The first thing that comes to your mind when you are asked to submit a dissertation proposal is what it is. Students encounter many more questions and queries regarding how long a dissertation proposal is, how they are going to write it, what are the requirements, etc.
Being a student, you want to craft a perfect dissertation proposal. It can help you not only to proceed with the final submission of your dissertation smoothly but also to gain the satisfaction of your supervisor.
Well, if you are stuck with the submission of your dissertation proposal, don’t find yourself alone. We are here with a complete guide to write an enticing proposal that will alleviate all your worries. So, without further ado, let’s get started with the basics first.
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👉 Getting To Know What Dissertation Proposal Is
To grasp the essentials of dissertation proposal writing, we first need to understand what it is. And this all starts with comprehending the dissertation.
A dissertation is a long-form essay or a piece of academic writing that is written on a particular topic of your choice. It is based on original research conducted to analyse a research question falling under a particular field of study. It is usually submitted as a part of your undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral program.
Before you head into the dissertation, you are required to submit a proposal which is a cover page of your dissertation. Here you define your research question and give highlights on how you plan to conduct primary and secondary research to analyse your research question. You will also focus on the methods you are going to use for the collection and evaluation of data to achieve your objectives.
If you still feel that any of your queries are left unanswered, connect with dissertation help services and have a look at the below structure for the dissertation proposal.
📃 Structure Of The Dissertation Proposal
A dissertation proposal is divided into three main parts.
- Introduction
- Body (Literature Review, Methodology, Timeline, Budget, Prediction)
- Conclusion
However, it can be further divided into various sections for better understanding.
Title
Mention your selected title or topic for the dissertation.
Introduction
It contains the background and context of your research question along with the actual research question. You are also required to highlight the research objectives in this section.
Literature Review
In this section, you have to mention some existing theories in relevance to your research question and create a theoretical framework for further arguments that will be used in the dissertation.
Methodology
The methodology section of the dissertation proposal focuses on the identification of your research design. Tell about what methods you will be using for data collection and what are the required tools for data analysis considering all the ethical guidelines.
Research Timeline
Represent the timely activity of your research through a table or a Gantt chart.
Budget
If your research involves any sort of finance, kindly highlight them here.
Limitations
Mention the limitations which can hinder you from conducting adequate research. It could include factors like time, funding equipment, data, participants, etc.
Conclusion
Summarise your proposal.
References
Mention references to papers, theories and sources of your information.
Appendices
Provide your readers with immediate access to the details for the data collection or any clarification if required under this section.
Following this structure will make sure you end up writing a winning proposal for your research.
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❓ Why Am I Submitting A Dissertation Proposal?
Now, since you have a detailed overview of what your dissertation proposal looks like, you might be thinking of starting it right away. But wait! Before you proceed towards writing it down, there is a huge need to understand the purpose behind the submission of your dissertation proposal.
Never consider it as another requirement by your educational institute. It will answer many of your questions going into the actual dissertation writing which you must know beforehand.
What is the purpose of conducting this research?
Get to know why you are going to conduct this research. Are you trying to contribute to existing knowledge, answer a scientific question, address a social issue or advance a particular area of study?
Is there any personal motivation involved in carrying out this research?
Do you find personally attached to the purpose of your research? If not, try again and choose a research question that personally motivates you to carry on the research.
Who is your target audience?
Think about who you are targeting and what could be their expectations from research.
How does your research create an impact on your field of study?
You must know what impact your research can have on your area of study.
With the submission of your dissertation proposal, you will be able to get answers to all of the above questions. It will definitely help you carry a better and clearer approach towards your research.
✍ Writing A Dissertation Proposal Fulfilling All The Requirements
As we proceed towards the writing process of your dissertation proposal, the first thing is the selection of a suitable topic to come up with a research question and your objectives.
Selection Of The Topic
While selecting a suitable topic for your dissertation, you should consider a few aspects. Revise the lessons you have learned, lectures you have taken and slides you have gone through. Think of any particular topic that has stuck to your mind that according to you can be further elaborated.
You may also pick a topic from your personal interests which you believe can add value to the readers and is highly related to your field of study. The dissertation proposal writing service recommends you to go through the following checklist while choosing a dissertation topic.
- Comprehend the requirements of your institute. Go through the instructions and visit your supervisor or professor to clearly understand each point.
- Consider your degree level and determine how you can come up with a dissertation topic that justifies your degree level.
- Focus on your niche, expertise and areas of interest. Always keep in mind what you can do better.
- Check, if a suitable amount of literature is available on the chosen topic.
- Keep in mind all the ethical practices and concerns that you can face in future.
Develop Your Research Questions
Once you are done selecting a topic, it’s time to figure out some suitable research questions for your dissertation. Research questions are slightly different from your dissertation topic. They are actually a more concise and finer version of your topic.
