Elements Of A Dissertation Proposal

The content of dissertation proposal can be different for different topics, course, methodology and preferences of research chair or supervisory committee. However most common elements are;

1. The Introduction

A short part (3 paragraphs to 3 pages) introduces the question or problem that you will be exploring and attracts the audience. Never start with complex concepts, instead start with general problems or policy implementation of what you will research.

2. Research Questions

Most projects are guided by general question(s) stated early in the proposal or at the end or introduction or Literature review.

All-embracing questions often include hypotheses or subordinate questions stated precisely and explicitly as H1 (1^st hypothesis) and RQ1 (1^st research question) respectively. The research questions statement include time, place, topics or any other study’s boundary. Unusual terms must be defined. Instead of specifying hypothesis or research questions in formal terms, qualitative proposals explain critical questions, theoretical issues, and general themes under investigation.

3. Literature Review

Here you broaden you dissertation and connect it with significance of your research like, discussing literature usually show how project will extend what is already known. Include key concept and theories, organize dissertation service UK accordingly. Avoid strict chronological discussion and genealogy of your research. You also include;

• What research is exactly related to chosen topic? (Detail)
• What literature gives context for research? (Brief)

Be careful to include recent and most common state-of-the-literature synopsizes and remember to discuss literature related to methodology relevant to your study.

4. Significance of your Research Question

Show importance of your research project, such as why to undertake this research? What contribution will it make to scholarly knowledge, to public policy and to communication practices? In most dissertation their significance is shown by advancement of scholarly understanding of communication phenomena such as introducing newest interpretations, improving theoretical understandings, testing theories, explicating relationships between variables, exploring generalizability of previous findings with this time, situations, places, and the like.

5. Research Methodology

It include method of research and involves 3 concerning levels, design, procedure of execution and delineation of method.

At start you show overall design is appropriate for research questions you posed such as effect of text on audience and purpose of employing content analysis. Then you outline specific research method, like what data you analyze. The data could be particular cultural artifacts, key texts, preexisting surveys, historical events, new experimental facts, period of broadcasted recordings on media and the like.

How you collect data? Here you need to sketch instruments like questionnaires, coding sheets and protocols. Mostly this is included in appendix section or sometimes research committee ask to conduct small pilot study for measure validity, reliability and feasibility of instruments.

After this you need to highlight the procedure use for research, what you do with data, plan for analyzing data and the forms to collect data.

6. Tentative Outline For Dissertation

It give a sense of how you organize your dissertation including chapters, sections, chart etc.

7. Tentative Completion Schedule

A realistic timeline that include human subjects review.

8. References

List of references to the literature cited in proposal