Dissertation Proposal Guidelines
Developing the proposal may well be the most difficult stage of the dissertation process. However, this stage is the most critical for it represents the blueprint for the research to be undertaken. It is not unusual for this iterative process to take as much as 6-8 months before final resolution.
With the aid of the committee chair, committee members, other faculty, and doctoral student colleagues, dialogue and revisions will eventually lead to a clear, crisp definition of the research project.
Objectives of the doctoral dissertation
To help the PhD Candidate learn to:
- Do independent research.
- Make a contribution to knowledge with the research by either testing or developing theory.
- Document the research and make it available to the scholarly community (i.e., write the dissertation).
Objectives of the dissertation proposal
To answer the following questions:
- What am I investigating?
- Why am I investigating it?
- How am I investigating it?
The first question usually corresponds to the proposal section entitled "Hypothesis, Problem, or Research Question." The second question corresponds to the portion of the proposal that discusses the significance of the research question. Usually a research question is significant because a previous line of research has left it unanswered, thus a review of the research literature is often part of an answer to the second question. The third question corresponds to the proposal's discussion of research method. Often the appropriate method is suggested by the previous research covered in the literature review. The proposal's discussion of method should be as complete as possible, and it should leave the reader clear about what can and cannot be accomplished by the dissertation research.
A dissertation proposal outline
There are many sound approaches to satisfying the three objectives above. One model is presented here in outline form:
| Section headings | Section content |
|---|---|
| 1. Summary | Brief (1-2 paragraphs) summary of what the dissertation project is to do and how it is to do it. |
| 2. Problems or research questions | A general but clear statement of what the dissertation will deal with. A conceptual framework should be developed in this section (see Babbie, 1989). |
| 3. Importance of the research | Addresses the question of whether or not the research is important or significant enough to justify doing it. Is there some statement by an authority as to need for this research? No dissertation should deal with a trivial topic. A description of current practice in the field, no matter how well done, does not constitute a dissertation. |
| 4. Prior research on the topic (literature review) | A search of major sources of information should be included. This is a summary of the literature since this is a proposal not a dissertation (5-7 pages). Short topic analysis should support the need for and importance of the research. Some analysis or critique should be included to support each literature topic. |
| 5. Theoretical development | Specific research hypotheses or research questions should be stated. Definitions of variables and constructs should be included. If a model is to be developed, the characteristics for evaluation of the model should be presented. |
| 6. Research design/ methodology | This section should be as explicit as possible. Explain clearly why the methodology selected is appropriate for each hypothesis or research question. Data Collection
|
| 7. Limitations and key assumptions | A clear definition of the limits if the dissertation research should be stated in this section. This section should be very explicit on what will and will not be delivered in the final dissertation. The deliverables (potential outcomes) should be stated in this section. |
| 8. Contributions to knowledge | For each deliverable (potential outcome) the contribution to practitioner and academic knowledge should be presented. |
| 9. Description of proposed chapters in dissertation: | Major headings for each chapter with a brief description of what will be covered. |
The PhD candidate should develop a budget for the proposed research and share this with the committee chair. All data collected during the dissertation research project is the responsibility of the candidate and must be produced upon request by the faculty.
After the proposal defense and before the committee signs off, the candidate must make all recommended changes to the dissertation proposal and recirculate the proposal to the committee or, by agreement, by way of a written memo to the committee. It is the responsibility of the chair to assure that all changes have been made before requesting committee signatures.
The dissertation proposal and any attached memos must be filed with the Graduate Coordinator. Any substantive changes to the dissertation research (especially to data collection and analysis procedures) after the proposal defense will be submitted in writing to the committee.
Suggested readings
- Babbie, Earl. The Practice of Social Research, 5th Edition, Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1989.
- Castetter, William B. Developing and Defending a Dissertation Proposal, 1980.
- Crawford, Jack and Kathy Kielsmeier. Proposal Writing, 1970.
- Davis, Gordon B. and Clyde A. Parker. Writing the Doctoral Dissertation: A Systematic Approach, Woodbury, New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1979.
- Long, Thomas J. Completing Dissertations in the Behavioral Sciences and Education, 1985.
- Nickerson, Eileen T. The Dissertation Handbook: A Guide to Successful Dissertations, 1985.
Contact Information
The University of Georgia
