Preparing a Research Proposal

To apply to undertake a higher degree by research (HDR) course at Monash Law School, you must submit a research proposal with your application.

Upload the statement of your research proposal using the online application at Monash Research Graduate School.

See Applying to become a research student

Structure of your research proposal

The statement of your research proposal should be:

1. a short descriptive title of the project. (This does not have to be exactly the same as the title eventually given to the thesis.)

2. a statement of the broad goal or goals of the project (ie. the general ideas) to be explored/discussed.

3. a statement of particular objectives and tasks to be undertaken. This may take the form of a statement of issues and/or matters to be investigated. The statement should indicate the directions the project will take.

4. a statement indicating why you think the project is worth undertaking. (This statement might include reference to existing literature on the subject and an explanation of why you think it is deficient.)

See a good example of a research proposal (PDF, 94KB)

References

For more information on formulating and writing your research proposal, see the references below.

• Bott, B and Talbot-Stokes, R.  Nemes and Coss Effective Legal Research. (5th ed, LexisNexis Butterworths, Chatswood, NSW, Australia, 2012)
• Hutchinson, T. (2010). Researching and Writing in Law. Lawbook Co, Pyrmont, NSW, Australia.
• Milne, S and Tucker, K. (2010). Practical Guide to Legal Research. Lawbook Co, Pyrmont, Australia.