A dissertation proposal comprises a “mini” proposal and a theoretical review. The average length of a dissertation proposal is between 15-20 pages, and it might vary according to the nature of your topic. Students need to collaborate with their faculty advisor or Dissertation advisor for the same
If you’re facing any sort of problem with your dissertation proposal, reading this article would help you to gain a better understanding of every aspect of your dissertation proposal writing. We assure you to enhance your writing style with guaranteed approval for your dissertation in just one go.
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Dissertation Proposal
A Dissertation proposal describes a brief overview of your proposed aims and objectives of your dissertation. It includes the general scope, highlighted questions, Methodology, bibliography, literature review, why it is worth your field of study, etc. You tend to explain what is about to come later in your dissertation research paper through your arguments, theories, and questions.
Purpose of a Dissertation Proposal
A dissertation proposal highlights the purpose of constructing a road-map for the upcoming dissertation research paper.
- It aims to explain to your dissertation committee that your research would deliver a unique and original contribution to your department.
- It describes how you intend to conduct the required research.
- It shows your supervisors that you understood the subject’s intent and can perform detailed, a comprehensive research about it.
Noteworthy Guidance for Writing Your Dissertation
Formatting the dissertation proposal mainly depends on what field you belong to. So for framing an effective dissertation proposal, you must start by acknowledging your department’s rules and guidelines.
After understanding what is a dissertation proposal and its purpose. Now it’s time to stop procrastinating and start planning your writing journey.
Here is a detailed guide that will help you frame your imagination onto a big picture.
Magnificent Topic Selection
Now you are stepping forward in your writing journey; you must have thought about the topics that fascinate you the most. So now, it’s time to go through all those topics and choose the most important topic among them. Narrow down the questions regarding that subject and think what topic would suit your requirements and what topic needs an update in its investigation.
Remember that the topic of our dissertation proposal would deliver a short abstract for your paper. You can always change the title of your content at any time while writing or investigating more about it. Thus, draft your topic as specific as possible. For instance-If you are MBA Student and search for MBA Dissertation topics, or if you are an economist, you can search for economics topics, etc.
Conducting Primary Research
Since you have chosen the topic, it’s time to conduct the primary research. Detailed and primary research would help you understand whether the specified topic has enough facts and information. This part would help you analyze and evaluate the limitations and gaps in the previous research.
Analyze the relevant sources attached to your topic. It doesn’t imply that you have to dive deeper into every research project; just a short piece of literature would do the work. It ensures those general topics that have already been discussed before and would give you an idea of all other aspects you want to cover in your content.
Appropriate Writing Structure
Despite the vast field of topics, generally, the universities ask to conduct the same structure regarding the topics. A dissertation proposal must provide each aspect of your research into it. You must heed the university guidelines. This style guide helps you depict your content’s order in a systematic and organized manner. These are general patterns, structures, or writing styles in which you must draft your content. For example- Harvard writing style or MHRA system, etc. The main body of your dissertation proposal must include: –
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature review
- Methodology
- Bibliography
- Aims and objectives
Your Content Must Showcase:
- How you research for that topic
- How you got the idea for the topic
- How you plan to conduct your further research
Correct Referencing Style
A dissertation proposal’s objective is to practically present the central idea or theme of your dissertation proposal. To frame an impressive dissertation, it is required to frame a significant structure. Compared to the other project proposals, these patterns are usually less formal.
In most cases, universities provide the same styles in which students are supposed to write: APA referencing, MLA referencing, Oxford referencing, Chicago referencing, Harvard referencing, etc.
It must provide persuasive affirmations that it is essential to perform comprehensive research on that topic. It should also explain your research’s anticipated results and usefulness.
Dissertation Proposal’s Length
An ideal dissertation proposal length varies according to the enormity and the nature of the subject. However, an average length of a dissertation proposal is between 15-20 pages.
Depending on your program, it can increase up to 25 pages or can be less than 15 pages. If the length is not specified in your instructions, then talk to your supervisor. They would provide you with a specific idea of the average length of your paper.
However, some universities do not consider length. Instead, they bestow the clarity and the coherence of the content.
Steps to Write a Stunning Dissertation Proposal
After deeply discussing the dissertation proposal, we have finally reached the last part, i.e., writing a dissertation proposal.
Now it’s time to pick up the pen and start drafting your dissertation proposal.
Step 1:- Drafting an Abstract for Your Paper
The abstract works to crystallize the significance of your dissertation. It highlights the central theme or concern of your paper. The major components of an abstract include the following key aspects:
- Your abstract must provide a detailed summary of your project.
