Main strategies of writing doctoral thesis proposal

So you have decided to pursue doctoral studies in your field and this requires you to write a thesis. Before you begin working on your thesis, you need to get the idea approved and for this you need to write a convincing proposal.

Importance of a thesis proposal

The purpose of a proposal is to convince your university and mentor to show:

  • The research will contribute significantly to the field of study
  • There is adequate material or scope to find so with relation to your chosen subject
  • Your research will get adequate funding and supervisors
  • You are capable enough to conduct the study and can complete it on time

Fine tuning your topic

Ask yourself about the topic you have chosen. Think and find out of the existing research work in this regard and if there are any gaps existing which could be filled with further work. Where does your topic fit amidst all of this? What are the ways you can think of to prove your point? Will you be using data collection? Does your university approve these methods? Think of your hypotheses too – whether you have a stable one or not. Have you planned out how to go about proving your point or do you wish to work it with the study? You should have the answers to all these questions as you could be bombarded with them on submission of the proposal.

Starting on the Proposal

Start with a rough draft. Write the tentative title of your paper, how you plan to proceed with your research, what kind of help in terms of mentoring you need, what kind of permissions and financial support you need, etc. Though you might have to edit the proposal, it is best to write it in an academic style. Refer to your department or university for existing formats or criterion to be fulfilled to avoid rejection.

Writing the Introduction

The introduction should tell the reader about what you are about to work on and why they need to know more about this particular topic. You could talk about existing problems and then suggest your solutions or discuss the importance of the research in general and highlight the lack of similar studies in that field of study.

Writing a good introduction takes you a long way in completing a proposal. Remember to write the remaining parts in sync. Establish your purpose in the coming parts, that is, aims and objectives, hypothesis and conclusion.

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