The Field of Study and Research Program Plan is the most important part of your MEXT Scholarship Application
Need help with your Field of Study and Research Program Plan? How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan will walk you through choosing a field, developing a research question, and completing the final report to give you the best chance of success!
2020 Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Update
The format of the Field of Study and Research Program Plan changed dramatically in April 2019 with the Embassy Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application process. If you are looking for information on the old form (valid through the 2019 University Recommended MEXT Scholarship Application process), you can find it here.
Why the Field of Study and Research Program Plan Matters
The Field of Study and Research Program Plan is the single-most important part of your MEXT Scholarship application at the graduate level. Whether you’re applying for a research student status, Master’s Degree, or PhD, this is the single most important element that you have any control over. So, it’s understandable that most applicants get more anxious about this form and what it should include than anything else in the application process.
Downloading the Form
First things first: If you don’t have the original form yet, the links below are direct to the files on MEXT’s website, so you can download it without having to puzzle through their Japanese website:
Purpose of the Field of Study and Research Program Plan
In Japan, the Field of Study and Research Program Plan (研究計画書 kenkyukeikakusho) is part of any graduate school application. It is not unique to the MEXT scholarship. There is a set format and elements that Japanese universities are looking for.
As a foreigner, you wouldn’t necessarily be expected to know all of the elements of the Field of Study and Research Program Plan, but if you do hit them (and I’m going to show you how, below), you’re going to stand out in a good way. This article comes from over eight months of research into Japanese professors’ websites, university websites, and talking with faculty members at the university where I work. It is the same model you will find in my book, How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan, although the book obviously goes into more detail and also helps you develop your research question and subject.
You can find my sources at the bottom of the article, but they’re all in Japanese.
Disclaimer: This is all only my own research and conclusions. It has not been formally vetted by any MEXT officials, Embassy staff, or grad school admissions committees. I did have an applicant in 2018 tell me that his local consulate had recommended a previous edition of this article to him, though!
Field of Study and Research Program Plan: Formatting Notes
As of the 2020 application, the format for the Embassy-recommended MEXT Scholarship application has changed dramatically. This article covers that new format. I do not know yet if the format will also change for the University-recommended MEXT Scholarship application for 2020, but you can find information about the old format in the previous version of this article.
Length: You are limited to no more than 2 pages for the entire form! This is the most significant change from past versions and means you are going to have to be concise and focused.
Font Size: The default font size in the Field of Study and Research Program Plan that you download from the MEXT website is 10 pt Times New Roman, which is small, but given your space limitations, I recommend keeping it at that size. If you have extra space to play with, you can increase it to TNR 12 pt.
Do not bother changing the font size of the instructions – up or down.
Titles and Formatting: As you will see below, I recommend adding a few subtitles within sections to make the text easier to read. I suggest making each of the titles bold and setting them apart on a line of their own. Leave one blank line above each title, if you can manage it. You can also center then.
While you may be tempted to forgo titles and blank lines because of the length limitations, I would suggest keeping them in. White space and organization make your Field of Study and Research Program Plan easier to read. Nobody likes a big old wall of text.
Tables, Graphs, and Diagrams: If they add to the document and are necessary to answer the questions below, you can include them, but I have almost never seen a case where they added any value. The one exception to this is adding your research timeline as a table, with individual steps listed, which I recommend including as an attachment (more below).
Attachments: I recommend two attachments: The research timeline above and a list of references. I’ll get into each section in more detail below. If your particular academic field demands large diagrams or other references that you want to include as attachments, that could be possible, but consider seriously whether they are necessary or not.
Completing the Field of Study and Research Program Plan
1. Past and Present Field of Study
Your past and present field of study refers to your academic majors in any past university degrees, not professional working experience. You can only refer to a field of study from work experience if you worked as a professional researcher and are using that experience to meet the eligibility criteria for your degree program.
Here is what the section should cover.
Research Background
Recommended Heading: None. Since you only have one sub-section in this question, there is no need to add titles.
Recommended Length: 2-3 sentences
Recommended Content: Describe what you have researched in the past that led to your interest in the topic you will pursue in Japan. Since MEXT requires that you study a topic that you majored in in the past, this is your opportunity to show the connection.
Make sure that you describe your interest in terms of what it will contribute to the field. This is not a personal statement. “I am interested in microfinance because my family was poor” is not a good explanation. “Based on my past research into microfinance in developing countries, I became interested in a systematic examination of the impact of microfinance-supported entrepreneurial ventures in former agricultural areas of developed countries has impacted population movements and rural revitalization is necessary to apply effective practices both in Japan and abroad” is better.
