The PhD proposal should comprise at least the following points and sections:

1. Title and, if applicable, subtitle
2. Summary of your research proposal (maximum of 500 words)
3. Summary of your research proposal based on five keywords
4. Subject (maximum of 250 words): describe the subject (so do not present this as a question). Include a concise introduction to the subject and, as appropriate, briefly define the academic context of your research. If relevant, you can also define the social context. As substantive guides. See Safety in urban environments for substantive leads.
5. Current status (1,500-2,500 words): what has been written about your subject to date in the relevant academic and professional literature? Can any gaps be identified? In other words: what will your research add to the body of legal research that already exists? 
   Guidance: PhD research involves you conducting academic research at the highest level: you will enter into debate with academics who have already published elsewhere on (areas within) your subject. Is your own research sufficiently innovative, supplementary and capable of being conducted to a sufficient depth? Substantiate your conviction, with specific references to the specialist literature available. 
6. Problem statement: this is the principal question that is posed in your research and that guides your study. A good problem statement is formulated as a one-sentence question.
7. Research design: 
   - How will you realise and structure your research? What is the relationship between your research and research conducted previously?
   - Based on which research questions? The research questions or sub-questions (elaborating on the principal question) should aim to facilitate answering of the central problem statement.
   - Methodology: which legal sources (such as legislation and regulation, case law and literature) will you study (provide a general overview), what other sources will you study, are you planning to conduct any empirical research? If you are conducting empirical research, provide a high-level overview that complies with the applicable academic and ethical requirements.
8. Preliminary table of contents. This can be amended and added to in the course of the research. Taken together, all sections should answer all of the research questions and therefore the central problem statement.
9. Presentation of research results: as a book or a collection of articles? 
10. Timeline. Try to give a timeline for the full PhD trajectory that is as concrete and realistic as possible. The timeline should cover the stages of the literature study, the sources study, any empirical research and the writing phase; the stage of obtaining and processing comments from your supervisors; as well as the stage of getting your research results ready for publication. The rule is that you will always be allocated at least two supervisors and that other lecturers will also be involved in your supervision.
11. Any additional information that could be of significance for the PhD trajectory.

In addition, it is important to include the following administrative details (your data will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation):

1. Details of the external PhD applicant:

• surname and first name, current address, postcode and place of residence;
• date of birth;
• telephone number(s);
• email address.

2. Additional information:

• education at secondary school level and beyond;
• your personal motivation for this research (maximum of 100 words);
• any research experience that is relevant to the intended PhD research study (e.g. if you have published on the same subject previously – please provide bibliographical references; if the PhD research is an extension or deeper exploration of a previous Master’s dissertation, please provide the dissertation title, the relevant Master’s programme, the year of completion and the dissertation assessment or grade);
• any relevant references.

The process

The External PhD Committee will generally respond within four weeks following submission of a research proposal. The rule is that you will be allocated at least two supervisors and that other university academics will also be involved in your supervision.