Research Proposal Sample and Format for Pakistani Universities
Which sections does my department expect, and in what order? How many pages should the proposal run? Should the references follow APA or IEEE? And what does a finished proposal look like before I start typing my own?
These four questions come up in almost every MS, MPhil and PhD proposal. The formats below cover postgraduate proposals, which many Pakistani universities call a synopsis. BS final-year project proposals are usually shorter, so follow your department’s own form for those.
The standard format in one view
Most Pakistani departments ask for the same core sequence, even when the headings differ. Your university’s own template always overrides a general sample, so use this list as a map rather than a rule.
- Title page
- Summary or abstract
- Introduction
- Problem statement and research gap
- Objectives
- Research questions or hypotheses
- Literature review
- Methodology, including ethics
- Expected outcomes
- Timeline
- References
- Appendices, such as the consent form and questionnaire
Some departments merge steps 3 to 7 into one background section. Others add a proposed model or flow diagram. The order, however, rarely changes: problem first, method second, plan last.
What Pakistani university formats actually say
Published formats show how much the rules vary from one university to the next. The table compares five that are public.
| University | Level | Length guide | Notable requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazara University | MPhil, PhD | 6 to 10 A4 pages | Calibri 12, 1.15 spacing, fixed headings |
| UMT | MS, MPhil, PhD | Introduction 2 to 4 pages, literature review 2 to 4, methodology 2 to 3 | Abstract of 150 to 200 words, ethics section |
| Qurtuba University | MPhil | 10 to 15 pages | Fixed title page and declaration |
| Dawood University (DUET) | PhD | 5 to 10 pages | Automated heading styles in the template |
| UET Peshawar | PhD | About 1,500 to 2,500 words as a guide | Plain language for a mixed committee |
Length is the biggest difference. A proposal that suits one department would be far too long, or far too thin, for another. Approval routes also differ. At Hazara, a Graduate Research Committee reviews the synopsis before the Advanced Studies and Research Board sees it, and a supervisor consent form travels with it. UET Peshawar sends proposals through a research evaluation committee to its own board.
Position correct as of October 2026. Hazara’s format was approved in August 2020 and UMT’s dates from 2018, so check your department’s current version before you start. Read the originals at Hazara University’s MPhil and PhD synopsis format and UMT’s synopsis format for MS, MPhil and PhD.
Section by section: what each part must do
Title page and summary
The title page usually carries the title, your name, roll or registration number, level, department, supervisor and submission date. Hazara also asks for a co-supervisor line where one exists.
Keep the title specific. “Employee engagement in banks” is only a topic. “Flexible work arrangements and turnover intention among Karachi bank employees” names the variables, the population and the setting.
The summary comes next, but write it last. Check the word limit in your template, because UMT sets 150 to 200 words while Hazara asks for 200 to 300.
Introduction, problem statement and gap
Start from the problem, not from a textbook definition. The introduction sets the context and explains why the issue matters locally. The problem statement then says what remains unknown or unresolved.
The gap must come from your own reading. Never assume it. Hazara limits the introduction to about one and a half pages, whereas UMT allows two to four. For that reason, draft the short version first and expand only if your template allows it.
A quick test helps here. Could a committee member underline the missing knowledge in one sentence? If not, the problem statement is still only a topic description.
Objectives, questions and hypotheses
Objectives say what you will do. Questions say what you will find out. Hypotheses state the expectation you will test.
Each objective should connect to one method and one analysis. Hazara asks for three to five measurable objectives, numbered in lower-case roman numerals. Use verbs such as examine, compare or assess. Avoid vague verbs such as “understand” or “explore”.
Qualitative studies normally use research questions only, so do not force hypotheses into them.
Literature review
In a proposal, the review is short and selective. It should show the theory behind the study, what earlier research found and where the gap sits. UMT explicitly asks for an overview of research done in Pakistan, which is a useful habit even where it is not required.
Hazara’s template also caps the reference list at ten sources, five of them from the last three years. Other departments may not apply the same cap, so confirm your own rule before trimming. For the full method, see this guide to building the literature review section.
Methodology and ethics
Committees read this part most closely. State the design (quantitative, qualitative or mixed), the population, the sampling method and how you will justify the sample size. Then describe the instruments, the procedure and the analysis.
UMT’s format also asks for ethical considerations: informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality and data storage. Name software only where you will really use it, for example SPSS, Stata, R or NVivo. If the design is still undecided, matching the design to your question comes first.
