what is statement of research experience

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="what is statement of research experience"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Research statement, what is a research statement.

The research statement (or statement of research interests) is a common component of academic job applications. It is a summary of your research accomplishments, current work, and future direction and potential of your work.

The statement can discuss specific issues such as:

• funding history and potential
• requirements for laboratory equipment and space and other resources
• potential research and industrial collaborations
• how your research contributes to your field
• future direction of your research

The research statement should be technical, but should be intelligible to all members of the department, including those outside your subdiscipline. So keep the “big picture” in mind. The strongest research statements present a readable, compelling, and realistic research agenda that fits well with the needs, facilities, and goals of the department.

Research statements can be weakened by:

• overly ambitious proposals
• lack of clear direction
• lack of big-picture focus
• inadequate attention to the needs and facilities of the department or position

Why a Research Statement?

• It conveys to search committees the pieces of your professional identity and charts the course of your scholarly journey.
• It communicates a sense that your research will follow logically from what you have done and that it will be different, important, and innovative.
• It gives a context for your research interests—Why does your research matter? The so what?
• It combines your achievements and current work with the proposal for upcoming research.
• areas of specialty and expertise
• potential to get funding
• academic strengths and abilities
• compatibility with the department or school
• ability to think and communicate like a serious scholar and/or scientist

Formatting of Research Statements

The goal of the research statement is to introduce yourself to a search committee, which will probably contain scientists both in and outside your field, and get them excited about your research. To encourage people to read it:

• make it one or two pages, three at most
• use informative section headings and subheadings
• use bullets
• use an easily readable font size
• make the margins a reasonable size

Organization of Research Statements

Think of the overarching theme guiding your main research subject area. Write an essay that lays out:

• The main theme(s) and why it is important and what specific skills you use to attack the problem.
• A few specific examples of problems you have already solved with success to build credibility and inform people outside your field about what you do.
• A discussion of the future direction of your research. This section should be really exciting to people both in and outside your field. Don’t sell yourself short; if you think your research could lead to answers for big important questions, say so!
• A final paragraph that gives a good overall impression of your research.

Writing Research Statements

• Avoid jargon. Make sure that you describe your research in language that many people outside your specific subject area can understand. Ask people both in and outside your field to read it before you send your application. A search committee won’t get excited about something they can’t understand.
• Write as clearly, concisely, and concretely as you can.
• Keep it at a summary level; give more detail in the job talk.
• Ask others to proofread it. Be sure there are no spelling errors.
• Convince the search committee not only that you are knowledgeable, but that you are the right person to carry out the research.
• Include information that sets you apart (e.g., publication in  Science, Nature,  or a prestigious journal in your field).
• What excites you about your research? Sound fresh.
• Include preliminary results and how to build on results.
• Point out how current faculty may become future partners.
• Acknowledge the work of others.
• Use language that shows you are an independent researcher.
• BUT focus on your research work, not yourself.
• Include potential funding partners and industrial collaborations. Be creative!
• Provide a summary of your research.
• Put in background material to give the context/relevance/significance of your research.
• List major findings, outcomes, and implications.
• Describe both current and planned (future) research.
• Communicate a sense that your research will follow logically from what you have done and that it will be unique, significant, and innovative (and easy to fund).

Describe Your Future Goals or Research Plans

• Major problem(s) you want to focus on in your research.
• The problem’s relevance and significance to the field.
• Your specific goals for the next three to five years, including potential impact and outcomes.
• If you know what a particular agency funds, you can name the agency and briefly outline a proposal.
• Give broad enough goals so that if one area doesn’t get funded, you can pursue other research goals and funding.

Identify Potential Funding Sources

• Almost every institution wants to know whether you’ll be able to get external funding for research.
• Try to provide some possible sources of funding for the research, such as NIH, NSF, foundations, private agencies.
• Mention past funding, if appropriate.

Be Realistic

There is a delicate balance between a realistic research statement where you promise to work on problems you really think you can solve and over-reaching or dabbling in too many subject areas. Select an over-arching theme for your research statement and leave miscellaneous ideas or projects out. Everyone knows that you will work on more than what you mention in this statement.

Consider Also Preparing a Longer Version

• A longer version (five–15 pages) can be brought to your interview. (Check with your advisor to see if this is necessary.)
• You may be asked to describe research plans and budget in detail at the campus interview. Be prepared.
• Include laboratory needs (how much budget you need for equipment, how many grad assistants, etc.) to start up the research.

Samples of Research Statements

To find sample research statements with content specific to your discipline, search on the internet for your discipline + “Research Statement.”

• University of Pennsylvania Sample Research Statement
• Advice on writing a Research Statement (Plan) from the journal  Science

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Graduate School Applications: Writing a Research Statement

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

What is a Research Statement?

A research statement is a short document that provides a brief history of your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future work you intend to complete.

The research statement is a common component of a potential candidate’s application for post-undergraduate study. This may include applications for graduate programs, post-doctoral fellowships, or faculty positions. The research statement is often the primary way that a committee determines if a candidate’s interests and past experience make them a good fit for their program/institution.

What Should It Look Like?

Research statements are generally one to two single-spaced pages. You should be sure to thoroughly read and follow the length and content requirements for each individual application.

Your research statement should situate your work within the larger context of your field and show how your works contributes to, complicates, or counters other work being done. It should be written for an audience of other professionals in your field.

What Should It Include?

Your statement should start by articulating the broader field that you are working within and the larger question or questions that you are interested in answering. It should then move to articulate your specific interest.

The body of your statement should include a brief history of your past research . What questions did you initially set out to answer in your research project? What did you find? How did it contribute to your field? (i.e. did it lead to academic publications, conferences, or collaborations?). How did your past research propel you forward?

It should also address your present research . What questions are you actively trying to solve? What have you found so far? How are you connecting your research to the larger academic conversation? (i.e. do you have any publications under review, upcoming conferences, or other professional engagements?) What are the larger implications of your work?

Finally, it should describe the future trajectory on which you intend to take your research. What further questions do you want to solve? How do you intend to find answers to these questions? How can the institution to which you are applying help you in that process? What are the broader implications of your potential results?

Note: Make sure that the research project that you propose can be completed at the institution to which you are applying.

Other Considerations:

• What is the primary question that you have tried to address over the course of your academic career? Why is this question important to the field? How has each stage of your work related to that question?
• Include a few specific examples that show your success. What tangible solutions have you found to the question that you were trying to answer? How have your solutions impacted the larger field? Examples can include references to published findings, conference presentations, or other professional involvement.
• Be confident about your skills and abilities. The research statement is your opportunity to sell yourself to an institution. Show that you are self-motivated and passionate about your project.

Writing a Research Statement

What is a research statement.

A research statement is a short document that provides a brief history of your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future work you intend to complete.

The research statement is a common component of a potential student's application for post-undergraduate study. The research statement is often the primary way for departments and faculty to determine if a student's interests and past experience make them a good fit for their program/institution.

Although many programs ask for ‘personal statements,' these are not really meant to be biographies or life stories. What we, at Tufts Psychology, hope to find out is how well your abilities, interests, experiences and goals would fit within our program.

We encourage you to illustrate how your lived experience demonstrates qualities that are critical to success in pursuing a PhD in our program. Earning a PhD in any program is hard! Thus, as you are relaying your past, present, and future research interests, we are interested in learning how your lived experiences showcase the following:

• Perseverance
• Resilience in the face of difficulty
• Motivation to undertake intensive research training
• Involvement in efforts to promote equity and inclusion in your professional and/or personal life
• Unique perspectives that enrich the research questions you ask, the methods you use, and the communities to whom your research applies

How Do I Even Start Writing One?

Before you begin your statement, read as much as possible about our program so you can tailor your statement and convince the admissions committee that you will be a good fit.

Prepare an outline of the topics you want to cover (e.g., professional objectives and personal background) and list supporting material under each main topic. Write a rough draft in which you transform your outline into prose. Set it aside and read it a week later. If it still sounds good, go to the next stage. If not, rewrite it until it sounds right.

Do not feel bad if you do not have a great deal of experience in psychology to write about; no one who is about to graduate from college does. Do explain your relevant experiences (e.g., internships or research projects), but do not try to turn them into events of cosmic proportion. Be honest, sincere, and objective.

What Information Should It Include?

Your research statement should describe your previous experience, how that experience will facilitate your graduate education in our department, and why you are choosing to pursue graduate education in our department. Your goal should be to demonstrate how well you will fit in our program and in a specific laboratory.

Make sure to link your research interests to the expertise and research programs of faculty here. Identify at least one faculty member with whom you would like to work. Make sure that person is accepting graduate students when you apply. Read some of their papers and describe how you think the research could be extended in one or more novel directions. Again, specificity is a good idea.

Make sure to describe your relevant experience (e.g., honors thesis, research assistantship) in specific detail. If you have worked on a research project, discuss that project in detail. Your research statement should describe what you did on the project and how your role impacted your understanding of the research question.

Describe the concrete skills you have acquired prior to graduate school and the skills you hope to acquire.

Articulate why you want to pursue a graduate degree at our institution and with specific faculty in our department.

Make sure to clearly state your core research interests and explain why you think they are scientifically and/or practically important. Again, be specific.

What Should It Look Like?

Your final statement should be succinct. You should be sure to thoroughly read and follow the length and content requirements for each individual application. Finally, stick to the points requested by each program, and avoid lengthy personal or philosophical discussions.

How Do I Know if It is Ready?

Ask for feedback from at least one professor, preferably in the area you are interested in. Feedback from friends and family may also be useful. Many colleges and universities also have writing centers that are able to provide general feedback.

Of course, read and proofread the document multiple times. It is not always easy to be a thoughtful editor of your own work, so don't be afraid to ask for help.

Lastly, consider signing up to take part in the Application Statement Feedback Program . The program provides constructive feedback and editing support for the research statements of applicants to Psychology PhD programs in the United States.

• Undergraduate Students
• Masters Students
• PhD/Doctoral Students
• Postdoctoral Scholars
• Faculty & Staff
• Families & Supporters
• Prospective Students
• Explore Your Interests / Self-Assessment
• Build your Network / LinkedIn
• Search for a Job / Internship
• Create a Resume / Cover Letter
• Prepare for an Interview
• Negotiate an Offer
• Prepare for Graduate School
• Find Funding Opportunities
• Prepare for the Academic Job Market
• Search for a Job or Internship
• Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations
• Arts & Entertainment
• Consulting & Financial Services
• Engineering & Technology
• Government, Law & Policy
• Hospitality
• Management & Human Resources
• Non-Profit, Social Justice & Education
• Retail & Consumer Services
• BIPOC Students & Scholars
• Current & Former Foster Youth
• Disabled Students & Scholars
• First-Generation Students & Scholars
• Formerly Incarcerated Students & Scholars
• International Students & Scholars
• LGBTQ+ Students & Scholars
• Student Athletes
• Students & Scholars with Dependents
• Transfer Students
• Undocumented Students & Scholars
• Women-Identifying Students & Scholars

Research Statements

• Share This: Share Research Statements on Facebook Share Research Statements on LinkedIn Share Research Statements on X

A research statement is used when applying for some academic faculty positions and research-intensive positions. A research statement is usually a single-spaced 1-2 page document that describes your research trajectory as a scholar, highlighting growth: from where you began to where you envision going in the next few years. Ultimately, research productivity, focus and future are the most highly scrutinized in academic faculty appointments, particularly at research-intensive universities. Tailor your research statement to the institution to which you are applying – if a university has a strong research focus, emphasize publications; if a university values teaching and research equally, consider ending with a paragraph about how your research complements your teaching and vice versa. Structures of these documents also varies by discipline. See two common structures below.

Structure One:

Introduction: The first paragraph should introduce your research interests in the context of your field, tying the research you have done so far to a distinct trajectory that will take you well into the future.

Summary Of Dissertation: This paragraph should summarize your doctoral research project. Try not to have too much language repetition across documents, such as your abstract or cover letter.

Contribution To Field And Publications: Describe the significance of your projects for your field. Detail any publications initiated from your independent doctoral or postdoctoral research. Additionally, include plans for future publications based on your thesis. Be specific about journals to which you should submit or university presses that might be interested in the book you could develop from your dissertation (if your field expects that). If you are writing a two-page research statement, this section would likely be more than one paragraph and cover your future publication plans in greater detail.

Second Project: If you are submitting a cover letter along with your research statement, then the committee may already have a paragraph describing your second project. In that case, use this space to discuss your second project in greater depth and the publication plans you envision for this project. Make sure you transition from your dissertation to your second large project smoothly – you want to give a sense of your cohesion as a scholar, but also to demonstrate your capacity to conceptualize innovative research that goes well beyond your dissertation project.

Wider Impact Of Research Agenda: Describe the broader significance of your work. What ties your research projects together? What impact do you want to make on your field? If you’re applying for a teaching-oriented institution, how would you connect your research with your teaching?

Structure Two:

25% Previous Research Experience: Describe your early work and how it solidified your interest in your field. How did these formative experiences influence your research interests and approach to research? Explain how this earlier work led to your current project(s).

25% Current Projects: Describe your dissertation/thesis project – this paragraph could be modeled on the first paragraph of your dissertation abstract since it covers all your bases: context, methodology, findings, significance. You could also mention grants/fellowships that funded the project, publications derived from this research, and publications that are currently being developed.

50% Future Work: Transition to how your current work informs your future research. Describe your next major project or projects and a realistic plan for accomplishing this work. What publications do you expect to come out of this research? The last part of the research statement should be customized to demonstrate the fit of your research agenda with the institution.

• Enhancing Student Success
• Innovative Research
• Alumni Success
• About NC State

How to Construct a Compelling Research Statement

A research statement is a critical document for prospective faculty applicants. This document allows applicants to convey to their future colleagues the importance and impact of their past and, most importantly, future research. You as an applicant should use this document to lay out your planned research for the next few years, making sure to outline how your planned research contributes to your field.

Some general guidelines

(from Carleton University )

An effective research statement accomplishes three key goals:

• It clearly presents your scholarship in nonspecialist terms;
• It places your research in a broader context, scientifically and societally; and
• It lays out a clear road map for future accomplishments in the new setting (the institution to which you’re applying).

Another way to think about the success of your research statement is to consider whether, after reading it, a reader is able to answer these questions:

• What do you do (what are your major accomplishments; what techniques do you use; how have you added to your field)?
• Why is your work important (why should both other scientists and nonscientists care)?
• Where is it going in the future (what are the next steps; how will you carry them out in your new job; does your research plan meet the requirements for tenure at this institution)?

1. Make your statement reader-friendly

A typical faculty application call can easily receive 200+ applicants. As such, you need to make all your application documents reader-friendly. Use headings and subheadings to organize your ideas and leave white space between sections.

In addition, you may want to include figures and diagrams in your research statement that capture key findings or concepts so a reader can quickly determine what you are studying and why it is important. A wall of text in your research statement should be avoided at all costs. Rather, a research statement that is concise and thoughtfully laid out demonstrates to hiring committees that you can organize ideas in a coherent and easy-to-understand manner.

Also, this presentation demonstrates your ability to develop competitive funding applications (see more in next section), which is critical for success in a research-intensive faculty position.

2. Be sure to touch on the fundability of your planned research work

Another goal of your research statement is to make the case for why your planned research is fundable. You may get different opinions here, but I would recommend citing open or planned funding opportunities at federal agencies or other funders that you plan to submit to. You might also use open funding calls as a way to demonstrate that your planned research is in an area receiving funding prioritization by various agencies.

If you are looking for funding, check out this list of funding resources on my personal website. Another great way to look for funding is to use NIH Reporter and NSF award search .

3. Draft the statement and get feedback early and often

I can tell you from personal experience that it takes time to refine a strong research statement. I went on the faculty job market two years in a row and found my second year materials to be much stronger. You need time to read, review and reflect on your statements and documents to really make them stand out.

It is important to have your supervisor and other faculty read and give feedback on your critical application documents and especially your research statement. Also, finding peers to provide feedback and in return giving them feedback on their documents is very helpful. Seek out communities of support such as Future PI Slack to find peer reviewers (and get a lot of great application advice) if needed.

4. Share with nonexperts to assess your writing’s clarity

Additionally, you may want to consider sharing your job materials, including your research statement, with non-experts to assess clarity. For example, NC State’s Professional Development Team offers an Academic Packways: Gearing Up for Faculty program each year where you can get feedback on your application documents from individuals working in a variety of areas. You can also ask classmates and colleagues working in different areas to review your research statement. The more feedback you can receive on your materials through formal or informal means, the better.

