How to write a thesis proposal

The thesis proposal is one of the most decisive steps in the life of grad students. It is a “big” paper that you have been preparing for during all years of your studying. The starting point for writing a solid thesis proposal is to see what you are dealing with and what it is for.

The thesis proposal is an “advanced” plan or official guidance of your research project you want to do in your thesis or dissertation. It covers several compulsory points – a specific issue you are exploring, a list of issues you are going to research, and the sources and materials that would be used. To see in practice, you should look for some thesis proposal example on your topic or related ones, or at least on your subject.

You should approach this task responsibly, and soon, you will be able to cope with the thesis easily. The logic is pretty simple – the harder you work with the proposal now, the better thesis you will create in the future.

By means of the well-prepared proposal, you may impress and convince the committee in the perspectives of further research. First, you offer the problem and then present the ways of its solution you will implement in the future. Your proposal should show that you are confident about what you are doing.

Writing a Thesis Proposal in 5 Key Stages

Make an outline

First of all, you should systematize the materials you have already gathered. Selected and carefully processed literature is evidence that you understand what you do and know in what direction to move. The review and combination of relevant and up-to-date literature are precisely what your instructor wants to see. Actually, at this stage, you prepare the basis for your future thesis.

Work on the structure

To avoid any misunderstandings, you need to know the typical structure of any thesis proposal. In general, it consists of

Title page
Abstract
Review existing literature or relevant prior research on the topic
Thesis or project statement
Approach or methods
Potential results
Limitations
Contributions to knowledge
Offered thesis chapters

The structure may vary a little bit, but it’s a core for the proposal

Plan how to write a thesis proposal

It is one of the most common mistakes among students. If you want to get a well-organized proposal, you have to make an effort and organize the way you will create it. Otherwise, you will probably get lost and confused in a massive amount of information.

Try to avoid such a mistake with a detailed time table in which you define the order and set deadlines. For example, you may follow this plan:

Outline
Organize charts and tables if any
Decide on methodology
Review the data
Draw conclusion from the data
Write the introduction
Work on the abstract
Provide the references

Pay attention to the fact that such a sequence of writing doesn’t coincide with the thesis proposal structure. We offer you the most optimal manner of writing to avoid any writing blocks.

Write the text of the proposal

Now it’s high time to make you sweat. So get yourself together and write it. Keep in mind the point that you deal with a formal style, so maintain objectivity and readability. Don’t forget that you shouldn’t make the text extremely complicated.

Forget about the first and second grammatical person. The only point where you may use the first person is the thesis statement, but still, it’s better to consult your instructor.

Check yourself

There is no need to say that you should reread and revise whether you have made no typos or grammatical errors. After you finished writing, leave the proposal for a while. You may also show it to the third parties, thanks to them you will see whether it is easy to understand your point of