A thesis proposal is the first and the most important phase of thesis writing. All the research work and generation of ideas and arguments begin with the thesis proposal. A student cannot directly jump to the final research paper unless he submitted a well-versed thesis proposal and get approval from the authorized person.
Outlines – How many Sections are there is a Thesis Proposal?
A thesis proposal cannot be written as simply as an essay. It has a proper layout that students should consider and adopt while writing a thesis proposal. It is divided into five different sections. Each section is equally important in the thesis; if you lack in any one of that means you are struggling to fill a leaky bucket. An outline for these sections is given below:
Introduction
The best thesis proposal always contains the best introduction. This introduction should be detailed and can be consisted of multiple paragraphs but should be relevant and comprehendible. In your thesis proposal introduction, you must give a short review of the problem which you’re going to discuss in your thesis. You can divide it into two parts.
- Abstract
It will comprise the synopsis of your thesis proposal.
- Thesis Statement
It will tell the reader the purpose of your thesis and the strategies you are going to use in your research and writing procedures.
Research Problem or Background
This section of a thesis proposal holds all the important details and the background factors concerning the topic. A strong contextual is needed the most to support the problem that you have mentioned.
Students should use general observation to write the background section, not a personal remark. For example, you may write ‘It often happens’ instead of ‘it happens’ to generalize any idea.
Literature Review
Usually, the previous literary works that have been accomplished by other authors under the light of a similar topic are discussed in the literature review. The writer of the thesis proposal expresses his agreement or disagreement with those authors and shares his own opinion in the form of a short review of the previous works.
Research Methodology
In this section, the student specifies the research methods that he has used and going to use in the thesis. May students are not quite sure about what research methodologies they should use, which primary and secondary readings will be beneficial for their thesis. They can take guidance from the experts who provide expert thesis writing services – The Research Guardian for professional assistance. They can help students in deciding and proceeding with the most worthy research methodologies.
Research Limitations
Research limitations tell the teacher about the limits that a student has drawn to carry out his research.
For example, an author writes a number of books, and hundreds of books are written you many other authors on similar topics. So the students should specify with which works and social examples he has restricted his research and thesis. In this way, the teacher can easily determine the domain of your research.
What should be the Structure and Format of a Thesis Proposal?
Here are some important guidelines which will help you to write your thesis with a perfect structure and format.
Simple and Formal Language
The language of a thesis proposal should be formal and simple.
Example:
You should not add extreme emotions to keep it formal and avoid heavy vocabulary to sustain simplicity. You may write ‘It’s disappointing’ instead of using ‘It’s so heart-wrenching’.
No Fascination in Colors
Do not mark headings with colorful fonts. Use a single color throughout the proposal.
Example:
You may use black color to add decency to the text. Bold and Italic can be used to specify any point.
Use of Citations
You must have a strong command of the designated reference style. Without proper referencing, the content is considered copied and plagiarized.
Example:
Mostly MLA format is used in the thesis proposals. Students must cite all the evidence and quotes that they have taken from any book or website or any other source.
EndNote:
A thesis proposal is like a permission letter to raise your pen on a particular topic with prospective arguments and robust solutions to a specific problem. What it does is:
- It provides your teacher with a comprehensive account of what has inspired you to write on the selected topic
- What you are going to explore in your research process
- It also tells the teacher your intellectual capabilities through the research methodologies and limitations you mention in your thesis proposal