5. Tailor your statement to the institution

It is critical in your research statement to mention how you will make use of core facilities or resources at the institution you are applying to. If you need particular research infrastructure to do your work and the institution has it, you should mention that in your statement. Something to the effect of: “The presence of the XXX core facility at YYY University will greatly facilitate my lab’s ability to investigate this important process.”

Mentioning core facilities and resources at the target institution shows you have done your research, which is critical in demonstrating your interest in that institution.

Finally, think about the resources available at the institution you are applying to. If you are applying to a primarily undergraduate-serving institution, you will want to be sure you propose a research program that could reasonably take place with undergraduate students, working mostly in the summer and utilizing core facilities that may be limited or require external collaborations.

Undergraduate-serving institutions will value research projects that meaningfully involve students. Proposing overly ambitious research at a primarily undergraduate institution is a recipe for rejection as the institution will read your application as out of touch … that either you didn’t do the work to research them or that you are applying to them as a “backup” to research-intensive positions.

You should carefully think about how to restructure your research statements if you are applying to both primarily undergraduate-serving and research-intensive institutions. For examples of how I framed my research statement for faculty applications at each type of institution, see my personal website ( undergraduate-serving ; research-intensive research statements).

6. Be yourself, not who you think the search committee wants

In the end, a research statement allows you to think critically about where you see your research going in the future. What are you excited about studying based on your previous work? How will you go about answering the unanswered questions in your field? What agencies and initiatives are funding your type of research? If you develop your research statement from these core questions, your passion and commitment to the work will surely shine through.

A closing thought: Be yourself, not who you think the search committee wants. If you try to frame yourself as someone you really aren’t, you are setting the hiring institution and you up for disappointment. You want a university to hire you because they like you, the work you have done, and the work you want to do, not some filtered or idealized version of you.

So, put your true self out there, and realize you want to find the right institutional fit for you and your research. This all takes time and effort. The earlier you start and the more reflection and feedback you get on your research statement and remaining application documents, the better you can present the true you to potential employers.

More Advice on Faculty Job Application Documents on ImPACKful

How to write a better academic cover letter

Tips on writing an effective teaching statement

More Resources

See here for samples of a variety of application materials from UCSF.

• Rules of the (Social Sciences & Humanities) Research Statement
• CMU’s Writing a Research Statement
• UW’s Academic Careers: Research Statements
• Developing a Winning Research Statement (UCSF)
• Academic Packways
• ImPACKful Tips

Leave a Response Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

More From The Graduate School

Advice From Newly Hired Assistant Professors 

Virtual Postdoc Research Symposium Elevates and Supports Postdoctoral Scholars Across North Carolina 

Expand Your Pack: Start or Join an Online Writing Group! 

Research Statements

The research statement is a critical document in academic and research applications, such as postdoctoral fellowships or faculty positions. It is a concise summary of your research background, current research activities, and future research goals. It serves as a tool to showcase the independent research you conduct, highlight your research agenda and goals, demonstrate your writing ability, and articulate potential funding opportunities you plan to pursue.

Printable Research Statement Guide

Length and Format

• 1-2 single-spaced pages (unless specified otherwise) • Adheres to the specific length and content requirements of each application

Audience and Context

• Write your research statement for an audience of professionals in your field. • Assume that the readers have a solid foundation in the subject matter.

Introduction

Begin with an introduction that contextualizes your work within your broader field. Discuss the larger questions your research addresses and the significance of those questions within the field.

Research Interests

Describe your specific research interests within the broader context. What questions or problems are you focused on, and why are they important?

Mention any academic publications, conference presentations, or collaborations resulting from your past research.

Incorporating your Research

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Past Research

Provide a concise history of your past research. Discuss the initial questions you aimed to answer, the findings you obtained, and how your work contributed to the field.

Present Research

Discuss your ongoing research. What questions are you currently investigating, and what have you discovered so far? Explain how your current work connects to the broader academic discourse, and mention any forthcoming publications, conferences, or other professional activities. Include specific examples of your successes.

Future Research

Detail plans for future research. What questions do you intend to address next, and how do you plan to answer them? Explain how the institution and program to which you are applying can support your research goals. Discuss the potential implications of your future work.

Tie It All Together

Ensure your statement is logically connected, showing a progression in your research journey. Highlight the primary question or theme that has guided your academic career, its importance to the field, and how each stage of your work has contributed to addressing that question.

Your research statement should convey your motivation and passion for your work. Ultimately, a well-crafted research statement should demonstrate your expertise, potential contributions to the field, and compatibility with the academic institution to which you are applying. It should provide a clear and compelling narrative of your research journey and ambitions.

Writing a research statement

By michael ernst, december, 2011 last updated: march 29, 2016.

A research statement lays out your vision of your research, including both your accomplishments to date and your plans for the future. It is a required part of many applications — for graduate school , for fellowships , for jobs (especially academic jobs ), for awards, etc.

This is a short collection of advice regarding some mistakes I have seen people make in their statements. It is incomplete at present, but still useful if it helps you avoid those common but important blunders.

Write your statement in the first person.

Your statement will likely discuss multiple research projects or results. Readers are unlikely to remember each of the projects in detail (though they may remember that you are broad, which is good). It will be easiest for readers to remember your work, and equally importantly to place it in context as they read your statement, if you can show how the projects are related. They might be in the same research subarea, or use related techniques, or stem from your own experiences, etc. Find a way to tie them together, which will make readers more likely to understand them. Furthermore, readers will be more likely to believe that you may continue to produce similar results in the future, if they see a pattern. After starting out with an overview (which might describe the general topic and its importance), tie the description of each result or project into that overview.

Somewhere — maybe at the beginning, though more likely at the end — you need to bring the statement to life and let your personality show through. Permit yourself to gush about how much you enjoy research: show that you really care about this and why. For example, you might state how important it is to you and how it has changed the way you think about your research area computing. Another way to address this (not incompatible with the others) is to say why you got involved in research at all; that might go at the beginning. If readers believe that you are enthusiastic about the topic, they will be more likely to believe that you are doing a great job and will be more favorably inclined toward you in general.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications

How to Write a Research Statement

Last Updated: April 25, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 66,762 times.

The research statement is a very common component of job applications in academia. The statement provides a summary of your research experience, interests, and agenda for reviewers to use to assess your candidacy for a position. Because the research statement introduces you as a researcher to the people reviewing your job application, it’s important to make the statement as impressive as possible. After you’ve planned out what you want to say, all you have to do is write your research statement with the right structure, style, and formatting!

Research Statement Outline and Example

Planning Your Research Statement

• For example, some of the major themes of your research might be slavery and race in the 18th century, the efficacy of cancer treatments, or the reproductive cycles of different species of crab.
• You may have several small questions that guide specific aspects of your research. Write all of these questions out, then see if you can formulate a broader question that encapsulates all of these smaller questions.

• For example, if your work is on x-ray technology, describe how your research has filled any knowledge gaps in your field, as well as how it could be applied to x-ray machines in hospitals.
• It’s important to be able to articulate why your research should matter to people who don’t study what you study to generate interest in your research outside your field. This is very helpful when you go to apply for grants for future research.

• Explain why these are the things you want to research next. Do your best to link your prior research to what you hope to study in the future. This will help give your reviewer a deeper sense of what motivates your research and why it matters.

• For example, if your research was historical and the documents you needed to answer your question didn’t exist, describe how you managed to pursue your research agenda using other types of documents.

• Some skills you might be able to highlight include experience working with digital archives, knowledge of a foreign language, or the ability to work collaboratively. When you're describing your skills, use specific, action-oriented words, rather than just personality traits. For example, you might write "speak Spanish" or "handled digital files."
• Don’t be modest about describing your skills. You want your research statement to impress whoever is reading it.

Structuring and Writing the Statement

• Because this section summarizes the rest of your research statement, you may want to write the executive summary after you’ve written the other sections first.
• Write your executive summary so that if the reviewer chooses to only read this section instead of your whole statement, they will still learn everything they need to know about you as an applicant.
• Make sure that you only include factual information that you can prove or demonstrate. Don't embellish or editorialize your experience to make it seem like it's more than it is.

• If you received a postdoctoral fellowship, describe your postdoc research in this section as well.
• If at all possible, include research in this section that goes beyond just your thesis or dissertation. Your application will be much stronger if reviewers see you as a researcher in a more general sense than as just a student.

• Again, as with the section on your graduate research, be sure to include a description of why this research matters and what relevant skills you bring to bear on it.
• If you’re still in graduate school, you can omit this section.

• Be realistic in describing your future research projects. Don’t describe potential projects or interests that are extremely different from your current projects. If all of your research to this point has been on the American civil war, future research projects in microbiology will sound very farfetched.

• For example, add a sentence that says “Dr. Jameson’s work on the study of slavery in colonial Georgia has served as an inspiration for my own work on slavery in South Carolina. I would welcome the opportunity to be able to collaborate with her on future research projects.”

• For example, if your research focuses on the history of Philadelphia, add a sentence to the paragraph on your future research projects that says, “I believe based on my work that I would be a very strong candidate to receive a Balch Fellowship from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.”
• If you’ve received funding for your research in the past, mention this as well.

• Typically, your research statement should be about 1-2 pages long if you're applying for a humanities or social sciences position. For a position in psychology or the hard sciences, your research statement may be 3-4 pages long.
• Although you may think that having a longer research statement makes you seem more impressive, it’s more important that the reviewer actually read the statement. If it seems too long, they may just skip it, which will hurt your application.

Formatting and Editing

• For example, instead of saying, “This part of my research was super hard,” say, “I found this obstacle to be particularly challenging.”

• For example, if your research is primarily in anthropology, refrain from using phrases like “Gini coefficient” or “moiety.” Only use phrases that someone in a different field would probably be familiar with, such as “cultural construct,” “egalitarian,” or “social division.”
• If you have trusted friends or colleagues in fields other than your own, ask them to read your statement for you to make sure you don’t use any words or concepts that they can’t understand.

• For example, when describing your dissertation, say, “I hypothesized that…” When describing your future research projects, say, “I intend to…” or “My aim is to research…”

• At the same time, don’t make your font too big. If you write your research statement in a font larger than 12, you run the risk of appearing unprofessional.

• For instance, if you completed a postdoc, use subheadings in the section on previous research experience to delineate the research you did in graduate school and the research you did during your fellowship.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/graduate_school_applications/writing_a_research_statement.html
• ↑ https://www.cmu.edu/student-success/other-resources/handouts/comm-supp-pdfs/writing-research-statement.pdf
• ↑ https://postdocs.cornell.edu/research-statement
• ↑ https://gradschool.cornell.edu/academic-progress/pathways-to-success/prepare-for-your-career/take-action/research-statement/
• ↑ https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/executivesummary
• ↑ https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/style/formal-and-informal-style.shtml
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/editing-and-proofreading-techniques

About This Article

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Apr 24, 2022

Did this article help you?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

Tips for Writing about Your Research Experience (Even if You Don’t Think You Have Any)

If you’re someone who hasn’t yet done formal research in a university setting, one of the most intimidating parts of the process can be simply getting your foot in the door. Just like the way your options can seem very limited when applying for your first job, asking for a research position when you have no “experience” can seem discouraging — maybe even to the point of causing you to question whether you should apply in the first place. With that being said, there are some simple tips you can employ when applying for research positions to highlight the link between your existing interests and the work of the position for which you are applying.

First things first: tailor not just your cover letter (for applications that ask for it) but your resume to the position for which you are applying. Even if you’re just sending a casual email to a professor to ask about the research that they’re doing, as a rule, it never hurts to attach your resume. I also like to think that submitting a resume even without being asked to shows that you’re serious about doing research, and have taken the time to put together a thoughtful inquiry into a position. If you’ve never written a cover letter or resume before, don’t fret. The Center for Career Development has some great online resources to help you create one from scratch. If you are looking for more individualized help, you can also schedule an appointment to get one-on-one feedback on your application at any stage in the writing process.

One of the things that I’ve found, however, is that the single-page format of a resume often isn’t enough space to include all of the information about every single thing you’ve ever done. Rather than trying to jam as many impressive accomplishments as you can onto a page, your goal should be to create a resume that gives a cumulative sense of your interests and experiences as they relate to the position for which you are applying. One of my favorite ways to do this is to create a “Research” section. “But Kate, what if I don’t have any research experience?,” you ask. Remember that paper you wrote about a painting by Monet in your favorite class last semester? Write the title down, or even a sentence or two that summarizes your main argument. The art museum you’re hoping to do research at will love knowing that your interest in their current exhibition on Impressionism is rooted in classes you’ve taken and the projects you’ve done in them, no matter how new you may be to a topic. Your interest in a specific research position has to come from somewhere, and your resume is an important part of demonstrating this to others.

What I would like to reassure you of is that it’s normal to be an undergraduate with very little research experience. The people reading your application —whether it be for an official program or even if it’s just a friendly email with a few questions— know that you are a student and will probably be excited to offer you guidance on how to get involved with more specific research projects even if all you have to offer at this point is enthusiasm for the topic. Working in a lab or with a professor on a research project is an opportunity designed to help you learn above all else, so it’s ok if you don’t know what you’re doing! It goes without saying that having little experience will make the final result of your research experience all the more worthwhile because of the potential to gain knowledge in ways you haven’t even imagined.

— Kate Weseley-Jones, Humanities Correspondent

Share this:

• Share on Tumblr

• Appointments

• Resume Reviews

• Undergraduates
• PhDs & Postdocs
• Faculty & Staff
• Prospective Students
• Online Students
• Career Champions
• I’m Exploring
• Architecture & Design
• Education & Academia
• Engineering
• Fashion, Retail & Consumer Products
• Fellowships & Gap Year
• Fine Arts, Performing Arts, & Music
• Government, Law & Public Policy
• Healthcare & Public Health
• International Relations & NGOs
• Life & Physical Sciences
• Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations
• Media, Journalism & Entertainment
• Non-Profits
• Pre-Health, Pre-Law and Pre-Grad
• Real Estate, Accounting, & Insurance
• Social Work & Human Services
• Sports & Hospitality
• Startups, Entrepreneurship & Freelancing
• Sustainability, Energy & Conservation
• Technology, Data & Analytics
• DACA and Undocumented Students
• First Generation and Low Income Students
• International Students
• LGBTQ+ Students
• Transfer Students
• Students of Color
• Students with Disabilities
• Explore Careers & Industries
• Make Connections & Network
• Search for a Job or Internship
• Write a Resume/CV
• Write a Cover Letter
• Engage with Employers
• Research Salaries & Negotiate Offers
• Find Funding
• Develop Professional and Leadership Skills
• Apply to Graduate School
• Apply to Health Professions School
• Apply to Law School
• Self-Assessment
• Experiences
• Post-Graduate
• Jobs & Internships
• Career Fairs
• For Employers
• Meet the Team
• Peer Career Advisors
• Career Services Policies
• Walk-Ins & Pop-Ins
• Strategic Plan 2022-2025

Research statements for faculty job applications

The purpose of a research statement.

The main goal of a research statement is to walk the search committee through the evolution of your research, to highlight your research accomplishments, and to show where your research will be taking you next. To a certain extent, the next steps that you identify within your statement will also need to touch on how your research could benefit the institution to which you are applying. This might be in terms of grant money, faculty collaborations, involving students in your research, or developing new courses. Your CV will usually show a search committee where you have done your research, who your mentors have been, the titles of your various research projects, a list of your papers, and it may provide a very brief summary of what some of this research involves. However, there can be certain points of interest that a CV may not always address in enough detail.

• What got you interested in this research?
• What was the burning question that you set out to answer?
• What challenges did you encounter along the way, and how did you overcome these challenges?
• How can your research be applied?
• Why is your research important within your field?
• What direction will your research take you in next, and what new questions do you have?

While you may not have a good sense of where your research will ultimately lead you, you should have a sense of some of the possible destinations along the way. You want to be able to show a search committee that your research is moving forward and that you are moving forward along with it in terms of developing new skills and knowledge. Ultimately, your research statement should complement your cover letter, CV, and teaching philosophy to illustrate what makes you an ideal candidate for the job. The more clearly you can articulate the path your research has taken, and where it will take you in the future, the more convincing and interesting it will be to read.

