how to write a dissertation proposal

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Dissertation

How to Write a Dissertation Proposal | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on 14 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 11 November 2022.

A dissertation proposal describes the research you want to do: what it’s about, how you’ll conduct it, and why it’s worthwhile. You will probably have to write a proposal before starting your dissertation as an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

A dissertation proposal should generally include:

An introduction to your topic and aims
A literature review of the current state of knowledge
An outline of your proposed methodology
A discussion of the possible implications of the research
A bibliography of relevant sources

Dissertation proposals vary a lot in terms of length and structure, so make sure to follow any guidelines given to you by your institution, and check with your supervisor when you’re unsure.

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Step 1: coming up with an idea, step 2: presenting your idea in the introduction, step 3: exploring related research in the literature review, step 4: describing your methodology, step 5: outlining the potential implications of your research, step 6: creating a reference list or bibliography.

Before writing your proposal, it’s important to come up with a strong idea for your dissertation.

Find an area of your field that interests you and do some preliminary reading in that area. What are the key concerns of other researchers? What do they suggest as areas for further research, and what strikes you personally as an interesting gap in the field?

Once you have an idea, consider how to narrow it down and the best way to frame it. Don’t be too ambitious or too vague – a dissertation topic needs to be specific enough to be feasible. Move from a broad field of interest to a specific niche:

Russian literature 19th century Russian literature The novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
Social media Mental health effects of social media Influence of social media on young adults suffering from anxiety

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Like most academic texts, a dissertation proposal begins with an introduction . This is where you introduce the topic of your research, provide some background, and most importantly, present your aim , objectives and research question(s) .

Try to dive straight into your chosen topic: What’s at stake in your research? Why is it interesting? Don’t spend too long on generalisations or grand statements:

Social media is the most important technological trend of the 21st century. It has changed the world and influences our lives every day.
Psychologists generally agree that the ubiquity of social media in the lives of young adults today has a profound impact on their mental health. However, the exact nature of this impact needs further investigation.

Once your area of research is clear, you can present more background and context. What does the reader need to know to understand your proposed questions? What’s the current state of research on this topic, and what will your dissertation contribute to the field?

If you’re including a literature review, you don’t need to go into too much detail at this point, but give the reader a general sense of the debates that you’re intervening in.

This leads you into the most important part of the introduction: your aim, objectives and research question(s) . These should be clearly identifiable and stand out from the text – for example, you could present them using bullet points or bold font.

Make sure that your research questions are specific and workable – something you can reasonably answer within the scope of your dissertation. Avoid being too broad or having too many different questions. Remember that your goal in a dissertation proposal is to convince the reader that your research is valuable and feasible:

Does social media harm mental health?
What is the impact of daily social media use on 18– to 25–year–olds suffering from general anxiety disorder?

Now that your topic is clear, it’s time to explore existing research covering similar ideas. This is important because it shows you what is missing from other research in the field and ensures that you’re not asking a question someone else has already answered.

You’ve probably already done some preliminary reading, but now that your topic is more clearly defined, you need to thoroughly analyse and evaluate the most relevant sources in your literature review .

Here you should summarise the findings of other researchers and comment on gaps and problems in their studies. There may be a lot of research to cover, so make effective use of paraphrasing to write concisely:

Smith and Prakash state that ‘our results indicate a 25% decrease in the incidence of mechanical failure after the new formula was applied’.
Smith and Prakash’s formula reduced mechanical failures by 25%.

The point is to identify findings and theories that will influence your own research, but also to highlight gaps and limitations in previous research which your dissertation can address:

Subsequent research has failed to replicate this result, however, suggesting a flaw in Smith and Prakash’s methods. It is likely that the failure resulted from…

Next, you’ll describe your proposed methodology : the specific things you hope to do, the structure of your research and the methods that you will use to gather and analyse data.

You should get quite specific in this section – you need to convince your supervisor that you’ve thought through your approach to the research and can realistically carry it out. This section will look quite different, and vary in length, depending on your field of study.

You may be engaged in more empirical research, focusing on data collection and discovering new information, or more theoretical research, attempting to develop a new conceptual model or add nuance to an existing one.

Dissertation research often involves both, but the content of your methodology section will vary according to how important each approach is to your dissertation.

Empirical research

Empirical research involves collecting new data and analysing it in order to answer your research questions. It can be quantitative (focused on numbers), qualitative (focused on words and meanings), or a combination of both.

With empirical research, it’s important to describe in detail how you plan to collect your data:

Will you use surveys ? A lab experiment ? Interviews?
What variables will you measure?
How will you select a representative sample ?
If other people will participate in your research, what measures will you take to ensure they are treated ethically?
What tools (conceptual and physical) will you use, and why?

It’s appropriate to cite other research here. When you need to justify your choice of a particular research method or tool, for example, you can cite a text describing the advantages and appropriate usage of that method.

Don’t overdo this, though; you don’t need to reiterate the whole theoretical literature, just what’s relevant to the choices you have made.

Moreover, your research will necessarily involve analysing the data after you have collected it. Though you don’t know yet what the data will look like, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and indicate what methods (e.g. statistical tests , thematic analysis ) you will use.

Theoretical research

You can also do theoretical research that doesn’t involve original data collection. In this case, your methodology section will focus more on the theory you plan to work with in your dissertation: relevant conceptual models and the approach you intend to take.

For example, a literary analysis dissertation rarely involves collecting new data, but it’s still necessary to explain the theoretical approach that will be taken to the text(s) under discussion, as well as which parts of the text(s) you will focus on:

This dissertation will utilise Foucault’s theory of panopticism to explore the theme of surveillance in Orwell’s 1984 and Kafka’s The Trial…

Here, you may refer to the same theorists you have already discussed in the literature review. In this case, the emphasis is placed on how you plan to use their contributions in your own research.

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You’ll usually conclude your dissertation proposal with a section discussing what you expect your research to achieve.

You obviously can’t be too sure: you don’t know yet what your results and conclusions will be. Instead, you should describe the projected implications and contribution to knowledge of your dissertation.

First, consider the potential implications of your research. Will you:

Develop or test a theory?
Provide new information to governments or businesses?
Challenge a commonly held belief?
Suggest an improvement to a specific process?

Describe the intended result of your research and the theoretical or practical impact it will have:

Finally, it’s sensible to conclude by briefly restating the contribution to knowledge you hope to make: the specific question(s) you hope to answer and the gap the answer(s) will fill in existing knowledge:

Like any academic text, it’s important that your dissertation proposal effectively references all the sources you have used. You need to include a properly formatted reference list or bibliography at the end of your proposal.

Different institutions recommend different styles of referencing – commonly used styles include Harvard , Vancouver , APA , or MHRA . If your department does not have specific requirements, choose a style and apply it consistently.

A reference list includes only the sources that you cited in your proposal. A bibliography is slightly different: it can include every source you consulted in preparing the proposal, even if you didn’t mention it in the text. In the case of a dissertation proposal, a bibliography may also list relevant sources that you haven’t yet read, but that you intend to use during the research itself.

Check with your supervisor what type of bibliography or reference list you should include.

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Doctoral handbook

Proposal Overview and Format

Proposal committee, proposal hearing or meeting.

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Students are urged to begin thinking about a dissertation topic early in their degree program. Concentrated work on a dissertation proposal normally begins after successful completion of the Second-Year Review, which often includes a “mini” proposal, an extended literature review, or a theoretical essay, plus advancement to doctoral candidacy. In defining a dissertation topic, the student collaborates with their faculty advisor or dissertation advisor (if one is selected) in the choice of a topic for the dissertation.

The dissertation proposal is a comprehensive statement on the extent and nature of the student’s dissertation research interests. Students submit a draft of the proposal to their dissertation advisor between the end of the seventh and middle of the ninth quarters. The student must provide a written copy of the proposal to the faculty committee no later than two weeks prior to the date of the proposal hearing. Committee members could require an earlier deadline (e.g., four weeks before the hearing).

The major components of the proposal are as follows, with some variations across Areas and disciplines:

A detailed statement of the problem that is to be studied and the context within which it is to be seen. This should include a justification of the importance of the problem on both theoretical and educational grounds.
A thorough review of the literature pertinent to the research problem. This review should provide proof that the relevant literature in the field has been thoroughly researched. Good research is cumulative; it builds on the thoughts, findings, and mistakes of others.
its general explanatory interest
the overall theoretical framework within which this interest is to be pursued
the model or hypotheses to be tested or the research questions to be answered
a discussion of the conceptual and operational properties of the variables
an overview of strategies for collecting appropriate evidence (sampling, instrumentation, data collection, data reduction, data analysis)
a discussion of how the evidence is to be interpreted (This aspect of the proposal will be somewhat different in fields such as history and philosophy of education.)
If applicable, students should complete a request for approval of research with human subjects, using the Human Subjects Review Form ( http://humansubjects.stanford.edu/ ). Except for pilot work, the University requires the approval of the Administrative Panel on Human Subjects in Behavioral Science Research before any data can be collected from human subjects.

