What is a Master’s Dissertation Proposal?
A master’s dissertation proposal is your road map for reaching your goal of constructing your dissertation. It is an outline providing a foundation from which your final work piece will be based. A carefully prepared dissertation proposal results in a well-structured final dissertation.
Tips for Writing a Master’s Dissertation Proposal
It is important to note that if you do not have a well-prepared dissertation proposal, then your full dissertation will be lacking. Your proposal must be well-researched, well-written, and properly formatted, cited, and referenced. It must contain all the essential elements, as follows.
Elements of a Dissertation Proposal
The elements of a dissertation proposal are all important pieces to the puzzle, since the purpose of the proposal is showing the overall plan of your dissertation. The elements of the proposal cover the general scope of your research and your research objectives, as well as your data collection methods, and research significance. The elements of your dissertation will allow you to write a work that informs readers of what, how, and why you will study the topic you have chosen., as well as where you intend on carrying out your study. The following are the basic elements.
- Topic, Summary, Abstract – Choose a topic based on your research question and write the summary on the same. Your abstract is a summary of what your proposal will contain. This must be clear and refined and concisely conveys the purpose of your dissertation..
- Table of Contents – Outline a table of contents of the main proposal sections. Also, write a short synopsis about each section so that the dissertation committee understands what will be contained in your dissertation.
- Literature Review – This should be a detailed analysis of the relevant research on your topic. Cite the reference information and give a summary of each, as this should be expanded upon in your dissertation. Be sure to use scholarly or peer-reviewed references from reputable sources.
- Research Methodology – This section explains what research tools, instruments, and/or methods you plan on using to gather your research data. In this section, you also need to address study limitations, and your reasons for your methodology selections.
- Research Timeline – A specific timeline of your dissertation completion schedule is important to include. A good way to chart this information is by using a Gantt chart.
- Conclusion – Your conclusion should summarize all of the pertinent information in your proposal, to include your topic, summary, abstract, the main points of your dissertation, literature review summary, research limitations, and research findings.
This is a general framework for writing a Master’s dissertation proposal for submission to the university of your choice.