To strengthen the statement above, you could add a closing statement about why your research could benefit Japan and your home country and why Japan is the best place to pursue it.
Do not add extra lines to this section beyond what is given in the form. The most important part of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan is still to come in the next section, so you want to save your space for that.
2-1. Research Theme in Japan
In this section, you will cover the title of your intended research (or at least a narrow description of the field), as well as your research theme sentence.
Research Title
Recommended Heading: None. Simply center the text at the top of this section and make if bold.
Recommended Length: Title and Subtitle, like it would be on a completed thesis.
Recommended Content: This is your sales copy. It needs to grab attention so your reviewers read further.
The main title is your overall theme and the subtitle is how exactly you plan to study it. For example:
The Contribution of ‘Outsider’ Expertise to Rural Revitalization Projects: An Exploration of the Yuzu Industry in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture
(JAIST)
You are not locked into using this title. Like almost everything else in your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, it will probably change once you begin your research under your advisor. But it’s still important to have a solid idea at this stage.
Research Theme
Recommended Heading: None. Leave one blank line under the title.
Recommended Length: One-two sentences
Recommended Content: This should take a format like “I intend to research [RESEARCH QUESTION] by examining [SPECIFIC EXAMPLE] from [APPROACH] perspective in order to [OUTCOME].” It does not need to be exact, but it does need to cover those elements.
It is important to include the intended outcome of your research. Research itself is not the goal – you should have something you intend to accomplish through it. Returning to JAIST’s example from the previous section:
This study will elucidate how specialist knowledge held by outsiders to rural revitalization projects can contribute to those projects, by examining the example of Yuzu farmers in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture’s contributions to local efforts by way of surveys and interviews, in order to advance the effectiveness of rural revitalization projects across Japan.
(JAIST)
Yes, the original Japanese is also a horrible run-on sentence.
Unlike the title, you should format this section in paragraph format, left or full justification (not centered) and not bold.
This article is only about how to format your form for submission and assumes that you have already developed your research question, example, and methods fully. If you have not done that yet, I recommend my book, How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan, which goes into detail on the process of choosing your field of study, developing and refining your questions, and also discusses formatting in much more detail.
2-2. Research Plan
In this section, you will go into more detail on the academic background of your research and how it fits into the field, as well as exactly how you plan to pursue it. This is the core of your plan and should take up the most space – all of the space that you are given on the first page as well as an entire second sheet of paper, or close to it.
Here are the subsections to include. Unlike previous questions, I recommend that you do include the titles for each sub-section. This section is long and having titles on their own lines, preferably centered, will break it up and make it easier for your reviewers to read.
Research Goals
Recommended Heading: Research Goals
Recommended Length: One to two paragraphs
Recommended Content: This is where you describe the academic value of your research and is perhaps the most important section of the entire form.
Your first paragraph should cover the research question you intend to answer and how – an expansion of your detailed research theme. The second paragraph should outline the possible academic and practical benefits of your research.
Remember that not everyone is an expert in your field, so try to keep the jargon to a minimum. You want your research to have value outside of your narrow field, so you have to be able to describe that to non-exerts. At the very least, I recommend opening each paragraph with a strong topic sentence that is jargon-free and understandable to any reader. You can then go into technical detail in the body of the paragraphs.
When discussing the benefits, it would be beneficial to mention specifically how they apply to Japan, your home country, and/or bringing the two closer together.
Previous Research in the Field
Recommended Heading: Previous Research
Recommended Length: Two-three sentences
Recommended Content: Describe the research that exists in the field and past approaches briefly.
This should be concise and just enough to establish that you understand the state of the field. If you can state “It is generally accepted in the field that . . .” or cite the prevailing theory with an author, that’s perfect. (Make sure that author makes it into your references).
Existing Research
Recommended Heading: Existing Research
Recommended Length: Two-four sentences
Recommended Content: In this section, you want to give a very brief introduction to the state of your field to show how your research fits into and contributes to it.
Your first sentence should describe the state of the field, particularly the most relevant studies to your own research. For example, if your field is still developing, you would state where current research stands and how you will add to it. If your research is targeting a gap in your field, then you would describe the state around that gap.
Your second sentence should explain how your research will extend knowledge in the field (e.g. by using a new method or approach, examining a different data set, contribute to resolving a conflict or gap, etc.)
