Any student who wants any kind of degree needs to write a dissertation. In order to get it approved, they have to construct a proposal first. If a dissertation proposal gets approved, then the next step is to conduct your research and writing.
Below are a few points that can help in structuring your dissertation proposal. This would hopefully help you to convince the thesis committee to allow you to continue with your project.
Presenting here 7 insightful tips that can help you in creating a dissertation proposal which can ensure the approval of the review committee:
Title Page
The proposal should have a title page. This page would include your name, course title, title of the thesis/dissertation along with other crucial details of the project. You may also need to include a thesis statement that clarifies the purpose of your proposal for this research.
Abstract
The abstract is a simple, short and concise outline of what you want to achieve with your thesis. Usually, it is around 250-500 words depending on the topic and education level. Some universities and colleges are very particular about the word count and they penalise the students in case they exceeding the length of the paper.
Introduction
In this section, you need to come forward with an overview of your topic. Your thesis statement should be mentioned in the first or second paragraph depending on the length of the work. In addition, you will include research question, objectives or hypothesis in this section. However, it should make your research relevant and viable.
Most importantly, you have to convince the readers about the viability of your topic in this section.
Literature Review
A literature review doesn’t necessarily have to be part of a dissertation proposal. However, if included, it should have a descriptive style. It should describe the theories and research that exist and are established within your work. Hence, it provides the context your work needs. This is also where you will be filling the gaps left by any previous research in your area.
Methodology
In this section, you have to clarify and provide a detailed overview of the research design that you will be using in your final research.
Conclusion
In the conclusion section, you would draw upon your research methodology. If your research has any limitations or implications, you need to write about how you would work around those challenges.
References
Many dissertation readers and markers are quite fastidious about this part. In this section, you have to mention the sources of your research. Basically, you will include here any publication that you have used, referred to, or quoted in your paper.
A bibliography is a bit more extensive, including everything that you ever looked at in the course of your research. You may choose to have a bibliography, reference list, or both.
Wrap-Up…
When you construct your proposal, make sure to clarify what you’re working on. You need to single out the objectives of your research and delineate the research procedures. Additionally, you need to chalk out an outline of how you’re going to tackle the subject. If constructed properly, a dissertation proposal will make it easier for the assessors to evaluate the viability of your proposed project.