Greetings,
I have written a SOP for PhD in Public Management (or public administration). I have around 0.5 to 1 month to further edit it. Could you please take a look and comment? Thank you very much!!
(I have learned a lot from this forum. Especially i want to thank "vangiespen" who always offer useful comments!)
Note:
1. This is not a personal statement. I will prepare PS separatly.
2. The current number of words is 699. I will tailor-make around 200-300 words more for explaining why i want to choice a specific department.
3. Prof. XXX is my referrer who is a famous international scholar and the editior of Q1 journals in the field. So i mention his name quite often and in the very beginning.
________________________________________________________________
In a recent field experiment conducted at two local shopping malls in Hong Kong, Professor XXX and I successfully increased the amount of recycling by 20% through a simple intervention that costs less than $30 USD per mall - that is, directional signs on top of garbage bins prompting the location and distance of the closest recycling receptacles. Although such a finding is just a replication and extension of previous research, it is indeed a great encouragement that motivates me to continue and advance my academic career in research and innovation. What a fantastic experience when I saw that what I learned had contributed to the betterment of the community!
Since I obtained a MPhil degree from YYY University, I have been working as a Senior Research Associate at ZZZ University with Professor XXX on a number of experimental projects concerning public management and policy, and I am now writing up the findings for publication. With these two years of work and research experience, I found myself passionate about (and capable of) continuously working as an academic researcher who seeks to steer choice and behavior towards more positive outcomes for individuals and society as a whole. In order to enhance the scope and quality of the scientific research output I can produce, it is essential for me to have a strong theoretical grounding in Public Management and research methodologies. I am therefore applying for admission to the Ph.D. program in Public Administration at VVV.
The major field I would like to study is Public Management, with particular interest in Organizational Behavior (OB) research. It is a nexus of what I have learned about and worked on in the past - that is, knowledge and issues about public administration, social psychology, and communication strategies. It can also facilitate my current research in exploring the role of organizational identity (OI) and organizational identification (OID) in affecting the innovation and change-oriented behaviors of public-sector organizations and their members. I find this topic worthy of investigation because there is a literature gap - that is, little attempt has been made to study OI and OID in the public sector. Also, these two concepts originating from Business and Entrepreneurship research may provide a new theoretical lens for explaining why innovation takes place in the public sector - a topic that is still under much debate. I formulated this research idea during my current work on an experimental project. In this project, I attempt to use the identity cues and narratives of organizational identity embedded in emails to arouse the sense of identification among students and alumni in order to make them support the newly established laboratory of my academic department. While this research is still in progress (the result will be presented at the 2016 IRSPM conference), I have read a significant amount of literature in the related areas and found that this research can be further developed into a valuable doctoral study topic.
In terms of methods, I tend to approach my research questions using experimental design, surveys and quantitative content analysis. I will also conduct a systematic literature review and, if possible, meta-analysis.
Subsequent to earning a PhD, I would like to apply for a faculty position, which allows me to be the principal investigator of research projects, at research-active universities around the world. I believe that my experience as a co-investigator will support me for such a career. Thanks to the autonomy and trust granted by Professor XXX, I have been the co-investigator of two funded sub-projects (the funding amount is $10000 USD) in which I have coached four groups of undergraduate and postgraduate student interns. The successful experience in running these projects will be published in a Springer Social Sciences book (indexed in the Thomsen Reuters database). Moreover, I have submitted three proposals for grant review since June 2015. The total budget amount is around $160,000 USD and I will be the co-investigator of the projects if they are funded. I will continue to develop my writing and fundraising abilities during the PhD study period by seeking to publish a least three SSCI journal articles and continuously looking for funding opportunities both in Hong Kong (e.g., Public Policy Research Fund, Environmental Conservation Fund) and the US.
Thank you for the compliment Ivan, it is highly appreciated :-) As far as I can tell, this SOP is right on track and contains enough information about your background as a researcher plus your current experience in the field. Right now, the essay already seems well covered and can already stand alone as a statement of purpose with some major editing. So I am wondering about why you are still looking to add 200 - 300 words to it. You have already represented your academic background, professional career, and future plans as a researcher. Is there something in the SOP requirement of the university that you need to reflect in the essay? Hence the additional information that you feel you need to add? If you have a set of guide questions from the university regarding the content of the SOP, please provide it so that I can review the essay accordingly :-)
That said, there is a portion in this essay that I believe can be omitted for now since the SOP does not require the information;
In terms of methods, I tend to approach my research questions using experimental design, surveys and quantitative content analysis. will also conduct a systematic literature review and, if possible, meta-analysis.
- This is not necessary at this point since the SOP only requires an overview of your future research work. This creates a detailed description that is not required because it complicates the content of your SOP and deviates from the actual purpose of your study. A simple summary, just to show that you have plans for your dissertation will suffice at the moment.
As for the mention of Prof. XXX, while I realize that he is quite known in the field, you should only mention him in relation to you as a student or his assistant. Rather than saying Prof. XXX and I, you should be clearly indicating your role in the research by saying that "I assisted Prof. XXX in the research and development of..." (for example). Remember, Prof. XXX may be a well known name but he is not the applicant here so the statements should always highlight your contribution to the work of his team.
I believe that I can make a more in-depth analysis of your essay and how it can be better improved or edited once you have added the 200-300 words. It is never a good idea to edit a partial essay because the additional information will always alter the total content of the essay. I hope that I can review the complete text at the soonest possible time :-) This is all I have to say and suggest at the moment.
