All applicants will be expected to provide the following details as part of their proposal:
An Abstract of the research’s aims, methods, contribution to knowledge, and value in realising the goals of ISRF (300 words)
The Research Topic: The project’s focus, problem, or question (250 words)
Background: Established theses or paradigms in the field and their limitations in relation to the Research Topic (250 words)
Project Thesis: In contrast to established theses, your hypotheses or innovative claims that the research will enable you to support (250 words)
Methodology: Methods and procedures your research will employ, with description of your main disciplinary technique(s), including interactions across disciplines as required (250 words)
Work Plan: How your methods and procedures will be structured over the period of the award (250 words)
Outcomes: Describe project contribution, dissemination, any further steps and longer-term goals (250 words)
Access & Ethics: If applicable, describe (i) how access to relevant data/participants will be secured (relating to, e.g., language skills, positionality, access restrictions) and (ii) any measures required for ethical conduct of the research, including needed regulatory compliance (300 words)
For example Research Proposals from previous Independent Scholar Fellows, see the project pages for Steve Graby, Alessandra Gribaldo, Larisa Jasarevic, Nina Moeller, Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, Mike Waite & Joy White.
In support of the Research Proposal, applicants are also prompted to submit:
A Bibliography listing all works cited in the proposal, limited to two sides of A4 (to be uploaded as an attachment)[5]
An anonymised Budget (to be entered in the relevant application form field, or uploaded as an attachment)[6]
An anonymised list of your own publications (or alternative outputs) relevant to the work proposed in your application (to be entered in the relevant application form field)[6]
An anonymised list of your previous experience or qualifications (e.g. PhD subject area, research specialism(s), language skills, completed research projects, methodological training etc.) relevant to this proposal (to be entered in the relevant application form field)[6]
An anonymised statement on your Independent Scholar Status (to be entered in the relevant application form field)[7]
Each section of the proposal (including the Bibliography) should be anonymised, meaning that the identity of the applicant(s) cannot easily be deduced from the information provided. Applicants can cite their own previous publications, but these should be presented in such a way that they cannot be used to identify the author(s). For more guidance on how to anonymise your proposal, please refer to the relevant section of the FAQs.
[5] The submitted bibliography will be appended to your Research Proposal, visible at all stages of the selection process. Any self-citations should be anonymised as ‘Author, 2025’ or similar.
[6] Your budget, prior publications/outputs and previous experience/qualifications will only be appended to your Research Proposal, and therefore visible to reviewers, if your application reaches the final, Selection Panel stage.
[7] Your statement on your Independent Scholar Status will be reviewed separately to your Research Proposal to establish eligibility.
This will be read by academic evaluators who work in the social scientists, arts, or humanities but not necessarily in the applicant’s own field; applicants should bear this in mind when writing their application. To make the assessment procedure as fair as possible, we ask applicants to ensure their proposal has been anonymised. It may contain references to the applicant’s previous work but these should not be identifiable.
For more guidance on how to anonymise your proposal and bibliography, please refer to our FAQs.
Our Assessment Procedure is also set out online.
Where applicants wish to be bought out from existing employment (either wholly or in part) they must confirm that their employer is aware of their application, and should provide the contact details for the relevant contact. Should your application progress, this contact will be asked to confirm, on behalf of your employer, that:
You will be granted the period and proportion of time requested in the Duration and Timing section;
If replacement costs are requested, you will be in receipt of your normal salary during tenure of the award and the institution will provide cover.
It is therefore advisable that you ensure that your Employer is in agreement with the content of your application before you submit.
