Students are required to write a PhD proposal within two years of starting their PhD proposal.
This document gives some notion regarding the content and length of the proposal (pdf). An example proposal from a student of mine who completed a PhD in Geography is found here.
A good source for information is provided by David Pannell here. (A recent post pertains to literature reviews.) A Word Document template for writing term papers, a proposal or a dissertation is found here. Consider using the grammar function on Office 365 or Grammarly. It is free!
Finally, given the complicated nature of graduate studies in today’s world, PhD students are encouraged to look at the following reference book:
Mastering your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond. 2nd Edition by Patricia Gosling and Bart Noordam. (Springer 2011).
There are restrictions on sharing published articles (e.g., Elsevier restrictions).
Conference posters are increasingly important in Economics, especially applied areas of economics. Here are examples of PowerPoint templates a student can modify and use for a poster (version 1; version 2). The colors, fonts, columns, headings, etc. can all be changed.