Registration (i.e., enrollment) is required for any quarter during which a degree requirement is completed, including the dissertation proposal. Refer to the Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion section for more details.

As students progress through the program, their interests may change. There is no commitment on the part of the student’s advisor to automatically serve as the dissertation chair. Based on the student’s interests and the dissertation topic, many students approach other GSE professors to serve as the dissertation advisor, if appropriate.

A dissertation proposal committee is comprised of three academic council faculty members, one of whom will serve as the major dissertation advisor. Whether or not the student’s general program advisor serves on the dissertation proposal committee and later the reading committee will depend on the relevance of that faculty member’s expertise to the topic of the dissertation, and their availability. There is no requirement that a program advisor serve, although very often they do. Members of the dissertation proposal committee may be drawn from other area committees within the GSE, from other departments in the University, or from emeriti faculty. At least one person serving on the proposal committee must be from the student’s area committee (CTE, DAPS, SHIPS). All three members must be on the Academic Council; if the student desires the expertise of a non-Academic Council member, it may be possible to petition. After the hearing, a memorandum listing the changes to be made will be written and submitted with the signed proposal cover sheet and a copy of the proposal itself to the Doctoral Programs Officer.

Review and approval of the dissertation proposal occurs normally during the third year. The proposal hearing seeks to review the quality and feasibility of the proposal. The Second-Year Review and the Proposal Hearing are separate milestones and may not occur as part of the same hearing or meeting.

The student and the dissertation advisor are responsible for scheduling a formal meeting or hearing to review the proposal; the student and proposal committee convene for this evaluative period. Normally, all must be present at the meeting either in person or via conference phone call.

At the end of this meeting, the dissertation proposal committee members should sign the Cover Sheet for Dissertation Proposal and indicate their approval or rejection of the proposal. This signed form should be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer. If the student is required to make revisions, an addendum is required with the written approval of each member of the committee stating that the proposal has been revised to their satisfaction.

After submitting the Proposal Hearing material to the Doctoral Programs Officer, the student should make arrangements with three faculty members to serve on their Dissertation Reading Committee. The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form should be completed and given to the Doctoral Programs Officer to enter in the University student records system. Note: The proposal hearing committee and the reading committee do not have to be the same three faculty members. Normally, the proposal hearing precedes the designation of a Dissertation Reading Committee, and faculty on either committee may differ (except for the primary dissertation advisor). However, some students may advance to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status before completing their dissertation proposal hearing if they have established a dissertation reading committee. In these cases, it is acceptable for the student to form a reading committee prior to the dissertation proposal hearing. The reading committee then serves as the proposal committee.

The proposal and reading committee forms and related instructions are on the GSE website, under current students>forms.

Printing Credit for Use in GSE Labs

Upon completion of their doctoral dissertation proposal, GSE students are eligible for a $300 printing credit redeemable in any of the GSE computer labs where students are normally charged for print jobs. Only one $300 credit per student will be issued, but it is usable throughout the remainder of her or his doctoral program until the balance is exhausted. The print credit can be used only at the printers in Cubberley basement and CERAS, and cannot be used toward copying.

After submitting the signed dissertation proposal cover sheet to the Doctoral Programs Officer indicating approval (see above), students can submit a HELP SU ticket online at helpsu.stanford.edu to request the credit. When submitting the help ticket, the following should be selected from the drop-down menus for HELP SU:

Request Category : Computer, Handhelds (PDAs), Printers, Servers Request Type : Printer Operating System : (whatever system is used by the student, e.g., Windows XP.)

The help ticket will be routed to the GSE's IT Group for processing; they will in turn notify the student via email when the credit is available.

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Handbook Contents

Timetable for the Doctoral Degree
Degree Requirements
Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion
The Graduate Study Program
Student Virtual and Teleconference Participation in Hearings
First Year (3rd Quarter) Review
Second Year (6th Quarter) Review
Committee Composition for First- and Second-Year Reviews
Advancement to Candidacy
Academic Program Revision
Dissertation Content
Dissertation Reading Committee
University Oral Examination
Submitting the Dissertation
Registration and Student Statuses
Graduate Financial Support
GSE Courses
Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE)
Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS)
Learning Sciences and Technology Design (LSTD)
Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE)
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS)
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Stanford University Honor Code
Stanford University Fundamental Standard
Doctoral Programs Degree Progress Checklist
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Writing a dissertation proposal.

What is a dissertation proposal?

Dissertation proposals are like the table of contents for your research project , and will help you explain what it is you intend to examine, and roughly, how you intend to go about collecting and analysing your data. You won’t be required to have everything planned out exactly, as your topic may change slightly in the course of your research, but for the most part, writing your proposal should help you better identify the direction for your dissertation.

When you’ve chosen a topic for your dissertation , you’ll need to make sure that it is both appropriate to your field of study and narrow enough to be completed by the end of your course. Your dissertation proposal will help you define and determine both of these things and will also allow your department and instructors to make sure that you are being advised by the best person to help you complete your research.

A dissertation proposal should include:

An introduction to your dissertation topic
Aims and objectives of your dissertation
A literature review of the current research undertaken in your field
Proposed methodology to be used
Implications of your research
Limitations of your research
Bibliography

Although this content all needs to be included in your dissertation proposal, it isn’t set in stone so it can be changed later if necessary, depending on your topic of study, university or degree. Think of your dissertation proposal as more of a guide to writing your dissertation rather than something to be strictly adhered to – this will be discussed later.

Why is a dissertation proposal important?

A dissertation proposal is very important because it helps shape the actual dissertation, which is arguably the most important piece of writing a postgraduate student will undertake. By having a well-structured dissertation proposal, you will have a strong foundation for your dissertation and a good template to follow. The dissertation itself is key to postgraduate success as it will contribute to your overall grade . Writing your dissertation will also help you to develop research and communication skills, which could become invaluable in your employment success and future career. By making sure you’re fully briefed on the current research available in your chosen dissertation topic, as well as keeping details of your bibliography up to date, you will be in a great position to write an excellent dissertation.

Next, we’ll be outlining things you can do to help you produce the best postgraduate dissertation proposal possible.

How to begin your dissertation proposal

1. Narrow the topic down

It’s important that when you sit down to draft your proposal, you’ve carefully thought out your topic and are able to narrow it down enough to present a clear and succinct understanding of what you aim to do and hope to accomplish in your dissertation.

How do I decide on a dissertation topic?

A simple way to begin choosing a topic for your dissertation is to go back through your assignments and lectures. Was there a topic that stood out to you? Was there an idea that wasn’t fully explored? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you have a great starting point! If not, then consider one of your more personal interests. Use Google Scholar to explore studies and journals on your topic to find any areas that could go into more detail or explore a more niche topic within your personal interest.

Keep track of all publications

It’s important to keep track of all the publications that you use while you research. You can use this in your literature review.

You need to keep track of:

The title of the study/research paper/book/journal
Who wrote/took part in the study/research paper
Chapter title
Page number(s)

The more research you do, the more you should be able to narrow down your topic and find an interesting area to focus on. You’ll also be able to write about everything you find in your literature review which will make your proposal stronger.

While doing your research, consider the following:

When was your source published? Is the information outdated? Has new information come to light since?
Can you determine if any of the methodologies could have been carried out more efficiently? Are there any errors or gaps?
Are there any ethical concerns that should be considered in future studies on the same topic?
Could anything external (for example new events happening) have influenced the research?

Read more about picking a topic for your dissertation .

How long should the dissertation proposal be?

Aiming for 1,000 words or more, your dissertation proposal will give an outline of the topic of your dissertation, some of the questions you hope to answer with your research, what sort of studies and type of data you aim to employ in your research, and the sort of analysis you will carry out.

Different courses may have different requirements for things like length and the specific information to include, as well as what structure is preferred, so be sure to check what special requirements your course has.

2. What should I include in a dissertation proposal?

Introduction

The introduction will state your central research question and give background on the subject, as well as relating it contextually to any broader issues surrounding it. Read more about picking a topic for your dissertation .

The dissertation proposal introduction should outline exactly what you intend to investigate in your final research project.

Make sure you outline the structure of the dissertation proposal in your introduction, i.e. part one covers methodology, part two covers a literature review, part three covers research limitations, and so forth.

Dissertation methodology

The dissertation methodology will break down what sources you aim to use for your research and what sort of data you will collect from it, either quantitative or qualitative. You may also want to include how you will analyse the data you gather and what, if any, bias there may be in your chosen methods.

Depending on the level of detail that your specific course requires, you may also want to explain why your chosen approaches to gathering data are more appropriate to your research than others.

Consider and explain how you will conduct empirical research. For example, will you use interviews? Surveys? Observation? Lab experiments?

In your dissertation methodology, outline the variables that you will measure in your research and how you will select your data or participant sample to ensure valid results.

