How do I write a research proposal my supervisor will approve?

You work with an expert in your discipline to turn a topic idea into a research proposal that states a testable question, a method that fits it, and an ethics plan your supervisor can approve. The proposal is quoted against a target grade, with an Outline, a Draft and a Final stage.

Direct answer: A research proposal that gets approved states one research question your data can actually answer, names the method you will use to answer it, and shows you have thought through the ethics of collecting that data before you collect it, not after. You can draft this yourself against your own programme handbook: check your question is narrow enough to answer inside your word limit and timeline, check whether your handbook expects primary data, secondary data, or either, and check that your ethics form matches what you will actually do, not a generic template. You can also ask your supervisor for a proposal template and sit down with your university's research support office. If you want an expert in your discipline to work through the proposal with you, MAAS EdTech offers Research Proposal Support: an Outline that maps the question, aim and objectives to a method, a Draft stage where you write your own draft against a structured model argument and get expert feedback, and a Final stage with expert feedback on the ethics paperwork you prepare, such as a questionnaire, a participant information sheet and a confidentiality statement, matched to what your data collection plan actually needs. Because proposal requirements and ethics review differ by university, by faculty and sometimes by supervisor, read your own programme handbook and ethics guidance before you submit.

What is MAAS Research Proposal Support?

Support while you build the document your supervisor or ethics panel reads to decide whether your project is worth running as designed. An expert in your discipline works with you from a topic idea through a Draft to a Final version, sets a target grade, and guides you through the ethics paperwork your data collection plan needs. It sits inside the same Outline, Draft, Final engagement as MAAS Dissertation & Thesis Support, with the same target grade and results-based refund, because a proposal is graded work in most programmes, not a formality.

Why do proposals get sent back for revision?

A proposal usually does not fail because the topic is weak. It fails because the pieces do not fit together.

• The question and the data do not match. A question that needs primary interviews cannot be answered with a plan to reanalyse someone else's dataset, a mismatch Crotty (1998) traces to conflating the methodology layer with the methods layer.
• The method is described, not justified. Reviewers read for the justification, not the label.
• Scope is set by enthusiasm, not by the word limit. A proposal that promises three countries, two methods and a longitudinal design inside a one-term dissertation gets flagged before anyone reads the literature section.
• The ethics plan is generic. A boilerplate paragraph about consent does not tell a reviewer who your participants are, how you will recruit them, and what happens to their data.

Who is this for?

It suits students at the stage where the topic is chosen but the proposal is not yet approved.

• Students preparing a research proposal, dissertation proposal or PhD research proposal for supervisor or ethics panel review
• Students who have a topic and a rough method in mind but have not yet written the aim, objectives and justification their programme expects
• Students whose project needs primary data collection, meaning you need to prepare the questionnaire, participant information sheet and confidentiality statement alongside the proposal
• Students whose first draft came back with comments they are not sure how to action

This is not for you if your proposal is already approved. That sits in Dissertation & Thesis Support or, one chapter at a time, in Single Chapter Support.

If you want to work through the sections yourself first, MAAS EdTech's guide on how to write a research proposal walks through the structure, and the PhD research proposal guide covers what changes at doctoral level.

What do you get?

• Outline stage. The research question, aim and objectives mapped against a method, checked against your handbook's proposal structure and the methodology-methods distinction Crotty (1998) draws.
• Draft stage. A structured model draft mapping the argument for why this question matters, what the literature has not yet settled, and why the proposed method is the right fit, followed by your own draft and expert feedback and corrections, aimed at your target grade.
• Final stage. Your proposal in its final form, after expert feedback and corrections, plus expert feedback on the ethics paperwork you prepare: a questionnaire or interview guide, a participant information sheet in plain language, and a confidentiality statement describing how data will be stored and anonymised.
• Quality Assurance Check before handoff, reviewing structure, argument, citations and formatting against the target grade.

How it works

Research Proposal Support runs in three stages, matched to your target grade.

Why does the method section carry so much weight?

