The Logic and Most Efficient Approach to a Three Chapter Dissertation Proposal….

As taught and recommended by www.doctoralnet.com Written by E. Alana James, Ed.D.

Puzzled about what exactly goes in your proposalGenerally the first three chapters of your five chapter dissertation – all written in the future tense

Prerequisites to Writing1. A topic agreed upon with your advisor2. 75+ recent research articles or books on your

topic read and collected in some form of organizational pattern or reference software.

3. 3+ model dissertations at hand4. An understanding of the guidelines of your

university AND a solid set of topic headings or rubric to follow to guide what content goes where

5. A methodological pattern agreed upon between you and your advisor

Missing any of those? See www.doctoralnet.com and the self guided content in the DoctoralNet Academy to fill in the gaps

1st – Tackle the Heart of Your Proposal – Chapter 3Why? Because it is the part the will scare you

the most to write, best get it out of the way

Because the proposal is all about what you will do in your research, having it all worked out is a pre-requisite for knowing what needs to go in chapters 2 and 1

Introduction Purpose/Problem

Statement Research Design

overview Population & sample Data Collection Data Analysis Instruments Credibility, validity

and reliability Limitations,

assumptions & delimiters

Human Subjects Protection

Summary

Typical Headings for Chapter 3Note: they may have different headings and may be grouped slightly differently from some universities

Things to Watch Out For….Don’t:• Write ABOUT research… instead

discuss YOUR research• Quote Creswell or others…

instead discuss your research decisions from a position of mastery and cite the authors that helped you make those decisions

• Write about your topic… instead leave space and fill in later places where you reference discussions of the lit in Chapter 2 or of background to the study that you will write in Chapter 1

Next: Write Chapter 2How? First organize your literature into themes:

Theoretical literature on which you base your study History of your topic (small amount here) Topics that lead to your research questions &/or

back up your instruments, etc. Reading on methodological issues that lead to your

decisions about your research or helped define your protocols

Double check against guidelines or rubric from your university

Introduction (note: to the study as much or more than to the topic)

Theoretical discussion

Historical background to the topic

Topic areas of interest that lead to the questions you ask in your methodology

Gaps in the literature that lead to your study

Methodological literature

Summary

Typical Headings for Chapter 2Note: they may have different headings and may be grouped slightly differently from some universities

Things to Watch Out For…Don’t:• Forget that your only focus is to

back up your methodology – your reader does not need to understand everything that you do

• Discuss research one by one – rather discuss topics and outcomes of others research in groups

• Fail to draw conclusions about what counts as important to the field

• Fail to uncover what has not been done and to make a case for your study based on that

• Fail to move all the things you want to say about your methodological understanding to a section of this chapter

Last: Write Chapter 1Things to include:1. All the background to your local context

that makes this study important2. Small amounts of the background to your

topic –enough to help your reader understand its importance but not so much as to take away from Chapter 2

3. Well developed problem statement4. A clear focus and solid overview of YOUR

study

Introduction Background Conceptual Framework Theoretical,

Epistemological and Ontological Framework

Problem Statement Purpose Research Questions &/or

Hypotheses/null hypotheses

Research Design Overview

Population/Sample Assumptions, Limitations Significance of Your

Study Definition of Terms Summary

Typical Headings for Chapter 1Note: they may have different headings and may be grouped slightly differently from some universities

Things to Watch Out For:Make Sure:• You Keep the Pace – Lead

the reader through to one objective – your study is well thought out and important

• No one section runs on much more than a page or two

• You don’t discuss the topic to the point you overshadow your discussion of your research design

• This chapter gives the reader a solid understanding of what they will see in Chapter 3

RememberEven if you do everything right your committee with still have things to add to make it even better.

To the extent however that your methodology is tight and your writing has everything in the correct spot….

Victory will be easily yours and your committee will pass you on to do your research

More Detailed Information with Options for Live Help and Discussions

Http://www.doctoralnet.com