topic, for example from Middle-English contemplation to contemporary British and Irish poety, or from the invention of literary critical practice to writers’ notebooks. The Faculty has produced an indicative list of Specialist seminars as an example of options that may be available. Information about a given year’s seminar provision, seminar content, and timetabling is provided to offer-holders prior to admission, in August, when students are asked to list an order of preference.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s portrait of Christina Rossetti, Fitzwilliam Museum.

Each Specialist seminar comprises five, two-hour classes per term. Students opt for one Specialist seminar in Michaelmas term and two in Lent. Coursework essays are attached to Specialist seminars as described below in the section on Assessment.

Students may if they wish substitute one Specialist seminar with an equivalent course from another Faculty. Borrowed courses are subject to availability in the host MPhil and to timetabling constraints. Students may have to satisfy specific requirements set by the host MPhil (such as a language qualification or prior undergraduate training in the field).

The Research Training course provides training essential to postgraduate researchers in the humanities. It is taught by means of lectures and of associated workshops based in our libraries.

The Research Training course is compulsory unless students are following a Textual and Related Studies course, in which case it is available but optional. Work towards this course is not formally assessed.

Textual and Related Studies Courses

Students intending to opt for a Textual and Related Studies course should indicate this on their application form when applying for the MPhil.

It is possible for students to write the majority of their dissertation on a Medieval or Renaissance topic without choosing to take the associated Textual and Related Studies course.

Textual and Related Studies: Medieval Literature - More information about Medieval studies at Cambridge

Chaucer's The Monk's Tale from The Canterbury Tales, Cambridge University Library, ms. Gg.4.27.

This course is intended primarily to give students a practical introduction to the study of English manuscripts in the period 1100-1500. Students work with original manuscripts from Cambridge collections, selected to illustrate various aspects of the subject. The course provides the foundation for the knowledge and skills necessary to read, transcribe and study medieval texts in their manuscript form. It provides the technical, practical and intellectual expertise necessary in the growing field of manuscript studies and medieval handwritten culture, covering a wide range of topics, including writing, cataloguing and circulation of medieval books and texts.

For those who select it, the Medieval Textual and Related Studies course runs in the place of Research Frameworks seminars in Michaelmas term in order to keep the workload manageable. Students following the Medieval Textual and Related Studies course also take one Specialist seminar in Michaelmas. In addition, they have the option of attending the Research Training course as well. (In Lent, when Textual and Related Studies courses do not operate, all students take one Research Frameworks seminar, two Specialist seminars, and the Research Training course.)

Students who take the Medieval TRS course can choose to be assessed on it instead of submitting a Michaelmas term coursework essay based on a Specialist seminar. The knowledge and skills taught during the course are assessed by means of an exercise in Textual and Related Studies. For this exercise students are required to choose, in consultation with the course convenors, a manuscript from a Cambridge library either (i) in Middle English or (ii) in another language but made or used in England between c.1100 - c.1550. They then write a full codicological description of the manuscript, and a diplomatic transcription of a short passage from it. Should students wish, a short extract from these projects can be published as a blog on The Manuscripts Lab at the end of the examination period.

From the Sidney Psalms by Philip and Mary Sidney, Trinity College Library, Cambridge, ms. R.3.16.

The Renaissance Textual and Related Studies course equips students with the skills and understanding needed to study early modern manuscript material and to conduct research using material printed in the period 1500-1700. The course is, where possible, ‘hands-on’, making use of the University Library’s collections. Its sessions cover both Renaissance palaeography and textual studies. The palaeography sessions teach students to read the scripts in which Renaissance literature was written. They introduce techniques for analysing manuscripts and for making deductions of literary consequence from handwritten material. The textual studies sessions advise students how to locate and gain access to manuscripts and early modern printed material, and how to understand the contexts of their production; provide instruction in how early modern printed books were made, and how to describe and analyse them using the principles of descriptive and textual bibliography; and equip students to explore the uses made of early modern printed books, including features such as binding and annotation. Overall, the course enables literary study that is informed by a clear understanding of the particularities of the production, transmission, and editing of early modern texts.

The Renaissance Textual and Related Studies course is shorter than the Medieval one and those who take it in Michaelmas term also therefore take Research Frameworks and Specialist seminars in common with other students. They have the option of attending the Research Training course too, if they wish.

The Palaeography component of the Renaissance Textual and Related Studies course is assessed by means of a pass/fail test of students’ skills.

Dissertations

Dissertations are long-form research essays prepared independently by students under the guidance of a Faculty supervisor. Students meet supervisors one-to-one throughout the MPhil, and with particular intensity in Easter (summer) term which is devoted to completing the dissertation.

Students are asked to submit a dissertation title and proposed project outline as part of the application process ( the research proposal ).

Providing we can supervise and examine it, we will consider any proposal for a dissertation project falling within the general field of English Studies very broadly defined, from 1066 to the present day.

Students’ progress throughout the MPhil is supported by regular meetings with their dissertation supervisor, who reads and gives feedback on coursework essays as well as the short written exercise and dissertation.

Examined elements are as follows:

(i) Short Written Exercise

A short essay submitted in Michaelmas term on a topic directly related to the dissertation. Assessed as a pass/resubmission by the supervisor. It does not contribute to the overall mark for the MPhil.

(ii) Coursework Submissions

Two 5,000-word essays related to work pursued in the Specialist seminars, one submitted after Michaelmas term and the other after Lent term. (Those taking the Medieval TRS course may choose to substitute the Michaelmas coursework essay with an exercise in Textual and Related Studies if they so wish.)

Topics are chosen independently by students in consultation with seminar convenors and dissertation supervisors. The lower of the two coursework marks achieved is weighted as contributing 20% towards the student’s overall mark for the degree; the higher-scoring coursework mark contributes 30% towards the overall mark.

(iii) Dissertation

An essay of between 12,000 and 15,000 words, submitted at the end of Easter term. Worth 50% of the overall mark for the degree.