5 Essential Steps How to Write a Thesis Proposal

Before diving into how to write a thesis proposal, let’s start with finding out what a thesis proposal actually is. For graduating students, a thesis proposal is the first crucial step when preparing their thesis or dissertation. Hence, it requires a great deal of attention and effort. So, what is a thesis proposal in a nutshell?

The thesis and research proposal cover the topics of your research that you will be talking about in your master’s thesis. It also defines the scope of your research, the methodology used, and the questions you’ll be exploring. In fact, a thesis proposal can be your project’s outline. That means it articulates your project’s structure, including proposed chapters, sources used, etc. 

How to write a strong thesis proposal

First, let’s define what a strong thesis proposal should look like:

• It should act as a roadmap for your further project writing
• It should outline the research you’ll conduct
• Thesis proposal gives a background, qualifications, and context
• It also limits and specifies the scope of your project
• Thesis proposal defines the framework(s) and methodologies you’ll be using
• Finally, it sets up the research schedule, resources, and budget.

That sounds like a lot of work, right? A good thesis proposal is not an easy task. Its complexity and the need to limit the scope of coverage of the chosen topic make it a demanding task. However, breaking down this task into manageable portions will make it easier for you. With our full guide and tips, you’ll have the needed knowledge on how to produce a good thesis proposal. 

Step 1: Create a thesis proposal outline

Your thesis proposal is very important in the early stages of your project. Hence, you should not jump to the writing process right away. Before writing, you will want to conduct good preliminary research and establish the basis for your content. Writing a thesis and research proposal will help you concentrate on the essence of your research and narrow down the project’s scope. 

You should start your thesis proposal by laying out the materials you have gathered. Below are the aspects you need to consider for your table of contents.

1. Purpose, scope, and main questions.

What is the goal of your thesis? What is the question, theme, idea, or hypothesis that you’re going to examine? 

2. Resources. 

Do you have the data you need to successfully accomplish the project? Is the basis of your research sufficient to explore your topic further? Do you have access to the information and assets needed to make this project viable?

3. Approach and methodologies. 

How do you plan to answer your question or test your suggestions? What is your research design? Which methods will be used for that, and what steps will you take? In what way will you accomplish your research objectives?

4. Time frame and costs. 

How long will your project take to be ready? How much will it cost? Who is going to cover the expenses? 

Step 2: Determine the structure 

To write your thesis proposal, you will first need to understand its structure. The common structure of a thesis proposal includes the following parts.

• Title page. Check the exact guidelines with your advisor.
• Abstract. This is the summary of your entire work and research methodology.
• Introduction. The intro determines the flow of your writing. It sets out the correct context for your research and ideas.
• Existing literature/preliminary research findings. Your ideas should be backed up by research and relevant and reliable literature. It is needed to follow academic integrity rules, give credibility to your work, and avoid research bias.
• Thesis statement (project statement). This statement should concisely explain the main argument of your paper.
• Approach. This section is devoted to a brief overview of the way you’ll approach the topic, as well as the research methods you used. As the approaches differ, you may also need to include information about the budget.
• Potential results. This section outlines what findings you expect after conducting your research.
• Limitations of the study. Each study has its unique limitations, which affect the results. You should clarify the constraints and explain their impact on your findings. 
• Contribution to knowledge. This part is your chance to explain how your research and findings will benefit the chosen field of study.
• Suggested thesis chapters. This part of the proposal outlines how you plan to write and format your thesis.

These parts constitute the basic outline for thesis proposals. However, always check specific outline requirements with your advisor before starting writing. Many colleges provide their own thesis proposal templates. If so, you will be expected to design your paper according to a specific format. 

Your institution may not require you to follow any specific outline template. In this case, you may tailor the format in a way that would highlight the benefits of your thesis proposal. Perhaps, not all of the listed above elements will be needed for your thesis proposal. For instance, your proposal could be about a close review of literature bestsellers on feminist movement in the 21st century. In this case, you may not need to talk much about your budget and cost.