Finally, are there any specific tools that you will use for your methodology? If so, make sure you provide this information in the methodology section of your dissertation proposal.

Aims and objectives

Your dissertation proposal should also include the aims and objectives of your research. Be sure to state what your research hopes to achieve, as well as what outcomes you predict. You may also need to clearly state what your main research objectives are, in other words, how you plan to obtain those achievements and outcomes.

Your aim should not be too broad but should equally not be too specific.

An example of a dissertation aim could be: ‘To examine the key content features and social contexts that construct successful viral marketing content distribution on Twitter’.

In comparison, an example of a dissertation aim that is perhaps too broad would be: ‘‘To investigate how things go viral on Twitter’.

The aim of your dissertation proposal should relate directly to your research question.

Literature review

The literature review will list the books and materials that you used to do your research. This is where you can list materials that gave you more background on your topic, or contain research carried out previously that you referred to in your own studies.

The literature review is also a good place to demonstrate how your research connects to previous academic studies and how your methods may differ from or build upon those used by other researchers. While it’s important to give enough information about the materials to show that you have read and understood them, don’t forget to include your analysis of their value to your work.

Where there are shortfalls in other pieces of academic work, identify these and address how you will overcome these shortcomings in your own research.

Constraints and limitations of your research

Lastly, you will also need to include the constraints of your research. Many topics will have broad links to numerous larger and more complex issues, so by clearly stating the constraints of your research, you are displaying your understanding and acknowledgment of these larger issues, and the role they play by focusing your research on just one section or part of the subject.

In this section it is important to Include examples of possible limitations, for example, issues with sample size, participant drop out, lack of existing research on the topic, time constraints, and other factors that may affect your study.

Ethical considerations

Confidentiality and ethical concerns are an important part of any research.

Ethics are key, as your dissertation will need to undergo ethical approval if you are working with participants. This means that it’s important to allow for and explain ethical considerations in your dissertation proposal.

Keep confidentiality in mind and keep your participants informed, so they are aware of how the data provided is being used and are assured that all personal information is being kept confidential.

Consider how involved your patients will be with your research, this will help you think about what ethical considerations to take and discuss them fully in your dissertation proposal. For example, face-to-face participant interview methods could require more ethical measures and confidentiality considerations than methods that do not require participants, such as corpus data (a collection of existing written texts) analysis.

3. Dissertation proposal example

Once you know what sections you need or do not need to include, it may help focus your writing to break the proposal up into separate headings, and tackle each piece individually. You may also want to consider including a title. Writing a title for your proposal will help you make sure that your topic is narrow enough, as well as help keep your writing focused and on topic.

One example of a dissertation proposal structure is using the following headings, either broken up into sections or chapters depending on the required word count:

Methodology
Research constraints

In any dissertation proposal example, you’ll want to make it clear why you’re doing the research and what positives could come from your contribution.

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Knowledge Base
Dissertation

What Is a Dissertation? | Guide, Examples, & Template

A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program.

Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating to know where to begin.

Your department likely has guidelines related to how your dissertation should be structured. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor.

You can also download our full dissertation template in the format of your choice below. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter, easily adaptable to your department’s requirements.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

In the US, a dissertation generally refers to the collection of research you conducted to obtain a PhD.
In other countries (such as the UK), a dissertation often refers to the research you conduct to obtain your bachelor’s or master’s degree.

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Dissertation committee and prospectus process, how to write and structure a dissertation, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your dissertation, free checklist and lecture slides.

When you’ve finished your coursework, as well as any comprehensive exams or other requirements, you advance to “ABD” (All But Dissertation) status. This means you’ve completed everything except your dissertation.

Prior to starting to write, you must form your committee and write your prospectus or proposal . Your committee comprises your adviser and a few other faculty members. They can be from your own department, or, if your work is more interdisciplinary, from other departments. Your committee will guide you through the dissertation process, and ultimately decide whether you pass your dissertation defense and receive your PhD.

Your prospectus is a formal document presented to your committee, usually orally in a defense, outlining your research aims and objectives and showing why your topic is relevant . After passing your prospectus defense, you’re ready to start your research and writing.

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The structure of your dissertation depends on a variety of factors, such as your discipline, topic, and approach. Dissertations in the humanities are often structured more like a long essay , building an overall argument to support a central thesis , with chapters organized around different themes or case studies.

However, hard science and social science dissertations typically include a review of existing works, a methodology section, an analysis of your original research, and a presentation of your results , presented in different chapters.

Dissertation examples

We’ve compiled a list of dissertation examples to help you get started.

Example dissertation #1: Heat, Wildfire and Energy Demand: An Examination of Residential Buildings and Community Equity (a dissertation by C. A. Antonopoulos about the impact of extreme heat and wildfire on residential buildings and occupant exposure risks).
Example dissertation #2: Exploring Income Volatility and Financial Health Among Middle-Income Households (a dissertation by M. Addo about income volatility and declining economic security among middle-income households).
Example dissertation #3: The Use of Mindfulness Meditation to Increase the Efficacy of Mirror Visual Feedback for Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees (a dissertation by N. S. Mills about the effect of mindfulness-based interventions on the relationship between mirror visual feedback and the pain level in amputees with phantom limb pain).

The very first page of your document contains your dissertation title, your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date. Sometimes it also includes your student number, your supervisor’s name, and the university’s logo.

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Checklist: Dissertation

My title page includes all information required by my university.

I have included acknowledgements thanking those who helped me.

My abstract provides a concise summary of the dissertation, giving the reader a clear idea of my key results or arguments.

I have created a table of contents to help the reader navigate my dissertation. It includes all chapter titles, but excludes the title page, acknowledgements, and abstract.

My introduction leads into my topic in an engaging way and shows the relevance of my research.

My introduction clearly defines the focus of my research, stating my research questions and research objectives .

My introduction includes an overview of the dissertation’s structure (reading guide).

I have conducted a literature review in which I (1) critically engage with sources, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, (2) discuss patterns, themes, and debates in the literature, and (3) address a gap or show how my research contributes to existing research.

I have clearly outlined the theoretical framework of my research, explaining the theories and models that support my approach.

I have thoroughly described my methodology , explaining how I collected data and analyzed data.

I have concisely and objectively reported all relevant results .

I have (1) evaluated and interpreted the meaning of the results and (2) acknowledged any important limitations of the results in my discussion .

I have clearly stated the answer to my main research question in the conclusion .

I have clearly explained the implications of my conclusion, emphasizing what new insight my research has contributed.

I have provided relevant recommendations for further research or practice.

If relevant, I have included appendices with supplemental information.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

I have listed every source in a reference list at the end of my dissertation.

I have consistently followed the rules of my chosen citation style .

I have followed all formatting guidelines provided by my university.

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Dissertations 1: getting started: writing a proposal.

Starting Your Dissertation
Choosing A Topic and Researching
Devising An Approach/Method
Thinking Of A Title
Writing A Proposal

What is a Proposal?

Before you start your dissertation, you may be asked to write a proposal for it.

The purpose of a dissertation proposal is to provide a snapshot of what your study involves. Usually, after submission of the proposal you will be assigned a supervisor who has some expertise in your field of study. You should receive feedback on the viability of the topic, how to focus the scope, research methods, and other issues you should consider before progressing in your research.

The research proposal should present the dissertation topic, justify your reasons for choosing it and outline how you are going to research it . You'll have to keep it brief, as word counts can vary from anywhere between 800 to 3,000 words at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.

It is worth bearing in mind that you are not bound by your proposal. Your project is likely going to evolve and may move in a new direction . Your dissertation supervisor is aware that this may occur as you delve deeper into the literature in your field of study. Nevertheless, always discuss any major developments with your supervisor in the first instance.

Reading for your Proposal

Before writing a proposal, you will need to read. A lot! But that doesn’t mean you must read everything. Be targeted! What do you really need to know?

Instead of reading every page in every book, look for clues in chapter titles and introductions to narrow your focus down. Use abstracts from journal articles to check whether the material is relevant to your study and keep notes of your reading along with clear records of bibliographic information and page numbers for your references.

Ultimately, your objective should be to create a dialogue between the theories and ideas you have read and your own thoughts. What is your personal perspective on the topic? What evidence is there that supports your point of view? Furthermore, you should ask questions about each text. Is it current or is it outdated? What argument is the author making? Is the author biased?

Approaching your reading in this way ensures that you engage with the literature critically. You will demonstrate that you have done this in your mini literature review (see Proposal Structure box).

If you have not yet started reading for your proposal, the Literature Review Guide offers advice on choosing a topic and how to conduct a literature search. Additionally, the Effective Reading Guide provides tips on researching and critical reading.

Proposal Structure

So, how is a dissertation proposal typically structured? The structure of a proposal varies considerably.

This is a list of elements that might be required. Please check the dissertation proposal requirements and marking criteria on Blackboard or with your lecturers if you are unsure about the requirements.

