A Dissertation Proposal is written before your actual dissertation and describes the research you are going to do. It is essential to cover components that accurately describe your research such as the WHAT, HOW, and WHY you will conduct the particular research.

In this article, we are going to briefly shed light on the easier ways of writing a dissertation proposal, so you can make sure that your Dissertation Proposal receives acceptance on the first submission!

What are the Chapters of a Dissertation Proposal?

A Dissertation Proposal follows through a particular set of chapters, which include the:

1. Introduction

Your topic, research objectives, and aims as well as some background of the topic.

2. Literature Review

A critical review of whatever literature is available on the topic.

3. Methodology

A set of your proposed methods that will go into the research.

4. Implications

Whatever positive and valuable implications your research will bring in the academics.

5. Bibliography

A list of all of your sources in their accurate citation.

These above five chapters are the main components of a dissertation proposal, but that is not all, you will have to consider other parts such as the Title Page, Table of Contents, Appendices, and others.

It is best to confirm from your institution regarding the essentials that will go into your dissertation proposal. There may be differences based on the requirements of your institute.

How Can You Write a Dissertation Proposal by Following a Few Steps?

We have gathered six easy steps in the briefest manner possible, so you can quickly get a clearer picture of the easier ways of writing a dissertation proposal.

Let us get to it then!

Step #1 Conjure up an Idea

You can best write a dissertation when the topic is something from your area of interest. There might be some unexplored areas that may require unraveling and could provide a suitable topic for your dissertation.

If you have an idea or a set of ideas, you can consider narrowing them down and framing them in a presentable manner. Remember; do not go too broad or too specific with your topic. You need to provide yourself enough room for research without getting lost in the research as well.

For example, you could consider the mental effects of pop culture on the populace. From pop culture, you could consider the music industry. From the music industry, you could choose a particular such as the rock genre. Even going more specific, you could choose classic rock, hard rock, or alternative rock.

Step #2 Shed light on your idea in the intro

The Introduction is where you include your:

1. Research aims and objectives
2. Background of the topic
3. Research questions and what you hope to achieve

Considering that you are going with ‘Effects of hard rock on the mental health of adolescents’. You can start by telling about the music industry from pop culture and then tell how rock music in particular forms an essential part of our culture.

Afterward, you can break down rock music into different categories and focus on hard rock music in particular. You can take factors into accounts such as the hook of the music, lyrics, personal lives of the rock stars themselves, and a variety of other factors.

Step #3 Study other literature related to your topic

All those factors that you mentioned in the Introduction will have detailed explanations in the Literature Review, along with the relevant statistics and figures. Here you need to explore and critically analyze whatever literature is available on the topic.

From the research, you can properly explain the research gaps and hence depict the importance of the research you are conducting.

Since this section may require a lot of summarization of the findings of other authors, you will have to make good use of effective paraphrasing. Be sure to paraphrase in a sensible manner that does not look plagiarised or becomes too hard to read.

Step #4 Give a description of your chosen methods

The Methodology section requires you to be quite specific with your chosen methods. For example, you will explain if you will rely on empirical research or theoretical research, or a mixture of both.

Generally, dissertations involve both kinds of research but the weight of either method depends on the student, their topic, and their academic level.

Empirical research revolves around the collection of new data and its analysis. It can comprise quantitative research (relying on numbers), qualitative research (relying on words and meanings) or it can be a combination of both qualitative and quantitative.

Theoretical research does not involve new and original research, why are you do not need new data in this. Instead, your research builds on the previously done research and comprises more of a literary analysis.  

Step #5 List down what implications will be there

When concluding your Dissertation Proposal, you will jot down your research aims again and will emphasize on the implications of your research.

At this point, you cannot be entirely sure of the results that your research will behold, but you list down some expected results and how they can contribute to the field in a valuable manner.

To stress the projected implications of your research, you need to answer if you will:

1. Craft or test an existing theory?
2. Deliver some new valuable information to the academics, businesses, and even the government?
3. Challenge a belief that is considered the norm?
4. Provide recommendations for improving some kind of process?

Lastly, you will again state the contribution that you hope to make with your research by fulfilling your research aims and objectives.

Step #6 Combine a bibliography or a reference list

After the writing part of your Dissertation Proposal is done, you will include a References List or Bibliography at the end. It is present for all kinds of academic papers and consists of the citation of your sources in the recommended manner.

It is common knowledge that a Bibliography or References List helps in justifying your research as your professor or research committee can verify where you got your research from.

You also need to understand a Reference List and Bibliography have some differences. A Reference List ONLY includes the sources you have cited in your Dissertation Proposal, whereas, a Bibliography has all the sources that you even slightly consulted.

For understanding which of these you need to include, consult your supervisor or professor and they will let you know of the requirements.

Before Your Submission, Do Not Forget to Proofread!

Like any other academic paper, your dissertation requires tons of proofreading so that you do not submit an error-ridden dissertation at the end. It may be an exhausting process but a crucial one as a few minute errors can lead to a huge rejection in the long term.

Therefore, it is best to proofread and edit your work before you hand it in. In this current era, there are many online tools for proofreading and editing, such as Grammarly, Perfect, Hemingway Editor, Ginger Grammar and Spell Checker, Ludwig, Copyscape, and many others. Make sure that you make the best of these tools and your skills too!