Writing a Master's Thesis or Dissertation Proposal Part 2 of 3

Let's say that's what has happened, and you're now in the happy position of writing the first draft of your formal proposal. This is an expansion of the topic analysis and will be your final work plan, so it will probably end up being anywhere from ten to forty pages. Again, here's a generally accepted proposal with an idea of expected page length:
Section of Proposal

Page Length
1. Summary 1-2
2. Hypothesis, problem or question 1-3
3. Importance of topic 1-2
4. Prior research on topic 1-7
5. Research approach or methodology 2-8
6. Limitations and key assumptions 1-2
7. Contributions to knowledge 1-3
(for each potential outcome,if there are more than one)
8. Descriptions of proposed chapters in dissertation 2-3

Note: A master's thesis can often be less detailed and elaborate than the above plan. Also, individual departments usually have their own unique preferences. The above plan is meant only as a general guide. Always check with your own department for specific Guidelines!

(1-4) the first four sections are about the same as those in your topic analysis, only amplified and refined. The prior research section in particular must be more comprehensive, although you may certainly summarize your report of prior research if there is a great deal of it. Your actual dissertation will be the obvious place to go into more detail.

The research approach or methodology section (5) should be explained explicitly. For example, what questions will you include on your questionnaire? If your work includes an experiment, what apparatus will you use, what procedures will you follow, what data do you intend to collect, and what instruments will you use in data collection? List any major questions yet to be decided.

In the limitations section (6) make clear what your study will not attempt to do.

The contributions section (7) will simply be more detailed than in your topic analysis, and your chapter descriptions (8) should be as specific as possible. Just remember this is a proposal, so keep descriptions brief, and try to highlight the structure of each chapter. Most dissertations follow a standard chapter format:

1. Introduction (general problem area, specific problem, importance of topic, research approach, limitations, key assumptions, and contribution to research)

2. Description of what has been done in the past. (a.k.a. literature review; this documents that your own research has not already been covered.)

3. Description of the research methodology. (how your research was conducted).

4. Research results. (What you found out).

5. Analysis of the results (explains the conclusions that can be drawn from data, and implications of a theory).

6. Summary and conclusions (emphasize the results obtained and contribution made. Outline suggestions for further research.)

With this general framework in mind, along with the specific characteristics of your own dissertation, you can define your chapters clearly for your formal proposal.

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