Step 3. Plan your writing

If you want to produce a well-organized thesis proposal, then you definitely want to know in advance how you’ll be writing it. Many students face rejection of the thesis proposals simply because they do not have a clear research plan. Instead, they tried to pack everything together in one piece. That’s definitely not what you want to come across. It’s better to have all the data you need before starting writing and follow the right proposal format.

Below is the typical structure of a thesis proposal so you can use it while planning your writing.

1. Outline. Begin your proposal with a detailed presentation of the major points in your thesis.
2. If needed, prepare visuals. If your thesis encompasses charts, graphs, or tables, prepare them beforehand. They will help you support the arguments in your thesis.
3. Establish a methodological approach. In the chapter devoted to methodology, you will need to explain the approach you chose while doing the work. Methodology should explain the validity of your research proposal and add credibility to it.
4. Data explanation. This section will overview the data that you have found.
5. Make conclusions. You will need to briefly explain the conclusions from your data and how this data backs up your thesis.
6. Create an introduction. It will set the stage for the rest of your writing.
7. Write an abstract. It should be concise and summarize your paper.
8. Present the references. The reference list should include all the resources you used to write your thesis. It is also called a literature review and is meant to show how your work fits the chosen field of study in general.

Step 4: Write the thesis proposal

When the planning stage is completed, it’s time to write a thesis proposal. This step will be much easier for you if you’ve done thorough planning before.

Remember that thesis proposals require a formal style of writing, which is not the case for other types of proposals. Yet, along with being formal, you should also keep your writing simple for comprehension and reading. Be concise and keep academic objectivity.

As for the wording, traditionally, a thesis proposal and the thesis itself are formal documents. Hence, in such papers, it’s a common practice to avoid using first-person writing. This ensures a sense of objectivity and a scientifically neutral position towards the subject. 

However, these rules may not be obligatory these days. Writing from the first person could be accepted in format situations, too. Especially when the author’s viewpoint may affect the outcomes. This approach is common in abstracts and introductions as they aim to explain the author’s purpose rather than only the essence of the project.

This aspect is what you should clarify in advance to avoid misunderstandings. These rules could be different depending on your institution or even based on a department. So be sure to clarify such formalities with your advisors and instructor before opting for a specific style of writing. 

While you’re writing, our best college essay writing service recommends following your plan and keeping in mind the best practices for thesis proposal writing.

Do’s

Don’ts

Step 5: Polish your proposal

A thesis proposal is not a paper where you can leave errors, typos or make it poorly readable. After you have written your proposal, let your fellow students read it. If they find it hard to read and understand the essence, then you need to make a profound revision. Here are several useful tips when proofreading and editing your thesis proposal. 

• Read the proposal out loud to yourself.

Reading aloud helps find grammar and sentence structure problems faster and easier. You may also use the text-to-speech software to hear the errors. Just be sure you are reading along with the text replayed.

• Avoid proofreading text right after you’ve finished writing.

You will be able to spot the errors better after some time. So when you’ve completed your draft, leave for a while and have some rest. This distance will let you review your text later with more impartiality.

• Check and consult with your colleagues.

Let your colleagues or fellow students review your proposal for mistakes and lack of clarity. Importantly, these should be the peers you trust and who have a good understanding of your field. Their feedback will help you finetune the paper.

• Use different spell-checkers and grammar tools.

Such tools as Hemmingway or Grammarly will help you with spell-checking a lot. If you use several tools instead of one, it would help you to find the hard-to-spot mistakes. Some errors may be left out by one tool but spotted by another. 

You should remember that before you can move with your thesis further, it will need to be approved first. To maximize your chances for approval, ensure your writing is error-free and that 

It’s easy for a reader to follow and comprehend your ideas.

Make your thesis proposal flawless with our help

A good thesis proposal is a cornerstone of success with your thesis. So make sure you pay enough attention and time to understand its structure and what content is expected. With our tips and strategies, you had to learn more about how to write a thesis proposal, so you will surely write it faster and easier. 

However, if you’re still stuck at the very beginning and don’t know how to move further, feel free to contact us and get help. Our thesis proposal writing service has vast experience in writing thesis proposals and theses on any topic, for any field of study. With us, you can always count on impeccable quality, on-time delivery, and fully customized papers. Order your flawless proposal now!