Separate research statements are usually requested from researchers in engineering, social, physical, and life sciences, but can also be requested for researchers in the humanities. In many cases, however, the same information that is covered in the research statement is often integrated into the cover letter for many disciplines within the humanities and no separate research statement is requested within the job advertisement. Seek advice from current faculty and new hires about the conventions of your discipline if you are in doubt.

Timeline: Getting Started with Your Research Statement

You can think of a research statement as having three distinct parts. The first part will focus on your past research and can include the reasons you started your research, an explanation as to why the questions you originally asked are important in your field, and a summary some of the work you did to answer some of these early questions.

The middle part of the research statement focuses on your current research. How is this research different from previous work you have done, and what brought you to where you are today? You should still explain the questions you are trying to ask, and it is very important that you focus on some of the findings that you have (and cite some of the publications associated with these findings). In other words, do not talk about your research in abstract terms, make sure that you explain your actual results and findings (even if these may not be entirely complete when you are applying for faculty positions), and mention why these results are significant.

The final part of your research statement should build on the first two parts. Yes, you have asked good questions and used good methods to find some answers, but how will you now use this foundation to take you into your future? Since you are hoping that your future will be at one of the institutions to which you are applying, you should provide some convincing reasons why your future research will be possible at each institution, and why it will be beneficial to that institution and to their students.

While you are focusing on the past, present, and future or your research, and tailoring it to each institution, you should also think about the length of your statement and how detailed or specific you make the descriptions of your research. Think about who will be reading it. Will they all understand the jargon you are using? Are they experts in the subject, or experts in a range of related subjects? Can you go into very specific detail, or do you need to talk about your research in broader terms that make sense to people outside of your research field, focusing on the common ground that might exist? Additionally, you should make sure that your future research plans differ from those of your PI or advisor, as you need to be seen as an independent researcher. Identify 4-5 specific aims that can be divided into short-term and long-term goals. You can give some idea of a 5-year research plan that includes the studies you want to perform, but also mention your long-term plans so that the search committee knows that this is not a finite project.

Another important consideration when writing about your research is realizing that you do not perform research in a vacuum. When doing your research, you may have worked within a team environment at some point or sought out specific collaborations. You may have faced some serious challenges that required some creative problem-solving to overcome. While these aspects are not necessarily as important as your results and your papers or patents, they can help paint a picture of you as a well-rounded researcher who is likely to be successful in the future even if new problems arise, for example.

Follow these general steps to begin developing an effective research statement:

Step 1: Think about how and why you got started with your research. What motivated you to spend so much time on answering the questions you developed? If you can illustrate some of the enthusiasm you have for your subject, the search committee will likely assume that students and other faculty members will see this in you as well. People like to work with passionate and enthusiastic colleagues. Remember to focus on what you found, what questions you answered, and why your findings are significant. The research you completed in the past will have brought you to where you are today; also be sure to show how your research past and research present are connected. Explore some of the techniques and approaches you have successfully used in your research, and describe some of the challenges you overcame. What makes people interested in what you do, and how have you used your research as a tool for teaching or mentoring students? Integrating students into your research may be an important part of your future research at your target institutions. Conclude describing your current research by focusing on your findings, their importance, and what new questions they generate.

Step 2: Think about how you can tailor your research statement for each application. Familiarize yourself with the faculty at each institution, and explore the research that they have been performing. You should think about your future research in terms of the students at the institution. What opportunities can you imagine that would allow students to get involved in what you do to serve as a tool for teaching and training them, and to get them excited about your subject? Do not talk about your desire to work with graduate students if the institution only has undergraduates! You will also need to think about what equipment or resources that you might need to do your future research. Again, mention any resources that specific institutions have that you would be interested in utilizing (e.g., print materials, super electron microscopes, archived artwork). You can also mention what you hope to do with your current and future research in terms of publication (whether in journals or as a book); try to be as specific and honest as possible. Finally, be prepared to talk about how your future research can help bring in grants and other sources of funding, especially if you have a good track record of receiving awards and fellowships. Mention some grants that you know have been awarded to similar research, and state your intention to seek this type of funding.

Step 3: Ask faculty in your department if they are willing to share their own research statements with you. To a certain extent, there will be some subject-specific differences in what is expected from a research statement, and so it is always a good idea to see how others in your field have done it. You should try to draft your own research statement first before you review any statements shared with you. Your goal is to create a unique research statement that clearly highlights your abilities as a researcher.

Step 4: The research statement is typically a few (2-3) pages in length, depending on the number of images, illustrations, or graphs included.  Once you have completed the steps above, schedule an appointment with a career advisor to get feedback on your draft. You should also try to get faculty in your department to review your document if they are willing to do so.

Additional Resources

For further tips, tricks, and strategies for writing a research statement for faculty jobs, see the resources below:

• The PhD Career Training Platform is an eLearning platform with on-demand, self-paced modules that allow PhDs and postdocs to make informed decisions about their career path and learn successful job search strategies from other PhDs. Select the University of Pennsylvania from the drop-down menu, log in using your University ID, and click the “Faculty Careers” tab to learn more about application documents for a faculty job search.
• Writing an Effective Research Statement
• Research Statements for Humanities PhDs
• Tips to Get Started on Your Research Statement (video)

Explore other application documents:

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

December 8, 2023

How to Write About Your Research Interests

The most common challenge that my master’s and PhD applicant clients face when writing a statement of research interests or a statement of purpose (SOP) is how to describe in concrete terms what their research interests and goals are. This is understandable. Their ideas are still evolving, and some worry that they’ll later be held to the ideas they stated in their applications, as though they were chiseled in stone. Others simply haven’t yet thought those ideas through very much. 

Take a deep breath! By the time you begin writing your thesis, I promise that no one will pop up and wave your SOP or research interests statement around, saying, “But that’s not what you said here!” Everyone knows that your knowledge and ideas will develop throughout your grad program. 

Here are the two things that a great statement of research interests or SOP will do:

• It  will clearly illustrate to the admissions committee that you possess a depth of interest and comprehension in your field and that you understand what goes into research. You will sound naïve if you talk about ideas that are too vague or nebulous, or ones that cannot be addressed adequately through your discipline.  
• It will explain any relevant background you have in this field, why you find it compelling, and  why you are well suited for this career track . 

Four questions to help you find your statement focus

To narrow your interests into something that is concrete enough for you to be able to write about convincingly, without being overly general, ask yourself these questions:

• What are the broad research questions/issues that interest you? Create a summary of your interests that you can work with, and describe your interests in a sentence – or a paragraph, at most.  
• Within those broad areas of interest, can you begin to focus on more specific questions? If you’re not sure what the current questions/problems are in your field, now is the time to start catching up. Read recent journal publications, and go to conferences if you can. Reading the literature in your field will also give you a sense of how to frame your ideas in the language of your field.  
• Have you done any research in this field already? If so, do you intend to build on your previous work in grad school or go in a new direction?  
• How will your research contribute to the field?

Understanding how to present your goals

Some projects described in SOPs are achievable in the short term, while others are big enough to last a career. If your interests/goals fall into this latter category, acknowledge your ambitions, and try to identify some element of your interests that you can pursue as a first step.

Once you have demonstrated your skills (and past experience) in your field, you will be better equipped to define your next steps. 

Focusing your interests will also involve doing more detailed research about the programs to which you plan to apply. For example, consider the following questions:

• Who might be your research supervisor?  
• How do your interests relate to the work this scholar or these scholars are doing now?  
• How would you contribute to the department and to the discipline?

Your SOP will also address your post-degree, longer-term goals. Consider this: do you envision yourself pursuing a career in research/academia? (For many PhD programs, this remains the department’s formal expectation, even though many PhDs find employment outside the academy.) If you’re applying for a master’s degree, be prepared to discuss what your future plans are and how the degree will help you. 

Working on your SOP or statement of research interests?

Your SOP needs to be direct, informative, and… well… purposeful! When you choose Accepted, we match you with a dedicated advisor who will help you create an SOP that best reflects your experiences, goals, and intense desire to attend your target graduate school program. And did you know that Accepted’s clients have received millions of dollars in scholarship offers? Don’t delay – get started now by checking out our  Graduate School Application Services .

For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• STEM Applicants: Why Your Statement of Purpose is So Important
• Three Must-Have Elements of a Good Statement of Purpose
• Writing Your Career Goals Essay

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 © 2022 Accepted

• Graduate School

Research Interest Statement Samples That Worked

A good research interest statement sample can be hard to find. Still, it can also be a beneficial tool for writing one and preparing for a grad school application or post-graduate position. Your research interest statement is one of the key components of your application to get into grad school . In a few cases, admissions committees have used it instead of an interview, so it is important to write a strong essay. We’ve provided research interest statement samples for you in this blog post. We have also included several tips that will help you write a strong statement to help improve your chances of getting accepted into your dream program. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Article Contents 13 min read

What is a research interest statement.

A research interest statement is essential for most graduate school, post-graduate, and academic job applications. Sometimes, it may be referred to it as a " statement of intent " or "description of research interests." While they are similar, research interest statement may require some additional information. Generally, your statement will pride a brief overview of your research background, including your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future research you'd like to complete, including any required equipment and collaborations. It is usually written in the form of a short essay. Still, of course, different graduate programs can have specific requirements, so make sure to check the program you are applying to and read the particular instructions that they give to ensure your research interest statement meets their requirements. 

Your research statement plays a big role in the committee's decision. Ultimately, they are trying to figure out if you, as a person, and your research, would be a good fit for their program. A strong statement can help you convince them of this by showing your passion for research, your research interests and experience, the connection between your interests and the program, and the extent of your writing skills which is really important for paper and grant writing, and thus for earning money for your research!

Undergraduate programs are centered around classes, but graduate and post-graduate programs are all about your research and what your research contributes to your discipline of choice. That is why a research interest statement is so important, because it is essentially a way for you to share this information with the program that you have chosen.

Writing a strong statement can be helpful to you, as well. Having to explain your research and talk about your goals coherently will give you a chance to define your future research and career plans, as well as academic interests.

What Should Your Research Interest Statement Include?

The exact requirements of the research interest statement can vary depending on where you are applying and for what position. Most faculty positions will need you to produce a separate file for your statement, and most of the time, for an academic program, you can simply include your statement within your CV for graduate school .  

Need to prepare your grad school CV? This video has helpful advice for you:

Unless otherwise stated by the program or faculty that you are applying to, your statement should be one to two pages long or between 600 and 1000 words. If you are including your description of interest statements on your resume, then it would be ideal to keep it between 400 and 600 words. Most programs will give you guidelines for the research interest statement so make sure you follow those. They rarely include a specific question or prompt but they might ask for a particular detail to be included in your interest statement. For example, a university’s requirements may look something like this: “In your statement of interest, you should detail your study and/or research interests and reasons for seeking admission. You must identify a faculty member from the Anthropology of Department with whom you are interested in being your advisor. The length of a statement of intent should be 2 pages in length (single-spaced, Times New Roman font size 12 point)”

Your statement should include a brief history of your past research. It should tell the committee what you have previously set out to answer with your research projects, what you found, and if it led to any academic publications or collaborations. It should also address your current research. What questions are you actively trying to solve? You will need to tell the committee if you’ve made any progress, what you have found, if you are connecting your research to the larger academic conversation and what the larger implications of your work actually are. Finally, you want to talk about the future of your research. What further questions do you want to solve? How do you intend to find answers to these questions? What are the broader implications of your potential results, and how can the institution you are applying to help you?

Before we show you some examples, let's go over a few essential things that you need to keep in mind while writing your research interest statement to make sure it is strong. 

Preparation

Give Yourself Ample Time: Much like with other components of your application, like your CV or a graduate school interview question , preparation is the key to success. You should give yourself enough time to thoroughly research the program or faculty you are applying to, gather all the information or documents that can aid you in writing, and then write and rewrite as many times as you need to. Give yourself at least 6 weeks to draft, redraft, and finalize your statement. You may also want to consider investing in a graduate school admissions consultant as they have more experience writing these types of essays and may see things that you can’t.

Research the Program/Faculty: The purpose of your research interest statement is to tell the committee all about your research plans, how it will contribute to the field and convince them that not only is their institution is the best place for it, but that you will be an asset to them as a candidate. To do this, you need to know what kind of candidate they are looking for, what kind of research they have been interested in in the past, and if there is anything particular that they require in the research interest statement. Remember, expectations for research statements can vary among disciplines and universities, so it is essential that you write for the right audience.

The Format / Writing Style

Your research statement should be in an academic essay format. It needs to be concise, well-organized, and easy to read. For graduate school, PhD or post-doc positions, your research interest statement will usually be a part of your resume. We recommend that you stick to the following things when it comes to the format:

Limited Spots Available ","trustpilot":false}" :url=""https:\/\/bemoacademicconsulting.com\/grad-app-webinar-registration"" code="banner2" background-color="#000066" button-color="#ffffff" banner-image>

The Content

Introduction: This is a functional academic document, unlike college essays or personal statements, so you want to go straight to the point and focus on the key information that needs to be conveyed. You want to use this paragraph to tell the committee why you are writing this statement. In other words, you should clearly state what kind of research you are interested in pursuing at the institution in question and explain why you are drawn to the subject. 

Body: This is your “why and how” paragraphs. In 2 or 3 paragraphs, you should expand on your interest, background, accomplishments, and plans in the field of research. Depending on your level of experience, you may use this time to talk about your previous or current research. If you do not have much experience, then you may use this paragraph to talk about any skills or academic achievements that could be relevant. 

Conclusion: To conclude, you should restate your interest and tie it back to the research you intend to continue at the university. Be specific about the direction you’d like to take the research in, who you’d like to work with, and what the institution has that would help you. We also suggest including a concise statement that reiterates your unique suitability for the program, and what you can contribute to it and your chosen field.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Being Too Personal: Often, students will confuse the statement of purpose and the research interest statement or letter of intent. It is essential to understand the difference between these two documents because some programs will ask for both of these documents. There is quite a bit of overlap between the two essays, so they are very easy to mix up. Both documents ask applicants to focus on their research interests, relevant past academic & professional experiences, and their long-term goals in the field. However, a statement of purpose is more of a personal statement that describes your journey and overall suitability for a program. In contrast, a research interest statement is a more formal academic document specific to the research you intend to pursue in a program. It will include many details such as the faculty members you want to work with, the program facilities and resources you wish to use, etc.

Not Following Guidelines: As mentioned earlier, these statements can vary depending on the discipline and the faculty. It is crucial that you review all the institution's guidelines and follow them. Some schools will have a specific word count, others may simply give you a maximum and minimum word count. Others may even have a specific prompt or question that you will need to answer with your essay. You want to make sure that you are following the instructions provided by the program. 

Using Too Much Jargon: Your statement will be read by people who are most likely knowledgeable, but they might not be from your specific field or specialty. We understand that it may not be possible to be clear about your research without using a few niche words, but try to keep them at a minimum and avoid using acronyms that are not well known outside of your specialty.

Having One Generic Statement: The requirements of your research statement are different from one school to another, and you should tailor your letter to the program you are writing to. We know that the research and experience you are talking about are still the same, but the qualities and aspects of that experience you play up should help you appeal to the school you are applying to. For example, if you are applying to a very collaborative program, you should highlight your collaborations and your experience working as part of a team.

Looking for tips on getting into grad school? This infographic is for you:

Research of Interest Statement Samples

Below are sample research interest statements for reference: 

Research Statement of Interest 1

Jennifer Doe

As the child of an immigrant, I have always been fascinated by the relationship between identity, geographic territory, and economic development. With the rise of globalization, there is a broader effort in the social sciences to study the link between cultural identity, human mobility, and economic development in the contemporary world. I hope that my research will contribute to this as well. I am applying to the X University Global Anthropology program, as it is the best place for me to explore my research interests and channel them towards my long-term goals. I believe that my undergraduate education and the research experience it gave me have prepared me to undertake advanced research projects, thus making me an excellent candidate for this program.

I spent the first two years of undergraduate studies taking psychology courses. I went to university knowing that I wanted to learn about human behavior and culture. I was thirsty for information, but I did not know what kind of information just yet. It wasn’t until I took an elective anthropology class in my second year and started discussing identity in anthropology that something clicked. Unlike many other social sciences, anthropology explores the different ways that cultures affect human behavior and that connected right away with my experience as an immigrant. I have been passionate about the subject ever since, and I intend on spending my career exploring this topic further.