Title : The title you have devised, so far - it can change throughout the dissertation drafting process! A good title is simple but fairly specific. Example: "Focus and concentration during revision: an evaluation of the Pomodoro technique."

Introduction/Background : Provides background and presents the key issues of your proposed research. Can include the following:

Rationale : Why is this research being undertaken, why is it interesting and worthwhile, also considering the existing literature?

Purpose : What do you intend to accomplish with your study, e.g. improve something or understand something?

Research question : The main, overarching question your study seeks to answer. E.g. "How can focus and concentration be improved during revision?"

Hypothesis : Quantitative studies can use hypotheses in alternative to research questions. E.g. "Taking regular breaks significantly increases the ability to memorise information."

Aim : The main result your study seeks to achieve. If you use a research question, the aim echoes that, but uses an infinitive. E.g. "The aim of this research is to investigate how can focus and concentration be improved during revision."

Objectives : The stepping stones to achieve your aim. E.g. "The objectives of this research are 1) to review the literature on study techniques; 2) to identify the factors that influence focus and concentration; 3) to undertake an experiment on the Pomodoro technique with student volunteers; 4) to issue recommendations on focus and concentration for revision."

Literature review : Overview of significant literature around the research topic, moving from general (background) to specific (your subject of study). Highlight what the literature says, and does not say, on the research topic, identifying a gap(s) that your research aims to fill.

Methods : Here you consider what methods you are planning to use for your research, and why you are thinking of them. What secondary sources (literature) are you going to consult? Are you going to use primary sources (e.g. data bases, statistics, interviews, questionnaires, experiments)? Are you going to focus on a case study? Is the research going to be qualitative or quantitative? Consider if your research will need ethical clearance.

Significance/Implications/Expected outcomes : In this section you reiterate what are you hoping to demonstrate. State how your research could contribute to debates in your particular subject area, perhaps filling a gap(s) in the existing works.

Plan of Work : You might be asked to present your timeline for completing the dissertation. The timeline can be presented using different formats such as bullet points, table, Gantt chart. Whichever format you use, your plan of work should be realistic and should demonstrate awareness of the various elements of the study such as literature research, empirical work, drafting, re-drafting, etc.

Outline : Here you include a provisional table of contents for your dissertation. The structure of the dissertation can be free or prescribed by the dissertation guidelines of your course, so check that up.

Reference List : The list should include the bibliographical information of all the sources you cited in the proposal, listed in alphabetical order.

Most of the elements mentioned above are explained in the tabs of this guide!

Literature-based dissertations in the humanities

A literature-based dissertation in the humanities, however, might be less rigidly structured and may look like this:

Short introduction including background information on your topic, why it is relevant and how it fits into the literature.
Main body which outlines how you will organise your chapters .
Conclusion which states what you hope your study will achieve.
Bibliography .

After Writing

Check your proposal!

Have you shown that your research idea is:

Ethical?

Relevant?

Feasible with the timeframe and resources available?

Have you:

Identified a clear research gap to focus on?

Stated why your study is important?

Selected a methodology that will enable you to gather the data you need?

Use the marking criteria for dissertation proposals provided by your department to check your work.

Locke, L.F., Spirduso, W.W. and Silverman, S.J. (2014). Proposals that Work: A Guide for Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals . Sage.

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How to Write a Dissertation Proposal with Structure & Steps

Published by Anastasia Lois at August 14th, 2021 , Revised On October 26, 2023

“A dissertation proposal is a stepping stone towards writing the final dissertation paper. It’s a unique document that informs the reader of the aim & objectives of dissertation research and its course of action.”

The main purpose of a proposal paper is to showcase to your supervisor or dissertation committee members that your dissertation research will add value to existing knowledge in your area of study.

Although the exact structure of a dissertation proposal may vary depending on your academic level, academic subject, and size of the paper, the contents remain pretty much the same.

However, it will still make sense to consult with your supervisor about the proposal formatting and structuring guidelines before working on your dissertation proposal paper.

You may lose out on scoring some important marks if your proposal paper does not follow your department’s specific rules. Here are some tips for you on how to structure a dissertation proposal paper.

Tips on Completing a Dissertation Proposal in Due Time

Consult your supervisor or department to find out how much time you have to complete your dissertation proposal . Each graduate program is different, so you must adhere to the specific rules to avoid unwelcome surprises.

Depending on the degree program you are enrolled in, you may have to start working on your chosen topic right away, or you might need to deal with some assignments and exams first.

You can learn about the rules and timelines concerning your dissertation project on the university’s online portal. If you are still unsure, it will be best to speak with your department’s admin clerk, the program head, or supervisor.

Look for Proposal Structural Requirements in the Guidelines

Most academic institutions will provide precise rules for structuring your dissertation proposal in terms of the document’s content and how to arrange it. If you have not figured out these requirements, you must speak with your supervisor to find out what they recommend. Typical contents and structure of a dissertation proposal include the following;

Statement of the Problem
Background/Rationale
Introduction (Justifying your Research)
Research Questions or Hypothesis (Research aim and objectives)
Literature Review
Proposed Methodology
Opportunities and Limitations

Project Schedule

Have an unhelpful dissertation project supervisor? Here is some advice to help you deal with an uncompromising dissertation advisor.

How Long is a Dissertation Proposal?

The length of your dissertation proposal will depend on your degree program and your research topic. PhD-level dissertation proposals are much longer in terms of word count than Bachelors’s and Master’s level proposals.

Bachelor’s level dissertation proposals are about 5-6 pages long.
Masters and Ph.D. level proposals’ length varies from 15-25 pages depending on the academic subject and degree program’s specifications.
If the word count or page length expectation is not mentioned in the dissertation handbook or the guidelines on the university’s website, you should check with your supervisor or program coordinator for a clear understanding of this particular requirement.

The proposals we write have:

Precision and Clarity
Zero Plagiarism
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Dissertation Proposal Formatting

Formatting your dissertation proposal will also depend on your program’s specific guidelines and your research area. Find the exact guidelines for formatting cover sheets and title pages, referencing style, notes, bibliography, margin sizes, page numbers, and fonts. Again if you are unsure about anything, it is recommended to consult with your project advisor.

Find out About the Approval Criteria

The process of writing your dissertation proposal paper and getting acceptance from the committee of members of your supervisor is tricky.

Consult your department’s academic assistant, supervisor, or program chair to learn about all the process stages. Here are a couple of points you will need to be aware of:

You might be required to have your chosen research topic approved by your academic supervisor or department chair.
Submit your proposal and have it formally signed and approved so you can continue with your research.

You may find the dissertation proposal writing process perplexing and challenging if this is the first time you are preparing such a document. All the essential elements of a dissertation proposal paper need to be present before submitting it for approval.

Any feedback received from the tutor or the supervising committee should be taken very seriously and incorporated into your planning for dissertation research. Do not start working on your final dissertation paper until your supervisor has accepted the proposal.

To help you organise your dissertation proposal paper correctly, we have detailed guidelines for structuring a dissertation proposal. Irrespective of the degree program you are developing your dissertation proposal for, you will find these guidelines equally important.

Our expert academics can produce a flawless dissertation proposal on your chosen topic. They can also suggest free topics in your area of study if you haven’t selected a topic. Order free topics here or get a quote for our proposal writing service here.

Select a Topic

Selecting an appropriate topic is the key to having your research work recognised in your field of study. Make sure your chosen topic is relevant, interesting, and manageable.

Ideally, you would want to research a topic that previous researchers have not explored so you can contribute to knowledge on the academic subject.

But even if your topic has been well-researched previously, you can make your study stand out by tweaking the research design and research questions to add a new dimension to your research.

How to Choose a Suitable Research Topic

Here are some guidelines on how to choose a suitable research topic.

List all the topics that you find interesting and relevant to your area of study. PhD and MaMasters’sevel students are already well aware of their academic interests.

Bachelor students can consider unanswered questions that emerged from their past academic assignments and drove them to conduct a detailed investigation to find answers.

Follow this process, and you’ll be able to choose the most appropriate topic for your research. Not only will this make your dissertation unique, but it also increases the chances of your proposal being accepted in the first attempt.

Think about all your past academic achievements and associations, such as any research notes you might have written for your classes, any unsettled questions from your previous academic assignments that left you wondering, and the material you learned in classes taught by professors.
For example , you learned about how natural gas is supplied to households in the UK in one of your coursework assignments and now eagerly wish to know exactly how natural gas is processed at an industrial scale.

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Conduct initial research on your chosen topic(s). This will include reading authentic text material on the topic(s) to familiarise yourself with each potential topic. Doing so will help you figure out whether there really is a need to investigate your selected topics further.

Visit your university’s library or online academic databases such as ProQuest, EBSCO, QuickBase to find articles, journals, books, peer-reviewed articles, and thesis/dissertation papers (by other students) written on your possible research topic .

