Proposal writing is the process of creating a document that outlines a plan, project, or idea and seeks approval, funding, or support from a particular audience or organization. The objective in writing a proposal is to describe what you will do, why it should be done, how you will do it and what you expect in the result. The contribution of the thesis will be set by the proposal. A clean, well thought-out proposal forms the backbone for the thesis itself.
Live and breathe the topic that captures your interest.
A good thesis proposal depends on a good idea. The following diagram depicts it more clearly
In brief, all proposals are very similar. It needs to show how a certain work fits into what is already known about the topic and what new contribution it will make in the present scenario. It should specify the question that the research will answer, establish why it is a significant question and show how the research is going to answer the question. It should show why this is an important question to answer in the field and convince the people that a certain approach will in fact result in an answer to the question. The proposal will be shorter, from five to fifteen pages.
Proposals help to estimate the size of a project. Time constraints should be kept in mind while planning for the project or else it is often impossible to tell when the project is “done”.
Literature review-based thesis involves collection of information for the literature and coming up with new ideas on the issue by performing gap-analysis on them. One problem with this type of research is that one might find the perfect answer to the proposed question, in someone else’s work. on the night before or after the final draft of the proposal or research paper itself. This is where familiarity with the relevant literature is important.
Basic proposal outline
- Title or Cover Page
- Table Of Contents
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Research Questions
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Preliminary Results / Expected Results
- Timetable / Plan
- Budget
- Discussion And Conclusion
- Bibliography / References
Title or Cover Page
It identifies the research project tile, the researcher, the institution, department and the project mentors or supervisors. The title should be brief and descriptive and may use a colon (:) to separate the topic from the focus. E.g. Stormwater Harvesting: managing the hazards of surface water pollution by run-off.
Table Of Contents
It consists of lists of sections of proposal, headings and sub-headings, with the corresponding page numbers.
Abstract
It outlines the essence of the research project in around 150–200 words. It describes the purpose and motivation for the study, and a statement of the problem, the data collection methodology and analysis, and the significant results and implications of the research in brief. It is optional section in the proposal
Introduction
It provides a brief overview of the proposal and gives background information for the problem being addressed. It is typically structured from general information to narrow or focused ideas with respect to the research question/s being presented. It should be clearly written and let one assess whether the research is relevant to their own. It includes a brief review of relevant literature in the field, presenting the gap in the existing knowledge, hence reflecting the significance and originality of the research. It also talks about the limitations of the research and the things that are missing.
Research Questions
It has a list of research questions. It can be a hypothesis or question/s and is usually a few sentences that articulates the essence and scope of the project. It should be focused and specific, guiding the research efforts. Most importantly, it should give a sense that the research will add to the body of knowledge.
Literature Review
It summarizes the existing research and literature relevant to the research topic. It demonstrates the understanding of current state of knowledge in the field and how the proposed research contributes to it.
Literature review should provide sufficient connections to demonstrate the researcher’s confidence in having discovered, read, and understood the literature in the field. It should progress from general to more specific studies, including only those that are relevant.
Methodology
It describes the methods and techniques to be used in the research. A mathematical model and system diagram can be included in this section. It includes the approach to data collection, analysis and interpretation. It mainly explains why the proposed methods are appropriate for the research questions.
Data collection approach includes the description of data that you anticipate to collect. It is better to comment on the site and resouce accessibility in the time frame and budget that is available.
Data analysis explains some details about the methods that will be used to manipulate the data. It includes the statistical or other techniques and tools that will be used for processing the data.
Data interpretation indicates how the anticipated outcomes will be interpreted to answer the research questions. It is extremely beneficial to anticipate the range of outcomes from the analysis and what each will mean in terms of the answer to the research questions.
Preliminary Results / Expected Results
It briefly describes the preliminary or expected results, if there are any. It indicates what the research is expected to find and how it is related to the research questions. It basically summarizes the signifcance of the work.
Timetable / Plan
It provides a detailed schedule of different stages of research project, including the milestones and deadlines. Different charts like Gantt chart or spreadsheet and tabular formats can be used to demonstrate a realistic plan for completing the research on time. It also includes challenges that researcher might anticipate of facing during the research.
Budget
It outlines the costs associated with the research, including materials, equipment, travel and other expenses. It shows the financial aspects of the project
Discussion And Conclusion
It discusses about the potential implications of the research findings and how they contribute to the existing body of knowledge. It summarizes the key points of the proposal and significance of the research.
Bibliography / References
It provides a list of all the sources which were cited in the proposal.