As any undergraduate understands sooner or later, a thesis proposal is bound to become the central point of their world at some stage of studying. And the image that paper has around it makes students be tremblingly afraid of any interaction with something connected to their thesis.
Still, here is the first thing about how to write a thesis proposal undergraduate students should memorize: it is just another academic assignment. Nothing more. In fact, it is just a research outline, but its scale and meaning are slightly more critical.
In other words, a thesis proposal is a plan. Yes, it can define your future success in academic and professional fields. But for now, it’s a research plan similar to those you most probably completed previously more than once. Bear in mind that the quality of your desired result received from a thesis is directly correlated with the thoroughness of its basic plan.
When it comes to revealing how to write a thesis proposal, undergraduate students would agree that the toughest step is to come up with a worthy topic. After that is done, it is time to start assembling a proposal. It will be fun.
Still, it is worth saying about several points already mentioned in previous paragraphs in more detail. It’s just to clarify them a bit.
Thesis Proposal: What Is That?
Once again, a thesis proposal is, in fact, an outline serving as a plan for your future big work. It is the first rope tying things together. Here, you state the problem that should be investigated, the questions that should be answered, and the threads required to implement the research (including materials and resources).
Make a Thesis Excellent
So, a worthy thesis is impossible without a thoroughly processed and crafted proposal. With it, you let the school committee know about the future writing and research, so they know what to expect as a result.
Regarding that fact, a thesis shows that the supposed investigation is relevant and critical for the field. Additionally, it proves that you know what you are doing and already have instruments to come up with the required solutions for the stated problem.
So How to Write it?
How to write a thesis proposal undergraduate students face for the first time? Then again, just keep up with some simple recommendations from professional academic writers available below. And don’t forget that you can ask for expert assistance whenever you feel the need for it.
First, Come Up With an Outline
Yes, a thesis proposal should begin with building an outline for the materials you already have. It is crucial to make it look the best possible because both you and your supervisor will use the proposal in the near future. In case it is not a problem for you to outline the thesis parts with care, then you won’t feel it difficult to develop the project itself later.
A supervisor wants to see clearly that you have the required knowledge about the academic research process here. So, let them know that your project is about processing and including relevant authoritative data sources, and you’ll make huge progress with a proposal.
To increase the effectiveness even further, the understanding of a thesis proposal structure is critical. So, proceed with the next recommendation if everything is clear to you above.
Second, Know the Structure
A typical structure of thesis and dissertation proposals includes:
- abstract;
- intro;
- prior research and existing sources’ review;
- thesis statement;
- methodology;
- assumed results;
- frames and restrictions;
- supposed field contribution;
- chapters of a future dissertation.
Bear all of them in mind while considering the contents of your proposal.
Third, Plan Things
If you want to spend less time on crafting that crucial paper, increase the effectiveness of your work by coming up with thorough process organization. Simply put, you need to know the sequence of actions required to complete writing far before you actually start composing that proposal. That’s how you increase a chance to get your paper accepted after the first try.
One of the most effective plans for a dissertation proposal looks like this:
- outline (draft);
- tables (charts, visuals, etc.);
- methods described;
- data explained;
- data summarized;
- fixed conclusions;
- intro;
- abstract;
- bibliography and reference pages.
Pay attention: those were the stages of a proposal writing plan, not those of a proposal itself.
Fourth, Write a Proposal
After the workflow plans are defined and visible, the most exciting part of the deal comes to the scene. Here you start crafting that paper. Keep it formal. Formality is a must for all academic things connected with thesis writing.
At the same time, make sure formalities don’t overcomplicate the language. Simplicity is still key: it is vital to make a proposal ultimately readable and academically unbiased.
Consequently, you might want to avoid using first-person language (as well as the second-person one) and keep objectivity whatever proposal element you craft. Still, one of the focus points, which is a thesis statement, can come up with a first-person language referring to an author (you). Though, don’t forget to ask a supervisor whether it is acceptable to use it in a particular thesis statement.
Fifth, Edit and Proofread It!
There shouldn’t be grammar, punctuation, orthography, or syntax errors in the content of your paper. That is a must for all academic assignments, but regarding the extremely high value and the impact that a thesis or dissertation proposal might have on your career and future life, you surely don’t want a random typo to spoil the perfect work you’ve done.
Don’t be too shy to ask your friends about a proofreading session (it is better to ask more than one and even two persons for help). Additionally, you might want to try reading it aloud to check readability. And finally, don’t trust Microsoft Word and its spellchecking solutions too much. Use some other backup services or find a pro to provide assistance. A thesis proposal is worth all you can invest.
Final Thesis Proposal Writing Tip: No Panic
Don’t worry. You’ll make it. A thesis proposal is only the first milestone of a life-long road through your academic progress and professional growth. Be brave, and fortune will favor you.
Good luck!
