Research Proposal and Synopsis
A proposal that states a real gap, answerable objectives and a method your committee can approve.
In Indian universities, two different documents are often called by the same names, and it causes real confusion. The research proposal is written near the start of the PhD, usually after or during coursework, and presented to your Research Advisory Committee or doctoral committee for approval. It says what you intend to study and how. The synopsis, in most universities, comes at the other end: a summary of the completed work submitted some weeks or months before the thesis. Some universities call the opening document a synopsis too. Check which one your university means before you start writing.
We help with both. For a proposal, the work is about sharpening the problem, stating objectives that can actually be answered in the time you have, and choosing a method your committee will accept. For a synopsis, it’s about summarising three or more years of work accurately in a handful of pages, so that it matches the thesis that follows.
Either way, the thinking must be yours. You will be questioned on the proposal by your committee and on the synopsis at the pre-submission seminar and the viva. We review, question, restructure and edit; the research ideas stay yours.
Scope
What’s included
Each stage can be bought separately. If your topic is settled and you only need the document tightened before a committee meeting, the review and presentation stages may be all you need.
Problem and gap review
A critical read of your problem statement and the literature behind it: is the gap real, recent and specific, and does the proposal show evidence for it rather than assert it?
Objectives and research questions
Help turning broad aims into three to five objectives that are specific, answerable with your method, and achievable within the UGC’s minimum and maximum PhD duration.
Methodology and work plan review
Review of design, sampling, data sources, tools and analysis plan for fit with the objectives, plus a realistic semester-by-semester work plan your committee can track progress against.
Synopsis development
For the pre-submission synopsis: structuring the summary to your university’s format, checking it reflects the thesis accurately, and aligning its objectives and findings with the chapters.
Committee presentation review
Review of your slides for the proposal presentation or pre-submission seminar, and a list of questions your committee is likely to ask, drawn from your own document.
Quality
How quality is verified
These are the checks every piece of work goes through before it reaches you.
Reviewer from your discipline
Your proposal is read by someone who knows the literature and methods in your field, and who reads it the way a doctoral committee member would.
Gap checked against recent literature
We search the recent literature ourselves to test whether your stated gap has already been filled, and show you any papers that come close.
Objectives mapped to method
Each objective is traced to the data, method and analysis that will answer it. Any objective without a clear route is flagged early, so you can address it before the committee meets.
References checked against sources
Cited works are checked to exist and to support the claims made for them. Accurate references strengthen the gap the proposal is trying to establish.
Similarity report with every draft
Each draft we return comes with a full similarity report, so you know where you stand before your university checks it.
Format matched to your university
We work to your university’s proposal or synopsis template (word limits, headings and required sections) and flag anything missing.
Time
Realistic timelines
Our work on a proposal or synopsis is measured in weeks. The approval around it depends on your committee and your university’s calendar.
| Stage | Typical time | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Problem and gap review | 5–7 working days | Us |
| Objectives and methodology review | 1–2 weeks | Us and you; drafts go back and forth |
| Your revisions and supervisor’s review | 1–4 weeks | You and your supervisor |
| Presentation review | 3–5 working days | Us |
| Committee meeting and decision | Set by the department | Your university |
| Synopsis development (pre-submission) | 2–3 weeks | Us and you, once the thesis chapters are ready |
Where each document fits
Proposal, synopsis and the UGC 2022 regulations
The rules below come from the UGC’s 2022 PhD regulations. Universities implement them differently, so check the details in your own university’s ordinance.
The proposal and your Research Advisory Committee
Under the 2022 regulations, each scholar has a Research Advisory Committee (or an equivalent body) that reviews the research proposal and finalises the topic, guides the work, and reviews progress periodically, typically every semester, with the scholar presenting their progress. In practice the proposal is presented after or during coursework, and many universities won’t confirm registration until it’s approved. A well-argued proposal also makes those later progress reviews easier, because everyone agreed from the start what counts as done.
