One common requirement for graduate school or academic job applications is a research statement. A research statement is a document that gives the selection committee a summary of a person’s research experience. If you wish to impress the selection committee, then while preparing your research statement, you should stick to a consistent structure, format, and style. In case, you are confused about how to write a research statement, then this blog post will be helpful to you. Here, for your better understanding, we have presented the simple and effective steps for writing a research statement for all research paper topics along with the features of a good thesis statement.
Explore and update your knowledge of research statement writing.
What is a Research Statement?
A research statement is a document that summarizes the writer’s potential work, current work, and future work along with accomplishments. It is also identified as a statement of research interest. In most learning institutions, the applicants will have to submit a research statement when applying for academic studies. Such studies can be graduate programs, post-doctoral fellowships, and faculty positions. Typically, the research statement helps the committee decide whether an applicant’s research interests and experiences make them ideal for the program or institution.
Till now, we have seen what a research statement means. Next, let us discuss its purpose.
Why is it Important to Prepare a Research Statement?
The most important goal of a research statement is to represent your research experience and interest according to the position you are applying for. Mainly, this document performs the following.
- Showcases your identity piece when mentioning your scholarly journey.
- Convey to the committee how innovative and important your research is.
- Explain your research interest.
- Describe the current work, achievement, and future research proposal.
- Inform the committee about your strengths, area of expertise, specialty, and thinking ability.
- Demonstrates how you can perform research independently.
- Displays your writing ability as a researcher.
- Communicate your short-term and long-term research goals.
As said earlier, the main purpose of the research statement is to exhibit your past, current, and, future research plans. However, it demonstrates your expertise and knowledge instead of explaining. You can perform this by raising interesting questions. Also, you can spell out how you will investigate and clarify those questions in the future. Besides, you can also specify your research funding sources and recognitions such as awards, publications, and grants you have received.
Learn How to Write a Research Statement
The benefits of writing a research statement are many. Hence, when applying for a job or a program, you should write a specific and concise research statement to attract the committee. Are you aware of how to create an excellent research statement? If you are unaware, then make sure to learn and follow the steps for writing a research statement as mentioned below.
- Plan your research statement.
- Structure and write the research statement.
- Format and edit the research statement.
Research Statement Planning
Before you begin writing your research statement, you should initially plan what to include in the research statement. Listed below are the important things you should consider during the planning phase.
- First, identify the major themes and main questions that direct your research.
- Note down why your research is important.
- Talk about what are your future research interests.
- Specify the challenges you have faced and the research problems you have solved.
- List out all your important skills and how you will use them to achieve a goal.
By writing down all these things, you can give your reviewer a brief idea about your research interest, problem-solving skills, success rate, research abilities, and plans. So, when planning, be sure to analyze yourself and come up with valid points to add to your research statement. If you mention all these details in a proper and understanding manner, then your chance to impress the reviewers will increase.
Research Statement Writing
Next to planning, you can write a strong research statement based on the ideas you have gathered. To present the research statement in a simple format, you can use elements such as an introduction, body, and conclusion.
Introduction
Here, you should inform the readers about your research motivation. Also, you should specify your area of interest and how you have developed your interest in that area. Mainly, in this part, introduce the research problem that your study will clarify. Additionally, in the research statement, explain how you contributed to the study field through your past research works.
Body
In this part, you should showcase to the readers how you are qualified. Here you should list out all your academic skills, competencies, past and current projects, time management skills, team building efficiency, recognitions, and awards received.
Conclusion
In the conclusion, you should give a summary of what motivates you to apply for the position. Ideally, you should state your aim and working plans to achieve your goal.
By including the above three sections, you can write a concise research statement. Especially, when writing a research statement, your document should mention your research interests, approaches, and plans. If you are seeking funds, then make sure to craft your research statement by highlighting your contributions. Also, specify how effectively you will perform research with the grantor’s funds.
Basic Structure of a Research Statement
To impress the reviewer, your research statement should have all the major points about your work. The document will look impressive only if you organize your ideas in a well-structured manner. Whenever you prepare a research statement, always structure it by including the following.
- Executive Summary
- Research Projects, Dissertation Help, and Thesis completed.
- Current Research Projects
- Future Research Interests
- Acknowledge how your research work complements the work of others
- Potential funding partners
While discussing all these points, explain your views in detail. In particular, when writing an executive summary, briefly summarize your research agenda, plans, and career goals. Always include the executive summary at the top of the research statement. Having it at the beginning will help the reviewers to know about you as an applicant instead of reading the whole document. Never exaggerate your experience. Be specific and show your research by including all the relevant points concisely.
Research Statement Formatting and Editing
When writing a research statement, give high importance to the structure, format, and style. Discussed below are a few important tips you should keep in mind while formatting your research statement.
- Use a polite and formal tone.
- Never use technical jargon. The research statement should be understandable to all those who are outside your field of study.
- Use present tense to describe your current and future projects. For completed research work and accomplishment, use the past tense.
- The entire document should not exceed 3 pages. You can have a maximum of 1 or 2 pages. If the research statement is too lengthy, your reviewer may skip reading it.
- Write the research statement using single spacing and font size 11 or 12 pt.
- Use descriptive headings and subheadings to organize your statement.
- Before submission, check for grammar, spelling, and formatting errors and rectify them if there are any.
Features of a Good Research Statement
You can create an excellent research statement by adhering to the essential instructions in this guide. However, the research statement you write can only be considered good if it meets the requirements listed below.
- Your research area and interest in a particular field should be presented in the document.
- It should make it clear that you are interested in the field of study.
- The progress that others have made in that research area ought to be depicted in the research statement.
- Your research needs or problem should be clearly articulated in it.
- It ought to highlight your contribution to the field of research.
Include all of these aspects when writing the research statement. Your research statement should show that you are the best candidate for the position you are applying for. Moreover, in the document, demonstrate your readiness, quality, and skill by being true to your knowledge and utilizing your experiences. Never overstate your abilities. Your document should just say who you are, not who you think the committee wants. Most importantly, learn the institution’s guidelines and prepare the research statement accordingly.
The Bottom Line
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