A dissertation proposal is a key milestone in the process of completing your dissertation, whether you're working on a master's course or a PhD. It's the foundation for your research and helps you organize your thoughts before diving into the final project.

Your proposal needs to be original and will guide you as you plan and prepare for your dissertation.

What is a dissertation proposal?

A dissertation proposal serves as a blueprint for your research, outlining what you plan to explore and how you intend to gather and analyze your data. While you don’t need to have every detail ironed out, as your topic might evolve as your research progresses, the proposal is an essential tool to help clarify the overall direction of your dissertation.

Once you've selected a dissertation topic, it's crucial to ensure it aligns with your field of study and is focused enough to complete within the course timeframe. Your proposal will help define and refine these aspects, and it will also allow your department and advisors to ensure you're paired with the best mentor to guide your research.

What to Include in a Dissertation Proposal:

• Introduction: Present an overview of your research topic.

• Aims and Objectives: Define the main goals and specific objectives of your dissertation.

• Literature Review: Summarize existing research related to your topic.

• Proposed Methodology: Outline the methods you plan to use for data collection and analysis.

• Implications: Discuss the potential impact of your research.

• Limitations: Acknowledge any possible limitations in your research.

• Bibliography: List the sources you plan to reference.

While these sections are important, the content is not set in stone. Depending on your university or field of study, some aspects may change. Think of the proposal as more of a guide for your dissertation rather than a rigid framework. This flexibility will be discussed further later on.

Why is a dissertation proposal important?

A dissertation proposal is crucial because it sets the groundwork for your final dissertation, which is one of the most significant tasks in a postgraduate program. Having a well-organized proposal will give you a solid foundation and a clear roadmap for your dissertation. Since your dissertation plays a major role in your final grade, making sure it’s carefully planned is essential for academic success. Beyond that, writing your dissertation helps you build valuable research and communication skills that can benefit your future career. Staying updated with the latest research on your chosen topic and keeping your bibliography organized will also put you in a strong position to create an outstanding dissertation.

Next, we’ll share tips to help you create the best postgraduate dissertation proposal possible.

How to begin your dissertation proposal

Starting your dissertation proposal may feel overwhelming, but by breaking it down into manageable steps, it will become much easier.

1. Focus Your Topic

When you sit down to write your proposal, it’s important to have a well-thought-out topic. You should narrow it down enough to give a clear idea of what your research will focus on and what you aim to achieve with your dissertation.

A. How to Choose a Dissertation Topic

To choose a topic, start by reviewing past assignments and lectures. Was there a subject that caught your attention? Or an idea that wasn’t fully explored? If so, this could be a great foundation for your topic! If not, think about personal interests that could tie into your field of study. You can also use Google Scholar to dive deeper into existing research and find areas that need more attention, or explore a niche within your interest.

B. Keep Track of Your Sources

As you research, it’s crucial to keep track of all the materials you refer to. You will use these sources in your literature review.

Make sure you record the following information:

• Title of the study, research paper, book, or journal

• Author(s) of the study or research paper

• Chapter titles (if applicable)

• Page numbers

• URL (if applicable)

• Publisher

The more you research, the more focused your topic will become, allowing you to identify an interesting area to explore. A well-done literature review will also strengthen your proposal.

Things to Consider During Your Research

• Publication Date: When was the source published? Is the information still relevant, or has new research emerged?

• Methodology: Can you identify any weaknesses in the methods used in the research? Are there gaps or errors that need addressing?

• Ethical Concerns: Are there any ethical issues that could affect future studies on the same topic?

• External Influences: Could recent events or changes in society have affected the research outcomes?

How long should the dissertation proposal be?

While there’s no fixed length for a dissertation proposal, aim for at least 1,000 words. Your proposal should outline the topic of your dissertation, the research questions you plan to address, the types of studies and data you’ll use, and the analysis methods you’ll apply.

Different courses may have specific requirements regarding length, content, and structure. Be sure to review any guidelines provided by your course to ensure you meet the necessary standards.

2. What should I include in a dissertation proposal?

No matter the structure, your dissertation proposal should include several important sections. These sections ensure you present a complete and thorough proposal to your supervisor. You’ll need to cover the introduction, methodology, aims and objectives, literature review, and the limitations of your research. So, what should each section include? Here’s a checklist to help you get started.

