How to Write a Dissertation Proposal

A Dissertation Proposal is like a road map for your final dissertation, it tells you what, when and how you need to do things throughout. It guides you in every step of the way to writing a decent thesis such as it outlines the methodology you need to carry the research so that you can maintain conformity and consistency during data gathering and analysis process. It also includes the ethical considerations that you need to undertake, your research limitations, choice of sample and much more so that your research stays protected from criticism.

We all know that how undoubtedly daunting is the beginning phase of planning a dissertation. That is why a dissertation proposal is submitted before the actual report so that the rest of the process becomes less frightening. It doesn’t matter if you are an undergraduate or a postgraduate, it is important to comply with the requirements set by your teacher for your thesis submission as the formats and word count can differ between institutions.

One very important reason for writing a dissertation proposal is to impress your tutor with your topic selection and boldness to carry out specific research. As you might already know, dissertation writing needs time and investment and you can’t risk all that effort into something, so that it gets rejected when you submit it. A research proposal removes all ambiguities between the student and the teacher and also clarifies the teacher in terms of what they should expect from you.

Structuring your proposal

Before we jump into the details of discussing how you should write a dissertation lets go through some basic, shall we? First, you need to know how to structure your dissertation. Well, it’s a fairly simple format, no rocket science involved. We recommend you to stick to this format as it is a pretty standard one. It will not only make your work seem well-organized and logical but also easy to read. Now, a dissertation proposal has many sections:

• The title of your work which will explain both the topic and the message
• Research aims and objectives
• Literature and theoretical background
• Research Methodology (to be undertaken)
• Potential outcomes of the research
• Gantt chart (Timeline)
• Bibliography/References

Topic Identification

Hierarchy and order is an integral part of any project and it is important to identify the dissertation topic at the beginning of the proposal, as soon as possible. The topic of your dissertation states the key question and central argument of the paper. A common tendency among writers especially students is they immediately get engaged in the preliminaries where they start looking for research material and they keep the topic at the very end. What most writers don’t realize is that the topic gives the dissertation its meaning which helps the paper reach its key point.

Identify the key and subsidiary questions

Another common approach undertaken by new writers is that they often present various questions in a fairly neutral manner which are scattered in the entire proposal with no distinction between which are central and which are subsidiary. Now, this might not be that big of a deal for pre-mature writers but if these questions were brought together they benefit the writer as well as the reader. It allows the writer to have clarity in identifying which headings are important and how to develop a workable hypothesis. In short, it is very a good idea to leave the reader hanging, leaving it up to them to identify which questions are central and which are sub-questions. In the same way, it is recommended that the topic is specific to a certain place and time. Postponing the provision of such an important piece of information is never a good idea.

Setting up the key aims and objectives

Most dissertation proposals have a clear statement or a set of aims and objectives which include the questions that will be addressed in the paper or hypothesis that will be tested throughout. This comes normally under the main introduction heading. Defining aims and objectives of research helps you in identifying the major concepts that your research will be discussing.

Conduct preliminary research

Once the topic has been chosen and the aims and objectives have been defined, its now time to start digging for some material which under thesis terms is called “Literature Review”. This is perhaps the most important part of the dissertation as it familiarizes the writer as well as the readers with the topic along with providing the rationale, why the topic needs to be researched.

Literature review section requires the writer to check several academic journals in the field related to the topic and find out how much work has already been done which areas have been covered in the past. It is preferable that all the material that is used in the literature review section is not older than a decade i.e. if you are conducting the research in 2019, in that case, using research published in 2008 is not recommended.

Jump to the HOW

You have stated the WHAT part of the dissertation now you need to state how you are going to carry out the research which is called the “Methodology”. Methodology part of a dissertation proposal defines what sources you will be using in your dissertation, what approach will be undertaken and how the data will be analyzed. It is important to understand that there is no one way of carrying out research and there are some researches which have a particular set of requirements. The methodology part must compliment the WHAT part of the research. There are two main kinds of the approaches: secondary research and primary research and it’s highly crucial that understand the difference between the two before executing them in the research.

Don’t try so hard

Most writers have this habit of going too far in their efforts to with their very first thesis by setting too many goals for themselves which later turns into a bitter realization. Set targets that are not only measurable but realistic also. Sometimes the objectives are real but not achievable because of unrealistic deadlines to meet. Try to communicate your queries with writing expert available online at paperown or Globalwritinghub. These online platforms can provide you with the best advice and dissertation writing help that can guarantee a smile on your Professor’s face.

We hope that these guidelines will help you successfully writing your dissertation proposal and if these tips are followed properly then you too will become an exceptional thesis writer.