In order to come up with some specific research questions, narrow down your selected topic and come up with some questions that can set the stage to begin your research. These are the questions that highlight a gap between various literatures which you can focus on with your dissertation.
Make sure that your questions are neither impossible to answer nor very easy to go with. Further, ensure that they are researchable and analytical rather than descriptive in nature.
Once you have the research questions, focus on building suitable objectives around these questions that can be achieved. You can break down your questions into simpler components and define clear objectives for each.
Review Existing Literature
While developing your research questions you will need to go through various studies, research papers, articles, blogs and journals to refine your questions more. You will also get an idea about existing gaps and opportunities that you can work on.
You need to build a solid research foundation for your dissertation. For this, you can create a practical strategy where you can utilise academic libraries and authentic online databases for required data.
The most important aspect while reading papers is to read them critically. Keep a keen eye on what the author’s main points are and how they have structured the article. Keep generating questions throughout the reading process. Also, you can list down the findings so that you will be able to revise your research approach based on your gained knowledge of the available literature.
Remember, creating research questions and reviewing the literature goes hand in hand.
Determine The Research Methodology
To conduct your research properly, you need to analyse which methods can be useful for you while collecting, analysing and presenting the data. If you can find the right method to carry out your research, there are high chance that you are going to win this journey.
Your research design also outlines the structure of your study, whether it’s going to be observational or experimental. It will also explain the process of your data collection, be it surveys, interviews, experiments, or observations.
There are three common methods you can use including, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. Each of them has their strengths and limitations. Depending upon your research questions, your research plan and the nature of your study, select a suitable approach.
List Data Collection Plan
The next step involves listing down your detailed data collection plan for your research. Focus on two major aspects that are, data collection and data analysis.
You are required to discuss in detail how you are going to collect your data using the research design you have selected. You have to also mention the protocols and procedures that will be followed to collect the data.
Further, mention the analytical tools and techniques that you will be using to analyse the collected data. You may need to use various tools like SPSS, R, Stata, etc to obtain insightful data from your already collected data. Finally, justify your selected approach by defining how it aligns with your research and how it will benefit you throughout the process.
Mention Budget & Timeline
Your proposal requires you to mention the budgeting which could be required while conducting your research. It involves various types of expenses that you are expecting including, travel expenses for research, equipment cost, product or software licences, participant compensation, administrative costs or any other direct expenses.
In order to avoid unexpected hurdles and delays, you need to jot down your detailed research schedule. Set realistic deadlines and achievable milestones. It will help you to track your progress and keep yourself motivated to carry on with the research.
Highlight Your Limitations & Ethical Considerations
It is understood that you may face issues and could be limited to some specific boundaries. Researchers often do not opt for these limitations by choice but are imposed on them due to a lack of facilities.
You need to mention the possible limitations of your research. It could be related to increased budgeting, lack of time to explain further areas, unavailability of specific resources, etc. However, you need to work on your limitations to carry out a smooth research process.
Thinking upon this aspect and writing them in your research proposal shows your broader vision towards your research.
Most importantly, you need to think about the ethical factors that may open a chance of criticism of your research. Make sure that you have considered all the ethical concerns and have examined the moral principles. These are more about informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity, deception, etc.
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Conclude Your Proposal
Adding a conclusion to your proposal is not necessarily required, however, considered a good practice where you can easily highlight the reason behind choosing your selected topic. Give a few highlights of the type of research you are aiming to conduct and what outcomes you would expect from your research.
💡 More Tips To Write A First-Class Dissertation Proposal
Let’s have a look at some exceptional tips as suggested by experts to give your dissertation proposal a WOW factor.
- Make sure that your dissertation proposal has a clear structure which is divided into Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Conclusion, etc.
- List down all the references at the end of the proposal and double-check that you have cited them accordingly in the proposal.
- Choose a concise and clear title that everyone can understand. Also, your title must reflect the goals of your study.
- The provision of an executive summary or abstract at the beginning of the proposal will give your readers an idea of what they can expect from your proposal.
- Your tone should be formal throughout the proposal. Avoid a conversational and friendly tone while writing the proposal.
- It is important to consider that the general audience can understand your sentences, so avoid jargon and limit excessive use of technical terminologies.
- Have a clear understanding of who your audience is and whom you are going to present your research to.
- Encourage the use of proper headings and subheadings to guide your readers throughout your proposal.
- Ensure the flow of your words and avoid repetition of similar ideas.
These tips will help you come up with a finely crafted dissertation proposal for your UK institute. Well, no matter whether you are studying in the United Kingdom or anywhere around the globe, this blog will serve as a lightning guide towards your journey to write a dissertation proposal.
