What’s it Like to Propose Your Own PhD Topic

Deciding to propose your own PhD project can be an exciting endeavour that brings a whole different experience to the application process.

Almost five years ago I was putting together a research proposal for my now-completed History PhD. It may only take a few weeks for some but a few months for others. My experience was on the longer side because I needed time to choose the right topic for me.

Like a kid in a candy shop

The joy and curse of studying History is that it literally covers everything. Any period, any theme and any country can all be studied. While I knew my personal interests and specialisms there was still a wide range of topics I could have done. Picking one isn’t easy, but it can be fun!

The best thing you can do is to read widely. What grabs your interest? What rabbit holes do you fall down and lose track of time? What field developments are scholars suggesting that you find interesting? Once you’re a little exhausted from reading, sit down and put your thoughts on paper. You might use a pro-con list or a mind map. Visualising information can be a great decision-making method.

Research, research, research

Now you’ve picked your topic, you need to figure out what you’re actually going to research and how. Many academic reviews of scholarly fields will indicate where research needs to go next. However, you’ll need to work out how to achieve this.

My PhD was in Atlantic History which is notorious for issues of proper consideration for the variety of cultures, lands and nations it covers. Traditionally, most work has been done on the north, excluding Africa and southern America from the discussion. Recently, more scholars have been researching ‘microhistories’, using a few case studies to comment on broader Atlantic themes. I decided to take a similar approach but broadened my source base to include discussions from each continent surrounding the ocean.

Every methodology will come with its own drawbacks, but if you can figure out a possible solution to current academic problems then that’s a great way to demonstrate originality, impact and value in your proposal.

Talk to people

Once you’ve figured out a good potential project, it’s time to start talking to people. I initially went to the academics I already knew to run my ideas past them. They were all really helpful in suggesting further reading or potential supervisors. I then drafted up a proposal and started sending it out to potential supervisors.

You don’t necessarily need a proposal to contact supervisors, but I found it helpful to get my ideas across. Some got back to me with revisions and considerations to help me fine tune my project before applying.

It might seem intimidating reaching out to academics you don’t know but this is a great way to gage interest in your ideas and to figure out whether your project would actually be possible.

Triple check and apply

After all that work, the final hurdle is applying. I had my friends and family grammar check my proposal. I also left it in a draw for a week to come back to. You’ll be surprised what a little time away can accomplish, whether that’s developing a newly critical eye or realising what you wrote wasn’t that bad.

From topic exploration to submitted application, my proposal took about four months. Others may have a clearer idea of what they want to do and only take a few weeks. There’s no cookie cutter way to propose your own project. However long you take, make sure to enjoy it. There’s nothing quite as exciting as delving into the possibilities of your postgraduate future.