Ignore all academic sources that you find methodologically flawed or obsolete. Visit our online research topics library to choose a topic relevant to your interests .

Consult your academic supervisor and show them your list of potential topics. Their advice will be crucial for deciding whether the topic you are interested in is appropriate and meets your degree program requirements.

It is recommended to set up an appointment with your supervisor to see them in person to discuss your potential topics, even though you can do the same in email too.

If the topics you are interested in are too broad or lack focus, your supervisor will be able to guide you towards academic sources that could help narrow down your research.
Having several topics in your list of potential topics will mean that you will have something to fall back onto if they don’t approve your first choice.

Narrow the Focus of your Research – Once a topic has been mutually agreed upon between you and your academic supervisor, it is time to narrow down the focus. Hence, your research explores an aspect of the topic that has not been investigated before.

Spend as much time as possible examining different aspects of the topic to establish a research aim that would truly add value to the existing knowledge.

For example, you were initially interested in studying the different natural gas process techniques in the UK on an industrial scale. But you noticed that the existing literature doesn’t count for one advanced gas processing method that helps the industry save millions of pounds every year. Hence, you decide to make that the focus of your research.
Your topic could be too broad as you start your research, but as you dig deep into your research, the topic will continue to narrow and evolve. TIP – It is better to work on a topic that is too broad rather than on something there is not enough text material to work with.

Structure of a Dissertation Proposal

The key elements of a great dissertation proposal are explained in detail under this section ‘structure of a dissertation proposal’. Once you’ve finalised your topic, you need to switch to writing your dissertation proposal paper quickly. As previously mentioned, your proposal paper’s exact structure may vary depending on your university/college requirements.

A good dissertation proposal title will give the reader an insight into the aim/idea of your study. Describe the purpose and/or contents of your dissertation proposal paper in the fewest possible words.

A concise and focused title will help you gain the attention of the readers. However, you might need to adjust your title several times as you write the paper because your comprehensive research might continue to add new dimensions to your study.

Your title must be as categorical as possible. For example, instead of “Natural Gas Processing Techniques in the UK”, use a more specific title like “Investigating various industrial natural gas processing technologies employed in the UK” so the reader can understand exactly what your research is about.

Write a brief executive summary or an abstract of your proposal if you have been asked to do so in the structural guidelines. Generally, the abstract is included in the final dissertation paper with a length of around 300-400 words.

If you have to write an abstract for your proposal, here are the key points that it must cover;

The background to your research.
Research questions that you wish to address.
Your proposed methods of research, which will either test the hypothesis or address the research problem.
The significance of your research as to how it will add value to the scientific or academic community.

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Introduction

This is your first chance to make a strong impression on the reader. Not only your introduction section should be engaging, contextually, but it is also supposed to provide a background to the topic and explain the thesis problem .

Here is what the first paragraph of the introduction section should include:

Explain your research idea and present a clear understanding as to why you’ve chosen this topic.
Present a summary of the scope of your research study, taking into account the existing literature.
Briefly describe the issues and specific problems your research aims to address!

In the next paragraphs, summarise the statement of the problem . Explain what gap in the existing knowledge your research will fill and how your work will prove significant in your area of study.

For example, the focus of your research could be the stage of carbon monoxide removal from natural gas. Still, other similar studies do not sufficiently explore this aspect of natural gas processing technology.

Here is a comprehensive article on “ How to Write Introduction for Dissertation Paper .”

Aim & Objectives

This is the most critical section of the proposal paper . List the research questions or the research objectives your study will address. When writing this particular section, it will make sense to think of the following questions:

Are there any specific findings that you are expecting?
What aspects of the topic have you decided not to investigate and why?
How will your research contribute to the existing knowledge in your field?

Literature Review

The literature review section is your chance to state the key established research trends, hypotheses , and theories on the subject. Demonstrate to the reader that your research is a unique contribution to your field because it explores the topic from a new angle.

In a dissertation proposal, you won’t be expected to provide an extensive list of all previous research studies on the topic. Still, all the key theories reported by other scholars should be briefly referred to.

Take into consideration the following when writing the literature review section:

The gaps identified in the previous research studies on the topic which your own research aims to fill. State the limitations of previous studies, whether lacking sufficient evidence, invalid, or too broad.
The key established research trends, theories, and hypotheses as reported by other researchers.
Any specific arguments and/or methodologies that previous scholars used when investigating your topic.

Our expert dissertation proposal editors can improve the quality of your proposal paper to the First Class standard. Complete this short and simple order form here so we can get feedback from our writers.

Methodology

A focused and well-defined methodology in a proposal paper can help you explain to your readers how you plan to conduct your research and why your chosen research design can provide reliable answers to your research questions.

The choice of research design and analytical approach will depend on several factors, including but not limited to your area of study and research constraints.

Depending on your topic and the existing literature, you will need to decide whether your dissertation will be purely descriptive or use primary (quantitative/qualitative data) as part of the research design.

Any research limitations and ethical issues that you expect to deal with should be clearly stated. For example, you might not be able to use a large sample size of respondents due to financial constraints. Small sample size can undermine your research significance.

How to Write a First Class Dissertation Proposal or Research Proposal.

“If you’re unable to pull off a first-class proposal, we’re here to help. We at ResearchProspect make sure that our writers prepare a flawless dissertation proposal for you. Our highly qualified team of writers will also help you choose a relevant topic for your subject area. Get in touch with us today, and let us take care of all your dissertation worries! Learn more about our dissertation proposal writing service.

Some Masters and PhD level degree programs require students to include a project timeline or timetable to give readers an idea of how and when they plan to complete different stages of the project.

Project timeline can be a great planning tool, mainly if your research includes experiments, statistical analysis , designing, and primary data collection. However, it may have to be modified slightly as you progress into your research.

By no means is it a fixed program for carrying out your work. When developing the project timeline in your proposal, always consider the time needed for practical aspects of the research, such as travelling, experiments, and fieldwork.

Referencing and In-Text Citations

Underrated, but referencing is one of the most crucial aspects of preparing a proposal. You can think of your proposal as the first impression of your dissertation.

You would want everything to be perfect and in place, wouldn’t you? Thus, always make sure that your dissertation consists of all the necessary elements.

You will have to cite information and data that you include in your dissertation. So make sure that the references that you include are credible and authentic.

You can use well-known academic journals, official websites, past researches, and concepts presented by renowned authors and writers in the respective field.

The same rule applies to in-text citations. Make sure that you cite references accurately according to the required referencing style as mentioned in the guidelines.

References should back statistics, facts, and figures at all times. It is highly recommended to back every 100-200 words written with at least one academic reference. The quantity of references does not matter; however, the quality does.

These are the basic elements of a dissertation proposal. Taking care of all these sections will help you when you are confused about structuring a dissertation proposal. In addition to these steps, look for different dissertation proposal examples on your research topic. A sample dissertation proposal paper can provide a clear understanding of how to go about the “pro”osal stage” of”the dissertation project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dissertation proposal in research.

A dissertation proposal in research outlines the planned study. It includes research objectives, methods, scope, and significance. It’s a blueprint that demonstrates the feasibility and value of the research, helping gain approval before proceeding with the full dissertation.

How do you write a dissertation proposal?

A dissertation proposal outlines your research topic, objectives, methodology, and potential significance. Start with a clear title, state your research question, detail the methods you will use to answer it, and highlight the contribution it will make to the field. Ensure it is well-researched, concise, and compelling to gain approval.

How long is a dissertation proposal?

A dissertation proposal’s length varies by field and institution. Typically, it ranges from 10 to 20 pages, but can be longer for complex topics. It includes an introduction, research question, literature review, methodology, and potential significance. Always consult department guidelines or advisors to ensure appropriate length and content.

What are the types of dissertation proposals?

Dissertation proposal types largely depend on the research’s nature and methodology. Common types include empirical (collecting data from the real world), non-empirical (theory or literature-based), and narrative (case studies). Each type dictates a different approach to data collection, analysis, and presentation, tailored to the subject and field of study.

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Resource focus

The aim of this handout is to provide a general introduction to the skills required when writing a proposal for your undergraduate dissertation or independent research project. The examples in this handout use the APA 7 th edition referencing style.

What is a dissertation?

Also called an independent research project, a dissertation is a piece of original research on a topic, closely related to your degree, in which you are particularly interested!
It is normally the longest piece of work you will complete during your undergraduate study.
Unlike most other modules, which have taught content, research projects are completed more independently , with support from a supervisor from your course.

What is a dissertation proposal?

One of the first stages in the dissertation process.
A piece of work in which you present your research ideas, and plan out your dissertation project, before carrying out the research!

What are the benefits of writing a dissertation proposal?

Proposals give you the opportunity to evaluate your dissertation plans before embarking on extensive research. They enable you to receive feedback on the following:

Whether your project is practicable . Do you have the skills, knowledge and time required to carry out your proposed project?
Whether your research project will address your chosen research question.
Whether it will meet university requirements for an undergraduate dissertation (Greetham, 2019, p. 128).