In the long run, I am interested in understanding how geography affects the construction of one’s cultural identity, especially when it comes to immigrants. Literature already exists on the topic, but most of it examines the upper levels of this process of social reproduction, concentrating on the roles of governments and associations in promoting ties between migrants and their homelands. Prof. Jane Doe Smith is one of the anthropologists researching the transnational migration experience, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with her at X University.

I was fortunate to be part of a summer research experience as an undergraduate, which took place in several west African countries, including Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria. Dr. Sam Smith was leading the research, and my time on his team allowed me to gain hands-on experience in research while living abroad. One of the things that I did almost daily was interview the subjects in a controlled environment, and sometimes I got to be a part of traditional ceremonies. I learnt how to observe without being intrusive and how to interact with clinical subjects. The experience only strengthened my curiosity and conviction that today more than ever, we need to understand what identity is and the different factors that can affect it.

I enrolled in several challenging research-oriented courses such as Applied Statistical Inference for the Behavioral Sciences, Principles of Measurement, and more throughout my degree. I was also able to work as a research lab assistant for one of my mentors, Mr. Jonathan Smith. I worked with him while he studied the relationship between identity, culture and “self.” My main duties were to assist in the creating of surveys and other assessment materials, administer written and verbal tests to participants, create literature reviews for potential resources, create summaries of findings for analysis and other office duties such as reserving testing rooms. This particular experience allowed me to get some hands-on experience with data collection, data analysis, report preparation and the creation of data summaries.

I know that there is a lot more that I can learn from the X University. I have seen the exemplary work in anthropology and other social studies done by the staff and alumni of this school. It has inspired and convinced me beyond the shadow of a doubt that pursuing my graduate studies in your program meets my personal, academic, and professional goals objectives.

My advanced research skills, passion for anthropology and clinical research, as well as my academic proficiency make me the ideal candidate for X University's Clinical Global Anthropology Master’s program. I believe that X University’s rigorous curriculum and facilities make it the perfect place for me, my long-term career goals and my research commitments. 

Jamie Medicine

I am applying to the brain and development master's program of X university because it is one of the few universities that not only has a program that combines the two disciplines that I majored in my undergraduate studies: Psychology and Linguistics; but also because it is a program that I know would allow me to grow as a researcher, contribute to my chosen fields and achieve my long-term career goals. My research is motivated by two of my favorite things: language and music. To be more specific, hip-hop music. In 20xx, Rollingstone magazine published an article stating that hip hop was now more popular than rock and roll. The rise in popularity of this initially very niche genre has sparked a conversation in specific academic fields such as psychology, sociology, linguistics, and English about the use of language within it but also the effects that it can have on those who listen to it. I hope to one day contribute to that conversation by studying the relationship between hip-hop music and vocabulary development, and I believe that pursuing this particular research interest at X university is the best way for me to do that.

There are many potential places this research may lead me and many potential topics I may explore. Furthermore, there are many things that it would allow us to learn about the effect that music has on our brains and society at large.

I was fortunate enough to work under Dr. Jane D. Smith at the University of X for two years while conducting her recently published study on vocabulary instruction for children with a developmental language disorder. During my time in her lab, I interviewed participants and put together evaluation materials for them. I was also responsible for data entry, analysis, and summarizing. This experience gave me the skills and the knowledge that allowed me to exceed expectations for my final research project in undergraduate school.

One of my undergraduate degree requirements was to complete a small independent study under the supervision of a professor. I chose to study music's effect on children's vocabulary development. Several studies look for ways to decrease the million-word gap, and I wanted to see if this thing that I am so passionate about, music, had any effect at all. I compiled multiple literature reviews and analyzed their results, and I found that there is indeed a correlation between the number of words that a child spoke and the amount of music that they were exposed to. 

This research is currently being explored on a larger scale by Prof. John Doe at X university and learning from him is one of the many reasons I have applied to this program. I took several research methodology courses throughout my degree, and I would love to enroll in the Applied Statistics for Psychology course he is currently teaching to build upon the foundational knowledge I already have. There are several other faculty members in the brain and language department with whom learning from would be a dream come true. In addition to that, working with them is a real possibility because the research they are currently doing and the research I hope to pursue are greatly matched.

I genuinely believe that X university has the curriculum and facilities that I need to meet my long-term goals and research commitments. I also believe that my academic achievements, eagerness to learn, and passion make me the perfect candidate for your program. 

Interested in some tips to help you manage grad school once you're there? Check out this video :

It is essentially an essay that provides a brief overview of your research experience and goals. This includes your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future research you'd like to complete. It is also sometimes referred to as a "statement of intent" or "description of research interests."

This statement tells the admissions committee more about you as an applicant. It gives you the opportunity to tell them more about your research (past, present, and future) and show them that you are a good fit for their institution.

No. Some graduate school programs might ask for a statement of purpose and a writing sample instead, or they could ask for none of the above. You should always check the requirements of the specific program that you’re applying to.

Generally, your statement should be 400 to 1000 words or about two pages long. That said, most programs will give you guidelines so make sure you check those and follow them.

You certainly can but we do not recommend it. You should always tailor your statement to the program you are applying to. Remember that the aim is to convince the admissions committee that you are a good fit for their school so make sure you highlight the qualities and values that they care about.

We recommend that you doublecheck the information provided by your chosen program as they often have specific instructions for the format of the letter. If none exist, make sure that the format of your document is pleasing to the eye. Stick to easily legible fonts, a decent font size, spacing, margins, etc.  Also, it is best to keep the content of the letter concise and professional.

We recommend giving yourself at least 6 weeks to write your statement. This will give you ample time to brainstorm, write a strong letter, read it again and edit it as many times as necessary. It also gives you enough time to get expert eyes on your letter and work with them to improve it if you wish.

No. Research interest statements are often required for post-graduate school applications and for other positions in academic faculties.

Absolutely! You can always reach out to admissions professionals, such as graduate school admissions consultants or grad school essays tutors .

Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!

Apple Podcasts

Like our blog? Write for us ! >>

Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Thank you for your excellent site

BeMo Academic Consulting

You are very welcome, Rasool!

Sadia Sultana

hello, thanks for providing guide line for Research Interest statement, the important aspect of scholarship application. Kindly guide me, What should be the title of the Research Statement. Thanks

Hi Sadia! Check the requirements of your school first. They might provide some info on whether a title is even needed. 

Sadia Tasnim Epa

I'm very pleased that you have mentioned every detail of research interest which helped me to clear all of my doubts.... Thank you very much.

Hi Sadia! Glad you found this helpful!

Get Started Now

Talk to one of our admissions experts

Our site uses cookies. By using our website, you agree with our cookie policy .

FREE Training Webinar:

How to make your grad school application stand out, (and avoid the top 5 mistakes that get most rejected).

How to Write a Research Statement

• Experimental Psychology

Task #1: Understand the Purpose of the Research Statement

The primary mistake people make when writing a research statement is that they fail to appreciate its purpose. The purpose isn’t simply to list and briefly describe all the projects that you’ve completed, as though you’re a museum docent and your research publications are the exhibits. “Here, we see a pen and watercolor self-portrait of the artist. This painting is the earliest known likeness of the artist. It captures the artist’s melancholic temperament … Next, we see a steel engraving. This engraving has appeared in almost every illustrated publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and has also appeared as the television studio back-drop for the …”

Similar to touring through a museum, we’ve read through research statements that narrate a researcher’s projects: “My dissertation examined the ways in which preschool-age children’s memory for a novel event was shaped by the verbal dialogue they shared with trained experimenters. The focus was on the important use of what we call elaborative conversational techniques … I have recently launched another project that represents my continued commitment to experimental methods and is yet another extension of the ways in which we can explore the role of conversational engagement during novel events … In addition to my current experimental work, I am also involved in a large-scale collaborative longitudinal project …”

Treating your research statement as though it’s a narrated walk through your vita does let you describe each of your projects (or publications). But the format is boring, and the statement doesn’t tell us much more than if we had the abstracts of each of your papers. Most problematic, treating your research statement as though it’s a narrated walk through your vita misses the primary purpose of the research statement, which is to make a persuasive case about the importance of your completed work and the excitement of your future trajectory.

Writing a persuasive case about your research means setting the stage for why the questions you are investigating are important. Writing a persuasive case about your research means engaging your audience so that they want to learn more about the answers you are discovering. How do you do that? You do that by crafting a coherent story.

Task #2: Tell a Story

Surpass the narrated-vita format and use either an Op-Ed format or a Detective Story format. The Op-Ed format is your basic five-paragraph persuasive essay format:

First paragraph (introduction):

• broad sentence or two introducing your research topic;
• thesis sentence, the position you want to prove (e.g., my research is important); and
• organization sentence that briefly overviews your three bodies of evidence (e.g., my research is important because a, b, and c).

Second, third, and fourth paragraphs (each covering a body of evidence that will prove your position):

• topic sentence (about one body of evidence);
• fact to support claim in topic sentence;
• another fact to support claim in topic sentence;
• another fact to support claim in topic sentence; and
• analysis/transition sentence.

Fifth paragraph (synopsis and conclusion):

• sentence that restates your thesis (e.g., my research is important);
• three sentences that restate your topic sentences from second, third, and fourth paragraph (e.g., my research is important because a, b, and c); and
• analysis/conclusion sentence.

Although the five-paragraph persuasive essay format feels formulaic, it works. It’s used in just about every successful op-ed ever published. And like all good recipes, it can be doubled. Want a 10-paragraph, rather than five-paragraph research statement? Double the amount of each component. Take two paragraphs to introduce the point you’re going to prove. Take two paragraphs to synthesize and conclude. And in the middle, either raise six points of evidence, with a paragraph for each, or take two paragraphs to supply evidence for each of three points. The op-ed format works incredibly well for writing persuasive essays, which is what your research statement should be.

The Detective Story format is more difficult to write, but it’s more enjoyable to read. Whereas the op-ed format works off deductive reasoning, the Detective Story format works off inductive reasoning. The Detective Story does not start with your thesis statement (“hire/retain/promote/ award/honor me because I’m a talented developmental/cognitive/social/clinical/biological/perception psychologist”). Rather, the Detective Story starts with your broad, overarching research question. For example, how do babies learn their native languages? How do we remember autobiographical information? Why do we favor people who are most similar to ourselves? How do we perceive depth? What’s the best way to treat depression? How does the stress we experience every day affect our long-term health?

Because it’s your research statement, you can personalize that overarching question. A great example of a personalized overarching question occurs in the opening paragraph of George Miller’s (1956) article, “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information.”

My problem is that I have been persecuted by an integer. For seven years this number has followed me around, has intruded in my most private data, and has assaulted me from the pages of our most public journals. This number assumes a variety of disguises, being sometimes a little larger and sometimes a little smaller than usual, but never changing so much as to be unrecognizable. The persistence with which this number plagues me is far more than a random accident. There is, to quote a famous senator, a design behind it, some pattern governing its appearances. Either there really is something unusual about the number or else I am suffering from delusions of persecution. I shall begin my case history by telling you about some experiments that tested how accurately people can assign numbers to the magnitudes of various aspects of a stimulus. …

In case you think the above opening was to a newsletter piece or some other low-visibility outlet, it wasn’t. Those opening paragraphs are from a Psych Review article, which has been cited nearly 16,000 times. Science can be personalized. Another example of using the Detective Story format, which opens with your broad research question and personalizes it, is the opening paragraph of a research statement from a chemist:

I became interested in inorganic chemistry because of one element: Boron. The cage structures and complexity of boron hydrides have fascinated my fellow Boron chemists for more than 40 years — and me for more than a decade. Boron is only one element away from carbon, yet its reactivity is dramatically different. I research why.

When truest to the genre of Detective Story format, the full answer to your introductory question won’t be available until the end of your statement — just like a reader doesn’t know whodunit until the last chapter of a mystery. Along the way, clues to the answer are provided, and false leads are ruled out, which keeps readers turning the pages. In the same way, writing your research statement in the Detective Story format will keep members of the hiring committee, the review committee, and the awards panel reading until the last paragraph.

Task #3: Envision Each Audience

The second mistake people make when writing their research statements is that they write for the specialist, as though they’re talking to another member of their lab. But in most cases, the audience for your research statement won’t be well-informed specialists. Therefore, you need to convey the importance of your work and the contribution of your research without getting bogged down in jargon. Some details are important, but an intelligent reader outside your area of study should be able to understand every word of your research statement.

Because research statements are most often included in academic job applications, tenure and promotion evaluations, and award nominations, we’ll talk about how to envision the audiences for each of these contexts.

Job Applications . Even in the largest department, it’s doubtful that more than a couple of people will know the intricacies of your research area as well as you do. And those two or three people are unlikely to have carte blanche authority on hiring. Rather, in most departments, the decision is made by the entire department. In smaller departments, there’s probably no one else in your research area; that’s why they have a search going on. Therefore, the target audience for your research statement in a job application comprises other psychologists, but not psychologists who study what you study (the way you study it).

Envision this target audience explicitly.Think of one of your fellow graduate students or post docs who’s in another area (e.g., if you’re in developmental, think of your friend in biological). Envision what that person will — and won’t — know about the questions you’re asking in your research, the methods you’re using, the statistics you’re employing, and — most importantly — the jargon that you usually use to describe all of this. Write your research statement so that this graduate student or post doc in another area in psychology will not only understand your research statement, but also find your work interesting and exciting.

Tenure Review . During the tenure review process, your research statement will have two target audiences: members of your department and, if your tenure case receives a positive vote in the department, members of the university at large. For envisioning the first audience, follow the advice given above for writing a research statement for a job application. Think of one of your departmental colleagues in another area (e.g., if you’re in developmental, think of your friend in biological). Write in such a way that the colleague in another area in psychology will understand every word  — and find the work interesting. (This advice also applies to writing research statements for annual reviews, for which the review is conducted in the department and usually by all members of the department.)

For the second stage of the tenure process, when your research statement is read by members of the university at large, you’re going to have to scale it down a notch. (And yes, we are suggesting that you write two different statements: one for your department’s review and one for the university’s review, because the audiences differ. And you should always write with an explicit target audience in mind.) For the audience that comprises the entire university, envision a faculty friend in another department. Think political science or economics or sociology, because your statement will be read by political scientists, economists, and sociologists. It’s an art to hit the perfect pitch of being understood by such a wide range of scholars without being trivial, but it’s achievable.

Award Nominations . Members of award selection committees are unlikely to be specialists in your immediate field. Depending on the award, they might not even be members of your discipline. Find out the typical constitution of the selection committee for each award nomination you submit, and tailor your statement accordingly.

Task #4: Be Succinct

When writing a research statement, many people go on for far too long. Consider three pages a maximum, and aim for two. Use subheadings to help break up the wall of text. You might also embed a well-designed figure or graph, if it will help you make a point. (If so, use wrap-around text, and make sure that your figure has its axes labeled.)

And don’t use those undergraduate tricks of trying to cram more in by reducing the margins or the font size. Undoubtedly, most of the people reading your research statement will be older than you, and we old folks don’t like reading small fonts. It makes us crabby, and that’s the last thing you want us to be when we’re reading your research statement.

Nice piece of information. I will keep in mind while writing my research statement

Thank you so much for your guidance.

HOSSEIN DIVAN-BEIGI

Absolutely agree! I also want to add that: On the one hand it`s easy to write good research personal statement, but on the other hand it`s a little bit difficult to summarize all minds and as result the main idea of the statement could be incomprehensible. It also seems like a challenge for those guys, who aren`t native speakers. That`s why you should prepare carefully for this kind of statement to target your goals.

How do you write an action research topic?? An then stAte the problem an purpose for an action research. Can I get an example on language development?? Please I need some help.

Thankyou I now have idea to come up with the research statement. If I need help I will inform you …

much appreciated

Just like Boote & Beile (2005) explained “Doctors before researchers” because of the importance of the dissertation literature review in research groundwork.

APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines .

Please login with your APS account to comment.

About the Authors

Morton Ann Gernsbacher , APS Past President, is the Vilas Research Professor and Sir Frederic Bartlett Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She can be contacted at [email protected] . Patricia G. Devine , a Past APS Board Member, is Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She can be contacted at [email protected] .

Careers Up Close: Joel Anderson on Gender and Sexual Prejudices, the Freedoms of Academic Research, and the Importance of Collaboration

Joel Anderson, a senior research fellow at both Australian Catholic University and La Trobe University, researches group processes, with a specific interest on prejudice, stigma, and stereotypes.

