Question 1

Is this a different product from the Grant Proposal Review?

Accepted Answer

No. It is the same review, at the same price ($50, paid once), and you get the same report covering the whole proposal. This page is for students whose proposal asks for approval or admission rather than money. Sections a grant has and your proposal does not (a budget, work packages) are simply not there to check.

Question 2

Will it judge whether my research idea is good?

Accepted Answer

No. It does not judge originality, the gap in the literature or whether your methods are the right ones: that is what your supervisor and your committee are for. It checks whether the proposal says clearly what you will do, in an order a reader can follow, without contradicting itself.

Question 3

Will it tell me if my proposal will be funded?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no score, no panel simulation and no prediction of funding or approval. The report gives an overall assessment, the proposal's strengths, and findings on language, structure, typos and inconsistencies, each marked high, moderate or low impact. Whether the idea is fundable is for your panel, your committee and the people who know your field.

Question 4

My department has a template. Does it check it?

Accepted Answer

No. It reads the text, not the template, and it does not know your department's required sections, word count or formatting. Check those against the guidelines. The research proposal checklist has a pass for them.

Question 5

I have written the first chapters of my thesis. Is that a proposal?

Accepted Answer

No. A proposal describes research you have not done yet. Chapters of a thesis in progress are a thesis, and the Thesis Review ($99, paid before the review) is built for them.

Question 6

Can I use it for a proposal I send to a prospective supervisor?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A proposal attached to a first email is read quickly, and a clear one helps. To find researchers working on your topic first, use the free PhD supervisor finder.

Question 7

Will it write or rewrite my proposal?

Accepted Answer

No. Every finding quotes the passage concerned and comes with a suggestion. You decide what to change and you write the changes. Some funders set rules on the use of AI in applications: read your funder's policy before you use any AI tool.

Question 8

When do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Before the review starts. You upload your file, we check that we can read it, then you pay once through Stripe. The review starts as soon as the payment goes through. A scan or an image-only PDF is read in full first, which takes a minute or two. If we still can't read it, we tell you before you pay. Not satisfied? Email us within 14 days and we refund you.

Question 9

How do I receive the review?

Accepted Answer

As a PDF report. You can download it from this page as soon as it is ready, and it is emailed to the address you paid with. Most reviews are ready in under 30 minutes.

Question 10

Which files can I upload?

Accepted Answer

PDF and Word (.docx) files with selectable text, up to 400 pages.

Question 11

What happens to my file?

Accepted Answer

It is processed by business-grade Gemini models that do not train on your content, then deleted. The report is available for 24 hours, then removed from our servers.

Research Proposal Checker

What the review looks at

Research Proposal Checker questions

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