Research Methodology
Recommended Heading: Research Methodology
Recommended Length: 1-2 paragraphs
Recommended Content: Describe your research methodology (quantitative, qualitative, hybrid), specific methods, and why you chose them. In the second, optional paragraph, describe the limitations of your research and how you will account for them.
At the end of the Existing Research section, you explained why your research would add to the field. In this section, you will explain how. You should describe why the methods you chose are the most appropriate to accomplish the research goals you set and contribute to the field.
Optional: Hypothesis
Recommended Heading: Hypothesis
Recommended Length: 2-3 sentences
Recommended Content: Present the hypothesis that you intend to test through your research.
This section will not be possible for all applicants, but if it is applicable, I recommend including it.
A hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question that you will test. It is not a certain, final answer and in most cases, should not be correct. Professor Tajima from Keio University wrote in a blog article that if your hypothesis turns out to be accurate, then your research could be considered a 99% failure. (Keio) After all, if you already know the answer before you have even started your graduate program, then there really wasn’t any point in your research.
Specific Research Plan
Recommended Heading: Research Plan
Recommended Length: One full and one partial paragraph
Recommended Content: Description of the research steps that you intend to pursue, from literature review through publication and dissemination of your research, with references to your research timeline that you will include as attachment.
In the past, I recommended including your full research timeline in this section, but that was before MEXT limited the overall form length to two pages. Now, I recommend moving the timeline to an attachment, but you should still include a brief description here with references to more details in the timeline.
The first, full paragraph should describe your research steps in order, as well as the intended timeline for completion. For example, you could say that in your first semester, you intend to complete your literature review, experiment design, and experiment approval. Then you would go on to describe your field research plans and analysis of data. Conclude the paragraph with your goals for how you will disseminate your research, such as publication, conference presentations, and sharing through informal networks, blogging, etc. If you have specific journals or conferences in your field that you want to target, that is great!
There is no need to describe the steps involved in writing and editing your thesis in detail. That is self-explanatory.
The second, partial paragraph should describe how you intend to interact with the community during the course of your studies, such as cultural exchanges with schools and becoming involved with community groups related to your research topic or other interests.
That’s It – Sort Of
The sections mentioned above should complete the two-page form and should stand on their own to present your entire research.
Obviously, your first draft is going to need work. I recommend revising it yourself then getting it reviewed by an academic expert in your field as well as a language expert.
I do offer paid reviewing services where I go through the formatting and presentation to assess if you have presented your proposal well, incorporating all of the elements above. I cannot, however, offer an academic review, so I am probably not an expert in your field!
For more information on my reviewing services, check out the coaching link at the top of this page.
Attachments
I recommend adding two attachments to your FSRPP: Your specific research timeline mentioned above and your list of sources. Each should be its own page and they should be in that order.
Attachments should not be critical to understanding your research plan. They are a place to put space-consuming references that can be understood via a quick scan. They have value in showing your preparedness, but the value is not commensurate with the space that they consume.
Research Timeline
Recommended Heading: Research Timeline
Recommended Length: Table/timeline long enough to cover the content below
Recommended Content: Detailed explanations of the steps you will go through in your research program (2 years for Masters, 3 for PhD).
The level of detail that you go into here depends on your field of study. For example, if you are doing social sciences research and your field research includes two phases of questionnaires and interviews, you can explain that rather quickly.
However, if you are in a STEM field and your research includes a long series of experimental processes or data analysis steps, then you would want to list each of those.
This is also a good place to mention specific coursework you want to take (and why), especially if you have your goal narrowed down to a single university or there are similar courses at each of your target universities.
You should have already described your primary research activities in the form proper, such as what kind of data you will collect and how, but here is where you slot it in to the schedule.
One Keio professor mentioned in his blog that he expects his advisees to do field research twice during their degree. For example, students would do a survey study first then return later for interviews to go into more detail, or do field studies in two places for comparison purposes.
Selected References
Recommended Heading: Selected Sources
Recommended Length: No more than 1/2 page or so
Recommended Content: Bibliographical references for all sources you mentioned in the text of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan (particularly in the existing research section) plus key sources you used in your literature reviews when creating your plan.
List your references in alphabetical order, using the format most common to your field of study.
My Sources
This article is based on Chapter 7 of my book, How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan. The book includes more details on each of the sections above that would be too much for a web article, plus other chapters on how to develop your research idea from scratch, all the way through a completed product!
