Writing Thesis Proposal English Literature

It should provide a ‘backdrop’ to your more specific research by exploring the background to the wider subject area.

Depending upon whether your course is of a scientific or mathematical nature, meaning that you are likely to be dealing with experiments providing you with definitive results and quantitative analysis; or a more theoretical nature, meaning that your research will mainly be qualitative; your hypothesis will be proven or disproven throughout the course of your dissertation.

The first step in creating your dissertation proposal should be planning its structure.

With the guidance of your supervisor, you will be able to alter the direction of your research as you go.

Although by now, you should have a clear idea of the potential for your research, and what your conclusions might be.

Producing a coherent dissertation proposal helps you to communicate with your supervisor the aims and objectives for your research, and the methods you intend to use in making an assessment of your topic.

Your supervisor may then present you with a critical evaluation of your proposal, highlighting areas in which they foresee difficulty, ethical concerns, or lack of transparency.

You might even find that your original research question changes - it may be that you decide that there is not enough evidence to support your original line of argument, or that your chosen topic is too broad and requires further refinement.

Either way, make certain to hold regular meetings with your supervisor, to adhere carefully to your university’s regulations and to list the sources that you come across as you do your research, to make sure that they are ready to be included in your bibliography at the end of your work.

In particular, outlining a strong methodology as a part of your proposal will ensure that you maintain consistency and conformity when gathering and analysing your data.

Including ethical considerations, reasons for your choice of sample, and perceived limitations of your research will also help to protect your work from criticism.