A dissertation proposal is the first step in the process of writing a thesis. The dissertation proposal must be unique and innovative, seeing that it initiates your journey to earning a Master’s or Ph.D. degree. The proposal must bring to light the significance of your research and delineate the methodology of your investigation in future. It enables you to substantiate the thesis topic, although it may vary during the final process of writing.
The objective of the dissertation proposal is to define the path for the research. The paper delineates the aim and the general structure of the study. It also explains how the data is collected and analyzed. Moreover, it helps in deciding a subject and theme of the thesis and writing an initial draft of your thesis so that it can be completed successfully.
What is meant by a dissertation proposal?
The plan based on which you would create your thesis is known as the dissertation proposal. It guides you in the direction of your targets. Although it does not include any results, it portrays the process of achieving those results. The proposal describes the purpose behind your goals and how you wish to get there. Therefore, a dissertation proposal is crucial in getting you ready for the thesis writing process.
On the whole, the dissertation proposal comprises the following:
- Depicts the design of the thesis.
- Establishes potential issues that will be examined.
- Offers references to the academic background.
- Specifies the techniques and methods that the researcher plans to apply (experiential or non-empirical).
- Describes the possible outcomes of the research.
It is necessary to keep certain requirements in mind when writing a proposal. The subject should be focused and concise enough to enable you to put forward the basic idea that you will investigate. The proposal must consist of the data that you will use and the techniques that you will implement during the research. Sometimes, based on the grade and course, additional requirements and instructions may appear, for instance, another format, length, structure, or new information for writing the dissertation proposal
Outline for writing a Dissertation proposal
Usually, a proposal has a common format that consists of the following segments:
- Introduction
- Aims and objectives
- Methodology
- Literature review
- Limitations of the study
Introduction
It introduces the key topic of the research, presents an overview of the subject, and explains the significance of the thesis for academics in general. In addition, it describes the focus of the research and presents the academicians who have previously worked in this field of science. This segment informs whether the writer will present any latest data, whether the surveys will be done, or whether the there will be an examination and review of the existing literature.
Aims and objectives
This is the most important segment of the proposal where objectives and aim of the research are presented. It portrays an objective that a writer is planning to accomplish and explains briefly how and why it will be done. In addition, it explains the goals the writer is supposed to accomplish at the conclusion of the research. The impact of the research is also discussed here. This segment also interpret s the main tasks and how the writer is going to achieve the outcomes.
Methodology
It illustrates the techniques that will be followed for collecting the data and investigation methods that will be followed for analysing the data while writing your dissertation. Each technique must be explained, and the writer has to describe why the chosen techniques are essential for the research. The research will be empirical if the data is collected and described. On the other hand, the research will be non-empirical if it is based on previously published academic projects and papers.
Literature review
This segment indicates a list of research work that was referred to while conducting the research. The bibliography of academic writings should be the latest and related to the research. This segment is useful as it shows past investigations on the specified topic, understanding of the issue and the writer’s ability to explore scientific materials. The existing knowledge on the topic is also highlighted in this segment.
Research Limitations
All disciplines are interconnected with each other. By including the limitations, the write is able to demonstrate the position his/her research has in the academic hierarchy and how it will contribute to the development of knowledge, and writer’s knowledge of the topic.
Dissertation proposal help
The structure of the proposal is the foremost thing that a writer should contemplate before starting the writing process. The structure includes the chapters or segments that should be included in the paper. Based on these segments, the writer can divide the paper into several parts and discuss each part individually. The topic should be considered thoroughly by conducting a complete investigation of the subject matter. The title of the proposal should be relevant to the topic and should be short and catchy to attract reader’s attention.
The writer should find out more about the topic by reading textbooks and scientific journals. Reading enhances the capability to resolve issues related to the topic. Bearing in mind that the dissertation proposal should fit the thesis topic; it is generally composed in the future tense seeing that the research hasn’t been conducted yet.
Plagiarism can have a huge impact on thesis writing. The writer must take care to mention the source whenever he/she introduces the ideas of another author in the paper. Simple rephrasing instead of copying the exact statement can help in preventing plagiarism.
Here is an example of the structure of a dissertation proposal created by dissertation writing service expert:
- Title or Heading
- Introduction
- Objectives
- Aim
- Methodology
- Literature Review
- Limitations of the Research
Based on the requirement of the thesis, each segment can be included in a new chapter.
It is necessary that the writer gives a detailed description of how he/she is planning to conduct the investigation, what data they plan to collect and use, and which methods they are going to apply.
Last of all
The writer should organize regular meetings with the academic supervisor who can suggest what scientific literature should be consulted, what methods are better to use, and where to begin the investigation. Most importantly, the supervisor can steer writer’s initial ideas towards a strategic study plan.
The writer should examine additional requirements that could appear based on the specificity and grade of the course. The university provides a sample for dissertation proposal so that the students can understand the specifications of writing it. Sometimes, the writer is required to presents the aim and objectives in separate segments, eliminate literature review segment completely, or even add additional segments.
It should be remembered that the proposal doesn’t need to be faultless so there is no need to spend a lot of time in rewriting it over and over again.