Guidelines for writing a PhD proposal

Please use the PhD proposal template provided on Alfresco (do not use older proposals as a template as details might have changed): https://team.swisstph.ch/s/TrB0dISEQqKXr2BWq18EIw and be aware of the following:

1. The proposal should not exceed 15 pages (excluding references) 2. For the main text, use font size 11, and single spacing (references can be smaller). 3. Prior to submission to reviewers and the Research Commission, your supervisor must read and agree with the submission.

The proposal should include: Topic Comments

Front page

Contacts Title of project; PhD subject; student’s name, e-mail address and address; first & second supervisor’s names, date of submission; Institution name & address; co-institution (if applicable); first & second supervisor’s titles, positions, departments, e-mail address

Acronyms/Abbreviations Table of contents Abstract Maximum 400 words summarising introduction, background, objectives, methods, and relevance of thesis Introduction and background Explain what research question(s) you will be addressing and why it is important. Objectives and research aim Explain objectives, hypotheses, specific aims, and relevance/benefits of the thesis. Clearly describe rationales for each research question. It may be useful to structure this section according to the manuscripts that will come out of the thesis research. Research plan and methods Describe in detail how you will answer your research question(s), by addressing the following aspects, as applicable: • Study type • Study population and inclusion/exclusion criteria • Sampling / recruitment plan • Exams / instruments / measurements • Statistical analysis plan, including when relevant: o Statement of the null and alternative hypotheses o Precise definition of all outcome and exposure (treatment) variables o Statistical method(s) that you plan to apply o Strategy to minimise confounding o Specification of effect modifiers or subgroups that you intend to analyse o Method to account for non-independence of data (clustering) o Strategy for handling missing data and loss to follow-up o Statistical software that you plan to use • Sample size calculation / justification

Ethical issues

Time plane with milestones Contact statistical support (coordinated by Marek Kwiatkowski) at an early stage for feedback on your research plan and methods.

If your research involves people, please assure that the methods / data collection / sampling described here are identical with those described in the questionnaire / case report form and the participant information / informed consent. All research projects involving people need ethical clearance; if the project is carried out in a low resource country, ethical clearance must be obtained from Ethikkommission Nordwest- und Zentralschweiz (EKNZ) and the dedicated local ethics committee (best practice rule). Please contact the Swiss TPH Human Subject Research Desk (HSR Desk) (hsr-desk@swisstph.ch) for advice during the preparation of your proposal.

Clinical trials may in addition need regulatory authority clearance and a study specific insurance.

Research involving animals may need authority clearance

List of tentative titles of manuscripts indicating student’s author position Collaboration and support Essentially, all the people and institutions with whom you expect to work. You may have a limited number of external collaborators. Describe the collaboration with internal and external sources in 1-3 paragraphs

PhD Committee List the names and roles of PhD committee members, at least first supervisor and second supervisor at the time of submission.

Short CV

Professional training to be undertaken One-page curriculum vitae so reviewers can understand the proposed learning agreement. Include assessment of total ECTS credit points needed and detail of planned lecture work, conferences, etc. as far as already known.

Budget plan

Reference list

Appendix Include details about the funding agency and funding concept for the part relevant to the thesis itself (student salary, publications, travel, etc.). Restrict to most important references (some 30-50 is usually sufficient). Only if needed; appendices counts towards the 15-page length limit.