What is a dissertation proposal?
The research proposal for your dissertation may also be called a research plan. It describes what or who you want to examine, why, when, where and how.
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Problem statement example
After you’ve read our guides to defining a research problem and writing a problem statement, take a look at the full-length example to see how you can fit all the parts together.
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How to write a dissertation proposal
Before you start writing your dissertation, you will need to create a plan – which is often referred to as a research proposal.
Having a good proposal is half the battle, as it’s the thread that you will follow throughout the writing process!
The main goal of the dissertation proposal is to describe what you are going to investigate and how you will do so.
It should include a review of the literature, a problem statement and research question, your research methodology, and the main sources and references you will use.
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Methodology of your dissertation
The methodology of your dissertation describes how you will carry out your investigation. For example, are you going to use a survey or will you stick to a literature review?
Your goal is to answer the question: “How can the research best be done?”
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How to create a research design
A research design (or research strategy) describes how you will approach the investigation for your dissertation. It constitutes part of your research proposal.
Before you can create a research design, you first need to formulate a problem statement, a main research question and sub-questions. So, first define the problem.
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Formulating hypotheses in your dissertation
Hypotheses are helpful if your dissertation involves determining whether a specific prediction about the relationship between variables is correct. They often take the place of sub-questions.
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Purpose and structure of an advisory report
Some dissertations include a separate advisory report that is specifically designed for a company or organization that wants to act on the author’s advice.
An advisory report should be centered on opinions that are well substantiated – which means it’s more than just the list of recommendations that you include in the main body of your dissertation. You also need to weigh the recommendations against each other and elaborate the consequences that each will have for your “client.”
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Recommendations for a client
If you have done research for a client company or organization, you should include recommendations for action in relation to the problem you investigated. Based on the findings of your research, what specific solutions are possible and what measures should the client implement?
Recommendations are generally included at the very end of your conclusion chapter. If your client prefers, you can also present them in a separate advisory report.
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Dissertation results section
Once you’ve finished collecting and analyzing your data, you can begin writing up the results section of your dissertation. This is where you report the main findings of your research and briefly observe how they relate to your research questions or hypotheses.
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Example of APA Style: Survey
If you’re referring to your own survey (and its results), you don’t normally need to use a formal APA Style citation. What you do instead depends on which of the following is true:
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