How to start writing a good research proposal ?

If you want to continue your Ph.D programme in your subject - History, you should meet the Vice Chancellor of a reputed University requesting him to provide you a guide for the continuation of your thesis. The guide would help you in selecting a topic of research and you have to proceed in that direction.
Alternatively, you can write down your research proposals in your application and apprise of your interest in one of the topic to be taken up out of numerous proposals.
Your research proposal should be concise and free from grammatical errors.
You will have to see the advertisement of intake of candidates for undergoing the Ph.D programme in the different subjects. Such advertisements are displayed twice in a year from the different universities and your application would be scrutinised prior to your selection. The following are the essential criteria's for your ultimate selection-
1) You have secured at least 55 percent aggregate marks in your post graduation.
2) You must have qualified for NET test.
3) Your performance in the final interview conducted by the admission committee should be impressive so as to be selected finally for the Ph.D programme.
4) Your research appetite would be evaluated by the board of interview.
5) They would like to see the topic in which you would persuade your research. It should not be a lengthy one but should have the nice representation of the topic.
Based upon your performance in the interview, you would be selected.
You may even be included in the interview without appearing NET test subject to your grand performance in M.A. in History and clearing both written and oral test for this programme. Once selected, you will be provided a guide for carrying out your thesis.

Finally, you need to get your approval of your guide to proceed ahead for the research.
In case, you feel that you lack motivation in the selection of a research proposal, you can have your detailed discussion with some of the professors of History or you meet the Head of the department of History from where you have secured your post graduation. Having enough exposure in the subject, it would not difficult for you to get your research proposal.
You have to refer to journals, some texts in the related topic from the university library.
Even you may take the help of your senior colleagues how best you can collect the research proposals.

You did your MA History. You want to go for your PhD. First of all, you contact a known professor in the subject in any university or institution. Discuss with him about your desire to do PhD and ask him whether he can be your Research guide. If he says OK, go ahead and start discussing with him further. If he is not having any vacancy, he may suggest an alternative guide. Once you fix up the guide. You ask his opinion and he will suggest you a suitable topic and he will guide you in preparing the report.
You have to apply for the NET examination and you have to get qualified for that. Once you are qualified in that examination you will get a fellowship also.
Different universities will have their own admissions processes. The guide whom you have selected can tell you the procedure. As per the procedure you have to apply. Some universities are having admission tests and some may give you direct admission based on your MA qualification. Then you can pay the fee as prescribed and start working under him.
The synopsis making is very important for your admission. For this, the best person who can guide you will be your research guide only. So the first step will be to select a guide and get his acceptance. Start working in that direction.

Before writing a research proposal, you have to complete some formalities in university. Phd registration process varies from University to University. For registration, some university conduct entrance test whereas some university take admission based on post-graduation marks. So you need to take complete information regarding university in which you are going to apply.
First of all, you have to select research guide and get an acceptance letter. Then, your guide will give detail information regarding further process. He will suggest Phd topic and tell you to write a synopsis on selected topic. If you feel a problem then your guide will help you in writing. While writing research proposal, some important point which has to be taken care as follow:-
1. It should be concise.
2. It should be free from any kind of error whether spelling or grammatical.
3. Your research topic should give a clear indication of your proposed research approach or key question.
4. Your objective of proposed research should be clear.
Once you complete your synopsis then it will go for verification in University for further process and finally, your synopsis becomes okay then you can start your PhD programme.

A research proposal is basically an outline of the topic and subject in which a person wants to do research. As your subject in the Masters degree was History it is imperative that you have to select or visualise a topic in which you want to do some work. While doing research work, it is understood that one has to go through the existing knowledge available about the topic and give as what new is there that comes out of the research. Repeating old things is not a research. The purpose of research is to bring new dimensions and insights into the issue so that it can help the society and scholars for further research or study in the matter.

The candidate has to draft a research proposal meticulously and once the research proposal is properly drafted then it is to be submitted to the institute or the research guide who will approve it and give the necessary directions to go ahead with the research. A good research proposal is a good beginning. Let us now discus the main elements of a research proposal.

The proposal starts with a title. The title tells us what about the research is. Title should not be too long and should be crisp and concise. After this the objectives of the research are to be mentioned point wise so that the necessity of doing that research and takeaways are clearly substantiated. Once that is explained one has to give justifications for that particular research as what are the value additions by it either for the benefit of the society or enriching the existing scholarly knowledge in the field.

One has to mention whether one is expecting the research to be concluded single handedly or some collaboration with Govt authorities or institutions or private entities might be required for completion of it. Many times elaborate data sets are required for concluding a research work and that data sets are only available from the large organisations. There will be some formalities in seeking help from those organisations or agencies and that is to be indicated in the research proposal so that at a later stage that does not appear as new thing out of the context of the original proposal.

Finally the proposal should be signed by the candidate giving his personal details like address and contact numbers.

A research proposal is like a story in which you add your entire research experience, in which you present your plan and information, including all the helping factors, obstacles, etc., scientifically, in which all the facts are also added. And they make proper statements, this is called research proposal.

Some important points -
Your research proposal should be about 1000 words, so it looks very effective.
If you use a flow chart, it will make it more attractive.
It makes more sense to give information point to point.

The following steps are followed to make a research proposal, in which you have to give information about your research within different sections. These sections are as follows -

Title - The title should always be attractive and effective which can convey the message of the main purpose of your research to the reader.

Introduction: In this, you tell your vision, add facts which tell that for what purpose of this research proposal and in the form of new changes you want to bring, which can prove to be helpful.

Aims and objectives - Mention your objective by including the ultimate beneficiary of the research, explain the purpose by explaining how this research will prove useful for mankind or any other element.

Methodology - Taking some lessons from the impact of some other research that has been on the society, it can be brought in a new way in future also. What is your plan, and how you will implement the work plan systematically, etc., you have to give information in this section, this is a very important section because it tells the whole process of research.

Expected results - When research is in your mind, it is limited to your thoughts only, but when you share that research with people, their thoughts will also be included in it, so in this section, you have to include similar questions and their answers. which can arise in the mind of the people. For this, you have to increase your thoughtfulness and thinking, only then you will be able to do it according to the thinking of others. In the end, you will tell what you thought, planned, implemented and what was their effect.

References - Wherever you have taken help during your research, it will all come under it, including various websites, online portals, books, the help of people, information received from certain areas, etc. Every important factor is involved in this.