Before writing your dissertation proposal: To-do list

Familiarise yourself with the requirements and guidelines for dissertation work; these may be university-wide or specific to your subject discipline.
Identify a good study-skills book to guide you step-by-step through the dissertation writing process (see ‘Sources and Further Reading' below).
Identify your overall area of proposed research or research topic.
Carry out a preliminary literature review to become familiar with the knowledge available on your topic, and to identify a research gap or problem that you will address ( see the CAW handout, ‘Writing a Literature Review’, to help with this ).
Work to develop your initial ideas surrounding your proposed project. You will want to think about:
What you want to investigate (Read on to think about how you might define your project).
How you are going to find the information you need.
What the likely significance of your findings will be.

What might you include in your dissertation proposal?

(Adapted from Greetham, 2009, p. 134).

Before you continue

The requirements of your dissertation (and your dissertation proposal) will vary widely between different disciplines. Whilst this handout offers general guidance, it is very important that you follow your brief, and your departmental guidelines, as carefully as you can, to ensure that you include all necessary requirements.

A dissertation proposal typically includes the following elements:

One part of your proposal will involve formulating the proposed title of your research. The title might include

The main subject of your research (what is the thing being examined?)
The scope of your research (how much of the subject area is being examined?)
The methodological approach of your research (with what research method are you examining this subject?)

The impact of understanding of English grammar on academic success: A quantitative analysis of first year student assessments in Coventry University’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

In this example we can see that the subject of the research has been introduced (undergraduate understanding of English grammar), and the scope has been narrowed to make this a feasible study (first-year student assessments within a particular faculty at Coventry University). The study’s method has also been briefly introduced (quantitative).

Outline of the problem

Research projects typically work to identify and then solve a particular problem, or to address a research gap . In the outline you will describe this problem or gap, which helps you to justify your project!

Example problem

University students’ understanding of English grammar is impeding the marks they receive for assignments.

Based on the problem you have identified, your proposal will need to clearly set out your dissertation’s aims in response to this problem. The proposal will need to consider

The purpose of your research. What does it aim to do to solve your problem?
The main research questions that will be investigated to solve the problem.

Example aim

In order to further understand the relationship between undergraduate understanding of grammatical rules and marks received, the proposed dissertation performs a quantitative analysis on a sample of Coventry University first years within the faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Example research question

How does student understanding of English grammar impact marks received for assignments?

Your objectives are the achievable project activities you plan to complete in order to fulfil your aims and answer your research question. When formulating your objectives, it can help to break up your research questions into smaller sub-questions.

Example sub-questions

What grammar rules cause students particular problems?
How do we measure student understanding of such grammar rules?
Does a significant correlation exist between student understanding of such rules, and academic success?
Can we identify a causal link between understanding of grammar rules, and academic success?

Whilst there are many possible sub-questions we might ask to help us break down the overall research question, we can see how these example questions make it a little easier to define what will be done over the course of the research:

Example objectives

To assess the level of the sampled students’ understanding of grammatical rules through a comprehensive survey.
To determine whether there is a correlation between the sampled students’ understanding of grammatical rules and academic success, by establishing whether there is a significant relationship between grammar errors and marks received for relevant assessments.
To identify particular grammatical rules causing difficulty to sampled students and consider possible contributing factors.

We can see that whilst the aims are more general , the example objectives plan out more exactly the tasks that the research will complete.

Present an overview of current academic thinking on your topic. Some departments may refer to this section as a literature review. You will want to consider the following questions:

What do relevant research and publications say about your topic or problem?
What are the main themes and issues that can be identified in current literature?
What are the main academic perspectives around your chosen topic?
Are there any research gaps you intend to fill?

Example of ways to summarise previous research:

Recent research generally agrees that […] , with previous findings typically focussing on three main themes: […].
Authors X and Y suggest that […], whilst author Z argues for […].

Examples of ways to introduce the limitations of previous research:

However, whilst such studies consistently agree that […], these studies have not dealt with […] in much detail.
Whilst data exists for such a claim, this data is now over X years old and it is important to determine whether it is still accurate.
A significant problem with the research on […] is […].
One major limitation of the study design is that […] .

Examples of ways to introduce and respond to a research gap:

No previous study has examined […] in sufficient detail. The present study aims to address this gap within the literature, considering […]
More up-to-date research is required to assess whether the findings from previous research remains consistent. The present study consequently aims to do so […]
To mitigate the methodological issues of previous research, the present study is designed to […]

Research methodology (if appropriate)

If this element is required, you will need to explain the methods you will use to collect information in your dissertation, and explain how they allow you to achieve your aims and objectives :

Identify the activities you plan to carry out. Think about how, exactly, you will complete your research objectives.
Identify any equipment you may need.
Identify any anticipated project costs.
Explain how you propose to address anticipated problems and ethical issues.
Assess your approach for reliability and validity.
Identify how you are going to allocate time to the required project activities.
You might be expected to plan out or visualise the timeline for your project, either through a bar chart or a Gantt chart. You will want to show the sequence of project activities and deadlines for their completion.

Provisional outline of dissertation structure

Outline the proposed chapter headings and subheadings of your dissertation. This will give structure to your work by providing you with a plan for your writing.
State what the significance of the outcome of your research is likely to be.
What will it contribute to the body of knowledge and how might it influence future research?
Relate your conclusions back to your research aims and objectives .
Compile a List of References for everything cited in the proposal, adhering to the referencing style used in your department.

Discuss your dissertation proposal with your supervisor and be prepared to revise it . Good research takes work!

Keep it by you and consult it as you carry out your project work.

General References and Further Reading

Durdella, N. (2019). Qualitative dissertation methodology: A guide for research design and methods . Sage Publications.

Greetham, B. (2019). How to write your undergraduate dissertation. Red Globe Press. (Chapter 16, ‘Planning your research’, is highly recommended)

Sage Publications. (2018). Sage Research Methods [database]. https://methods.sagepub.com/ (A great resource providing access to lots of texts, sources, and advice regarding all kinds of research methods)

Slapin, J. (2017). Fundamentals of Quantitative Text Analysis [video series] . Sage Research Methods. https://methods.sagepub.com/Search/Results

Terrell, S. R. (2016). Writing a proposal for your dissertation: Guidelines and examples. The Guilford Press.

Wisker, G. (2019). The undergraduate research handbook. Red Globe Press.

To cite this resource:

Coventry University. (2023). Writing a proposal for an undergraduate dissertation or independent research project [Resource]. Centre for Academic Writing.

Subject Specific References and Further Reading

Breach, M. (2008). Dissertation Writing for Engineers and Scientists. Pearson Education.

Bordon, I., & Rüedi, K. (2014). The dissertation: A guide for architecture students. Routledge.

Durkin, D. B. (2021). Writing strategies for the education dissertation. Routledge.

Fisher, C. (2010). Researching and writing a dissertation: A guidebook for business students. Pearson Education.

Glasper, E. A., & Rees, C. (2013). How to write your nursing dissertation. Wiley-Blackwell.

Jegede, J., Hargreaves, C., Smith, K., Hodgson, P., Todd, M. J., & Waldman Abingdon, J. (2020). Writing successful undergraduate dissertations in social sciences: A student’s handbook. Routledge.

Lammasniemi, L. (2021). Law dissertations: A step-by-step guide. Routledge.

Naoum. S. G. (2019). Dissertation research and writing for built environment students. Routledge.

Seligman, R. A. (2023). A student guide to writing an undergraduate psychology honors thesis. Routledge.

Parsons, T., & Knight, P. G. (2015). How to do your dissertation in geography and related disciplines. Routledge.

Paterson, A. (2016). Research methods for accounting and finance: a guide to writing your dissertation. Goodfellow Publishers.

Walliman, N. & Appleton, J. (2009). Your undergraduate dissertation in health and social care. SAGE Publications.

Young, S. (2022). How to write your undergraduate dissertation in criminology. Milton.

Further Support

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing, including Writing your Dissertation or Final Year Project workshop. To view available workshops and book online, visit:  https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw   

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome   

To view your disciplinary subject guide, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/subjects

To find who your subject Academic Liaison Librarian is, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/ALL    

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How to Design, Write, and Present a Successful Dissertation Proposal

Elizabeth A. Wentz - Arizona State University, USA
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See what’s new to this edition by selecting the Features tab on this page. Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email [email protected] . Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html .

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“Excellent book for a doctoral and/or orientation program.”

“The inclusion of the author’s personal anecdotes brings the text to the student in a friendly manner.”

“The activities to help students conceptualize the major elements of an effective proposal will be well received by graduate students at the master’s and doctoral levels.”

