How To Write A Research Proposal For A Dissertation Or Thesis (With Examples)

Staring at a blank research proposal? Here are the six ingredients that get yours approved without the rewrites.
🎓 GET 1-ON-1 RESEARCH PROPOSAL HELP: go.gradcoach.com/jG3dY
🧰 FREE RESEARCH TOOLKIT: go.gradcoach.com/bTuDP

*THE KEY QUESTIONS WE ANSWER IN THIS VIDEO*

*What is the purpose of a research proposal?*
To convince whoever reads it that they should approve your research. Convincing is the key word: without a convincing proposal your research does not get off the ground, however good the underlying idea is.

*What does your committee need to be convinced of in a research proposal?*
Three things. That your research focus is clearly articulated, so they know exactly what you will be looking at; that your research is worth doing and will create value; and that it is practically doable within your constraints.

*What should a research proposal include?*
Six essential ingredients: a provisional title, an introduction and research problem, a literature review, the research design and methodology, a reference list, and the practicalities of pulling the project off.

*What makes a good research proposal title?*
It is provisional, and provisional is the key word, because it will change. A working title should signal what the study is about and where it sits, so a reader knows the territory before the introduction.

*How do I write a convincing research problem?*
Show there is a gap that matters. If your argument is that there is a wealth of existing research but it does not apply in a particular industry or country, make that case explicitly rather than leaving the reader to infer it.

*What is the difference between research aims and research questions?*
They present the same thing in two forms and should be tightly linked. The aims state what the study sets out to achieve; the questions state what it will answer. If they do not line up, the proposal reads as unfocused.

*How narrow should my dissertation topic be?*
Narrow. Do not feel the need to solve the world's problems or create a life's work. This is a dissertation or thesis, and going deep and narrow is what makes it achievable and defensible.

*What does the literature review in a proposal need to do?*
Show you have done your homework, so the reader sees you know what has been done, who said what and how it fits together, then connect that to your own research questions.

*What is descriptive writing and why should I avoid it in a literature review?*
Descriptive writing is a history of what everyone said, an account with no argument. A good literature review synthesizes what has been said in relation to your research questions, pulling every source back to how it answers or complicates them.

*How much detail does the methodology section of a proposal need?*
Enough to show your key design choices are thought through, not a commitment to every technique. You do not have to promise three specific statistical analyses at proposal stage; you need to show the approach is coherent and doable.

*What practicalities should a research proposal cover?*
Anything relating to the practical components: the implementation, the pulling off of your research project. Typically a project plan such as a Gantt chart, showing what you will do through each phase, how much time each takes, what buffers you have allowed and when you will meet your advisor.

*OVERVIEW*
00:00 Introduction
01:11 What your proposal has to convince the reader of
04:53 Ingredient 1: Your provisional or working title
08:03 Ingredient 2: Introduction and research problem
12:08 Writing your research aims and research questions
14:30 Ingredient 3: The literature review
18:07 Avoiding the descriptive writing trap
20:24 Ingredient 4: Research design and methodology
27:36 Ingredient 5: The reference list
30:09 Ingredient 6: Practicalities, project management and ethics
34:08 Bonus tip: think it through before you write
36:06 Bonus tip: allow for the approval lead time
39:05 Bonus tip: polish and proofread before submitting
39:28 Recap: the six ingredients

*FREE RESOURCES*
What (Exactly) Is a Research Proposal? - go.gradcoach.com/vVW9T
Research Proposal Template - go.gradcoach.com/uTBiD
Research Proposal Examples - go.gradcoach.com/3Y6Lh
The Research Problem & Statement - go.gradcoach.com/j4cSH
What Is a Research Question? - go.gradcoach.com/6T5rQ
Research Proposal Checklist - go.gradcoach.com/osu46
The Grad Coach Blog - go.gradcoach.com/ZLi1c

*PREMIUM RESOURCES*
Research Proposal 101 (Blueprint) - go.gradcoach.com/pq413

*OUR SOCIALS*
🟢 Facebook - facebook.com/gradcoachofficial/
🟢 Twitter - twitter.com/gradcoachdotcom
🟢 LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/grad-coach-intl/
🟢 YouTube - youtube.com/c/gradcoach