Research Statement
Research statement outline · research university · 1,500 words
Word Budget
Tip: A typical split, not a rule. If the advertisement names sections or a limit, follow it and use this as a pacing guide.
| Section | Share | Target words |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Overview | 8% | 120 |
| 2. Past Work | 15% | 225 |
| 3. Current Work | 20% | 300 |
| 4. Future Work | 32% | 480 |
| 5. Impact | 8% | 120 |
| 6. Funding Plans | 10% | 150 |
| 7. People and Collaboration | 7% | 105 |
| Total | 100% | 1,500 |
1. Overview
Tip: Target: about 120 words (8%). State your theme and the big question in plain words a reader outside your subfield can follow.
To write: Describe your research theme and the central question in two or three sentences.
2. Past Work
Tip: Target: about 225 words (15%). Lead with what you found, not what you did. Two or three results, each with its significance.
To write: List the projects you have completed and what each found.
3. Current Work
Tip: Target: about 300 words (20%). Show momentum: what is in progress, what is submitted, and how it grows from the past work.
To write: List what you are working on now and where each project stands.
4. Future Work
Tip: Target: about 480 words (32%). The heart of the statement. Two or three projects, each with a question, a first step, and why you are the person to do it.
To write: Describe two or three projects you would start, each with its question and a first step.
5. Impact
Tip: Target: about 120 words (8%). Say who will use the results and what changes. Be specific, and honest about what is a hope.
To write: Say who will use the results and what they will change.
6. Funding Plans
Tip: Target: about 150 words (10%). Name real funders and schemes that fit, and which project each would support. Committees read this as evidence the programme is fundable.
To write: Name the funders and schemes you would approach, and which project each would support.
7. People and Collaboration
Tip: Target: about 105 words (7%). Who you will work with and which students you will train. Name real colleagues only if they are at the institution or are genuine collaborators.
To write: Name collaborators, the students you would train, and any partners.
Before You Submit
- I followed the advertisement’s length limit and any required headings.
- A reader outside my subfield can follow the first paragraph.
- The future work is specific enough that a reader can see the first year.
- Every funder and colleague I named is real and appropriate.
- I did not claim results I do not have.
- Someone outside my group read it and told me what they thought it said.