- Although the word limit depends upon the enormity of your topic, still an average abstract for a research paper has a word limit of 200-350 words
- Provide a hypothesis for your project and a background understanding to the readers who lack prior knowledge on the subject.
- It must courage your readers to gain more curiosity.
Step 2:- Frame Your Idea into the Introductory Part
Like in other papers, a dissertation proposal starts with an introductory part. It is considered one of the most crucial parts of your paper. It is the section where you provide a thorough introduction and a background structure of your topic’s objectives, aim, and theories. A strong introduction must provide a base for the research. You can lay out the general hypothesis and deliver a statement regarding why you consider this topic vital for your dissertation proposal. It helps your readers to understand the concept of your research.
Here you need to explore your project’s problems, issues, and solutions. Provide a thorough list of the general questions or hypotheses regarding their research project. Thus, you are required to think thoroughly before drafting this section.
You can provide the following information
- The major hypothesis and questions that you will conduct in your paper.
- Elaborate on your aims and objectives for your topic
- Draft a rationale for your topic, explaining how your readers would benefit from it.
- Deliver an original contrast of your project. Show how your current research differs from the previous theories.
- You can also highlight the areas of your topic that you will not include in your proposal.
- Write down the limitation and gaps in the defined topic.
Step-3:- Write Down the Literature Review
The literature review allows you to analyze the existing research to demonstrate current arguments for your research project. It shows how unique your research is from the previous discoveries. It provides a platform where you can share your thoughts, opinions, and arguments related to your topic. You are required to list down all the major sources that you have included in your paper.
Elaborate on how the past works have approached your research and helped you throughout your study. Remember not to include or read everything regarding your subject. Consider adding the key texts by the prominent scholars. Mention the major limitations and gaps in the previous works that still need to be researched.
Step-4:-Explain the Methodology for Your Text
The procedure for researching something is considered as necessary as the objective itself. The methodology section is considered the most vital section in a dissertation proposal. It is the section where you outline the methods and other general means you have used to conduct your research. Here you deliver all the nuts and bolts of your research and the major aspects of your subject. You must highlight your objectives and how you will achieve them through your research.
The methodology section depends on the nature of your project. If it is quantitative, you must include all the stats, data, graphs, etc.; if it is a science-related topic, then you must include the experiments you have conducted. The process, how you designed it and what was the result of that experiment, the issues and the limitation you concluded, etc. To enhance the credibility of your dissertation proposal writing, you can include the sampling techniques, sampling size, and primary or secondary data collection tools used to conduct your dissertation.
You can add questionnaires, statistical methods for testing hypotheses, or research questions to your dissertation proposal.
Step-5:-Draft a Bibliography for Your Content
The next step is to frame a bibliography. It is a list of references you have included in your research. For an excellent bibliography, include the proper citation styles and follow the guidelines from your university. Depending upon the nature of your subject, you can also add appendices. If you are conducting any human subject testing, take proper permission from the authorities, the authors’ names, the title of the studies, experiment diagrams, and date diagrams; in short, include every source you have included in your research.
Essential Factors for Drafting a Stellar Dissertation Proposal
- With a lot of the burden of academic errands, you might end up procrastinating a lot, you will think you have all the time, but before you even realize it, the deadline will be near. To avoid this horrendous situation, it is crucial to sit down calmly and organize your schedule effectively.
- Your dissertation proposal is an introduction to your upcoming dissertation. It is neither the literature review nor the opening to a massive argument. You are just trying to connect the previous work, and you’re current work.
- The writing would add to your academic scores; thus, it is essential to draft unique and innovative content. Writing for a common topic will soon bore you up. Thus, writing about a topic that excites you the most is essential. Writing about a creative topic will always generate more curiosity and excitement in your mind, and you will stay motivated throughout your journey.
- We know among so many students; only a few get the opportunity to publish their papers since a dissertation proposal is an initial step you need to draft eye-catching and creative content for your paper.
- Note that the dissertation proposal must not limit your creative ideas; this is just a blueprint that will guide your readers about what you intend to show in your dissertation.
Final Thoughts –
Dissertation proposals are one of the most important parts of your academic career. It is crucial because students must convince their supervisors that their research is extremely important and unique in their field of study. Highlight the major aspects where you think your study has proved to be different from the previous theories and studies. Identify how your study impacts your field and how it will be crucial outside it.
You can either incorporate it in your Introduction or can create an independent section for this. Identify and frame the limitations and gaps of your research. Clarify the problems that need solutions and provide the required solutions for them.
We hope this article has helped you with your dissertation proposal writing.If you seek any dissertation help,you can consult our experts for a few samples of dissertation proposals. It will help you to get an accurate picture of what a dissertation proposal looks.
