Preparing Your Thesis Proposal

A thesis is the beginning step of dissertation writing. To prepare a thesis proposal, one must first define what a thesis is, particularly since the term is today used improperly as an equivalent to the word dissertation. A thesis is an argument or position on a given issue, topic or general subject upon which a dissertation is based. In preparing a thesis, the student must start by identifying the issue, topic or subject. Typically, this is directly related to the student’s academic discipline.

Writing the thesis proposal requires the student to show several things:

• The thesis topic is significant to some facet of the student’s discipline.
• The student as an idea of how the data related to the topic will be collected or obtained.
• The student has appropriately defined the methodology for analyzing the collected data.

The instructors are not expecting perfection, nor do they expect the completed theses to have any resemblance to the original proposal. They are more interested in the student demonstrating a clear understanding on the process and structure of research in their discipline. For physical sciences, this includes an understanding of how to collect physical evidence related to the research.

The Structure of a Thesis Proposal

A thesis proposal follows a specific structure similar to that of a dissertation. A typical proposal will be three to seven pages and follow this structure:

• Title Page The title page of a thesis contains a descriptive, self-explanatory title for the proposed project. It will also typically contain the name of the author, the institution, the department, the name of the research mentor, the mentor’s institution and proposed date of delivery.
• Abstract An abstract is a summary of the thesis proposal, which runs 175 to 250 words. The abstract should contain a brief explanation of the issue and include the thesis statement. It should also contain a brief description of how the issue is to be addressed and what implications the research might have once completed.
• Table of Contents The table of contents will include a list of all headings and subheadings within the thesis proposal with the corresponding page numbers. The subheadings should be indented to indicate their inclusion in the section covered by the associated main heading.
• Introduction The introduction establishes the context for the thesis proposal. Starting from a broad overview of the environment in question, the writer should work down to the level of the thesis itself. Known pre-existing information on the topic should be mentioned and citations of relevant sources noted. The introduction should be written at a level that is easy for the student’s peers to understand.
• Thesis Statement The thesis statement should only be a sentence or two, stating the hypothesis or position to be established by the work to follow.
• Approach/Methods This section will cover the methods and materials that will be used as well as how the data will be gathered and analyzed. This section should include any calculations, procedures, equipment and calibration factors involved along with explanations of anticipated limitations, assumptions made regarding what might be found and the range of anticipated validity. Results and discussion of results is saved for the next section.
• Preliminary Results and Discussion Any pre-existing results and the discussion of how they fit into the thesis are included in this section.
• Work Plan Including Time Table This section describes the steps and anticipated timetable of your project. Any anticipated challenges should be discussed as well.
• Implications of Research What is expected to be the outcome of the proposed project. What new knowledge is anticipated and why is it worth knowing? How will this affect the discipline and our world?
• List of References List all sources used, reviewed, or anticipated to be used in the preparation of the final document. Do not use footnotes in this section.

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