HINTS IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE A PROPOSAL FOR A THESIS

You must start with your idea for a thesis, which you will discuss, with your professor. You need to read upon on successful theses on the topic and agreement you have chosen. Take to read up and prepare your ideas. Then you need to write a proposal for a thesis and discuss it with your professor. This will be like an outline of the research you intend to undertake. The aim of the proposal is to establish that the thesis and arguments are feasible and worthwhile.

 

The structure for a proposal is in this order:

  •  Title page with a short explanatory title and your name and department.
  •  The Abstract  of 200 words which is a brief summary of your thesis proposal.
  •   A table of contents listing headings and subheadings with page numbers.
  •  An Introduction and thesis statement, which must engage the reader’s interest.
  • The approach and the method you intend to use, how much data will be collected.
  •  Preliminary results obtained  and discussion.
  •  A  Work plan including timetable, list the stages of the project, include deadlines.
  • The  Implications of the  research you intend to undertake. What will it tell us that we don’t already know?
  •   A  List of references and sources. Cite all data which us not your own. All authors could be named , their article and page number and date of publication.

The order in which you write the proposal. Quite often you have to write the abstract having obtained some of the results and many people write the introduction last having worked out the direction of the thesis and its arguments.

Make sure you figures that sometimes say more than words in advancing an argument. Pictures and graphs speed up communication and advance your arguments with evidence. Write simply and do not complicate issues. Make sure that you use spell check , weak spelling and grammar undermine your chances of success. You should read your proposal aloud, discuss it with fellow students and professors and get their comments. If they seem irrelevant to your thesis you may need to revise what you have written. Get  fellow students to read it as well and make sure that you have read your proposal at least 5 times before you hand it in to your professor.