Introduction

The introduction of your dissertation proposal should clearly present your main research question and provide background information on the topic. It should also connect the subject to larger, related issues.

In this section, you will explain what you plan to explore in your dissertation.

Be sure to briefly describe the structure of your proposal in the introduction. For example, part one might cover the methodology, part two will discuss the literature review, and part three will outline the limitations of your research, and so on.

Include the working title of your dissertation. Don’t worry if you change it later; your supervisors understand that the title may evolve as your research progresses.

Dissertation Methodology

The methodology section of your dissertation will explain which sources you plan to use for your research and the type of data you intend to collect, whether it's quantitative or qualitative. You should also describe how you will analyze the data and acknowledge any potential biases in your methods.

Depending on your course’s requirements, you might need to justify why your chosen methods for collecting data are the most suitable for your research.

Think about how you will carry out your research. Will you use interviews, surveys, observations, or lab experiments? Be sure to explain these choices.

In this section, outline the variables you plan to measure and describe how you will select your data or participants to ensure your results are reliable.

Mention any specific tools or instruments you will use for your research, and include these details in your methodology section.

Aims and objectives

Your dissertation proposal should clearly outline the aims and objectives of your research. Start by explaining what you hope to achieve with your study and what results you expect to find. You’ll also need to specify your main research objectives, detailing how you plan to reach these goals.

Your aim should be focused, not too broad, but not too narrow either.

For example, a good dissertation aim could be: “To explore the key features and social contexts that contribute to the successful distribution of viral marketing content on X.”

On the other hand, a broader aim like: “To study how things go viral on X” would be too vague.

Make sure the aim of your dissertation connects directly to your research question.

Literature review

The literature review will list the books and materials that you will be using to do your research. This is where you can list materials that give you more background on your topic, or contain research carried out previously that you referred to in your own studies. 

The literature review is also a good place to demonstrate how your research connects to previous academic studies and how your methods may differ from or build upon those used by other researchers. While it’s important to give enough information about the materials to show that you have read and understood them, don’t forget to include your analysis of their value to your work.

Where there are shortfalls in other pieces of academic work, identify these and address how you will overcome these shortcomings in your own research.

Constraints and limitations of your research

It’s important to clearly define the constraints of your research. Many topics have connections to larger, more complex issues. By identifying these limitations, you show that you understand and acknowledge these broader concerns, while focusing your research on a specific aspect of the topic.

In this section, include examples of potential limitations, such as small sample sizes, participant dropouts, a lack of existing research on the subject, time constraints, and other factors that could influence your study.

Ethical considerations

Ethical issues are an essential part of any research project.

Ethics play a crucial role, especially if your dissertation involves working with participants. This means you will need to obtain ethical approval, which is why it's important to address ethical concerns in your proposal.

Always ensure confidentiality and inform your participants about how their data will be used. Reassure them that their personal information will be kept private.

Think about how much involvement your participants will have in your research. This will help you identify the necessary ethical steps and explain them clearly in your proposal. For example, in-person interviews with participants may require more careful ethical handling and confidentiality than research methods that don’t involve direct participants, such as analyzing existing written texts (corpus data).

3. Dissertation proposal example

The way your dissertation proposal is structured will depend on the requirements of your specific course. Some programs may ask you to have separate sections for the aims and objectives, while others might not require a methodology or literature review section.

Once you know which sections are necessary, breaking your proposal into clear headings can help organize your writing. You may also want to create a title for your proposal. This will help ensure your topic is focused and narrow enough, guiding you to stay on track.

Here's an example of how you might structure your dissertation proposal, based on the requirements:

• Introduction

• Aims and Objectives

• Methodology

• Literature Review

• Research Constraints

• Ethical Considerations

Regardless of the exact sections, your dissertation proposal should clearly communicate why you're conducting your research and the potential benefits of your study.

Dissertation proposal example table

4. Proofread and edit before submission

To create a strong impression with your dissertation proposal, it’s crucial to ensure it is free from grammar mistakes and errors. Have a friend or family member review it, as they can catch mistakes you might miss. If you can’t do that, take some time away from the document and then read it again after a good night’s rest, this way, you’ll approach it with a fresh perspective. Don’t forget to run a spell check and carefully review the grammar and punctuation to ensure everything is correct.