What committees commonly ask about
The points committees raise tend to be the same few: the scope is too wide; the gap is asserted but not shown; objectives restate the title in different words; the method doesn’t match the objectives; the sample or data access is unrealistic; or the work plan ignores the time needed for publication and ethics approval. Our guide to writing a research gap statement covers the first two in detail. If you’re not yet sure of the topic itself, start with topic and gap selection instead.
The synopsis before submission
Many universities require a synopsis before the thesis, often with a fixed page limit and a prescribed structure, and it may be sent to prospective examiners. It must describe the thesis you are actually submitting. A synopsis that promises chapters or findings the thesis doesn’t contain is a common and avoidable cause of problems. The pre-submission seminar before your committee usually happens around the same time; our PhD timeline guide shows how these steps usually fit together.
If the method is the weak point
Where the committee’s concern is mainly the research design (sampling, instruments, validity), a focused methodology consultation may serve you better than a full proposal review.
Pricing
How pricing works
We quote after reading what you have: a draft proposal, notes, or the finished thesis chapters for a synopsis. A proposal that needs only tightening is a much smaller job than one where the topic is still moving. You receive a fixed quote for the stages you choose, agreed in writing before work begins.
If you’re preparing for a committee meeting on a fixed date, tell us at the consultation. We’ll say plainly whether the timeline is workable.
What the quote depends on
- Whether it is an initial proposal or a pre-submission synopsis
- How settled your topic, objectives and method already are
- Your university’s required length and format
- Subject area and how specialised the reviewer needs to be
- The date of your committee meeting or synopsis deadline
Every quote includes
- A written scope listing exactly what will be delivered
- A fixed price agreed before any payment
- Payment in stages, tied to delivery
- Revision rounds stated in the scope
Process
How it works
Free consultation
A call or message with a specialist in your subject. We review your material and say plainly whether we are the right fit.
Written scope and quote
You get a written scope, a timeline and a fixed price. Work and payment begin once you agree to it.
Staged delivery
Work arrives in stages you review, each with a similarity report where text is involved. You pay stage by stage.
Revisions and hand-over
Revision rounds are included. At the end you get the final files, and an explanation of anything you’ll need to defend.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
PhD synopsis format and structure
The sections a research committee expects, typical length, and an outline to adapt.
Writing a research gap statement
The kinds of gap, a sentence pattern that works, and weak-versus-strong examples.
PhD timeline and milestones in India
Coursework to viva under the UGC 2022 regulations, year by year, with the usual sticking points.
Research Topic and Gap Selection
A shortlist of topics with a documented gap, checked for feasibility before you commit years to one.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can you write my research proposal for me?
The proposal stays yours to write, because it sets out your research and you will defend it before your committee and live with it for the rest of the PhD. We help you sharpen the problem, objectives and method, check the literature and edit the document, but the ideas and the drafting are yours. Our ethics policy explains how we work.
Will my supervisor know I had help?
We suggest you tell them. A supervisor is part of the proposal process in any case, and most see outside review as helpful rather than a problem. Because the proposal remains your own work, that conversation is straightforward.
Is this ethical?
Getting critical feedback on a proposal is normal academic practice. It’s what supervisors, seniors and seminar audiences do. It becomes unethical when someone else invents the research for you. We give feedback, evidence and editing; the research remains yours.
Can you guarantee the committee will approve it?
Your committee decides, and committees sometimes ask for changes to even a strong proposal. What we do is help you anticipate the questions they are likely to ask, and remove the weaknesses they commonly object to.
What is the difference between a synopsis and a proposal?
In most Indian universities, the proposal comes at the start and describes planned work, while the synopsis comes before thesis submission and summarises completed work. Some universities use “synopsis” for both. Your university’s PhD ordinance will say which document is required when.
My committee rejected my proposal. Can you help?
Yes. Send us the proposal and the committee’s comments, written or as you remember them. We’ll help you understand what they’re asking for, and review your revised version against each comment.
Is my proposal kept confidential?
Yes. An unpublished research idea is valuable, and we treat it that way. It is seen only by your reviewer, used only for your project, and deleted on request. We’re happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Talk it through with a specialist for free
Send us where you are and what you need. We’ll reply within one working day with clear advice, a written scope and a fixed quote. No obligation.
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