How to write a research proposal for a Master's dissertation
Unsure how to start your research proposal as part of your dissertation? Read below our top tips from Banking and Finance student, Nelly, on how to structure your proposal and make sure it's a strong, formative foundation to build your dissertation.
It's understandable if the proposal part of your dissertation feels like a waste of time. Why not just get started on the dissertation itself? Isn't 'proposal' a just fancy word for a plan?
It's important to see your Master's research proposal not only as a requirement but as a way of formalising your ideas and mapping out the direction and purpose of your dissertation. A strong, carefully prepared proposal is instrumental in writing a good dissertation.
How to structure a research proposal for a Master's dissertation
First things first: what do you need to include in a research proposal? The recommended structure of your proposal is:
- Motivation: introduce your research question and give an overview of the topic, explain the importance of your research
- Theory: draw on existing pieces of research that are relevant to your topic of choice, leading up to your question and identifying how your dissertation will explore new territory
- Data and methodology: how do you plan to answer the research question? Explain your data sources and methodology
- Expected results: finally, what will the outcome be? What do you think your data and methodology will find?
Top Tips for Writing a Dissertation Research Proposal
- Choose a dissertation topic well in advance of starting to write it I would suggest roughly four months. Use this time to do as much reading as you can, and find out what topic best aligns with your personal interests and what matters to you. You're going to be working on this topic at a very intense level, it makes sense that you choose something you enjoy writing about.
As you continue reading, you will likely start to identify some gaps in the literature. This is where you will find your opportunity to leave a mark and write an impressive dissertation.
Extra tip: Make notes of how each research paper tests its hypothesis and validates its results, you´ll need them later!
Published By Nelly on 01/09/2020 | Last Updated 23/01/2024
