How to Write a Dissertation Proposal

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Steps in structuring the Research Proposal:

·         Introduction (what, why)

·         Overview of literature (how)

–context/secondary data sources

–academic

·         Research questions – (how)

·         Research design

·         Expected outcome

·         Timescales/resources/limitations

An overview of the appropriate academic literature

·         Mapping the main writers in the field and their arguments 

·         Avoid surface level’ description and ‘robot’ regurgitation of facts, ideas, theories, approaches from the literature

·         Avoid big quotes from authors’ work. Try to paraphrase authors’ work and ask yourself ‘how does this work add to, build on or contradict with the research I am trying to carry out’.  ‘In what way can I use this author’s work to highlight/develop or contrast with my research approach’?  

Clear statement of research questions  

·         The research questions are those specific questions, issues or themes that you will address or investigate.

·         They relate to the objectives but are usually expressed differently

·         They must be clear and understandable to you and to other

·         They must be researchable: they should be capable of development into a research design so that data may be collected in relation to them.  Avoid vagueness or abstraction

·         Connect with established theory and research 

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