How to Write a Thesis Proposal?
What is a Thesis Proposal?
A thesis proposal is a document that proposes a study thesis paper that is further to be written in future. A thesis proposal addresses a research problem. This identified problem is framed as a research question for which the thesis will offer an answer or solution to when completed.
How to differentiate between a thesis and a thesis proposal?
A thesis proposal is by and large written in the present and future tense. On the contrary, a thesis is at all times written in past tense.
Why Write a Thesis Proposal?
The proposal for a thesis is basically an outline of the research that one shall perform in future. It can be thought of like an architectural blueprint for building a house; the clearer the plan, the more well-timed and efficient the finishing point of the house. Additionally, the clearer the thesis proposal, the more probable it is that it will be accepted, with a high prospect that the final thesis paper will also be accepted.
Objective of a Thesis Proposal
The central purpose of a thesis proposal is to persuade your thesis supervisor or the thesis coordinator that the thesis you propose meets the criteria set, and therefore has a good chance of resulting in an interesting and relevant study. Therefore, a thesis proposal that is only based on a general and vague notion that the selected theme may be suitable for a master’s thesis will almost certainly result in a rejection of the proposal.
A thesis is an integral part of any useful degree and thus makes it complete and worthwhile. Your work will make a considerable contribution to the field that you wish to work upon. For this reason, the research work ought to fulfill either of the following:
- It provides evidence to support a concept, model, fact or theory.
- It provides additional data or information, a new and improved solution, research methodology or the procedure for analyzing the data gathered.
- It falls out as a new, better and improved concept, model or theory.
Structure of a Thesis Proposal
A thesis proposal usually contains some formulation of the following sections:
- Title page: Contains a short, descriptive heading of the proposed thesis project and author, institution, department, research mentor, mentor’s institution, and date of delivery.
- Abstract: This is a brief summary of your thesis proposal and should present a brief introduction to the issue that you are going to address. Its word count should not exceed 200 words.
- Table of contents: This lists all headings and subheadings with page number.
- Introduction: This section ought to gain reasonable attention of the reader as it sets the context for your proposed research work. Explain your topic while taking it down from a broad picture to your specific area of research.
- Statement of the research question/thesis statement: This is usually known as the problem definition stage. This statement might be written in the form of a hypothesis statement, research statement, research objective, or project statement.
- Literature review: To concisely describe those studies those have previously been published that support your particular research problem.
- Theoretical / conceptual framework: The theoretical framework of a research design is the point of view or angle from which you are looking towards your topic. This would also comprise of keywords that shall be used in your thesis and their relationship with each other.
- Methodology: The methodology would include the different methods and materials that you shall use to gather information and analyze that information required to answer your research question.
- Research design: The research design is a plan outlining how and when each step of the project will be done throughout the time that would be needed to complete the thesis in actual.
Writing a Thesis Proposal
The thesis proposal is the initial and most significant step that aids with jumping up the ladder of the entire thesis process. Thesis proposal writing is a skill in itself, and with the aim of capturing the attention of your advisors, the thesis proposal must be thorough, detailed, and convincing enough so that your advisors will approve your concept. Besides outlining your research approach and your focal academic principle, it is also an article simply meant to convince.
Writing a thesis proposal calls for merging an influential argument, engaging to the exceptional interests and awareness of the advisors, and laying out an organized and rational strategy that will support the thesis topic that you have chosen. The proposal itself is repeatedly a lengthy document and may take months to put in order, and if the proposal is not just right and your assumptions not beached in ample research, you might as well be sent back to the drawing board to start with the scratch.
Tips for Preparing a Thesis Proposal
- Figures: The entire purpose of adding figures into your thesis proposal is to clarify your thinking. Thesis proposals often contain figures from other article that might as well relate to your topic. You may also want to incorporate graphs into your thesis proposal.
- Grammar/spelling typos: Poor grammar and spelling mistakes drag the reader away from the actual content of what you have written. The reader then focuses more on the mistakes thus missing out on the important points of what is written. In order to avoid grammatical mistakes, avoid incorporating long sentences into the thesis proposal. Read the proposal several times before submitting the final draft.