Format

Research Proposal for M. Phil / PhD Dissertation

Total words: 6000-8000

Front Matter Words Limit

Proposed Title

Table of Contents

1000-1500
1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of Topic and Aims (250-400 words)

Two to three paragraphs comprising of logical statements that are
attempting to connect the key concepts / variables directly or indirectly with
the main concept.
These set of statements should exhaustively cover seven points: a) the
central research question (RQ), b) the target subject / field for the intended
contribution c) outlining how the topic relates to the field, d) focus on a
specific research problem coupled with the rational or justification for the
proposed study, e) establishing why the topic is an affective topic (Colquitt &
George, 2011), f) what contribution your work will make, and g) specific aims
to be achieved.
The order of these points does not matter here, i.e. in this creative piece
of writing any point may be covered in any order. What matters is the strength
of your arguments and not missing any of these points in this process. It is
also important to mention here that the aims of the study should be a natural
outcome of all the logical statements, and should not be non-sequitur.
1.2 Study Background (750-1100 words)
We strongly encourage students to thoroughly read the guidelines
provided by Colquitt and George (2011) to choose an affective topic. The
students are expected to ‘set the hook’ (Grant & Pollock, 2011) for their topic
stated under section 1.1. An exhaustive reading of relevant, up-to-date,
sufficient and highest quality literature on the RQ within the target field of
contribution is indispensable in this regard.

3000-4000
2. LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT

For this section, please benchmark the traditions of the target field in term
of structure, drafting and contents. It may be further customized as per the
purpose of study and the RQ. You are expected to demonstrate awareness of
 the current state of knowledge in your subject, its limitations and how your
research fits in this wider context (Gill & Johnson 2010). You need to connect
your work with what has already been said and acknowledge your ‘intellectua l
indebtedness’ (Colquitt, 2013).
This should be a ‘critical review’ that provides the context and theoretical
framework for the proposed research. There should be a constructively critica l
analysis that develops a clear argument about what the published literature
indicates is known and not known about your research question (Wallace &
Wray 2011). If your study proposes hypotheses then please follow the
guidelines provided by (Sparrowe & Mayer, 2011) for “grounding”.
1000-1500
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
One to two pages with sub-sections as per your requirements can be
created. The guidelines provided by Zhang and Shaw (2012) are very useful
to craft your methodology. You are expected to convincingly deal with the
choice of research design and other important aspects related to data,
procedures, sampling, measurements and model specification. Demonstrate
how your chosen method or approach will serve to advance your thesis or
argument and achieve the objectives of the study.

4. CHAPTER OUTLINE
The proposed chapter titles of your thesis.

5. REFERENCES
- List all publications cited in your proposal as per APA 6th Edition sentence case.
- Eighty percent of the references should be from the last 10 years and 50% should be
from the last 5 years.
Notes:
1. We have only mentioned some parts of the AMJ series on publishing, other parts are equally
important and should also be included in the reading agenda of every student.
2. There are many fields and variety of research in Management and Business, a good proposal
should follow the home discipline traditions i.e. benchmarking the recent publications of top
tier journals in the target field improves the chances of success in academic writing.
3. General Format
a. Page Size: A4
b. Margins: Top 1 Bottom 1
Left 1.1 Right 1
c. Font: Times New Roman
d. Font Size:
i. Title: 18 (Bold and Caps)
ii. Front Page: 14 (Except the Monogram)
iii. Other contents 12
e. Line spacing: 1.15
f. Level of Headings: First Level: BOLD AND CAPS
Second & Third Level: Bold and Each Word Capitalized
 REFERENCES

Colquitt, J.A., & George, G. (2011). Publishing in AMJ—Part 1: Topic choice. Academy of
Management Journal, 54(3), 432-435.
Colquitt, J.A. (2013). Crafting references in AMJ submissions. Academy of Management
Journal, 56 (5), 1221–1224.
Gill, J. & Johnson, P. (2010). Research Methods for Managers (4th ed). London: Sage.
Grant, A.M., & Pollock, T.G. (2011). Publishing in AMJ—Part 3: Setting the hook. Academy of
Management Journal, 54(5), 873-879.
Sparrowe, R.T., & Mayer, K.J. (2011). Publishing in AMJ—Part 4: Grounding hypotheses.
Academy of Management Journal, 54(6), 1098-1102.
Wallace, M. & Wray, A. (2011). Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates (2nd ed).
London: Sage.
Zhang, Y.A., & Shaw, J.D. (2012). Publishing in AMJ—Part 5: Crafting the methods and results.
Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 8-12.