Worksheet
Research proposal planning worksheet
Organise the project before adapting it to the funder’s required headings.
Working title and question
[What precise question will this project answer?]
Context and gap
[What is already known? Which sources establish this? What remains unresolved?]
Contribution
[What would the project add and for whom is it useful?]
Methods and evidence
[Data/materials] | [Access] | [Method] | [Analysis] | [Limitations]
Feasibility
[Stage] | [Time] | [Output] | [Dependency] | [Alternative if blocked]
Host and training
[Expertise/facility needed] | [Host fit] | [Skills to develop]
Ethics and data handling
[Relevant permissions, consent, security and sharing arrangements]
References and compliance
[Sources actually read] | [Call headings and length] | [Authorship rules]
Sources
- Research proposal guidance — University of Oxford · Official source · Checked 10 September 2026
Used for: Context for this planning aid
- ERC Starting Grant — European Research Council · Official source · Checked 10 September 2026
Used for: Context for this planning aid