Most graduate programs list their rules and timelines on the department website. If you’re not sure where to find this information, check with your advisor, the department chair, or your department’s administrative assistant.
Some proposals may be 20 or more pages in length. Ask your advisor or check your departmental guidelines to find out what is appropriate for your proposal. Your program may present length guidelines in terms of word count instead of page length. [1] X Research source If there is no clear length requirement, talk with your advisor to find out what they recommend.
Title Introduction Methodology Aims and objectives Literature review Scope and constraints Timetable References
Fonts, page numbers, and margin sizes. Citation style and formatting for notes and bibliography. Formatting of title pages and cover sheets.
Most departments have requirements about who is eligible to serve on a dissertation committee. For example, your committee members may need to be selected from faculty who teach graduate level classes. [4] X Research source Try to select committee members who have some familiarity with, and interest in, the topic you want to write about. If there are 2 faculty members who you think would be good fits, you may even consider asking them to be co-advisors.
Get a form signed by your committee chair or academic advisor approving your selected topic. Have your finished proposal approved and signed by each member of your committee. Coordinate with your department to set a date for a proposal hearing, if that is part of your program’s process.
Some things you might consider as you think about topics include classes taught by professors with whom you have a good working relationship, questions/holes in your research that you’d like to investigate further, and seminar or research papers you have written for your classes. For example, say you are studying animal behavior with a focus on mollusks. Perhaps you have noticed that there is not a lot of published information about the reproductive habits of the lesser Fauxlandian howling snail. This could be a good starting point for your research.
Check academic journals in your field for recent articles on your topic, and try to find out if there are any major monographs, peer reviewed articles, and/or book chapters dealing with the subject. Consider whether these sources are up-to-date, thorough, and methodologically sound. Use databases like ProQuest to find out if any other graduate students have recently done dissertations or theses on your potential topic(s).
If your advisor is familiar with the topic in question, they may be able to suggest a more specific angle or point you towards sources you weren’t familiar with. Be prepared to discuss more than 1 possible topic with your advisor. That way, if they don’t feel that your first choice will work, you will have something to fall back on.
For example, maybe your research shows that there’s new evidence regarding the role of shell color in howling snail mating rituals, but most current literature still reflects the outdated idea that howling snails select their mates based on eye-stalk length. This can help you narrow your topic from a general examination of howling snail reproductive habits to a study of mate selection based on shell color. Your focus may continue to narrow and evolve as you begin to research and write your dissertation in earnest, but that’s okay. [7] X Research source It’s better to start with a topic that’s too big than to begin writing and find that you don’t have enough material to work with.
Try to make your title as specific as possible. For example, instead of “A Study of Reproductive Selection in Lesser Fauxlandian Howling Snails,” try something like “An Empirical Examination of the Role of Shell Color in Mate Selection among Lesser Fauxlandian Howling Snails. ”
The general background of your topic. The main problem(s) or question(s) that you plan to address in your research. The major methods and procedures that you plan to use in order to answer your questions and/or support your thesis. The impact or importance of your study, also known as the “so what?” element of your project.
Summarize the general context and scope of your topic. Briefly refer to previous literature on the topic and address the types of evidence available. Summarize, very briefly, the specific questions and issues you will address in your proposal.
For example, you might explain that recent research has shown that shell color plays a part in howling snail mate selection, but there are no current studies that adequately explain the specific color criteria for which the snails select.
The major goals of your research. I. e. , what questions are you hoping to answer? Do you have any particular expectations about what you will find? How you believe your research will fill a gap or provide an original contribution to your field. The specific focus of your study, including which areas you are choosing NOT to address and why.
How previous writers have approached your topic (e. g. , specific methodologies and arguments they have used). The major established theories, hypotheses, and research trends related to your topic. Any problems you have identified with previous works on the subject (e. g. , they are too broad or limited in scope, outdated, or poorly supported). The main gaps in current or previous research, and which research needs still remain to be filled.
For example, if you are doing a science dissertation, you might break your methodology section down into discussion about selecting your subjects, designing your experiment, carrying out your experiment, and analyzing the results. Discuss any problems and limitations you anticipate. For example, you might point out that you expect to have trouble finding large sample sizes, which could make your results less statistically significant or harder to replicate than they would be if you had a bigger sample size.
For example, perhaps you could argue that your work on mate selection in lesser Fauxlandian howling snails will have potential implications for scholarly understanding of reproductive behaviors in other types of mollusks.
Talk to your advisor about developing a realistic and attainable timeline for your dissertation. Be aware that your timeline may change as your work evolves and progresses—this is not meant to be a hard-and-fast schedule for completing your work. As you write your timeline, keep in mind practical considerations such as time needed for making travel arrangements or securing equipment for experiments or fieldwork.
Depending on your topic or your program’s requirements, you may also need to include appendices or other supplemental material, such as diagrams, sample data collection forms, or permission forms (e. g. if you will be conducting experiments with human subjects).