Experimental Methods Are Not Neutral Tools

Ana Sofia Morais and Ralph Hertwig explain how experimental psychologists have painted too negative a picture of human rationality, and how their pessimism is rooted in a seemingly mundane detail: methodological choices. 

APS Fellows Elected to SEP

In addition, an APS Rising Star receives the society’s Early Investigator Award.

Privacy Overview

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Applying to graduate school

How to Write a Statement of Purpose | Example

Published on February 13, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on June 1, 2023.

When you apply for graduate programs or scholarships, the admissions committee is looking for more than just a list of grades. The statement of purpose (also known as a statement of intent or motivation letter) is your chance to stand out from the crowd and showcase your motivation, skills and potential. It should:

• Outline your academic or professional interests and goals
• Discuss relevant skills, experience and achievements
• Demonstrate why you’d be a good fit for the program

Table of contents

Successful statement of purpose example, requirements and prompts, personal introduction, experience and achievements, goals and motivations, fit with the program, tips for an effective statement of purpose, other interesting articles.

The torment of the Founding Fathers is responsible for my interest in Classics. My desire to learn Latin stemmed from reading American Revolutionary-era history during junior high and high school, and particularly from the countless Latin quotations I found in John Adams’ writings. Always eager for a challenge, I was intrigued by the American founders’ accounts of the torture of learning such a difficult language. In my first semester at university, I started learning Latin and thoroughly loved it. As I learned more and more about classical civilization through the language, I realized that I was passionately interested in many aspects of the field of Classics. I have since taken courses on mythology, art and archaeology, and religion, on ancient history, and on the classical tradition. I have also learned Greek, of course, starting with an intensive two-semester course at the university’s summer school. My experience studying abroad in Florence and traveling through Italy and Greece intensified my zeal for the field and, in particular, fueled my ambition to specialize in classical archaeology.

My personal philosophy of life is that everything is connected, and this conviction drives my desire to study Classics. The most rewarding moments for me are discovering and investigating connections – both broad ones, between fields and disciplines, and more specific ones, like the relationship between a piece of literature and an object of material culture. My liberal arts education has equipped me with a broad base of knowledge in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts, and in the honors program I pursued independent projects exploring academic and personal connections, including a paper on ancient Mayan astronomy, a self-observation study on the effects of nutrition and hydration on exercise performance, and a paper on the influence of political context on the changing artistic representations of John Adams. By seeking out connections between seemingly unrelated areas of academia, I have acquired a well-rounded outlook which helps me approach new ideas with both a range of prior experiences and a mind always open to different interpretations.

In accordance with my personal philosophy, I have also continued to explore connections within Classics and between Classics and other fields. In 2007, I published an article in my university’s undergraduate humanities journal; inspired by my studies in Florence, I compared representations of the birth of Venus in ancient and Renaissance literature and art. My major academic achievement to date, however, has been my senior honor thesis on John Adams’ connection to the Classics. Funded by a Hilldale Research Fellowship, I conducted research in the Adams Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society and in John Adams’ personal library at the Boston Public Library on the influence of the classical tradition on Adams’ worldview and how he consciously modeled himself on classical ideals. It was particularly fulfilling to connect historical and classical research in writing about the figure most responsible for instigating my study of the Classics.

As well as my research skills, I have demonstrated proficiency in the classical languages, winning prizes for both Latin and Greek translation from the Classics Department, as well as receiving an enthusiastic nomination from the department for the Pearson Fellowship from the American Philological Association. I am also the president of the undergraduate Classics Society, which allows me to share my enthusiasm for Classics with other students and the larger community.

One of the most appealing aspects of studying Classics is the vast range of topics encompassed by the field. Because my interests are broad and I value an interdisciplinary approach, I would like to pursue graduate study ultimately leading to a PhD in Classical Archaeology. Archaeology in itself is, of course, a multi-faceted field, requiring knowledge of history, language, anthropology, and various scientific and technological methods. I have already started building my skills in this area: I participated in a microartifact analysis from the excavation of a Maya site in Belize as part of an honors project, and this summer I will take part in two archaeological projects in Turkey after working as a research assistant on related material in the spring semester. This PhD program includes many other opportunities I am eager to explore, such as palaeography and papyrology courses, and especially the variety of fieldwork and museum experiences available. I believe that my strong background in the classical languages and wide range of courses on classical civilization and archaeological methods have prepared me well for this program, and I am convinced that, guided by my philosophy of interconnectedness, I will flourish in this program.

The first step is to read the application instructions. These should include the length of the document (usually 1-2 pages), any formatting requirements, and often a question or prompt that indicates what you should focus on.

In some cases, you might also be asked to submit a personal statement . Similar advice applies to both of these documents—both should give a sense of who you are, what you’ve done and what you want to do. But a statement of purpose is often more formal, tightly focused on your academic background and your suitability for the program.

If you are working on multiple applications, don’t try to write a one-size-fits-all text—tailor your statement of purpose to each program. Make sure to respond to the prompt and include all the information you’re asked for. A typical statement of purpose prompt looks like this:

Your focus will be slightly different depending on whether you’re applying for research-based academic programs (such as a PhD ) or professional qualifications (such as an MBA). But all statements of purpose should contain the following elements.

This is your chance to introduce yourself to the admissions committee and let them hear your voice. The statement of purpose shouldn’t tell your life story, but it should give a glimpse into who you are.

Academic and personal background

Give an overview of your academic background, and show what drives your interest in this field or profession. You might want to include some personal background too—your family history, social circumstances, personal relationships and life experiences have all shaped your trajectory and perspective. What unique insights will you bring with you?

Characteristics and personality

Think about aspects of your character that make you well-suited for graduate school. Don’t just list generic adjectives—give examples that demonstrate your strengths and show why they’re relevant.

• Are you organized enough to handle a high-pressure workload?
• Do you have the creativity needed to develop original ideas, or a systematic mindset perfect for problem-solving?
• Do you have strong leadership skills, or are you great at working collaboratively?

Avoid including irrelevant autobiographical detail in the statement of purpose. Everything you include should be aimed at showing why you’d be a strong candidate for the program.

Your experience shows that you have the necessary skills to succeed in graduate school. Don’t just summarize everything you’ve done—pick out some highlights to build a clear picture of your strengths and priorities, illustrating how you’ve learned and developed along the way.

Academic experience

If you’re applying for a research-focused program, such as a PhD, show your knowledge of the field and outline your research experience. This might include:

• A brief summary of your thesis or final project
• Courses that you found particularly valuable
• Projects you contributed to
• Publications
• Presentations
• Extracurriculars that gave you relevant skills or experience

Professional experience

If you’re applying for a professional program, such as an MBA, outline your experience so far and show how it relates to your career plans. This might include:

• Past or current job roles
• Projects you led or participated in
• Internships
• Voluntary work
• Training courses

In all cases, give specific examples with details of what you worked on, what you achieved, and what you got out of the experience.

As well as showing that you’re prepared for the program, explain what you expect to get out of it. What are your motivations for applying? How do you plan to make the most of its opportunities, and how will it help you achieve your goals?

Academic motivations

For academic programs, indicate your research interests, showing how they follow from and build upon what you have studied so far. This might include:

• A subfield that you want to strengthen your expertise in
• A specific problem or question that you’d like to address
• An initial idea for a research project
• A theoretical or methodological approach that you want to develop

This isn’t the place for an in-depth research plan, but it’s a chance to show your enthusiasm and knowledge of your field.

Professional motivations

For professional programs, outline your career aspirations and show how your experience informs your goals. This might include:

• The next step you want to take in your career. What position are you aiming for and how will the program help you achieve it?
• Your motivations for a career change. Can you make a link between your previous experience and your new direction?
• Your long-term goals. Where do you want to be in five or ten years, and how do you see yourself getting there?

The admissions committee wants to know that you’re genuinely motivated to complete the program, and the clearer your plans, the more convincing your commitment.

It’s important to show not only why you want to study this subject, but also why you want to do it in this particular institution and department.

• Do your research, and mention particular classes, specialisms or faculty that attracted you.
• Show why you’re a good fit. Do your priorities align with the values and culture of the institution? What will you contribute to the department?
• Discuss the specific skills, knowledge and experience you expect to get from the program.

The statement of purpose isn’t only about selling yourself—it’s about illustrating an ideal match between you and the program.

Once you’ve made sure to cover all the key elements, you can work on strengthening and polishing the text. Follow these tips to make your application the best it can be.

Stay focused

It can be tempting to try to cram in everything you’ve done, but a good statement of purpose requires careful selection to craft a focused narrative. One way to do this is by building your text around a central theme—for example, a character trait, an intellectual interest, or a career goal.

This strategy helps structure your text and puts your priorities centre stage. Link each paragraph back to the central idea, making it clear how everything fits together.

Think about your structure

The structure of a statement of purpose is somewhat flexible, as long as you include all the relevant information in an order that makes sense.

For example, you might start with a chronological story of where your interests began, or you might open with your goals and then select a series of examples that show your capacity to achieve them. If you’re desperate to study in this specific program, you could lead with a summary of why it’s your ideal choice, and then elaborate on each aspect to show why you’re a perfect fit.

The important thing is that the text showcases your strengths and motivations in a compelling, coherent way. As in any other piece of academic writing, make sure each paragraph communicates one main idea, and that each sentence flows smoothly and logically from the last. Use transition words and topic sentences to move between paragraphs.

Add meaning to your resume

The bare facts of your achievements—grades, prizes, work experience—are already included in your graduate school resume and transcripts. Use the statement of purpose not to repeat yourself, but to add personal meaning and texture to these facts.

If you got top marks for your thesis, describe the research process and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the topic. If you completed an internship or participated in a project, explain what new skills you learned and which aspects you found most valuable. If you already have lots of experience in the field, show how each step developed your skills and shaped your current plans.

Revise, edit, proofread

Your statement of purpose isn’t only about the content—it’s also a chance to show that you can express yourself fluently, confidently and coherently in writing. Spend plenty of time revising, editing and proofreading your text before you submit.

Make sure you stay within the recommended length, and check if there are any specific formatting requirements. If not, use a standard 12pt font, 1-inch margins and 1.5 line spacing.

When you have a final draft, our professional statement of purpose proofreading service can offer an extra pair of eyes to make sure every sentence is perfect.

Proofread my statement of purpose

Checklist: Statement of purpose

My statement of purpose clearly responds to the prompt.

I have introduced my academic, professional and/or personal background.

I have described any relevant experience and shown my development over time.

I have highlighted key achievements that demonstrate my talents.

There is a clear connection between my previous experience and my future plans.

I have explained how the program will help me achieve my goals.

I have mentioned specific aspects of the program, department and institution that appeal to me.

Every paragraph focuses on one central idea.

The paragraphs are organized in a logical order and tell a clear, coherent story.

You're on the way to a successful application. To maximize your chances of getting accepted, a Scribbr editor can help you improve your language, style, and structure.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

College essays

• College essay examples
• College essay format
• College essay style
• College essay length
• Diversity essays
• Scholarship essays

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Avoiding repetition
• Literature review
• Conceptual framework
• Dissertation outline
• Thesis acknowledgements
• Burned or burnt
• Canceled or cancelled
• Dreamt or dreamed
• Gray or grey
• Theater vs theatre

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, June 01). How to Write a Statement of Purpose | Example. Scribbr. Retrieved July 30, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/graduate-school/statement-of-purpose/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write a graduate school resume | template & example, how (and who) to ask for a letter of recommendation, master's vs phd | a complete guide to the differences, get unlimited documents corrected.

✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

What is exactly meant by "research experience" in grad application?

I'm confused by what the term "research experience" actually means in a PhD application. The following examples come into my mind:

• working as research assistant with university professor
• publishing research papers in conferences
• work in R&D division of company (industry research)

Do all examples of the list above count as research experience? Or which ones do? If so, what are they?

Which ones are more important and provide competitive advantage for getting accepted to good university?

• graduate-admissions
• terminology

• 3 I can confirm that RA experience and published work counted as research experience when I applied to my PhD. –  user7112 Commented Jan 11, 2014 at 11:28

3 Answers 3

I would say all of those count as "research experience". Which ones will be most valued depends on the nature of the program you're applying to, and the exact nature of the work you did. In general, though, the more independent your work was, the better, and the more generic it was, the worse. So if you were a research assistant but all you did was photocopy documents, that will not earn you many points. If you were a research assistant who, e.g., conducted experiments, did fieldwork, participated in lab meetings, whatever, those will be worth more. If you actually contributed to the writing of papers or presentation at conferences, even better.

As a rule of thumb, the more that what you did was something other people could not have done (i.e., it required your special expertise, not just "more hands'), the "better" it is.

Most of the applicants for PhD positions (after bachelor, different for master) don't have much research experience or have even written a paper as first author, more common would be poster at a conference. So if you have to show something here over average, list it in your application.

As professors get sometimes over 100 applications for PhD positions, more importantly list in bullet points what you experience handling distinct scientific methods is (technical terminus and usage time, e.g. electron microscopy on biological objects for one year or matlab scripting on neural networks for 6 months) . As soon as you have worked for several weeks with a distinct technique, list it as research experience (name - object - duration)

This profile of your expertise is in the end to my experience more important to a professor/distinct position than a higher number of posters/papers of a distinct candidate, because it depends more on your team/advisor/co-workers if you publish before PhD a lot

It means during your undergraduate or after your undergraduate or in masters (if you are going for a PhD program), what did you do that counts as research.

In PhD application, the committee is looking for whether you already have warmed up for research or not because PhD is about taking a problem and doing research which only you could have done.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged graduate-admissions terminology ..

• Featured on Meta
• We've made changes to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy - July 2024
• Announcing a change to the data-dump process

Hot Network Questions

• TLS 1.3 key derivation and length of labels used (RFC 8446)
• Why is the E in 'collega' long?
• Why doesn't Oppenheimer like the word "bomb" being used to describe the bomb?
• Help using DAC to control DC-DC Buck converter
• Does the notion of "moral progress" presuppose the existence of an objective moral standard?
• Is there any airplane that doesn't use a headset but speakers?
• How can DC charge a capacitor?
• How are multiple sections of a large course assigned?
• Stuck in Infinite Loop
• Lexicographically earliest permutation of the initial segment of nonnegative integers subject to divisibility constraints
• In what way are we one in Christ Jesus?
• Can "the" mean "enough"? — E.g.: "She will bake a pie, if she has the ingredients."
• Possibly manipulated recommendation letter - inform alleged author?
• Passport Renewls
• What changed in TeXForm in V 14.1?
• How may unicode-math access the following common power set symbol?
• The 'correct' way to draw a diagram
• Why do repeating 8's show up more often in these decimals of square roots?
• How to play mono (or very unbalanced stereo) through both ears?
• Glowing eyes facilitate control over other beings
• Usage of Tabular method for Integration by Parts
• Combine 8x8 square grid and 15x15 square grid into 17x17 square
• Political Relations on an Interstellar Scale
• How does JWE secure the Content Encryption Key

WTO / Business / Statements / Research Statement Examples: How To Structure + Expert Tips

Research Statement Examples: How To Structure + Expert Tips

When applying for a faculty position, a research statement (or summary of research interests) is a document that outlines an applicant’s experience, including interests, accomplishments, ongoing research, and future goals. The selection committee uses the document to determine if your interests and experience align with the department, institution, or program. 

Research is valuable in academia. Educators and educational institutions contribute to society by researching important social, scientific, or medical issues. It is thus a vital consideration when being selected for any faculty position. Key elements of the statement include; funding history and potential collaborations; project requirements, such as laboratory equipment, facilities, etc., and the proposed direction of upcoming projects. Include a summary of the contributions made by your past and present projects to other fields, your field of study, and the profession (along with an explanation of why this is a good fit).

A strong research statement should be comprehensive, technical enough for academics in the field, but broad enough for selection committee members from other disciplines. 

Some common flaws in the document include unclear direction and vagueness, overly ambitious or unrealistic proposals, a failure to focus on the big picture, and a misalignment with the faculty’s goals, needs, and facilities. Use this article to learn more about how to create a suitable research statement that improves your application for a faculty position.

Research Statement Examples

What a Good Research Statement Must Include  

The statement of research interests should be detailed, ambitious, and realistic; it should present the highlights of your research journey objectively and professionally. By emphasizing previous experience, you can establish your suitability for undertaking projects. The document informs the committee of your track record and offers context regarding your interests by indicating the motivation and importance/relevance of previous studies. It also gives an overview or background of your subject, the strengths and limitations of your previous projects, and their relevance to future projects.