How to Research and Craft a Research Plan
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/nifongo/keikaku/index.html
KALS Graduate School Application Prep School application advice article
http://www.kals.jp/graduate-sch/pln/
Keio University Professor’s Blog
http://cce-cmkt-tpro.sfc.keio.ac.jp/tajima_lab/inframe/sonota/01.htm
JAIST (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Application Advice Page
http://www.jaist.ac.jp/~as-asami/exam_research_plan/exam_research_plan.html
Study Channel Research Plan Writing Guide
http://www.study-channel.com/2015/07/research-plan.html
Five Steps to Writing a Lousy Research Plan (University of Tokyo Professor’s Blog)
http://www.nakahara-lab.net/2013/05/post_2004.html
Questions?
Before asking any questions in the comments, below, I recommend reading through the Field of Study and Research Program Plan FAQ. You can ask your questions in the comments here, on the FAQ page, or by email and I will answer them by updating the FAQ and letting you know when the answers are available.
I’d also recommend signing up for my mailing list, below, to get notified whenever I have updates to any of the FAQs or new articles about the MEXT scholarship!
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Hello Travis! I have been reading your book on writing the Field of Study and Research Plan and I must say I would recommend to anyone like me who doesn’t have an academic background.
I have a question. My consulate asks only for the Research Plan (no Field of Study) in Portuguese and it should have at most 6 pages and include title, abstract, introduction, objective, methodology, references. Will I need to fill this form later in the process? I was thinking of doing a Research Plan in your format since the start, but I am worried that my competition is going to have a longer research plan. Have you encountered in the past cases like this, where the consulate format is totally different from Mext guidelines?
Thanks!
Hi Vinicius,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
It sounds like your country has a pre-screening process before you get to the actual MEXT forms. I have seen that in several countries in the past, including Brazil. In the case of other applicants from Brazil, I have recommended them to write both. Usually, it makes more sense to write the longer version first, and then condense it down to also fit the MEXT format that I talk about in Chapter 7 and in this article.
I hope that helps!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Dear Travis,
Thank you so much for this amazing post! it’s really helping me alot in writing the research plan.
I was wondering if you could help me with the “What kinds of things do you think you can contribute to Japan and your home country through your experience of studying in Japan?” question found in the application research form. Are there certain points that you think must be tackled while answering this question?
Again, thanks alot!
Hi Mari,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
My next article to update is going to cover the new version of the application form and those three open-ended questions.
My recommendation in the meantime would be to think about what you want to accomplish after graduation, how your research will contribute to your progress in that goal, and what other benefits that research could have to others in your field.
In general, MEXT is looking to produce graduates who will become a bridge between their home country and Japan and help promote Japan within their country. I wrote about this to some degree in my article about How to Maximize Your Changes, and the same philosophy applies to these questions.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
Sorry to bother you, but I could not find any information on the following point on official MEXT website.
I will apply soon to the MEXT scholarship and am particularly interested in a very specific master that does’nt have any other equivalent in Japan (and abroad).
Is it possible to write only one program in the placement preference form 2020, or should I pick-up other similar programs, even if I don’t think they are exactly what I am looking for?
Would it be a problem to have two blank spaces after my first choice, or is it perfectly okay?
Thank you for all your work,
Kind regards,
Hi Chloe,
It is possible to list only one program, but understand that it is a risk:
– The embassy is probably going to ask you why you only have one program and you are going to have to persuade them that it is sufficiently unique that you could not possibly conduct your desired research anywhere else. (Be aware that they may assume that you simply were too lazy to research other universities until you explain.)
– If you are already in touch with a professor in that program and have a provisional agreement from that professor to accept you if you pass the primary screening, that’s fine, but otherwise you run the risk of not being able to obtain a Letter of Acceptance there. In that case, you could lose the scholarship (or have to apply somewhere else after all to be able to get a Letter of Acceptance) even if you pass the Primary Screening.
It is not “perfectly okay”, but it can be possible to leave blank spaces if you understand and account for the risks.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
which is very intersting scholarship progrogram
Thank you so much for this amazing guide!!!!!
I have a concern about the “previous research in the field” section:
Should I talk about another research in the field that has connection with the current research “existing research”, or can I talk about my Master’s thesis research which has tight connection with the current research?
and,
when describing the previous research should I talk about the results of the research or just describe it methodologically?
Hi Kheira,
You should describe what makes it different from your proposed research. For example, if you are researching a similar topic but with a different methodology than what has been used before, you would focus on that. In general, though, you should be focused on the results and how your research will produce results that do not yet exist to add to the general level of knowledge in the field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Kheira,
Thank you for your kind words!
The Previous Research in the Field section should refer to published research by established scholars in the field – essentially, you are describing the state of the academic field as it relates to your research question.
