Students pursuing their masters or Ph.D. degrees might be aware of the concept of writing a dissertation proposal for their projects because this is the first thing that has been assigned to them. In general, a dissertation proposal helps you define the direction for your research and also highlights the significance of research by outlining the methodology for future investigation.
If you are facing issues with your dissertation proposal, then we are here to help you. In this blog, we have highlighted a few tips for students that will guide you through the process of writing a dissertation proposal.
Before diving into the process of writing one, let’s just first define what it actually means. A dissertation proposal is like a plan that helps an individual describe his/her research, the purpose of research, and the way of conducting research. In simple words, we can say that it is a plan for the future thesis that can help you reach targets. However, the main aim of a dissertation proposal is to prepare you for the academic writing process. With the help of a dissertation proposal, you do not get any end results; instead, you get to describe the procedures that will further help you in attaining those results.
While preparing the first draft of your dissertation proposal, make sure that you consider all the requirements. The theme that you select for your research must be concise, and it should be able to cover the main idea that you are going to investigate. The proposal must contain the data for research and the methods used for the study. Follow the steps mentioned below to write a dissertation proposal-
- Select a topic or idea for research.
- Present this topic in the introduction part.
- Present views of other research in the literature review.
- Describe the methodology used.
- Outline the potential implications of your research.
- Prepare a reference list or bibliography.
Before you begin with the composing process, make sure that you focus on the structure well. Next, you need to realize what chapters or sections require special attention. Go through the research problem thoroughly and identify a relevant title for the same. The title needs to be catchy and short. You can refer to certain books and journals to find solutions for your issue. Do not forget to mention the source whenever you borrow information from another author. While writing a dissertation proposal, always employ future tense in your research.
Now let us take a look in detail at each component of the dissertation proposal.
Introduction
The introduction part focuses on the main issues of the research and speaks about the subject’s background information while revealing the significance of the paper. It also defines the subject of the study and lists the names of authors and scientists who were involved in the process. In general, the main aim of the introduction is to define the purpose of your research.
Aims and objectives
The aim of your research should be to briefly describe what you are planning to achieve, why you want to achieve it, and how are you going to achieve it. Further, you need to interpret the primary tasks and methods used to attain the outcomes. Make sure that you explain the goals that you wish to achieve at the end of your paper.
Literature review
Under this section, you need to list the literary publications that were used during the research. All the scholarly writings that you use in your paper must be up-to-date and relevant to your topic. Writing a literature review for an academic paper is important because it helps you focus on the former investigation done on the topic and gives you awareness of the issue. It also boosts your existing knowledge of the topic.
Methodology
It describes the methods that are used in the research. Here, you need to describe each method separately and explain why these were chosen for research.
Research implications
This is where you describe your contribution to the knowledge of the dissertation along with the research implications. In general, the main aim here is to focus on the intended result of the research and the practical or theoretical impact it creates. Further, you need to conclude this section by restating the contribution to knowledge.
Reference list
This includes all the sources that you have used during your research. At the end of your paper, you must include a properly-structured reference list or, say, bibliography. A reference list includes all the sources that are cited in the dissertation proposal.
So, this was all about the dissertation proposal writing and its major components. Apart from this, if you ever need help regarding your academic papers or assignments, feel free to contact our online assignment writing services for professional help and guidance.