In the following, I have tried to write one for PhD, using my Master of Education final proposal data. Though for different degrees, the exemplars serve to illustrate the main concepts and expectations of what an Initial Research Proposal and the Final Proposal involve. As caveats, please One of the toughest things to do when it comes to completing a voluminous and challenging PhD research project is the proposal. The thing about the PhD research proposal is that you have to encapsulate everything that you want to accomplish, communicate in a concise way what you want to do, the resources that it will require, and finally you have to convince the reader of the viability and necessity of the project. It’s difficult to know where, to begin with writing Your thesis/dissertation proposal provides an overview of your proposed plan of work, including the general scope of your project, your basic research questions, research methodology, and the overall significance of your study. In short, your proposal explains what you want to study, how you will study this topic, why this topic needs to be studied, and (generally) when you intend to do this work. (Occasionally, you may also need to explain where your study File Size: KB
Well-Written PhD Research Proposal Sample
Skip to main content. Jump to navigation. The Write dissertation proposal phd is the student newsletter of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Printed eight times during the academic year, and updated continually online, the Bulletin profiles PhD and master's students and reports on GSAS news and events. The dissertation proposal for a fellowship application, which is often an initial version of a dissertation prospectus, is a very special form of writing, a genre in its own right, with its own special context.
Typically the committee reader of proposals is faced with the task of reading between 50 to proposals, a strict deadline for selecting potential winners, and the reader is probably not a specialist on the proposal topic but qualified mainly as a skilled scholar.
In choosing what to say and when and how to say it, try to imagine that in all likelihood the committee reader will only absorb or retain approximately five major points from each proposal that she reads. Note that Harvard Horizons trains the selected winners to make a polished presentation about the dissertation in no more than five minute; this might well serve as a model in spoken form of what is to be accomplished write dissertation proposal phd a written proposal.
The tips below indicate how to choose and treat approximately five major points about the dissertation; the tips also indicate some common tendencies that weaken a proposal write dissertation proposal phd how they may be avoided. Also see below for writing a fellowship abstract. The structure of the proposal plays an important role in the strength of the proposal.
The order in which write dissertation proposal phd present your points should be a hierarchic order, with the most important items placed first, as early as the opening paragraph. The reader is likely to be grateful to learn sooner rather than later what the project is all about and is likely to attach greater weight to what comes first.
This means having a strong but succinct opening paragraph sin which all the major points of the proposal are presented in a concise nut-shell fashion, with further elaboration postponed for subsequent paragraphs. In terms of effective hierarchic order, it is important to pin down the topic as early as possible, at the very opening of the proposal. This essentially means stating the central argument or question as early as possible. There is common tendency for the writer to engage in preliminaries, often providing extensive background material and saving the actual topic for last.
This deprives the proposal of much of its meaning until the main point is reached. The comedian may well postpone the punchline until last, this is not a good idea in a fellowship proposal. There is another common tendency for the writer to present a multitude of specific questions in neutral fashion, scattered throughout the proposal, write dissertation proposal phd, without distinguishing between the main central question and those that are subsidiary.
Bringing these dispersed questions together benefits not only the reader, but also the writer. It can often lead to a clearer formulation of the central question or argument, helping to assure that it is a workable hypothesis that can be documented. In any case, it is not a good idea to leave it for the reader to do the hard work of figuring out what is write dissertation proposal phd and what is subsidiary.
There is a common tendency for the writer to hold back, avoiding a direct statement of intent, avoiding the use of the active voice. It is also important to make all statements concise and compelling. The use of fewer words is the best path to clarity. There is a common tendency of adding clause after clause, burying the main point of the statement and making it unmanageable for both reader and writer. Once you have written a strong concise opening, you can elaborate, write dissertation proposal phd, as noted, in subsequent passages of the proposal.
In fact, the opening paragraph swrite dissertation proposal phd, structured in hierarchic fashion, can then serve as an outline for the rest of the proposal where you elaborate on the opening points in a highly structured fashion.
Another common tendency is to present the main topic in multiple versions that are just different enough from one another to leave the reader confused all too frequently, there are even versions that contradict one another ; once a topic is clearly and concisely presented at the opening, there is no need to write dissertation proposal phd tell what the topic is.
When further elaboration is presented subsequently, stay as close as possible to your opening formulation and then elaborate. Once you have accomplished the difficult task of making a concise and compelling statement about your topic, your opening should present a concise statement of how the project will contribute to the field, emphasizing how the project will fill a gap and make a difference in how we think about the subject.
