Thread by @ryankatzrosene

Lots of prospective and current PhD students applying for SSHRC grants these days. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL! For those struggling with research statements, may I suggest the following formula for your first paragraph... /1

I recommend a short, punchy, 3-sentence (or 3-sentiment) paragraph that tells the evaluator what your Phd is about, what the specific research problem is, and how your PhD research specifically addresses that problem. Be succinct, avoid jargon, write so any peer would get it /2

Start with a captivating hook sentence that brings your reader directly into your field and the topic of study, and that sets the stage for sentence 2 (the problem). A common starting point is “In recent years X has happened” (Goal: Evaluator thinks “ooh that’s interesting!”). /3

Then move on to the research problem. Goal is to make the evaluator think “hey yeah that’s a good point, we ought to fund someone to look into this!” Common framing is “Despite X there’s a GAP IN THE LITERATURE specifically on Y” or "we still don't know why X". /4

Final sentence points out that YOUR dissertation is going to contribute to the body of knowledge by shedding light on this specific problem, while also hinting at HOW you’re going to do this (aka method). Ex. “My research will address this gap by examining X / by doing Y” /5

Goal is to get evaluator to think “OK, this person clearly knows what the problem is AND they have a solid idea of how to tackle it! They’ve got my vote!” /6

This is just my own recommendation based on my own (admittedly limited) experience. There are LOTS of other formulas or ways of doing it… (check out @raulpacheco's materials).. and disclaimer: I take no responsibility if you use this formula and don’t get funded 😅! /7

But suffice it to say that opening paragraph is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. It’s not *everything*, but it sets up the evaluator’s brain on the track of either "Interesting, OK I’m going to keep reading closely" vs. “Meh…”

Good luck out there folks!

/fin.