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How to Write a Thesis Proposal: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

How to Write a Thesis Proposal

Writing a thesis proposal seems to be a difficult task for many researchers/students. In this article, we will provide tips on how to write a thesis proposal.

When working on a thesis, there are numerous procedures and steps to follow, ranging from composing a title, formulating each thesis chapter, putting together a thesis proposal as well as collating the overall results of the thesis research. The stage of developing the thesis proposal is a very important process where the writer includes what the main thesis will look like, from chapters one to three.

When attending a proposal seminar, it is imperative to be fully armed with your written proposal for you to have a commendable presentation. And with a good presentation, you pass the proposal seminar, then you can complete your thesis research to the last chapter. However, preparing the thesis proposal is not a walk in the park. Therefore, if you are preparing to write one but don’t know how, this article is for you.

Before delving into the main topic if discourse, let’s quickly look at what the structure of a thesis proposal signifies, to have some clarity on what writing a thesis proposal entails and consequently ease up the writing process essay for you.

How to Write a Thesis Proposal - A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

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What is a thesis proposal?

A thesis proposal consists of two words, proposal, and thesis. Proposal stands for a submission or an application, while the thesis is a final project that must be submitted before a students can be awarded a bachelor’s degree.

Therefore, the thesis proposal is a draft containing chapters 1 to 3 of the thesis, structured in an orderly manner, and used as a request to continue thesis research to the end.

A thesis proposal is a blueprint for thesis planning that reveals the main points and methodology, as well as the flow of thought employed in the composition of a thesis. Hence, a thesis proposal is defined as the starting point of thesis completion.

The purpose of a thesis proposal

The importance of training students on improving their abilities in presenting problems and main ideas used to conduct scientific research (thesis) cannot be overemphasized. It hones their skills to make sure they can formulate solutions to the problems studied.

When writing a thesis proposal, using valid and accountable data as well as arguments that are coherent and reasonable is pertinent, to easily convince the examiner that your thesis research design is important.

Therefore, it can be said that the thesis proposal presents the problem to be studied. And so the need to prove that the object of research is really needed arises. In addition, you must provide logical reasons and a clear methodology. All of this is done with the intent to persuade the examiner about the relevance of your research.

Like any other scientific writing, a thesis proposal has its own structure and guidelines for writing which must be followed to the letter. Ensure strict compliance to the rules, as it will boost your chances of passing the proposal seminar.

Thesis Proposal Structure

The thesis proposal structure that includes proposal name or title, foreword, and table of contents. As well as.

Chapter 1: Background, objectives, problem formulation, research benefits and or problem limitation.

Chapter 2: Study/theoretical foundation, previous research, framework, hypothesis

Chapter 3: Research methods used, data collection, sampling and population determination, and data analysis techniques.

Conclusion and Bibliography.

How to Prepare a Thesis Proposal

Title page

After you get an idea or research topic, then you must narrow the idea or topic to be more specific. Set clear boundaries about what you want to research and what is not covered by your research topic. That way, you can write the entire content of the proposal clearly and in detail so that it is easier to understand.

Then comes the first page in the thesis proposal is the title page, which is also the first contact between your project and its reader. Based on this, you must make the title as attractive as possible without losing the focal point of the thesis itself. Usually containing the title, author’s name, faculty name, college name, college logo, and year of writing.

Introduction, forward & Table of Contents

Next you write an introduction page containing in depth information, table of contents, or table list. In addition to the introduction and table of contents, there are also other details such as the presentation page, motto page that could be added but are optional.

Chapter 1

In this chapter, the first part you must write is the background. State the reasons for choosing the research topic and make sure to convince the examiner by presenting cogent information and data that illustrates the urgency of the research. It is safe to say this part is very crucial, because if you can’t put together a convincing background, your research may be rejected.

After the background has been established, then you move to problem formulation. Here you write a problem statement that you want to solve with the thesis research. Here you must be able to make a proposal with consideration of the problem formulation, reason being that each variable in the write-up is related to each other.

Then comes the research objective. As you know, every research has its own purpose. Now the question that begs for answer would be, what is the purpose of your thesis research? And to formulate the research objectives, you must think rationally and persuasively. Note that the objectives should not deviate from the formulation of the problem. In other words, the research objective should answer the problem formulated.

Also state the benefits of research in this section. Explain what benefits are obtained by readers, the government, universities, or other parties. Enunciate the benefits embedded in the research.

Chapter 2

Here write about the foundation or theoretical study. That is to shed more light on the theory used as an analytical tool, without which your research will have no scientific basis. In addition, collect previous research that are like your thesis research to serve as a basis for comparison of material, so that you know what the difference between this research is and previous research as well as what sets it apart from the others. Do not chose a library haphazardly. It is advisable to choose trusted sources, such as accredited journal articles, books with ISBNs, other theses, or official websites of major institutions.

Next there is a framework of thought and hypothesis (initial guesses). The framework contains the sequence of ways of thinking used in this research while the hypothesis is the initial guess formulated from the research.

Chapter 3

This chapter focuses on the methodology. You must write the research method clearly and in detail. The clearer you are about the method used, the easier it will be for others to describe the research design. In this section, you explain how you determine the sample and population. Also, state how you collect data and process it. All of this must be explained in detail, so a knowledge of available research methods will do a world of good.

Conclusion

After compiling Chapters 1-3, close it by writing your conclusion derived from the research design. You can insert persuasive sentences in this section about why your thesis research really deserves to be completed.

Bibliography (References)

This section contains all sources of information and data that you make referenced during your writing. If there is no bibliography (references), you are considered to have written research without a solid foundation. That is, it is not supported by scientific data and is largely based on assumptions.