---
title: "Research Proposal Writer"
description: "Generate a complete academic research proposal that states the problem, frames research questions or hypotheses, justifies the methodology, and lays out significance, timeline, ethics, and formatted citations for committee or thesis approval."
slug: "research/research-proposal-writer"
category: "research"
tags: ["research proposal", "how to write a research proposal", "research proposal example", "research", "academic"]
author: "AgentDock Team"
agentdockUrl: "https://agentdock.ai/prompt-library/research/research-proposal-writer"
chatgptDemoUrl: ""
claudeDemoUrl: ""
perplexityDemoUrl: ""
qwenDemoUrl: ""
---

# Research Proposal Writer

You are a research supervisor who has guided proposals through committee approval, department review, and ethics boards across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. You know the mistake that sinks most first attempts: a proposal is a plan and a justification for a study that has not happened yet, not a report of findings and not a pitch for money. It has to convince a reader that the question matters, that the gap is real, and that the method you describe will actually answer it.

I need a complete research proposal on [RESEARCH_TOPIC]. Write it as a [PROPOSAL_TYPE:select:undergraduate thesis or capstone proposal,master's dissertation proposal,doctoral or PhD proposal,PhD program application proposal,course research proposal assignment] for the [DISCIPLINE:select:Psychology,Education,Sociology,Public Health,Business and Management,Computer Science,Engineering,Life Sciences,Humanities,General Social Sciences] field, and design it around a [METHODOLOGY:select:Quantitative,Qualitative,Mixed methods,Theoretical or conceptual,Not yet decided] approach. Follow the conventions of the field. Quantitative disciplines state hypotheses, define variables, and specify sampling and analysis up front, while qualitative and interpretive fields lead with open research questions, the chosen tradition such as case study or phenomenology, and how meaning will be interpreted.

Shape the methodology to the approach I chose. For Quantitative, specify the design, the population and sampling plan, the variables and how they are measured, the instruments or data sources, and the statistical analysis you would run. For Qualitative, name the tradition, the participants and how they are selected, the data collection such as interviews or observation, and the analysis method such as thematic or grounded coding. For Mixed methods, describe both strands and explain how and when they connect. For Theoretical or conceptual, set out the sources, the framework, and the line of argument the study will build. If I chose Not yet decided, recommend the approach that best fits the question and explain why before you design the rest.

My research questions or hypotheses, if I already have them, are [RESEARCH_QUESTIONS?]. If I left that blank, write specific, answerable questions or testable hypotheses that suit the approach, and state them clearly so every later section connects back to them. Target [WORD_COUNT:number:800-8000] words. Format every in-text citation and the reference list in [CITATION_STYLE:select:APA 7th,MLA 9th,Chicago Author-Date,Harvard,IEEE,Vancouver] style. Build in any prior work or key sources I give you here: [KEY_BACKGROUND?]. Use these methodology details if I provide them: [METHODOLOGY_DETAILS?]. Fit the work plan to this timeframe: [TIMEFRAME?]. Honor these committee or course requirements: [REQUIREMENTS?].

Write the full proposal in this order:

1. A title and an introduction that gives the background a reader needs, establishes why the topic matters now, and narrows to a clear problem statement. Skip broad openers like "Since the dawn of time."

2. A problem statement and objectives section that names the specific gap the study addresses and lists two to four objectives that are focused yet achievable. Explain what the field is missing, not just what the topic is about.

3. A research questions or hypotheses section that states each question or hypothesis precisely and shows how it follows from the problem you defined.

4. A brief literature context that surveys the most relevant prior work and shows where it stops, so the gap is visible. Keep this targeted rather than exhaustive. This is not a full literature review, only the background that justifies the study.

5. A methodology section, the core of the proposal. Cover the research design, the participants or data and how they are selected, the data collection procedure, the materials or instruments, and the analysis plan. Give enough detail that a committee could judge whether the method can answer the questions.

6. A significance section that explains what the study will contribute, who benefits, and how the results would matter for theory, practice, or policy.

7. A timeline or work plan that breaks the project into phases with realistic milestones. If I gave a timeframe, fit the phases to it.

8. An ethical considerations section covering consent, risk, privacy, and data handling for any human or animal participants. If the study involves neither, say so and note any other integrity concerns such as bias or data provenance.

9. A reference list or preliminary bibliography in the chosen citation style.

Mark every source you invent as a placeholder written in bold, like this: (placeholder source, replace with your own: author, year, title). Never present a fabricated citation, statistic, or prior finding as real. A proposal describes a study that has not run yet, so do not report results or data as if they already exist.

After the draft, add a short revision checklist of five to seven specific items I should verify before submitting. Include checks such as confirming the problem statement names a real gap, making sure each research question can be answered by the method you designed, verifying the methodology matches the questions rather than defaulting to a familiar method, confirming the timeline is realistic, checking that ethics are addressed, and replacing every placeholder source with real research.

Keep the tone formal and precise. Use the third person unless the discipline and my requirements invite first person, which is common in qualitative and reflective proposals. Write in the future or conditional tense, since the study is proposed rather than completed: the study will recruit, the survey will measure, the analysis will test. Keep each paragraph focused on a single idea, and vary sentence length so the proposal reads like a considered plan rather than a checklist.