The document also establishes qualifications for a job position by illustrating your academic strengths and competencies, specialty, expertise, and compatibility with the faculty. It also demonstrates your ability to be innovative, think critically, and communicate as an academic or scholar. 

How Your Research Statement Should Look  

The statement is a formal document and should be formatted‌.

Your statement will typically be reviewed by scholars, academicians, and top administrative personnel within the faculty. The document must be written to appeal to the different categories of personnel.

You should incorporate the following formatting guidelines:

• Keep the length of the document at one or two pages (three if absolutely necessary). 
• Utilize headings and subheadings to categorize information. 
• Bullet points are also allowed to itemize details and points that do not require detailed explanations. 
• Ensure the font and font size you use are legible and the margins are enough to ensure the contents of your document do not appear clogged up or uneven. 

A research statement should be written in the third person (present tense) as it gives a sense of objectivity, not the first person, which can sometimes feel more personal than professional.

How to Structure a Research Statement

Your research statement demonstrates your intellectual integrity, capacity for success in an academic setting (including learning and teaching), and familiarity with the current research landscape. 

T o capture this information, you can follow the steps discussed below when planning what to include in the document; 

Step 1: Write a summary of your research 

The first step is to undertake a detailed self-assessment of your interests, field of study, achievements, and importance. The self-assessment should include reviewing past and current projects, activities, publications, and presentations. You should then summarize your research and highlight the theme guiding your studies. Mention any significant areas that you would like to contribute to, any new ideas you have, and the main conclusions of your work. This section should get the reader excited and prepare them for what to expect in the document.  

Step 2: Include a brief history of your past research 

Secondly, you should discuss your past work . This section, which should include specific projects you have worked on and issues you are trying to solve, should be more detailed than the summary above. It offers a sense of consistency and allows the committee to determine the progress you have made in your work. Remember to keep the content as relevant as possible. 

Step 3: List major findings, outcomes, and implications 

Next, you should address your achievements. This section can either list the themes, projects, topics, or areas of focus you have worked on chronologically or by specific subheadings. You can outline the guiding questions of your project, methodologies used, findings, contribution to the field of study, outcomes such as publications, presentations, essays , reports, etc., and implications such as collaborations, awards, conferences, etc. 

Step 4: Discuss your current research

This section helps to highlight your interests, skill sets, and capabilities necessary for the job position. Here, you can explain why you were interested in this subject and list some of the citations on which you have based your work. This section gives you the opportunity to highlight the novelty of your work, and thus the value of your work to the field of study and how it contributes to the subject should be covered here.

You must briefly discuss the methodology you used and the findings in concrete terms. Any partnerships with third parties and any funding you may have received for your work should be highlighted here. Include professional engagements, upcoming conferences, and upcoming publications in this section as well. 

Step 5: Describe your future goals or plans 

Finally, you should also mention how your current and past research has prepared you for your future plans. Since you are applying for a faculty position, you should demonstrate a clear vision of your future plans. This should include information on the problem you intend to focus on, the relevance of the issues to the field of study, and your academic and professional goals for the next 3-5 years.

Also, mention how your interests and ambitions align with the department’s and institution’s needs. You can achieve this by determining the faculty’s most important needs and objectives, paying close attention to the faculty’s research profile, and choosing an appropriate study topic that most closely aligns with both their and your objectives. 

Step 6: Identify potential funding sources

Most institutions will want to know about any external funding you may be able to access, and it can be an incentive for them to accept your application. Therefore, you should mention any potential funding sources at your disposal. This can be discussed by providing relevant details of sources of funds, such as grants from private institutions, government agencies, academic organizations, foundations, etc., and any other sources of funding you may have. 

Important Considerations

The strength of your research statement might be the most important deciding element in your application. If it is adequate, it can help you secure the position.

Here are some things to consider when preparing your statement:

Avoid jargon 

Avoid using terms and phrases that may be too technical or unclear. Make the statement understandable for people outside your discipline.

Note that the recruiting committee will comprise individuals from different disciplines, and if they are to review your application impartially, they need to understand what you intend to communicate. 

Be realistic 

Make sure you do not exaggerate your skills. Try to focus on specific projects and problems that are within your competencies. You can accomplish this by having a clearly defined theme for your statement. Exclude any minor projects, and the focus should be on the key and most significant ideas. The more reasonable your expectations are, the better off you will be. Though it is fine to have lofty plans for the future, do not assume that you can achieve them all at once.

Include examples 

Provide examples of your achievements to demonstrate your skills. Focus on a few relevant successes using your own words.

Tangible examples include referencing resultant publications, presentations, professional engagements, etc.  

Be confident 

Make sure you write with confidence and believe in what you want to say. You should be confident in your skills, achievements, and future goals. Therefore, avoid vague statements and present yourself as a well-qualified applicant.  

Proofread 

Do not forget to edit your document, including all detailed references, to ensure everything is correct. Some important points to consider are proper citations and formatting ( spelling, punctuation, and grammar ). Be sure to read over what you have written several times and make the necessary corrections before sending it to another person for review.

Frequently Asked Questions

A research statement highlights a job applicant’s experience in research and how that makes them suitable for an academic position. This requires citing specific current, past, and future projects and mentioning specific details about the project. However, a CV emphasizes a job applicant’s educational and professional background to show that they are qualified for the positions being applied for. 

Yes. You should consider creating a longer version of your research statement to take to the interview. The statement can be five to fifteen pages long. It is needed because, during the interview, you may be asked to provide in-depth details such as an activity schedule, budget, human resource requirements, and other specifics, which you can include in the longer version, unlike the standard version. 

Yes. It is recommended that you mention potential eternal funding sources and previous funding. This can be any external source, from foundations to government institutions.

About This Article

Was this helpful?

Great! Tell us more about your experience

Not up to par help us fix it, keep reading.

How to Structure Informative Speech | Outline Examples

Free Weight Loss Charts & Templates (Word, Excel)

Charts , Personal

Finding your exercise heart rate (free charts by gender).

Education , Lists

25 free reference page (sheet) templates – word | pdf, thank you for your feedback.

Your Voice, Our Progress. Your feedback matters a lot to us.

• Appendix A: How to Write an Effective Research Statement
• Research Funding Guidebook
• Planning and Development
• Strategic Research Documents 
• Unfunded and Partially Funded Research Needs
• Federal Research Programs
• International Research Programs
• State Departments of Transportation Programs
• Transportation Research Board
• University Transportation Centers
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: What Are the Characteristics of the Research You Would Like to Have Funded?
• Chapter 3: Which Research Program is the Best Fit for Your Research Statement?
• Chapter 4: More About Proposed, Ongoing, and Completed Research
• Chapter 5: General Advice and Summary
• Appendix B: How to Submit Updates to this Guidebook
• Appendix C: Contributors

More Links:

• AASHTO Transportation and Environmental Research Ideas (TERI) Database
• AASHTO-NCHRP Strategic Highway Safety Plan
• Concrete Pavement Roadmap
• FHWA Corporate Master Plan for Research and Deployment of Technology & Innovation
• Funding Sources for Transportation Research: Competitive Programs
• Highway Infrastructure and Operations Safety Research Needs
• How to Write an Effective Research Problem Statement
• Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe
• Long Range Strategic Issues Facing the Transportation Industry
• National Transportation Integrated Search
• NTL Repository and Open Science Access Portal (rosap)
• Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS)
• Transport Research and Innovation Portal (TRIP)
• Transportation and Climate Change Clearinghouse
• Transportation and the Environment Research Ideas (TERI) Database
• Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) Program Website
• Transportation Research Needs Portal Pilot Site
• Transportation System Preservation Roadmap
• TRB Research in Progress (RIP) Database
• TRB Research Needs Statements (RNS) Database
• TRB Transportation Research International Documentation (TRID) Database
• TRB Webinar – A Transportation Research Program for Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Conserving Energy
• TRB Webinar – How to Write an Effective Research Problem Statement
• USDOT Research Hub

Writing an effective research statement is not a simple matter, even to transportation practitioners who face serious problems and challenges on a daily basis. The research needed might be obvious to them but difficult to describe to non-specialists. They may not have thought about how to quantify it or how to justify the needed research with respect to other agency or national priorities. A serious problem to them might not even be on a decision maker’s radar screen.

This document was written to provide some guidance on developing research statements and/or research proposals for funding consideration. The categories below are based on those of the  National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) , but they should be adaptable to any research funding program.

The research statement title should briefly and immediately convey to the reader what the proposed study is about. It does not have to capture every element, nuance, and expected task of the research problem. It is like the title of a book—it should attract your attention, quickly convey the subject, draw you in, and make you want to read what’s inside.

Here’s a general rule: the more deeply you are involved in a particular subject, the harder it is for you to step back and see the big picture. You may be tempted to title your research statement something like this . . .

Collection, analysis, and compilation of current best practices for the design of roundabouts for U.S. roadways and how those design elements will impact safety, capacity, and contribute to effective traffic management objectives . . .

rather than this . . .

Design guide for roundabouts.

The first alternative might be a good title for a PhD thesis; the second title is a far better choice for a research statement.

How will a title reflect on the research statement? Can it really have an impact on whether or not it is funded? The answer is yes, for at least three reasons:

• Branding is important—a good title will help the reviewer establish a connection with your proposal;
• A negative first impression is likely to linger as the reviewer reads the rest of the research statement; and
• If the title is confusing, chances are the rest of the research statement will be just as hard to understand.

A good title is like a good sound bite—people will remember it.

Hint: Look at every word in your title and ask yourself if it’s necessary.

The background statement is your opportunity to convince the reviewer that the research statement addresses a serious issue and merits funding. It should set the context and relate the particular issue to larger national or regional goals and objectives. If the research statement is about some new technology that can reduce the severity of vehicle crashes, begin with statements about the overall importance of road safety. Talk about the economic and societal costs of crashes. Talk about national goals to improve road safety. Then describe how the particular subject of your research statement relates to those national or agency needs.

Similarly, if you are proposing a study that will reduce congestion on urban streets, describe the extent of the problem. How much time is lost due to congestion nationally? How much does it impact air quality? How does your particular problem contribute to the solution? If your research statement describes a method or practice that will improve efficiencies in your agency procedures, how much time is wasted by current methods?

Do your homework. As best you can, estimate how much time, money, or lives are lost as a result of this specific problem you want to address. Think about it: If you can’t estimate that, why should you expect your project to be funded? 

Don’t be parochial. Demonstrating that something is a serious problem in your state doesn’t make it a national issue. If you know that this problem is affecting other regions or states, name them in your research statement. The more people affected, the greater the payoff if the problem is solved. Involve others and garner support. If you can get other agencies or committees to endorse your research statement, you’re doing a better job of demonstrating that the effort warrants funding.

Hint: When writing the background section, keep thinking “Why should my CEO care about this problem?”

Describe in very brief terms what the expected product of this research will be. The objective should be short, concise, and accurate. Don’t put details in the objective related to how the study will be done unless some new or innovative research methodology is the key element of the research. The details will be in the research plan and reflected in the final product. If your objective is “to produce a new fuel-efficient vehicle,” say so. Don’t say that the objective is “to produce a new fuel-efficient vehicle, including the design, construction, testing, and installation of all necessary components including body, frame, power train, tires, wheels, seats, mirrors, and other appurtenances to be determined through a survey of user needs, performance measures, and financial constraints.” If those things need to be done to accomplish the objective, put them in task statements.

Hint: Go back and read the advice above on titling your research statement. A very reasonable objective statement is “…to develop (insert your title).”

Potential Benefits

This is where you need to justify the funding of your research statement. If the program can only fund 20 projects from a pool of 50 good research statements, why should yours be picked? You need to be specific and provide as much detail as you can on the potential benefits of your project. What are the consequences of  not  doing this work? How will it affect productivity, budget, and customers’ quality of life? Here are some examples of compelling statements,  if  they are justifiable:

“Streamlining the review process could cut six months off average project delivery times.”

“Sixty-five percent of road users indicate that this is a major problem. Resolving this issue could result in a significant increase in customer satisfaction.”

“If this project is brought to a successful conclusion with the results implemented, and can produce only a 2% increase in pavement life, the savings to highway agencies and road users could be in excess of $5 million a year.”

“This project is a necessary step in the development of an overall safety plan that could save thousands of lives every year.”

Hint: Be positive but honest. Use real numbers if you can measure or estimate them

Relationships to the Existing Body of Knowledge The first time a reviewer reads your research statement, it will probably remind them of other projects they’ve heard about on the same or similar topics. They may believe that your research is duplicative of work that has already been done. You need to anticipate this and explain how your project is different—how it builds on the existing body of research, how your proposed study takes a different approach, how it uses new methodologies or expanded data sets, or how it pulls together all the existing work into an implementable product. Describe any shortcomings or deficiencies in the current body of research and show how your project will address them.

Base your comments on a thorough review of the relevant literature and ongoing research. The places to start in the transportation sector are the  Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)  and  Research in Progress (RIP)  databases. If you need help, contact your librarian or information specialist. If you don’t have one, contact a major reference library or the TRB Information Services . If your research statement fails to find or identify a high-profile project on the same or similar topic, your credibility will be suspect.

Hint: Be specific in describing the research statement’s relationship to the existing body of knowledge. Reference the most significant related studies by name and discuss how your project will advance the state of knowledge and yield new or additional practical benefits.

If you have identified specific tasks that absolutely have to be part of the project work plan, include them in the research statement. However, don’t let your own biases determine the research plan. Focus your attention on providing a full and accurate description of the final product. To the extent possible, give the proposing research team the flexibility to describe a research plan that they feel will accomplish the project objectives.

Hint: The more detail you include in the task statements, the less opportunity a researcher has to show initiative and innovation, and the more every proposal will come in looking the same. Don’t be prescriptive.

Follow-on and Implementation Activities Good research advances the state of knowledge in transportation. For long-term, strategic research, several phases of research may be needed to achieve an implementable solution. Address follow-on research as well as implementation in your research statement to demonstrate that you are aware of the scale and scope of the research, the potential barriers and impediments to implementation, and the activities and champions needed to support the end work. This increases the comfort level of the funding agency in believing that the results of the research project have a good chance of finding their way into practice and hence yield the benefits to their fullest potential. If you are developing a product that will require ongoing maintenance (like software or a website clearinghouse), make sure you identify who will take responsibility for it.

Hint: If you are aware of a specific national body that will need to take ownership of the project results, identify them in your research statement. It may be an AASHTO committee representing the stakeholders in this particular subject area in all 50 states. Make sure this group is aware and supportive of your research statement.

Estimated Funding Requirements

This may be the most difficult part of the research statement if you do not have research experience in the academic or private sector. How can you possibly estimate how much money will be needed to achieve the project objectives? Here are some general guidelines.

What kind of tasks do you anticipate? What is a reasonable amount of time to accomplish these tasks? Personnel time will most likely make up the majority of the budget. Will the tasks be labor-intensive, require specialized equipment, or a specific software? If field or laboratory testing will be required, it will be more expensive than “desk-based analysis.” If specialized equipment or software must be purchased or developed, the costs can escalate quickly.

Get familiar with the charge-out rates of academics and private consultants. You are not simply paying the researchers’ salaries; you are also paying for their overhead, benefits, administrative costs, and all direct expenses. Bear this in mind when estimating the total cost for each person-year of work on the project. A private consulting firm will add a fixed fee as their profit margin.

Some programs leave the budget estimate to the research statement submitter; statements should identify the funds needed and provide a budget, and cost is one of the evaluation criteria. In other programs, like the  NCHRP , a fixed amount is provided by the funding body. If submitting to an existing program, take a look at other projects funded by the same program and determine the typical funding range. If you propose an amount well beyond this, you had better be prepared to back it up with a high estimated payoff. On the other hand, don’t lowball the figure. If you can’t achieve the project objectives with the amount you requested, the funding body is not likely to be receptive when you come back and ask for more.

Hint: If you work with consultants or academics on TRB or other committees, talk with them about the level of resources needed to undertake the work. They are in a position to review the project objectives and help you come up with a reasonable budget estimate.

Concluding Comments and Tips

There are many different research funding programs out there. If you can identify the most appropriate program for your research statement, you can tailor it for the best chance of success.

For the most part, research projects will be selected for funding by “educated generalists”—managers and executives who are not subject experts (or at least not experts in  every  subject). That is the audience for whom you need to write. Ask someone you know and trust from outside your own field of expertise to review your research statement. If he or she doesn’t understand something in it, chances are many of the reviewers will have the same reaction.

