Dissertation Proposal Writing Guide

A dissertation is the main requirement of a doctoral degree and that’s why it is important to prepare it thoughtfully. The dissertation consists of a detailed explanation of your research topic in which you have to explain its history, method of conducting research, and much more. Before going into dissertation details, first, you have to prepare for its proposal. Yes, in this proposal you will guide the reader what is your field of work and includes the problem of the statement. Let’s see the detail of it and how it is different from other proposals.

Defining dissertation proposal

A dissertation proposal is quite different from other proposals because it falls in doctoral degree so it will be tough to make and the topic of your proposal will decide the rest of your research, criteria of awarding the degree, and your future career. In this proposal, you have to explain the choices you made while choosing the topic and to guide how this research process and its finding will help the community.

Structure of proposal

The structure of the dissertation proposal has the same structure just like the final dissertation. It just doesn’t contain the section of results and findings. This proposal will show your research methods and hypothesis related to it; plus, the expectation you are having from it. Following is the general structure of the proposal:

  • Introduction
  • Literature review
  • Methodology

The formation is simple but you have to add details in it to look like a doctoral degree proposal. These three chapters will tell a different type of information and carry different elements in it. Now, we will discuss in detail how to write each chapter and what material you have to organize in it.

A writing guide of the proposal

Writing a proposal will utilize your critical thinking to give you a good dissertation, not only for writing but also for defense. Here is the detailed guide to it.

  1. Writing introductory part

Writing the first chapter of the proposal is somehow easy. You need to choose a particular topic related to your field of interest. You have to keep the following things in mind while writing the introduction:

  • Background history
  • Research problem
  • Reasons for writing proposal and hypothesis
  • Address questions related to your research

The chosen topic should be specific so that you can focus you cover this specific area. In the background, you have to convince the reader that your problem of statement is still unsolved or not explored yet. The problem has to be real and practically implementable. Support your arguments with statistical data and generate a hypothesis from it.

  1. Literature review

It is the complicated and time taking chapter of the dissertation proposal. The role of the literature review is to link the past experiments, arguments, and questions to the statement of the problem. Moreover, you have to add citations to support your argument. Without adding any authentic citation, your argument has no solid reason to stand. Think of the following points to cover:

  • Relating the previous researches to the problem statement
  • Relating any previous methodology.

These are the points you have discussed in the literature review. You can also address previous data to supporting your predicted hypothesis or research questions. The data can also include that do not support or answers your questions.

  1. Designing methodology

This chapter of the proposal is the same as the final dissertation. All you need is to talk about your methods of conducting research and data collection method. Briefly discuss the following points:

  • Method to solve the particular problem
  • Method of collecting samples, participants.
  • Procedure of method
  • The strategy of data analysis

Briefly describe the type of data you have that is qualitative or quantitative. The researchers need to develop a good strategy for data analysis worthy of a doctoral degree. Also, explain of reasons for choosing a particular method. Investigate thoroughly and also tell what are your expectations from it.

Writing a dissertation proposal is easy as if you know from where to start. Manage your time and make a strategy to collect and organize data. A good proposal will lead you to a good dissertation, and ultimately you will get help to give a good defense. Good Luck!!

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