This is the single most important aspect of the proposal, write dissertation proposal phd, and needs to be stated early. In this case, it is especially important to include a subsequent paragraph that deals at greater length with the existing literature. This subsequent elaboration needs to present a well-organized and coherent picture of the relevant literature, making sure that you cover all the scholarly areas to which your project will contribute, since projects often contribute to more than one field.
Here too there is a common tendency to scatter references to the literature throughout the proposal, which makes it harder for the reader to get a complete grasp of your contributions. A unified treatment of the literature is the most effective. Another tendency is to present the gaps in the scholarly literature before telling what the topic is. In many cases, the best presentation of the topic is found in a statement of what is missing in the literature.
It is far better logic to state what you are doing and then to note it is missing in the literature, rather than have the reader surmise that what is noted as missing is write dissertation proposal phd you will be doing.
Your concise opening statements will also need a concise description of methodology, how you will document your arguments, what principal sources you will use, and what theoretical framework, if any, that you will use for analytical purposes.
Some proposals create a disconnect between the WHAT and the HOW in the proposal: a topic is presented, write dissertation proposal phd, but the method for implementation is poorly matched with the stated topic. You may need to elaborate further on the methodology after the opening, so continue to make sure it matches the stated topic.
There is a need to give enough background about the topic for the non-specialist; at the same time, this background should be postponed until the topic is stated so that the reader understands why the background is relevant. An exception is when the topic is so obscure that a lead-in background is needed prior to the topic statement. There is a tendency to present a project that has too many goals to be feasible, often too many countries to visit, too many repeat visits required, or too many years needed to complete the proposed research.
Working closely with the dissertation advisor can help to avert that problem. The dissertation need not be the definitive work on the subject; it is possible to do a significant piece even while limiting the scope of the topic. Many fellowship applications also require an abstract, write dissertation proposal phd. All the principles described above should be followed in writing the abstract. There might be a close resemblance between the opening paragraph and the abstract, but repetition is perhaps inevitable when presenting the same project in two different formats.
The abstract is likely to be more complete than the opening paragraph since it stands apart from the proposal, while the opening leads into the rest of the proposal. GSAS Bulletin.
By Cynthia Verba The dissertation proposal for a fellowship application, write dissertation proposal phd, which is often an initial version of a dissertation prospectus, is a very special form of writing, write dissertation proposal phd, a genre in its own right, with its own special context. The Importance of Structure The structure of the proposal plays an important role in the strength of the proposal.
Identify the Main Topic In terms of effective hierarchic order, write dissertation proposal phd, it is important to pin down write dissertation proposal phd topic as early as possible, at the very opening of the proposal. Distinguish Between the Main Central Question s and Subsidiary Ones There is another common tendency for the writer to present a multitude of specific questions in neutral fashion, write dissertation proposal phd, scattered throughout the proposal, without distinguishing between the main central question and those that are subsidiary.
Present One Version of the Topic Another common tendency is to present the main topic in multiple versions that are just different enough from one another to leave the reader confused all too frequently, there are even versions that contradict one another ; once a topic is clearly and concisely presented at the opening, there is no need to repeatedly tell what the topic write dissertation proposal phd. Present Topic before Contributions to the Field Another tendency is to present the gaps in the scholarly literature before telling what the topic is.
State the HOW, Make It Match the WHAT Your concise opening statements will also need a concise description of methodology, how you will document your arguments, what principal sources you will use, write dissertation proposal phd, and what theoretical framework, if any, that you will use for analytical purposes.
Put Your Topic before Background There is a need to give enough background about the topic for the non-specialist; at the same time, this background should be postponed until the topic is stated so that the reader understands why the background is relevant.
Writing the Fellowship Abstract Many fellowship applications also require an abstract. For further details and winning samples, see Scholarly Pursuits. For an appointment to review your proposal, contact the GSAS Fellowships office.
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How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis (With Examples)
, time: 41:21How to Write a Dissertation Proposal (with Pictures) - wikiHow
Doctoral Thesis Research Proposal () 1 of 18 Please note: This is a sample PhD thesis proposal for the School of Geography Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University. It may be used by PhD students as an example of the length an d form at of a past, accepted proposal, but it In the following, I have tried to write one for PhD, using my Master of Education final proposal data. Though for different degrees, the exemplars serve to illustrate the main concepts and expectations of what an Initial Research Proposal and the Final Proposal involve. As caveats, please Your thesis/dissertation proposal provides an overview of your proposed plan of work, including the general scope of your project, your basic research questions, research methodology, and the overall significance of your study. In short, your proposal explains what you want to study, how you will study this topic, why this topic needs to be studied, and (generally) when you intend to do this work. (Occasionally, you may also need to explain where your study File Size: KB
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