“After reading MANY books on the dissertation process, I was still as confused and frustrated as before reading them, as they were not very helpful. Most of them just broadly mention the content of the chapters without going into details. Fortunately, I came across the reference for your book, How to Design, Write and Present a Successful Dissertation Proposal. I was amazed. I am gaining so much insight on the process of writing the proposal. I like your approach in this book. In addition to your very clear explanation of the process and suggestions, the To Do List , Quick Task and Action Item are great guides in helping me to think through what I am doing.”

This is a great text for geography graduate students. It provided the framework for my graduate course on research and writing and is a great source for class exercises that I successfully implemented in my course.

I teach a methods course for doctoral students. This book was very appropriate for students this semester.

Practical and helpful for students moving into dissertation stage

KEY FEATURES:

Guidance on how to analyze the dissertation proposal draft , both in terms of content and style to help students fine-tune their final proposal.
In-depth literature review section goes beyond simply describing what a literature review is by providing concrete information on how to structure a review of the literature.
A unique activity works to help students understand the types and ranges of research questions and to evaluate what makes a research question good or bad.
Coverage of the academic village describes the structure of the university and the career stages of professors, demonstrating how they can potentially affect graduate student success.

For instructors

Select a purchasing option.

This title is also available on SAGE Research Methods , the ultimate digital methods library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial .

Step-by-step guide for writing a dissertation proposal in 2024

Table of contents, introduction.

Dissertation s can be difficult to work with as they are major tasks, regardless of whether it may be your first or tenth academic endeavor. Setting out to complete a dissertation first requires the drafting of a dissertation proposal. The proposal represents the first major milestone to be achieved in this context. What are the main steps for writing a dissertation proposal? This article explains the relevance of a proposal as well as the major elements involved in its drafting.

This Article Covers:

What is a dissertation proposal, how long should a dissertation proposal be.

Steps for Writing a Dissertation Proposal

A dissertation proposal sets a researcher’s objectives for an innovative research study. The proposal serves as a blueprint for the entire project, drawing out its framework, relevance, and strategy proposed for its completion. Proposals can also be drafted as a request for funding; hence, it is essential to be as specific as possible regarding your research goals.

During the research process, you may find yourself deviating from what you wrote in the proposal. That’s fine, too, because the proposal serves as the first draft of your research proposal. Deviation occurs as a result of trial and error, which is perfectly acceptable in research. It’s fine if you haven’t worked out all the details yet!

The originality of your study concept, its larger significance within your chosen field, and the research questions themselves are the various elements that must be decided upon during the drafting of the proposal itself.

There are no strict guidelines when it comes to the length of a dissertation proposal. Regardless, it is important to check whether the university has any restrictions in relation to the page length or total word count.

It is imperative to chart out a plan for your dissertation proposal. While the length is not as important, the conciseness and clarity of the proposal are extremely important to maintain. While dissertation proposals are all generally over 10 pages long, they tend not to exceed 20 pages.

Steps for Writing a Dissertation Proposal–

Step 1. Coming up with an Idea

Before the drafting of your dissertat ion, it is always essential to come up with a good dissertation idea for the proposal.

To this end, find a topic in your field that fascinates you and conduct some basic research on it. What are the key aspects that other researchers are concerned about? What do they recommend for future research? What do you think is a particularly interesting gap in the field?

After landing on an idea, consider how you may narrow down on the specifics and develop a structure associated with it. Don’t be overly ambitious or vague with your dissertation topic – it must be detailed enough to be feasible.

Move from a broad range of interests to a specific niche. For instance, like so:

Step 2. Present your Idea in the Introduction

Much like most academic papers, a dissertation proposal begins with an introduction. The introduction includes an explanation of the research topic, provides relevant background information, and presents the goals, objectives, and research question(s) of the proposed dissertation.

Write regarding the core of your chosen topic: What is at stake in your research? What makes it interesting? Ensure that you are not carried away with generalizations or grand statements. It is important to be specific and appeal to the stakeholders in the field of your study with its relevance.

Apart from dissertations that are completely exploratory in their design, all information corresponding with the focus of the research must be supported by contextual information. This background information is necessary to ensure that the readers understand the proposed questions within the dissertation. The context also informs the reader regarding the contemporary state of the study subject as well as the latest debates concerning the issue as well. Furthermore, it indicates how your dissertation shall contribute to the field.

Rather than divulging all the details of the context through the use of a literature review, ensure that only a general overview of the relevant debates and viewpoints are included in the draft of your dissertation proposal.

The context then leads to the most important section of the introduction: your aim, objectives, and research question(s), which must easily be recognized and stand out from the rest of the content in the proposal. Some researchers make use of bullet points or bolder fonts to do so.

Ensure the specificity and feasibility of your research questions so that they may be answered within the scope of your dissertation and the resources available to you. A very broad research question or multiple questions are generally avoided as they result in a host of limitations.

While formulating your research questions, bear in mind that the goal of a dissertation proposal is to convince the reader that your proposed work is valuable and feasible.

Step 3. Focus on Related Research

Now that you’ve decided on a topic, it’s time to go through existing research that has focused on ideas similar to yours. This is important as it will reveal the limitations and gaps in other works of research in relation to the subject. Furthermore, a literature review ensures that you are not asking a question that has already been answered.

You’ve undoubtedly done some preliminary reading already, but now that your topic is more clearly defined, you’ll need to analyze and evaluate the most relevant sources in your literature review.

Here, you should summarize the findings reached by previous researchers and comment on any gaps or limitations identified in their studies. There may be an abundance of research to discuss; hence, ensure that you paraphrase and summarize to keep your writing concise.

The literature review aims to identify the findings and theories that will inform your own research, in addition to commenting on the gaps and limitations in previous research that your dissertation may address.

Step 4. Describe your Methodology

After establishing context, it is important to explain the proposed methodology, which entails the specific procedures involved in the research, the structure of your study, and the methods of data collection and analysis applied in the study.

This approach requires a significant amount of specificity – you need to convince your supervisor that you’ve thought through your approach to the research and are capable of carrying it out. Based on the topic of your study, this section will appear different in terms of structure and length.

For instance, you may be working on empirical research, where you need to collect data and uncover new information; or you may be undertaking theoretical research, where you try to build a new conceptual model or add further nuances to an existing one.

While both approaches have been employed in dissertation research, the content of your methodology section differs based on the relevance of each approach to your dissertation.

Empirical Research

Within empirical research, gathering new data and carrying out data analysis is imperative to address your research questions. Your empirical research may be quantitative (statistics-based), qualitative (words and meanings-based), or a combination of the two (mixed-methods).

When conducting empirical research, it is critical to chart out exactly how the data will be obtained. Here are some pointers to bear in mind in this context:

How are the data obtained – using surveys, lab experiments, interviews, or other methods?
What factors are you going to measure?
What method will you use to choose a representative sample?
What measures will you take to ensure that individuals who participate in your research are treated ethically?
What tools (both conceptual and physical) do you intend to use? How is their use justified in this study?

Empirical studies can cite other works of research or mention a text that describes the advantages and proper use of a particular research method or tool that shall support your choice of the same.

Rather than reiterating the entirety of the theoretical literature, only explain portions that are relevant to your selection of methods or methodologies.

Furthermore, after data collection, the analysis comprises the very next step. Although the data to be collected may not be familiar to the researcher, it is important to know at least the type of information that is being sought as well as the means that shall be used to obtain it (e.g. statistical tests, thematic analysis, etc.).

Theoretical Research

Theoretical research can be carried out without the need for collecting new data. In such a case, the section devoted to methodology will be more focused on the theory to be used within your dissertation – herein, a brief explanation of the relevant conceptual models and the approach to be followed should be provided.

For example, a dissertation that considers a literary analysis as core to its research methodology typically does not require the collection of fresh data. However, it remains important to describe the theoretical approach to the text(s) under consideration, as well as specify the parts of the text(s) that you intend to focus on.

The very theories that were discussed in the literature review can be used in the proposal. In this context, the focus is on how you intend to incorporate the contributions of previous theorists in your own study.

Step 5. Outlining the Potential Implications of your Research

In most cases, your dissertation proposal ends with a section that lists the goals you wish to accomplish with your study.

It is impossible to be completely sure of what your findings and conclusions would be. Rather than assuming them, you may discuss the predicted implications of your dissertation and its contribution to knowledge.

What are the implications of your research? Do you intend to:

Develop or test a theory?
Provide governments or companies with new data?
Challenge a commonly held belief?
Make recommendations for the improvement of a specific process?

The potential implications include the theoretical or practical impacts of your dissertation as well. Finally, it is good practice to briefly explain the contribution you intend to make to the overarching base of knowledge relevant to the study subject, the specific question(s) you intend to answer, and the research gap that this initiative intend to fill.

Step 6. Reference List or Bibliography

As with any piece of academic writing, it is crucial that your dissertation proposal clearly mentions all the sourced used within it. At the very end of your proposal, a properly formatted reference list or bibliography must be added.

