Moreover, your research will necessarily involve analysing the data after you have collected it. Though you don’t know yet what the data will look like, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and indicate what methods (e.g. statistical tests, thematic analysis) you will use.
With empirical research, it’s important to describe in detail how you plan to collect your data:
First, consider the potential implications of your research. Will you:
- This dissertation will utilise Foucault’s theory of panopticism to explore the theme of surveillance in Orwell’s 1984 and Kafka’s The Trial…
Empirical research
- Will you use surveys? A lab experiment? Interviews?
- What variables will you measure?
- How will you select a representative sample?
- If other people will participate in your research, what measures will you take to ensure they are treated ethically?
- What tools (conceptual and physical) will you use, and why?
Next, you’ll describe your proposed methodology: the specific things you hope to do, the structure of your research and the methods that you will use to gather and analyse data.
Finally, it’s sensible to conclude by briefly restating the contribution to knowledge you hope to make: the specific question(s) you hope to answer and the gap the answer(s) will fill in existing knowledge:
Dissertation research often involves both, but the content of your methodology section will vary according to how important each approach is to your dissertation.
If you want your thesis to be impactful, your paper should be significant for your subject area. You may describe the significance of your study in the introduction. You should also include useful definitions, limitations, delimitations, and other similar sections into your introduction depending on your department’s requirements.
Here, you can give a summary of your paper as well as your goals and objectives. Despite the size of the paper, its abstract is usually small and helps your readers to understand what your project is about quickly.
Conclusion. The conclusion can include a summary of your thesis proposal. It should also contain conclusions based on your research and be organized like the introduction. This section can contain a discussion of your work and provide suggestions for future research.
Introduction. Most academic papers usually start with this section. You can use it to demonstrate the background of the topic to your readers, provide a thesis statement, and your study’s objectives. You should also outline questions that you are going to answer in your dissertation research proposal.
What Does A Dissertation Proposal Include?
Methodology. The structure of this section can be different, except for its beginning and end. You can start it with the introduction, research design and questions, describe the setting and participants of the study, provide information on data collection and analysis, and finish it with the conclusion. There can also be such sections as a research hypothesis, as well as setting and sample.
Research findings. This section helps you to show what information you already have and are going to use for your paper. Make sure you organize your findings list in accordance with the research objectives given in previous sections.
There are many examples of such papers. However, not all of them are useful. Therefore, you will need to make sure that the Ph.D. proposal example you use has the right structure and has similar requirements.
As in any other piece of academic writing, it’s essential to redraft, edit and proofread your research proposal before you submit it. If you have the opportunity, ask a supervisor or colleague for feedback.
- The proposed title of your project
- Your name
- Your supervisor’s name
- The institution and department
- Who has an interest in the topic (e.g. scientists, practitioners, policymakers, particular members of society)?
- How much is already known about the problem?
- What is missing from current knowledge?
- What new insights will your research contribute?
- Why is this research worth doing?
- Cost: exactly how much money do you need?
- Justification: why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
- Source: how did you calculate the amount?
Budget
Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:
- Compare and contrast: what are the main theories, methods, debates and controversies?
- Be critical: what are the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches?
- Show how your research fits in: how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize the work of others?
In this section, aim to demonstrate exactly how your project will contribute to conversations in the field.
Following the literature review, it’s a good idea to restate your main objectives, bringing the focus back to your own project. The research design or methodology section should describe the overall approach and practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.
- MLA format report is most common, MLA format has to provide thesis statement in the first paragraph.
- MLA format also moves from topic to topic.
The abstract is the shortest part of your dissertation research. it should tell why you did the research? How did you do? what will others learn? etc.
Explain the current state of the research here. If anything, more needed find it and solve it. few other things you may include the practice of the context, methodological context.
the appendix gives meaning to a certain point, and these can be seen by the readers if they don’t understand anything in the dissertation project.
Dissertation Guide
When it comes to any project, the title is the main thing, it should simply explain, what the project is all about. The title should be specific, representative and descriptive for the research.
The methods show how you did the research, which tools you used. The sources should be mentioned, you must provide enough details so others can study the research.
In this chapter. The final result of research should be included. What solution you have come up with. What did you solve? etc.
The introduction is where people will get a basic idea of your dissertation, you should be completely sure, how are you going to introduce the topic to the readers.
If you are confused, read this guide to learn the essentials of how to write an A grade thesis proposal.
It states the methodological approaches that will be used to achieve the objectives. It will also provide details about how the experiments will be conducted to test the hypothesis.
Cite all the primary and secondary sources in the reference list along with their codes. Also, choose a citation style after consulting with your professor.
Sample Statement of the Problem in Thesis Proposal
Table of Contents
The format of the thesis proposal typically follows the below pattern.
The title page includes the research title, student and supervisor’s name, along with the submission date.
This section states the main objectives that you want to achieve in the research. Similarly, it will also mention the hypothesis and the expected outcome.
This is a brief summary of the entire proposal. We recommend that you do the abstract as the last item after completing the proposal. A single paragraph should be okay for your abstract. See a sample abstract in the paragraph below:
The experts have been writing thesis proposals and other tasks that students fund tough to handle. In addition to being experts in different fields, they know what works and what does not. So, they are your best bet to crafting a great proposal and, finally, the best thesis to impress the evaluation committee.
Well, there is no standard formatting and citation method when it comes to writing proposals and thesis. However, your department will give the recommended formatting and citation style that students should use for their proposal.
A good proposal should have a clear timeline. This is a breakdown of the time that each stage of the study will require. Your evaluation committee will use the timeframe to gauge the feasibility of the study. See a sample timeline for a thesis:
Table of Contents
These are the main questions that you will be seeking to answer with the thesis. The questions should offer more focus and direction about the study you are proposing, and make the roadmap towards the targeted results. You might want to practice by learning how to write a thesis proposal sample. See the examples of thesis research questions:
“What effect does daily use of Facebook have on the Attention span of adolescents?” “What effect do legal approaches have on people who drink and drive in the UK?”
At this point, it is important to point out that writing a thesis proposal is never easy. Indeed, many are university students who get stuck even before getting started. But you cannot give up because the proposal is the gateway to crafting a great thesis. Therefore, you should seek writing help from professionals.