How To Write Your Dissertation Proposal Properly: Things To Keep In Mind


Your dissertation proposal is the area of your studies where you present to your dissertation committee for luminary information. This is a very important area and it is one which more and more students are required to complete. The purpose is really to indicate that you know what your topic is and how you are going to tackle that topic. This is an opportunity for you to also make sure that you have properly conducted rudimentary information pertaining to the subject you have selected. By conducting a proposal and submitting it for approval you not only know that the subject you have selected will be approved by your review committee but you also know that it is thoroughly supported by the existing literature. This is particularly important because many students make the mistake of selecting a topic but not verifying that adequate amounts of supporting literature exist or double checking that the content they have produced is not already produced by another student.

By cementing the proposal you can verify that you are following all of the instructions laid out by your academic institution as well. Overall this alleviates any unexpected surprises.

  • In order to produce a top-notch dissertation proposal you need to make sure that you have all of the appropriate sections. The first section you need to include is the background. The background is where you present, as the name would suggest, the background to your subject. Not everybody who reviews it will be an expert in your particular field and this is your opportunity to give them any information they need to put your topic into context and to better understand it.
  • After this you need to state your research problem. The purpose of your research is to improve the existing realm of knowledge in your field or to expound upon something. You have to make a contribution. There needs to be a research problem with your dissertation is attempting to solve.
  • After this you must indicate the importance of the research that you are compiling. Readers will want to know why they should care and this is your opportunity to tell them why the work you have done is important.
  • After this you must clearly state your research objectives and the questions you are trying to answer as well as your hypothesis. You must indicate the methodology were planning to use either qualitative or quantitative and explore any limitations that your research might encounter.