Thesis proposal example

What is a thesis proposal?

It is a text written to prove that:

• the sphere in question needs to be studied in detail, it is of deep interest to society;
• you can present fresh ideas in your work;
• there are real possibilities for financing, organizing experiments with necessary personnel, equipment and information;
• the study will be completed in a timely manner, strictly at the agreed moment (PhD thesis proposal examples often specify a period of 3 years (6 semesters) for full-time aspirants);
• your work will not violate any ethical or moral values of other people;
• you have a genuine interest in the chosen research area and are confident in your own capabilities.

The requirements for such papers are largely dependent on the rules of the educational institution. But absolutely everywhere, the Master thesis proposal example will be shorter and simpler than the Doctorate research. PhD work should contain information about some innovational solution. Carefully study the instructions of your teacher to know what exactly is expected of you.

Audience

To write a good paper, you need to know who will read it. Perhaps, you will be asked to declare basic ideas at a seminar before classmates, at a meeting with a supervisor or in the presence of the Postgraduate Committee.

The process of proposal compilation

Of course, brilliant ideas do not appear in the head spontaneously. The authors of many good thesis proposal examples had to spend a lot of time on the collection and processing of data, thorough research, and reflection.

Why is it so difficult to come up with an original idea? Modern people live in the informational space, and it is quite easy to find topics for discussion. But only persons with developed analytical abilities can choose the issues that are really worthy of consideration.

Be prepared for the fact that a supervisor may reject first ideas and drafts. Do not worry. You just need to read more, work regularly and think harder. Over time, the goal will be achieved.

How to make a proposal relevant and meaningful?

Each senior thesis proposal example which deserves attention performs one or several of the following tasks:

1. Confirms or refutes some theory, concept, model, thereby making a contribution to the study of the phenomenon in question. The faith of readers should become stronger or be replaced by the author's point of view.
2. Also, the work may contain fresh information and statistical indicators, new ways of accomplishing old tasks, exhaustive analysis exceeding the scale of previous studies, more accurate and capacious methodology on the considered issue. In other words, the researcher looks at the problem from a new angle, accentuates the audience's attention to those nuances that were not noticed by his predecessors.
3. The author can act as a developer of own model, concept or theory, touch upon a sphere that was not previously studied by the scientific community in detail.

Structure of the proposal

Ask your supervisor about the exact plan. Although the scheme remains standard for the majority of educational institutions. Whether we are talking about a doctoral or undergraduate thesis proposal example, it should contain the following information:

1. Your personal data, for which a separate page can be allocated. Be sure to include your full name, the degree you want to obtain, your supervisor’s name, the title of the work, the date.
2. Research topic. Let the reader get acquainted with the issue under study, indicate why it is of high importance.
3. Goals. What benefit your work will bring? What result should be obtained in the end?
4. Analysis of the literature on the topic. Any new research is based on criticism or approval of earlier works. List the names and studies of the famous personalities who worked in the field you are interested in. Some of them could have made phenomenal discoveries, others - absurd mistakes. Present own assessment of their achievements and omissions. The more books and articles were written on your topic, the easier it will be to convince the expert commission of its relevance.
5. Your point of view. First, consider the various theoretical approaches to the problem and choose one of them for own research. Identify those trends and opinions that you tend to adhere to. Then describe your own considerations. Formulate a clear thesis statement expressing the main idea and goal of the study.
6. Methodology: the information that you will use (for example, certain statistical sources, databases).
7. Timetable. Usually, students do not remain in isolation. They periodically contact teachers to check and improve individual sections of the work. Specify when you will provide the text of each chapter and the final result.
8. Outline of the paper.
9. References formatted in accordance with the requirements of the educational institution or general rules.

We hope that your idea will attract the attention of the scientific community and turn into a full-fledged study. Collect useful information, and eventually, you will be able to come up with something truly brilliant. Good luck!