This section does not refer to your previous research in the field and I think it is considered academically undesirable to cite your own previous work, unless you are one of the leaders in the field.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi,
Thank you so much for all the articles you have posted about the MEXT scholarship, it has really helped! I am just now a bit confused with the new 2020 research plan format. To my understanding this now means that an applicant’s entire research plan should be covered using this new form and limited to two pages? There is no need for an extra research proposal plan? I was under the impression (from researching online and reading other’s research proposals) that we had to fill out the field of study and research plan form, as well as have a separate research proposal which would have looked something along the lines of having an abstract, introduction, background, conclusion, ect.
I’m sorry, the whole application process has really confused me even though I have tried to do as much research on it as I can and even called my consulate for questions. So thank you for any clarifications!
Hi Jen Ta,
That’s right. Your entire research plan needs to fit within the two pages you are given for the document.
The form changed this year, so any references you find from past years are going to be based on a different format. In the past, there was no space limit and there were different questions for the “field of study” and “research plan”, but that does not apply anymore.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
thank you so much for keeping us updated everything is so useful ! god bless you
Hi Travis! Thank you for the article!
I’ve been getting started on my field of study plan and I have one question, it says in the form that “if possible, write in Japanese” but is it recommended?
I majored in Japanese so I do have the capacity to write it in full Japanese, however I still have more confidence that I will be able to express myself better in English. So I decided to write in Japanese only if it would be a “bonus point” for me.
So, does an applicant who wrote his application in Japanese have more chances to be selected?
Thank you
Hi Naam,
My recommendation is to write in English if the program you are applying to is taught in English and to write in Japanese if it is taught in Japanese. Ultimately, you will have to express your research in the language your program is taught in, so now is a good time to start!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Thank you for the excellent guide, Travis!
I have some questions about my own proposal concerning this form.
I think I might have done something wrong with the categorization of my form.
In 研究テーマ, I wrote about the current problems and gaps in the projected research and I wrote about why the research is significant, in detail, in 7 paragraphs. It includes the objectives of the proposed research and I used many references in this part.
And in 研究計画, I described the plan of the research, the methodology and the ‘problem statement’. It took 2 long and 2 short paragraphs.
The theme is surely longer than the plan but I did some things with the attachments.
This form is numbered as “3” so I wrote 3 on top, then I numbered my attachments as 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, four in total.
I am planning to do a survey research to certain sample groups, so I added sample questions to the 3.1 and it took two pages. They are simply “possible” questions to be asked to the sample group. Then I added my reserch timetable as 3.2, nothing else. 3.3 is called “Targeted Effects”, in which I hypothesise possible effects of the research, it is a single page too. And 3.4 is references I cited.
To be honest, I attempted to reduce this page to 2 pages and I did so by putting extra information as “attachments”, as there is not a certain limit to the attachments. I also set the font size of my own words to 9 or 9,5.
Do you think that this categorization of mine sounds too wrong? There is too little time left for the deadline and I got worried.
Thank you a lot for your support to everyone.
Hi Aaron,
It’s hard to say without seeing your actual paper, but it sounds like you have probably gone into far more detail than is necessary and should try to cut out unnecessary information. As an example, I don’t think more than a sentence or two is necessary to explain your target effects. And I have never seen a plan that needed more than 2 paragraphs to explain why the research was significant.
While what you have done is not prohibited, my guess is that you could benefit from being more concise. Remember, your reviewers will be going through dozens or hundreds of FSRPPs. The point in limiting the length is to make it easier for them to read through each one. You want to make sure that they can quickly and easily grasp the value and preparedness of your research.
Again, please take all of this with a grain of salt, since I have not seen your actual FSRPP, but that would be my feedback in general.
If you are interested in a full review, I do offer that as part of my coaching services.
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz
Hi Trans! So nice to see you finally uploaded your guide for the 2020 embassy recommendation. I must say, yes! they changed it again for this year haha. Is there a way where I could ask you to review my important documents before I submit it like the research plan and application form? Or course, i understand there is an “expertise compensation” to this and i think we can negotiate with that. Let me know what you think 😉
Hi Pat,
Yes, I’m working on the new forms and processes as quickly as I can. So much changed this year!
I do offer a review service and you can find more information at the “Coaching” link at the top of the page, including a list of the services and prices.
At the moment, I have a short waiting list, so there could be a slight delay, but if you are interested, I would be happy to work with you soon!
Good Luck!
– Travis from TranSenz