Outcomes, timeline and references
Expected outcomes describe the contribution, not the results you hope to get. The timeline can be a simple table of phases. UMT requires a time frame for the dissertation, and a realistic one shows the committee that the study is feasible.
References depend on your faculty. Hazara asks arts, humanities, law, languages, social sciences and management to use APA, while science and health sciences use IEEE. UMT allows APA, Chicago or the discipline’s own style, as long as it stays consistent. In every case, check that each in-text citation appears in the list.
A short research proposal example: management, quantitative
The model below is written for learning. Square brackets mark the parts that need your own verified sources. Replace the topic, the scales and the setting with your own.
Title, introduction and gap
Title: Flexible Work Arrangements and Turnover Intention Among Bank Employees in Karachi: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction
Introduction: Commercial banks in Pakistan work under State Bank of Pakistan regulation and compete for experienced staff. Turnover raises recruitment and training costs, so banks and researchers both ask which working conditions keep people in their jobs. [Add one or two cited sources on turnover in Pakistani banking.]
Problem and gap: [Name in one or two sentences what earlier studies on bank employees in Pakistan have not tested, backed by your citations. Do not write a gap you have not verified.]
Objectives and hypotheses
The objectives are:
- To examine the relationship between flexible work arrangements and turnover intention.
- To examine the relationship between flexible work arrangements and job satisfaction.
- To test whether job satisfaction mediates the first relationship.
The hypotheses follow directly. H1: flexible work arrangements are negatively related to turnover intention. H2: they are positively related to job satisfaction. H3: job satisfaction mediates the link between the two.
Method, ethics and timeline
Design: quantitative, cross-sectional survey of employees at commercial bank branches in Karachi.
Sampling: state the approach honestly. Convenience sampling is common but limits generalisation, so say so in the limitations.
Sample size: justify it through a power calculation or the rule your analysis technique requires, rather than choosing a round number.
Instruments: previously validated scales for each variable, with the source and reliability reported, tested first in a small pilot.
Analysis: SPSS for descriptive statistics and reliability, then regression with a mediation test, or PLS-SEM if your department prefers it.
Ethics: informed consent, anonymity, permission from the bank and secure data storage.
Timeline (indicative): finalise the review and instruments in months 1 and 2, pilot in month 3, collect data in months 4 and 5, analyse in months 6 and 7, then write and revise in months 8 and 9. Fit this to the period your university allows.
References: APA 7th edition, listed alphabetically. For more topic ideas in this field, browse these management thesis topics.
How a qualitative or PhD proposal changes the format
A qualitative proposal replaces hypotheses with research questions. It also explains the paradigm and the sampling logic, which is usually purposive. The instrument becomes an interview guide, and the analysis is often thematic, with NVivo where used. Trustworthiness takes the place of statistical reliability.
A mixed-methods proposal must justify why both strands are needed. Otherwise, committees tend to read it as two proposals stapled together.
PhD proposals ask for more. They need a stronger theoretical framework and a clear original contribution. Hazara’s MPhil and PhD format also includes a proposed model or flow chart section. Length rises as well, although DUET still keeps the PhD proposal to 5 to 10 pages.
Using a sample or template file without copying it
Start with your own university’s postgraduate or research office page, because many departments post the approved format there. A sample from another university or country may use different headings, spacing and referencing.
Before using any downloaded sample or template, check four things:
- The issuing university and department
- The date of the document
- The level (MS, MPhil or PhD)
- The referencing style it requires
Use a sample for structure only. Copied sentences can trigger similarity checks, and they will not describe your own study anyway. Your supervisor has the final word on format and content.
Formatting mistakes that slow approval
- Following a sample from a different university
- Writing objectives that cannot be measured
- Listing studies in the literature review instead of building toward the gap
- Leaving out sample justification or ethics in the method
- Mixing referencing styles, or citing sources missing from the list
- Ignoring page, font and spacing limits
- Forgetting committee approval sheets or supervisor consent forms that the department expects
Next step
Once the format is clear, the step-by-step guide to writing the proposal itself covers how to draft each section. If the topic is still loose, start with choosing a topic you can finish. After approval, how the full thesis is organised shows where each proposal section returns as a chapter.
If you want feedback on structure, or help fitting a draft to your department’s template, you can share the template and your deadline through our enquiry form. Doctoral students can also read about PhD thesis support. Support here is academic guidance, and any model or reference material is for learning, to be used according to your institution’s policy.
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