Various institutions recommend differing referencing styles, the most popular of which are Harvard, Vancouver, APA, and MHRA. If your department does not provide you any specific guidelines, choose a style and adhere to it consistently.

A reference list must only contain the sources references within your proposal. On the other hand, a bibliography may include any source you have used to prepare the proposal, regardless of whether or not you have included information from the source in the text of your dissertation proposal. A bibliography may also be an indicative bibliography, which includes significant materials that you have not yet read but intend to use during the research process.

Consult your supervisor regarding the type of bibliography or reference list to be used in your proposal draft.

To Conclude

We hope that you found this detailed step-by-step guide on how to write a dissertation proposal useful enough to have set you on your way to writing the most interesting dissertation you can manage.

We have also put together a checklist for you to evaluate whether your dissertation proposal meets the conventions and guidelines provided by your university.

While you’re at it, keep an eye out for our blog piece on some detailed guidelines and ideas that will assist you throughout your dissertation writing process. Visit our website to know more! -Click Here!

-Isabell S.

Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

Dissertation structure and layout - the basics

The Caveat

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

Acknowledgements page
Abstract (or executive summary)
Table of contents , list of figures and tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature review
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Results
Chapter 5: Discussion
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

A dissertation's structure reflect the research process

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
How does your research contribute something original?
How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the Grad Coach Blog .

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our dissertation mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project.

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis

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How To Write A Dissertation Proposal For A Research Paper?
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How to Write a Dissertation Proposal

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How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis Proposal
Learn how to write a research proposal or prospectus for your thesis or dissertation, with examples and templates. Find out what to include, how to structure it, and what questions to answer.
How To Write A Research Proposal (With Examples)
A guide to writing a winning research proposal for a dissertation or thesis, with examples and tips. Learn the 5 essential ingredients of a research proposal, how to structure it in a concise format, and how to persuade the assessor that your research is worth doing.
How to Write a Dissertation Proposal
Learn how to write a dissertation proposal that describes your research topic, aims, methodology and implications. Follow six steps with examples and tips for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
What Is A Research Proposal? Examples + Template
As you write up your research proposal, remember the all-important core purpose: to convince. Your research proposal needs to sell your study in terms of suitability and viability. So, focus on crafting a convincing narrative to ensure a strong proposal. At the same time, pay close attention to your university's requirements.
How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis
A step-by-step guide to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, from finding a unique and valuable research topic to writing a convincing research proposal. Learn the key attributes of a good research topic, how to conduct a literature review, and how to design a rigorous research strategy and methodology.
How to Write a Research Proposal
A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it's important, and how you will conduct your research. Learn the purpose, format, structure, and tips for writing a research proposal with examples and templates. Download a free APA citation generator and a research schedule template.
Dissertation Proposal
Learn how to write a dissertation proposal for the GSE doctoral program, including the format, committee, hearing, and printing credit. Find the requirements, deadlines, and resources for each milestone of the dissertation process.
How to Write a Dissertation Proposal
Learn how to write a dissertation proposal for a taught or research masters course, or a PhD level course. Find out what to include, how to structure it, and how to plan your research. Get tips on choosing a topic, narrowing it down, and writing a clear and concise proposal.
What Is a Dissertation?
A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...
Writing a Dissertation: A Complete Guide
A dissertation is a lengthy research paper written as a requirement to earn an academic degree. Typically, students must write a dissertation toward the end of their program to both prove their knowledge and contribute new research to their field. The term dissertation is sometimes used interchangeably with thesis paper.
Dissertations 1: Getting Started: Writing A Proposal
The purpose of a dissertation proposal is to provide a snapshot of what your study involves. Usually, after submission of the proposal you will be assigned a supervisor who has some expertise in your field of study. You should receive feedback on the viability of the topic, how to focus the scope, research methods, and other issues you should ...
How to Write a Dissertation Proposal with Structure & Steps
A dissertation proposal is a document that informs the reader of the aim, objectives, and course of action of your research. Learn how to structure a dissertation proposal paper with tips, guidelines, and examples for different academic levels and subjects. Find out how to choose a suitable topic, format your paper, and submit it for approval.
How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis (With
Learn how to write a rock-solid dissertation proposal, thesis proposal, or research proposal in this step by step tutorial, including practical examples. We...
PDF Thesis & Dissertation Proposal Guide
your thesis proposal. Here are a few tips: Always keep full bibliographic information (author, title, place and date of publication) for each source you read. Write a full bibliographic reference on the first page of each article you photocopy. Keep a running bibliography up to date. Use a good bibliographic word-processing package; a librarian ...
How to Write a Thesis Proposal, Thesis Proposal Outline
Gather all the necessary information before you start writing, and stick to formats that highlight the value of your proposal. The usual flow of writing a thesis proposal is as follows. 1. Outline. Start by coming up with a detailed description of the major points you'll be making in your thesis. 2.
How to write a dissertation proposal
To help guard you from criticism when your work is marked, it should also cover any expected limitations in your research, ethical considerations and reasons for your choice of data sample. A dissertation proposal will usually comprise the following sections: Introduction. Main body, comprised of: o Methodology. o Aims and objectives.
LibGuides: CAW LibGuides: Writing a Dissertation Proposal
Before writing your dissertation proposal: To-do list. Familiarise yourself with the requirements and guidelines for dissertation work; these may be university-wide or specific to your subject discipline. Identify a good study-skills book to guide you step-by-step through the dissertation writing process (see 'Sources and Further Reading' below).
How to Write a Thesis Proposal
Your first step is probably finding an appealing place to build your house—an empty plot of land where the roads are good and where you can pretty easily connect the gas, electricity, and water. Step two is drawing up a blueprint for what you plan to build. If a thesis is a house, then a thesis proposal is your blueprint.
How to Design, Write, and Present a Successful Dissertation Proposal
KEY FEATURES: Guidance on how to analyze the dissertation proposal draft, both in terms of content and style to help students fine-tune their final proposal.; In-depth literature review section goes beyond simply describing what a literature review is by providing concrete information on how to structure a review of the literature.; A unique activity works to help students understand the types ...
Research Proposal Example (PDF + Template)
Proposal template (Fully editable) If you're working on a research proposal for a dissertation or thesis, you may also find the following useful: Research Proposal Bootcamp: Learn how to write a research proposal as efficiently and effectively as possible; 1:1 Proposal Coaching: Get hands-on help with your research proposal
What Is Dissertation Proposal And How to Write It Step By Step?
Steps for Writing a Dissertation Proposal-. Steps for writing a Dissertation Proposal. Step 1. Coming up with an Idea. Before the drafting of your dissertat ion, it is always essential to come up with a good dissertation idea for the proposal. To this end, find a topic in your field that fascinates you and conduct some basic research on it.
How to write a first-class dissertation proposal
Writing a dissertation proposal is a significant and challenging task. Challenging because you must write a proposal that will persuade and convince the assessor to approve your research idea.
Dissertation Structure & Layout 101 (+ Examples)
Learn how to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project with this guide. It covers the generic structure and layout of each chapter, from the title page to the conclusion, and the core contents of each section. It also provides tips and examples for writing a strong abstract, methodology, results and discussion.
How to write Research Proposal I Student Assignment Support I ...
Dive into the art and science of crafting an impactful research proposal! Discover the step-by-step process of setting SMART objectives, conducting a compreh...
How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis
胖胖虎不胖胖. How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis共计14条视频，包括：How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis (With Examples)、How To Write A Research Proposal 101 The What, Why & How (With Examples)、Research Proposal Examples & Samples (Masters & PhD) + Free Proposal Template等 ...

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What is a dissertation proposal?

Why is a dissertation proposal important?

How to begin your dissertation proposal

1. Narrow the topic down

How do I decide on a dissertation topic?

Keep track of all publications

How long should the dissertation proposal be?

2. What should I include in a dissertation proposal?

Dissertation methodology

Constraints and limitations of your research

3. Dissertation proposal example

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What is a Proposal?

Reading for your Proposal

Proposal Structure

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How to Write a Dissertation Proposal with Structure & Steps

Tips on Completing a Dissertation Proposal in Due Time

Look for Proposal Structural Requirements in the Guidelines

Project Schedule

How Long is a Dissertation Proposal?

The proposals we write have:

Dissertation Proposal Formatting

Find out About the Approval Criteria

Select a Topic

How to Choose a Suitable Research Topic

Structure of a Dissertation Proposal

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Introduction

Aim & Objectives

Literature Review

Methodology

Referencing and In-Text Citations

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a dissertation proposal?

How long is a dissertation proposal?

What are the types of dissertation proposals?

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CAW LibGuides: Writing a Dissertation Proposal

Writing a Dissertation Proposal

Resource focus

What is a dissertation?

What is a dissertation proposal?

What are the benefits of writing a dissertation proposal?

Before writing your dissertation proposal: To-do list

What might you include in your dissertation proposal?

Before you continue

A dissertation proposal typically includes the following elements:

The Caveat