When applying to a PhD programme, does your research proposal have to be an exact match to a potential supervisor. What I am trying to find out is would you appear fickle if you are approaching a supervisor with a topic that is only in their general area, or do you only apply to somewhere (wherever in the country) if you it's the exact topic area? Are you ruled out if you don't appear dead certain about your research. Sorry if this is too stupid a question. It's just that I am willing to be flexible, but not sure how to put it across to a potential supervisor.

Of course when you apply you must go to a supervisor who is an expert in the area, but the whole point is that it will be a new piece of research that nobody has done before. They are only there to supervise you and oversee what you are doing given their expertise. If you have an idea approach someone with it, they will help you refine it and make it more attractive to funders etc and aid in fleshing out methodology and practical issues like data collection.

Agree with Killahtron. If your topic is too far out of the remit of a supervisor's expertise they will most likely tell you that when you approach them. Hopefully they'll also give you some names of colleagues etc that would be better suited to supervising you.

Don't be too worried about being 'dead certain' - research is rarely certain and proposals/research questions are likely to change/evolve/metamorphose as time goes on anyway.

Thanks for the replies.