A proposal is judged on whether the method can actually deliver an answer to the question, not on how many methods are named. A reviewer comparing your draft against what a strong proposal in your field looks like is asking exactly that when they question why you chose this method over another, and whether the choice is justified rather than just named.

You can run this check yourself before you submit. Turn your handbook's proposal guidance into a short checklist, then ask plainly whether your method section explains a choice or only names it.

What does the ethics paperwork actually need to cover?

Where your project involves primary data, ethics review processes often expect three documents to work together, not exist as separate boxes to tick.

• The data collection instrument itself. A questionnaire or interview guide that matches the research question, not a generic template pulled from another project.
• A participant information sheet. What the study is about, what participation involves, how long it takes, and that participation is voluntary, written in plain language a participant can actually understand.
• A confidentiality statement. How data is stored, who can access it, whether it is anonymised, and how long it is kept.

The expert shows you how to prepare these alongside the proposal so they describe the study you are actually running, not a version drafted before the method was settled. Check your own handbook for when the ethics form is due and how it is weighted.

What decides your quote?

• Length and target grade. A 1,500-word proposal and a full PhD research proposal are different amounts of work, and Standard, Premium and Advanced are priced differently because they target different grade bands.
• Whether ethics paperwork is included. An ethics form adds 5% to the base price, quoted separately.
• Turnaround. A same-day or rush request is quoted as a rush.

For the thesis and dissertation lane, MAAS EdTech's published starting rate per 1,000 words is Standard (aim Pass) 2,693,460 VND, Premium (aim Merit) 3,366,825 VND, and Advanced (aim Distinction) 4,309,536 VND, exclusive of 8% VAT. As a reference only, Standard converts to roughly £78 or $104 at the 22/09/2026 exchange rate. These are starting figures, not the final price: your quote depends on length, discipline and turnaround, and is confirmed before any work begins.

Who will actually work with you?

An expert who has worked in your discipline, because a method justification only makes sense to someone who has used that method themselves. Across MAAS EdTech's roster of 100+ experts, 23% hold a doctorate and 43% a Master's degree, and MAAS has delivered more than 10,000 projects since 2015. MAAS EdTech does not publish expert names, only level, field and country, on the experts page, and how proposal engagements have run on success stories.

Have a topic and need it turned into a proposal your supervisor will approve? support@maasedtech.com or +84 979 422 393 (WhatsApp).

Not ready to book a call? Send your brief on WhatsApp or Messenger and ask for a figure. If a full proposal engagement is not what you need, you will be told that.

Frequently asked questions

Research Proposal Support guides you through an Outline, Draft and Final stage as you build your proposal, targeted to a grade band, and includes expert guidance on the ethics paperwork your data collection plan needs when your project involves primary data.

Does this include the ethics form, questionnaire and participant information sheet?
Yes, when your project needs them. You prepare the ethics paperwork, meaning the data collection instrument, the participant information sheet and the confidentiality statement, alongside the proposal, and the expert shows you what each document has to cover and gives feedback on your version. An ethics form adds 5% to the base price, quoted separately.

Will my proposal definitely be approved?
No service can promise that, because approval sits with your supervisor or ethics panel, not with MAAS. What MAAS EdTech commits to is a structured model draft and expert feedback aimed at your target grade, with a method that is justified rather than just named, and feedback on your ethics paperwork against your actual data collection plan.

Does the same refund policy apply as for a full dissertation?
Yes. Research Proposal Support sits in the same Outline, Draft, Final engagement as Dissertation & Thesis Support, with the same target grade and results-based refund under MAAS's refund policy, and the same 45-day warranty from the date you submit.

My proposal came back with reviewer comments. Can you help me revise it rather than start over?
Yes. Send the proposal and the comments, and it is quoted the same way, on length and on what the revision needs, whether that is tightening the method justification or narrowing the scope.

How is this different from Single Chapter Support?
Research Proposal Support covers the proposal stage, before your project is approved to start. Single Chapter Support covers chapters written after that, such as your Introduction or Literature Review, once the dissertation itself is underway.

References

Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. SAGE.