Ph.D stands for Doctor of Philosophy. It is a degree provided by the universities after the completion of a particular academic field. Here the term philosophy does not stand for the specific subject of Philosophy but is considered as the actual meaning of the Greek word philosophy (made of two words ‘ philos’ and ‘sophos’) which means ‘love of wisdom’. After earning the degree of Ph.D the person becomes eligible to use the title of “Doctor” with their name and is considered as the specialist of that particular field. 

What is a thesis?

A project or thesis needs to be submitted which is the original research conducted by the candidate of philosophy. A thesis is also referred to as dissertation depending on the place as well as the academy. It’s a skill to write a thesis as the content of the thesis should be innovative and well thought out. In the beginning, it’s hard to succeed so the thesis is rewritten and observed again. 

Research methodology in Ph.D thesis

For a candidate of philosophy, it is important to explain the methodology and technique that has been used for the whole process of the thesis. Methods are different from methodology as Method is the procedure used to perform research whereas Methodology is the action of using all the methods involved in the study or research.

Research methodology also carries a lot more in it. As Mr. Ryan Holiday says, writing a perfect paper is a lot like a military operation. It takes discipline, foresight, research, strategy, and if done right, ends in total victory. 

Research Proposal

Meaning

A document carrying 3000-3500 words, summarizing the research a candidate of philosophy is going to deal with in Ph.D programme is known as Research Proposal. This document needs to be submitted while applying for Ph.D. 

Requirement

To understand the level of thinking, knowledge about the subject matter, and strategy a candidate is going to hold for the thesis or dissertation, it is an important tool for a candidate of philosophy. 

Content of a research proposal

To create a research proposal the candidate should carefully check the website of the university. Also, the candidate should go through other research proposals to get a better understanding of the topic. Some universities provide a guideline so that a candidate can meet the requirements of the university.

Research Proposal differ from one university to another as per the need. But most of the research proposals consist of the following – 

Title – Some universities provide the title of the research proposal. In other cases, the candidate decides the topic or title of the research proposal he or she is excited for. 

Abstract – An abstract is an overview which covers what the research proposal consists of. An abstract should be concise and have a brief description about the research proposal.

Literature Review – Literature review is based on secondary data. It is basically an evaluation of the given topic. It critically analyses the information available for the title.  It shows the in-depth knowledge about the research.

Problem – After analysing the literature review a candidate is able to find out what is the gap occurring in the given research topic. 

Objective – The main objective of any research proposal is to solve the problems of the given project.

Methodology – It is an important part of research proposal. There are two types of variables, dependent and independent. The method explains the procedure by which a candidate will handle the research and also defines the knowledge of the candidate.

References – The sources from where all the data has been collected should be mentioned at the end of the research proposal.

The format of the document should be such that it is easily readable to the viewers. It should have a clear structure. 

Summary

From the above article we can conclude that to complete Ph.D a candidate must have a strong and clear thesis. Complexity should be avoided. The research methodology should be appropriate. Research proposal should postulate a strong subject matter. If required, the candidate should go for the review of the content or project by their mentors or tutors.