I've just finished my honours degree (I'm in the UK) and I'm hoping I'll get a 1st. I've also already had a paper published. I've been looking for PhD studentships to apply for but haven't had any luck.

I have a couple of ideas for research but I've not got a focused direction in that I'd be able to write a proposal. My tutors aren't any help because they don't have PhDs themselves and have no experience in writing proposals. I'm feeling kinda unsupported in this. I want to do a PhD really bad but need help in getting a proposal together. Any ideas on where I should go from here?

Thanks!

In my experience funded projects generally don't need that much of a proposal [they want you to do what THEY want you to do]. You do well to find funding for some idea of you won.

or of your 'own' even.

Eating choclotae muffins and writing. 2 things at once is proving difficult for me at present.

I'm funded, and I wrote my own project including its proposal. Some places ask for new ideas for available funding, and some places offer a funded place on a project that is either pre-arranged or taking place at the department already.

When I was writing my proposal, I found the Open University publications and their website very useful. I recommend visiting the site.

Good luck.

Hi thanks for your replies
When you're applying for funding from funding bodies they require a proposal. Also, some universities welcome PhD applications but require a proposal too.
I'll check out the OU - thanks!

Are you an Arts / Humanties student, lollerskates? Funding is quite different for that compared to the sciences ... Which funding body / bodies are you applying to? I could give help / advice if you're going for the AHRC / EHRC.

Sorry -- ESRC not EHRC ... Brain & fingers very tired ...

I'm in between Psychology and Computing so depending on what angle I go for it would likely be the EPSRC or ESRC.

I've decided to take up an offer of an MRes course and in the meantime I am going to hopefully get some support to get a proposal together to apply for funding for a PhD. I can't just sit around waiting for the right studentship to come up - because it might never come up.

How difficult is it to get Research Council funding? What are the things they look for when allocating funding to people?

Your research proposal must tally very well with the central themes of the funding bodies. If yours is not that close, just market it in a way which can have a bearing on them. It's all about marketing. But I have to warn you that the competition for ESRC/AHRC and the like is very very fierce. You'll have to err on the side of caution to look for alternative routes. It is also better to look for some funded/ formulated projects which are advertised for research students. In that case, you don't have to choose a topic.

Yeah I've been looking since December for funded studentships that already have a project topic but I've had no luck.

Can also talk to head of department for departmental bursary or any teaching assistant scheme. Although in most cases this is not available, no harm in trying though.

My uni had 20 studentships going recently for staff to bid for. None of the staff I knew and had taught me were able to take on supervision though so I ended up writing my own bid, contacting staff who hadn't taught me who agreed to supervise me... but it didn't get chosen. Sucks.

lWhere are you doing the MRes at lollerskates? Just wondering.

MRes in HCI at Lancaster

Yuk - engineering. Brings a tear to my eye