Get as much support as possible for your research statement before you submit it. Show it to your colleagues, other experts, and managers in your organization to get their advice. Modify the statement if necessary to address their ideas. Don’t forget to review the research statement for correct spelling and grammar.

If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up. If your research statement is not selected, find out why. If possible, get the reviewers’ comments. Did the reviewers understand the research statement? If not, what could you have done to make it more understandable? Was it considered a good statement but not a top priority or not a high potential payoff? If so, did you do a sufficient job estimating and describing the potential benefits?

Hint: Don’t be discouraged or embarrassed by constructive reviews; they are the best guidance you will ever get for writing better research statements.

Related Resources

TRB Webinar: How to Write an Effective Research Statement

On Monday July 13, 2009, TRB conducted a webinar that examined ways to write an effective research statement. For more details, view a  summary  of this webinar, or view the  recorded session . You will need  Windows Media Player 9 or higher  to view the presentation. Writing Effective Research Needs Statements

This January 2013 presentation describes how to write an effective research needs statement. View the presentation along with the  presentation talking points  for the most effective learning experience.

TRB Electronic Circular E-C194: Literature Searches and Literature Reviews for Transportation Research Projects

This March 2015 publication is a concise resource for identifying relevant transportation research and integrating the results into a literature review. The steps involved in conducting a literature review will help you write clear, succinct research statement titles, background statements, objectives, and potential benefits.

Literature Searches and Literature Reviews for Transportation Research Projects (Online Excerpt)

This online guide is based on the March 2015 TRB Electronic Circular E-C194 and includes information organized in the following topic areas:

• Getting started;
• Where to search;
• Examples of effective transportation literature reviews;
• Tutorials on writing literature reviews;
• Examples of an annotated bibliography;
• Zotero (bibliographic manager);
• Data and data management guides; and
• All transportation research guides.

Transportation Research Methods: A Guide to Searching for Funding Opportunities

This March 2017 Missouri Department of Transportation report describes a project that developed a training methodology focused on external funding. Hands-on training presented the basics of external funding identification, team building, working with collaborative partners, and proposal element design. Actual proposals were reviewed for completeness and readability. This final report summarizes the project’s activities and serves as a research methods handbook.

How to Write a Research Proposal: (with Examples & Templates)

Table of Contents

Before conducting a study, a research proposal should be created that outlines researchers’ plans and methodology and is submitted to the concerned evaluating organization or person. Creating a research proposal is an important step to ensure that researchers are on track and are moving forward as intended. A research proposal can be defined as a detailed plan or blueprint for the proposed research that you intend to undertake. It provides readers with a snapshot of your project by describing what you will investigate, why it is needed, and how you will conduct the research.  

Your research proposal should aim to explain to the readers why your research is relevant and original, that you understand the context and current scenario in the field, have the appropriate resources to conduct the research, and that the research is feasible given the usual constraints.  

This article will describe in detail the purpose and typical structure of a research proposal , along with examples and templates to help you ace this step in your research journey.  

What is a Research Proposal ?  

A research proposal¹ ,²  can be defined as a formal report that describes your proposed research, its objectives, methodology, implications, and other important details. Research proposals are the framework of your research and are used to obtain approvals or grants to conduct the study from various committees or organizations. Consequently, research proposals should convince readers of your study’s credibility, accuracy, achievability, practicality, and reproducibility.   

With research proposals , researchers usually aim to persuade the readers, funding agencies, educational institutions, and supervisors to approve the proposal. To achieve this, the report should be well structured with the objectives written in clear, understandable language devoid of jargon. A well-organized research proposal conveys to the readers or evaluators that the writer has thought out the research plan meticulously and has the resources to ensure timely completion.  

Purpose of Research Proposals  

A research proposal is a sales pitch and therefore should be detailed enough to convince your readers, who could be supervisors, ethics committees, universities, etc., that what you’re proposing has merit and is feasible . Research proposals can help students discuss their dissertation with their faculty or fulfill course requirements and also help researchers obtain funding. A well-structured proposal instills confidence among readers about your ability to conduct and complete the study as proposed.  

Research proposals can be written for several reasons:³  

• To describe the importance of research in the specific topic  
• Address any potential challenges you may encounter  
• Showcase knowledge in the field and your ability to conduct a study  
• Apply for a role at a research institute  
• Convince a research supervisor or university that your research can satisfy the requirements of a degree program  
• Highlight the importance of your research to organizations that may sponsor your project  
• Identify implications of your project and how it can benefit the audience  

What Goes in a Research Proposal?    

Research proposals should aim to answer the three basic questions—what, why, and how.  

The What question should be answered by describing the specific subject being researched. It should typically include the objectives, the cohort details, and the location or setting.  

The Why question should be answered by describing the existing scenario of the subject, listing unanswered questions, identifying gaps in the existing research, and describing how your study can address these gaps, along with the implications and significance.  

The How question should be answered by describing the proposed research methodology, data analysis tools expected to be used, and other details to describe your proposed methodology.   

Research Proposal Example  

Here is a research proposal sample template (with examples) from the University of Rochester Medical Center. 4 The sections in all research proposals are essentially the same although different terminology and other specific sections may be used depending on the subject.  

Structure of a Research Proposal  

If you want to know how to make a research proposal impactful, include the following components:¹  

1. Introduction  

This section provides a background of the study, including the research topic, what is already known about it and the gaps, and the significance of the proposed research.  

2. Literature review  

This section contains descriptions of all the previous relevant studies pertaining to the research topic. Every study cited should be described in a few sentences, starting with the general studies to the more specific ones. This section builds on the understanding gained by readers in the Introduction section and supports it by citing relevant prior literature, indicating to readers that you have thoroughly researched your subject.  

3. Objectives  

Once the background and gaps in the research topic have been established, authors must now state the aims of the research clearly. Hypotheses should be mentioned here. This section further helps readers understand what your study’s specific goals are.  

4. Research design and methodology  

Here, authors should clearly describe the methods they intend to use to achieve their proposed objectives. Important components of this section include the population and sample size, data collection and analysis methods and duration, statistical analysis software, measures to avoid bias (randomization, blinding), etc.  

5. Ethical considerations  

This refers to the protection of participants’ rights, such as the right to privacy, right to confidentiality, etc. Researchers need to obtain informed consent and institutional review approval by the required authorities and mention this clearly for transparency.  

6. Budget/funding  

Researchers should prepare their budget and include all expected expenditures. An additional allowance for contingencies such as delays should also be factored in.  

7. Appendices  

This section typically includes information that supports the research proposal and may include informed consent forms, questionnaires, participant information, measurement tools, etc.  

8. Citations  

Important Tips for Writing a Research Proposal  

Writing a research proposal begins much before the actual task of writing. Planning the research proposal structure and content is an important stage, which if done efficiently, can help you seamlessly transition into the writing stage. 3,5  

The Planning Stage  

• Manage your time efficiently. Plan to have the draft version ready at least two weeks before your deadline and the final version at least two to three days before the deadline.
• What is the primary objective of your research?  
• Will your research address any existing gap?  
• What is the impact of your proposed research?  
• Do people outside your field find your research applicable in other areas?  
• If your research is unsuccessful, would there still be other useful research outcomes?  

  The Writing Stage  

• Create an outline with main section headings that are typically used.  
• Focus only on writing and getting your points across without worrying about the format of the research proposal , grammar, punctuation, etc. These can be fixed during the subsequent passes. Add details to each section heading you created in the beginning.   
• Ensure your sentences are concise and use plain language. A research proposal usually contains about 2,000 to 4,000 words or four to seven pages.  
• Don’t use too many technical terms and abbreviations assuming that the readers would know them. Define the abbreviations and technical terms.  
• Ensure that the entire content is readable. Avoid using long paragraphs because they affect the continuity in reading. Break them into shorter paragraphs and introduce some white space for readability.  
• Focus on only the major research issues and cite sources accordingly. Don’t include generic information or their sources in the literature review.  
• Proofread your final document to ensure there are no grammatical errors so readers can enjoy a seamless, uninterrupted read.  
• Use academic, scholarly language because it brings formality into a document.  
• Ensure that your title is created using the keywords in the document and is neither too long and specific nor too short and general.  
• Cite all sources appropriately to avoid plagiarism.  
• Make sure that you follow guidelines, if provided. This includes rules as simple as using a specific font or a hyphen or en dash between numerical ranges.  
• Ensure that you’ve answered all questions requested by the evaluating authority.  

Key Takeaways   

Here’s a summary of the main points about research proposals discussed in the previous sections:  

• A research proposal is a document that outlines the details of a proposed study and is created by researchers to submit to evaluators who could be research institutions, universities, faculty, etc.  
• Research proposals are usually about 2,000-4,000 words long, but this depends on the evaluating authority’s guidelines.  
• A good research proposal ensures that you’ve done your background research and assessed the feasibility of the research.  
• Research proposals have the following main sections—introduction, literature review, objectives, methodology, ethical considerations, and budget.  

Frequently Asked Questions  

Q1. How is a research proposal evaluated?  

A1. In general, most evaluators, including universities, broadly use the following criteria to evaluate research proposals . 6  

• Significance —Does the research address any important subject or issue, which may or may not be specific to the evaluator or university?  
• Content and design —Is the proposed methodology appropriate to answer the research question? Are the objectives clear and well aligned with the proposed methodology?  
• Sample size and selection —Is the target population or cohort size clearly mentioned? Is the sampling process used to select participants randomized, appropriate, and free of bias?  
• Timing —Are the proposed data collection dates mentioned clearly? Is the project feasible given the specified resources and timeline?  
• Data management and dissemination —Who will have access to the data? What is the plan for data analysis?  

Q2. What is the difference between the Introduction and Literature Review sections in a research proposal ?  

A2. The Introduction or Background section in a research proposal sets the context of the study by describing the current scenario of the subject and identifying the gaps and need for the research. A Literature Review, on the other hand, provides references to all prior relevant literature to help corroborate the gaps identified and the research need.  

Q3. How long should a research proposal be?  

A3. Research proposal lengths vary with the evaluating authority like universities or committees and also the subject. Here’s a table that lists the typical research proposal lengths for a few universities.  

Q4. What are the common mistakes to avoid in a research proposal ?  

A4. Here are a few common mistakes that you must avoid while writing a research proposal . 7  

• No clear objectives: Objectives should be clear, specific, and measurable for the easy understanding among readers.  
• Incomplete or unconvincing background research: Background research usually includes a review of the current scenario of the particular industry and also a review of the previous literature on the subject. This helps readers understand your reasons for undertaking this research because you identified gaps in the existing research.  
• Overlooking project feasibility: The project scope and estimates should be realistic considering the resources and time available.   
• Neglecting the impact and significance of the study: In a research proposal , readers and evaluators look for the implications or significance of your research and how it contributes to the existing research. This information should always be included.  
• Unstructured format of a research proposal : A well-structured document gives confidence to evaluators that you have read the guidelines carefully and are well organized in your approach, consequently affirming that you will be able to undertake the research as mentioned in your proposal.  
• Ineffective writing style: The language used should be formal and grammatically correct. If required, editors could be consulted, including AI-based tools such as Paperpal , to refine the research proposal structure and language.  

Thus, a research proposal is an essential document that can help you promote your research and secure funds and grants for conducting your research. Consequently, it should be well written in clear language and include all essential details to convince the evaluators of your ability to conduct the research as proposed.  

This article has described all the important components of a research proposal and has also provided tips to improve your writing style. We hope all these tips will help you write a well-structured research proposal to ensure receipt of grants or any other purpose.  

References  

• Sudheesh K, Duggappa DR, Nethra SS. How to write a research proposal? Indian J Anaesth. 2016;60(9):631-634. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5037942/  
• Writing research proposals. Harvard College Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Harvard University. Accessed July 14, 2024. https://uraf.harvard.edu/apply-opportunities/app-components/essays/research-proposals  
• What is a research proposal? Plus how to write one. Indeed website. Accessed July 17, 2024. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/research-proposal  
• Research proposal template. University of Rochester Medical Center. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/pediatrics/research/documents/Research-proposal-Template.pdf  
• Tips for successful proposal writing. Johns Hopkins University. Accessed July 17, 2024. https://research.jhu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Tips-for-Successful-Proposal-Writing.pdf  
• Formal review of research proposals. Cornell University. Accessed July 18, 2024. https://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/surveys/survey-assessment-review-group/research-proposals  
• 7 Mistakes you must avoid in your research proposal. Aveksana (via LinkedIn). Accessed July 17, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-mistakes-you-must-avoid-your-research-proposal-aveksana-cmtwf/  

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

Related Reads:

• How to Paraphrase Research Papers Effectively
• How to Cite Social Media Sources in Academic Writing? 
• What is the Importance of a Concept Paper and How to Write It 

APA format: Basic Guide for Researchers

The future of academia: how ai tools are changing the way we do research, you may also like, the ai revolution: authors’ role in upholding academic..., the future of academia: how ai tools are..., how to choose a dissertation topic, how to write a phd research proposal, how to write an academic paragraph (step-by-step guide), five things authors need to know when using..., 7 best referencing tools and citation management software..., maintaining academic integrity with paperpal’s generative ai writing..., research funding basics: what should a grant proposal....

• The Broad Center

Get to Know Our Postdoctoral Research Associates

Q&A with Minseon Park and Sarah Payne 

The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management (TBC at SOM) is working to strengthen ideas, policies, and leadership that improve urban K-12 education. A main pillar of our work is research – specifically, developing essential research on effective public education systems and school system leadership, focusing on the dynamics of school systems as complex organizations.

In 2023, we launched a postdoctoral associate program to bring together promising scholars and research capacity from multiple disciplines to work with SOM faculty who focus their research on education. Postdoctoral associates have the chance to continue their own research, partner with and support SOM faculty members in their projects, and collaborate with predoctoral fellows to support TBC at SOM’s work in the research space.

During the 2023-24 school year, we were joined by Minseon (“Min”) Park and Sarah Payne, both of whom have brought to bear skills and ways of thinking from their own disciplines – economics and sociology – to important questions about K-12 public education systems. We sat down with Min and Sarah to hear about their research and their experiences at TBC at SOM.

What is your academic background and your area of study?

Min: I hold a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My area of study focuses on the economics of education, aiming to predict responses to educational policies and evaluate the associated costs and benefits of these policies.

Sarah: My Ph.D. is in sociology, with a focus on racial inequality, education, and culture.

Tell us about your current research.

Min: During my Ph.D. program, I primarily studied how the pre-existing conditions of different children influence their interactions with school choice systems in the U.S. In many large urban areas, students are assigned to public schools through a school choice process designed by economists. We’ve learned that families are best served when they report their preferences honestly based on their genuine needs and wants, given their situation.

However, households participate in the school choice process under varying conditions, which shape not only their needs but also their children’s qualifications. Depending on where a family lives in a city, for example, may influence both the schools their children are eligible for and those they are interested in – they may not want that child to commute an hour or more, but also may not be able to move to be closer to a desirable school. 

I have written papers examining how pre-existing factors like home address and earlier educational experiences impact parents' school applications and qualifications for subsequent schools.

Sarah: In one current project, I examine what happens after college for people who stand to gain the most from higher education. I focus on college-going young adults from highly marginalized groups – like low-income and first-generation college students, and students of color. Too often, people from these groups are not well supported in college, and struggle to graduate, but then are left with student loans and, sometimes, no degree. I use quantitative and qualitative methods to study individual trajectories after college, how people make sense of their experiences, and how this meaning-making shapes their socioeconomic mobility.

In another, collaborative project with Prof. Jayanti Owens here at TBC, we are conducting in-depth interviews with public K-12 school teachers across the country to better understand their experiences and decision-making across varying organizational contexts.

What made you want to do your Postdoc here at The Broad Center at Yale SOM?

Min: The decision to pursue a postdoctoral position at TBC at SOM came naturally. Upon completing my Ph.D., I was offered a tenure-track position at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. I chose to defer that position for one year to take advantage of the opportunity to join TBC and gain valuable insights from practitioners. This experience will be invaluable when I teach and conduct more research about the U.S. education system.

Sarah: I was drawn both to the faculty and to the mission of TBC at SOM, which links education researchers and education practitioners. As both a current researcher and a former K-12 educator, this pairing felt intuitive and very generative to me.

What have you gotten out of this experience?

