Book excerpt: “Clearly written and based on solid research, this compassionate and practical book is a must for research developers and supervisors” Dr Katherine Firth, The University of Melbourne, Australia, author of How to Fix your Academic Writing Trouble “Supervisors and decision makers will find it exciting to discover new areas for guiding hopeful research candidates on their journey.” Dr Estelle M Phillips, co-author How to Get a PhD, Former Research Tutor Birkbeck College, University of London, UK and Independent Educational Consultant “A valuable resource for doctoral school leaders, supervisors, professionals and doctoral candidates alike.” Lucas Zinner, Head of Research Services and Career Development, University of Vienna Doctoral proposals are a vital part of the PhD process, but often this key phase is neglected. This book provides handy, digestible guidance suitable for supervisors and students alike. For supervisors, this book is a manual with clear theoretical underpinnings that help to clearly guide students through the proposal stage. For students, it is a handbook that brings potential PhD candidates up to speed and offers guidance on the necessary skills required to write a proposal alongside how to deal with the challenges faced during this stage. Key features of this book include: •Didactic tools and assignments that are of direct use for writing the proposal and supervising it •Helpful reading tips at the start of each chapter •Clear travel guide structure to take the supervisor and the student on a journey through each stage of the proposal Based on the well-established ‘Proposal Lab’ programme designed to provide faculty guidance and peer support, The Art of Writing a PhD Proposal provides a comprehensive, indispensable, step-by-step guide to writing a good proposal and to getting students and their supervisors off to a flying start. Dr Hans Sonneveld has been a specialist in the field of doctoral studies for over 35 years. He is a board member and the Founder of the Netherlands Centre of Expertise for Doctoral Education, NL.