Min: The unique exposure to Broad Center Fellows and Master’s students throughout the year has expanded my research interests to include educational leadership in the U.S. I am actively working on projects that investigate the extent to which such leadership translates into district outcomes, such as students' test scores as well as behaviors, and teacher retention. Additionally, I am exploring the political constraints that superintendents and school board members face in translating their efforts into these outcomes.

Sarah: It is thrilling to be in an interdisciplinary research environment where educational equity is foregrounded. I get to interact with sociologists, economists, and management scholars on a weekly basis. I am learning a tremendous amount from their perspectives while also gaining valuable research training and experience. It's an incredibly intellectually rich postdoc setting. And, TBC's support of my research has not only afforded me space to write and present my work, but also to expand data collection toward my longer-term research agenda. 

Weekend Rundown: Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Gen X, millennials face higher risk of 17 cancers than older generations

Younger generations have a heightened risk of some cancers, new research found. 

A study published Wednesday in Lancet Public Health found that Gen X and millennials are more likely to be diagnosed with 17 types of cancer, including nine that had been declining in older adults. Researchers aren’t sure why, but say obesity is likely a leading cause.

“What is happening in these generations can be considered a bellwether for future cancer trends,” said Hyuna Sung, a cancer epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, who led the research. 

Rates of colorectal cancer — one of the 17 types — have been rising among younger people for decades, a troubling trend that sparked investigation into other types of cancer. 

Sung and her colleagues used cancer diagnosis and mortality data from two databases –– the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics –– to analyze cancer trends in people born between 1920 and 1990, who were diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2019. 

The data included 34 types of cancer, nearly 24 million diagnoses and more than 7 million deaths. To get a better view of how cancer diagnoses and mortality rates changed in groups of people born around the same year — called a birth cohort — the researchers grouped people by birth year in five-year intervals. For example, people born in 1920 through 1924 were all one birth cohort. 

Seventeen of the 34 cancers had increasing incidence in younger people. The risk was two to three times higher in people born in 1990 for pancreatic, kidney and small intestine cancers, compared to people born in 1955. Liver cancer diagnoses in women followed the same pattern. 

“The most important thing it tells us is there is something that changed for the group of individuals born after this period of time. They have been exposed to some environmental or lifestyle factor that is leading to this shift,” said Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who was not involved with the research. 

After declining for decades, these types of cancers ​​have begun to climb again:

• Endometrial
• Non-cardia gastric
• Gallbladder
• Estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers
• HIV-linked cancer called Kaposi sarcoma 

While the study found that mortality declined or was stable in younger generations for most cancers, mortality rate increased among younger age groups for endometrial, intrahepatic bile duct, gallbladder, colorectal and testicular cancers, as well as liver cancer among women. 

Endometrial cancer was the fastest growing for both diagnoses and mortality.

“That was a sobering finding,” said Sung. “Although many cancer rates are rising, we don’t necessarily see this increase in mortality because we are treating them a lot better than before.”

Many of the cancers found to be on the rise are still rare in young people and, while rates have increased, the overall number of cases is comparatively low. 

“It is clearly happening. Almost all the oncologists I know of can say they see it,” Brawley said, adding that despite the alarming increases, it’s important to keep in mind that most cancer diagnoses still happen in people older than 50 years. 

“In the 1990s, 10% of people diagnosed with colon cancer were under age 50. Now it’s 20%, but we should not forget the 80% that are still over the age of 50,” he said. 

Looking at people born within a specific time period can give important clues into why certain types of cancer are rising among younger generations. 

“All of these cancers are linked to the obesity epidemic. We know that’s the second-leading cause of cancer right now, behind tobacco use,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved with the new study. 

About 20% of cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are linked to excess body weight, according to the American Cancer Society . Obesity rates in the nation changed little in the 1960s and 1970s but increased sharply after that. About 13% of adults had obesity in 1980, compared to 34% in 2008, according to data from the Surgeon General . 

Among children, obesity rates grew from 5% to 17% in the same period. Today, more than 40% of American adults and about 20% of children and adolescents are obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports . 

If obesity is a culprit, it’s likely one of several lifestyle and environmental factors that is leading to the rise. Other factors could be more sedentary behavior or something in the food or the water, common medications or chemical exposures or chemical agents, the experts said.

The overuse of antibiotics is another possible link under scrutiny. Antibiotics are known to change the gut microbiome, which has been linked to colorectal cancer. While antibiotics are needed to treat many bacterial infections, they’re often misused and taken for issues that are not bacterial, or that do not require antibiotics.  

“The list of things we are potentially investigating is very long,” Cercek said. “Antibiotics are one of the top culprits on the list.”

Researchers still don’t understand what’s behind the rise in certain types of cancers among younger generations. Although obesity and antibiotics are primary suspects, “we can’t rule out other chemical exposures or chemical agents,” Brawley said.

Kaitlin Sullivan is a contributor for NBCNews.com who has worked with NBC News Investigations. She reports on health, science and the environment and is a graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York.

• Alzheimer's disease & dementia
• Arthritis & Rheumatism
• Attention deficit disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Biomedical technology
• Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
• Endocrinology & Metabolism
• Gastroenterology
• Gerontology & Geriatrics
• Health informatics
• Inflammatory disorders
• Medical economics
• Medical research
• Medications
• Neuroscience
• Obstetrics & gynaecology
• Oncology & Cancer
• Ophthalmology
• Overweight & Obesity
• Parkinson's & Movement disorders
• Psychology & Psychiatry
• Radiology & Imaging
• Sleep disorders
• Sports medicine & Kinesiology
• Vaccination
• Breast cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Colon cancer
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Kidney disease
• Lung cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myocardial infarction
• Ovarian cancer
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Skin cancer
• Type 2 diabetes
• Full List »

share this!

August 4, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

trusted source

written by researcher(s)

Australia has new health research gender standards—and centuries of inequity to fix

by Bronwyn Graham, Rachel Huxley and Severine Lamon, The Conversation

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has just released its much-anticipated landmark statement advocating for sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation to be routinely considered in health and medical research.

This means the NHMRC is asking funding applicants to think about questions such as whether their research will include data from both males and females, whether the outcome measures are appropriate for different sex and gender groups, and how potential differences in these groups will be measured and reported.

Setting the standard this way has the potential to overhaul sex-and-gender-based biases and health disparities in medicine. But only if the next steps are implemented effectively.

Why sex, gender and sexual orientation matter

Although related, these terms have different meanings:

• sex means one's biological characteristics and is also a legal status

gender means one's identity, expression, experiences and behaviors, and is a social construct, meaning it's an idea created and shaped by people and their interactions

sexual orientation refers to a person's sexual identity and attraction, such as gay, bisexual, heterosexual or asexual.

These aspects of a person fundamentally influence their health. Differences related to sex, gender and sexual orientation have impacts on disease susceptibility, diagnosis, severity, prognosis and management. These impacts apply to a wide range of acute and chronic conditions .

Sex, gender and sexual orientation also influence people's experience of health services and how health professionals interact with them.

What about for research?

For centuries, health and medical researchers have not routinely considered sex, gender or sexual orientation in the design, analysis or interpretation of their research.

Most medical research in non-human animals (also called "pre-clinical research," where drug treatments are developed and tested for safety and effectiveness) is conducted only in males . In human clinical trials , participation rates are often higher among males than females.

These trials frequently exclude women who are pregnant, lactating or "of reproductive age" . The reasons for this sex imbalance range from safety concerns (wanting to avoid harming a fetus) to the erroneous belief that females are the more "difficult" sex to study because of fluctuating sex hormones.

The outcomes of research are rarely reported or analyzed separately according to specific sex and gender groups. This prevents detection of potential sex and gender differences in treatment safety and effectiveness.

The failure to adequately consider sex, gender and sexual orientation in health and medical research has led to well-documented disparities in health-care outcomes. Negative side effects from medication are more common in women, but are more often fatal in men. Due to sex differences in clinical symptoms, stroke is more frequently misdiagnosed in women than in men, delaying life-saving treatment.

This affects everyone, particularly marginalized groups including women and girls, people born with variations of sex characteristics (intersex), trans and non-binary people, and people with diverse sexual orientations.

But not considering sex, gender and sexual orientation also affects the health of cisgender men and boys. Traditional masculine gender norms can dissuade help-seeking and access to clinical care for conditions including cancer and mental illness .

Why does Australia need an NHMRC statement?

Over the past two decades, the main health and medical research funding bodies in Europe and North America have introduced policies and mandates with the aim of correcting sex-and-gender-based bias in research practices.

These policies typically require applicants for research funding to demonstrate how they have adequately considered sex and gender (where relevant) in their study design and analysis.

Australia has lagged in establishing sex and gender policy—until now. The NHMRC statement is an important first step in bringing Australia into line with leading international research standards.

As the NHMRC is one of the major funders of Australian health and medical research, this signals Australia is at last wanting to overturn decades of entrenched sex and gender disparities in taxpayer-funded research.

The statement is a commitment to encourage publicly funded health and medical research to consider sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation at all stages of research. This stretches from design through to implementation.

The statement refers to the Australian Bureau of Statistics to guide definitions of sex and gender. These change over time and can differ according to culture , including among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

What more needs to be done?

So Australian researchers now have a strong foundation for more inclusive and equitable research practices. But there is not yet a mechanism in the funding review process to evaluate how well researchers have considered these variables.

Without enforcing its policy and evaluating its application, the NHMRC has no means to keep track of improvements, or lack thereof, in sex and gender equity in health and medicine.

Universities, medical research institutes, ethics approval boards, Australian medical journals and health services all have a role to play by aligning their practices with the NHMRC statement and auditing their implementation. Incentives such as sex-and-gender-relevant training and priority funding might help.

The NHMRC's gender equity strategy , which seeks to improve gender diversity among researchers who are awarded funding, may also help.

There is no silver bullet to end all sex-and-gender-related equities in health. But the statement could provide the foundation for cascading changes across different sectors to address gaps in our knowledge about the health of underserved sex and gender groups.

Explore further

Feedback to editors

Strengthening global regulatory capacity for equitable access to vaccines in public health emergencies

Aug 3, 2024

Can targeted therapies be applied to patients with Alzheimer's?

Controlling thickness in fruit fly hearts reveals new pathway for heart disease

Aug 2, 2024

Researchers discover source of deadly fungal infections in bone marrow transplant patients

Scientists discover a population of macrophages that participate in alveolar regeneration

White matter may aid recovery from spinal cord injuries: Study

Scientists discover mast cells trap and use living neutrophils during allergic reactions

Brain activity associated with specific words is mirrored between speaker and listener during a conversation, data show

Popularity of Ozempic and Wegovy among privately insured patients may worsen disparities, suggests study

Researchers highlight the genetic complexity of schizophrenia

Related stories.

Sexual and gender minorities are twice as likely to report active epilepsy

Jul 22, 2024

Findings highlight the importance of diversifying the health care workforce

Jul 24, 2024

Performance on some cognitive tasks is better predicted by gender identity than by sex assigned at birth, finds study

Apr 10, 2024

Adolescents and young adults open to discussing sexual identity and gender identity with doctors, research finds

Oct 20, 2023

Asking patients about sexual orientation, gender identity

Jan 21, 2019

Conversion efforts aimed at LGBTQI2+ people are prevalent in Quebec, Canada

Apr 6, 2022

Recommended for you

An artificial hepatocyte growth factor mimetic ameliorates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mouse model

Clinical trial finds benefit in taking fish oil for those genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's

Aug 1, 2024

Let us know if there is a problem with our content

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Medical Xpress in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

Study finds large gaps in mental health care for people with chronic pain

Millions of people with chronic pain fall into gaps in the mental health care system when it comes to treating symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to new research from the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction.

A new University of Arizona Health Sciences study found that adults with chronic pain are more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression than people without chronic pain, yet they access mental health care at lower rates and are less likely to have their mental health needs met in treatment. 

In 2021, approximately 51.6 million U.S. adults experienced chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study showed that while people living with chronic pain represent 20.4% of the U.S. adult population, they make up an estimated 55.5% of U.S. adults with clinically significant anxiety and depression symptoms. 

“People living with chronic pain may form a distinct population with special mental health care needs,” said lead author Jennifer S. De La Rosa, PhD , strategy director for the U of A Health Sciences Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction , which funded the study. “Improving outcomes for people with chronic pain will include connecting more people to mental health care, as well as increasing the availability of mental health care that is responsive to their needs.” 

Jennifer De La Rosa, PhD, is the strategy director for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and an assistant research professor at the College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications

The paper, “The unmet mental health needs of U.S. adults living with chronic pain,” was recently published in the journal PAIN .

This study builds on previous Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction research that found 1 in 20 U.S. adults have a combination of chronic pain and symptoms of anxiety or depression, and adults living with chronic pain are approximately five times more likely to have untreated symptoms of anxiety or depression compared to those not living with chronic pain.

The new study examined the degree to which people with chronic pain and mental health symptoms accessed and benefitted from mental health treatment. The research team analyzed data from 31,997 people who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, which has been identified as the best single source for the surveillance of chronic pain.

Researchers identified chronic pain-associated disparities in three areas: the need for mental health treatment; the use of mental health treatment; and the success of treating anxiety and depression symptoms when mental health treatment was used.

They found that 43.2% of U.S. adults living with chronic pain – approximately 21.5 million people – had a mental health need. By comparison, mental health care needs were identified in only 17.4% of U.S. adults who do not have chronic pain.

Among all U.S. adults with mental health treatment needs, chronic pain was associated with a 40.3% reduction in the odds of using mental health treatment.

“For those with chronic pain, the narrative about what needs to be done to address mental health is qualitatively different than for those who don’t have chronic pain,” said De La Rosa, who is an assistant research professor in the  U of A College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Family and Community Medicine . “Improving health care for people with chronic pain includes not only connecting people to care, but also addressing a disproportionate failure to achieve relief, even in the context of caregiving."

Researchers found that when mental health treatment is used, U.S. adults with chronic pain are more than twice as likely as others to experience continuing anxiety or depression symptoms.  

The study team found that only 44.4% of people with chronic pain, an estimated 9.5 million people, used mental health services and had their anxiety and depression symptoms adequately treated compared with 71.5% of those without chronic pain. When mental health treatment was used, U.S. adults with chronic pain are more than twice as likely as others to experience continuing anxiety or depression symptoms. 

People living with chronic pain represent 20.4% of the U.S. adult population, yet they make up an estimated 55.5% of U.S. adults with clinically significant anxiety and depression symptoms.

“There are many possible reasons an individual with chronic pain might have suboptimal mental health experiences, including the accessibility of care and the feasibility of attending appointments,” De La Rosa said. “Additionally, few mental health providers are trained in chronic pain, so only a small percentage of people living with chronic pain are likely receiving mental health treatment that is designed to address their needs. By further examining the role chronic pain plays in our national mental health crisis, we have a potentially transformative scientific and policy opportunity to build the United States health care system’s capacity to address co-occurring chronic pain and mental health challenges.”

“This study identified a significant gap in meeting the mental health needs of people who live with chronic pain,” said senior author  Todd Vanderah, PhD , director of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction, Regents Professor and head of the  Department of Pharmacology  in the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson and a BIO5 Institute member. “Our goal at the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction is to use this information to reimagine and transform health care for chronic pain. By recognizing and treating the co-occurrence of anxiety and depression symptoms and chronic pain, we can empower millions of people affected by pain to thrive.”

Other co-authors from the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction include Medical Director Mohab Ibrahim, MD, PhD , professor of  anesthesiology  at the College of Medicine – Tucson and director of the  Chronic Pain Management Clinic ; Policy Director Beth E. Meyerson, PhD, MDIV , professor of family and community medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson; and members Alicia M. Allen, PhD , associate professor of family and community medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson; Kyle Suhr, PhD , associate professor of psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson; and  Benjamin R. Brady, DrPH . Other co-authors are doctoral student  Katherine E. Herder and  Jessica S. Wallace , a program evaluator in the College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Jennifer S. De La Rosa, PhD     Assistant Research Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine – Tucson Strategy Director, Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction

Todd Vanderah, PhD Director, U of A Health Sciences Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction Regents Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine – Tucson Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine – Tucson Professor, Department of Neurology, College of Medicine – Tucson Member, BIO5 Institute

Related Stories

Study shows millions of people live with co-occuring chronic pain and mental health symptoms

Phil Villarreal Uof A Health Sciences Office of Communications 520-403-1986, [email protected]