Yesterday
the temperature was 70 degrees; today there are flurries of snowflakes
outside the window. I thought winter was over and it was time once
again for the buds to bloom, but here I am snowbound in Maryland.
Clearly I was getting ahead of myself — spring will be here
soon enough.
When your focus is on thesis writing these
types of seasonal cycles and traditional deadlines might seem insignificant.
Each semester seems just like the previous one, bringing you no
closer to finishing your thesis. That’s
why you need to break down your tasks into manageable bite size
pieces to feel some sense of accomplishment when these seasonal
mile-markers pass. You can look back with satisfaction at the items
you were able to check off over the past semester. Sometimes even
creating a list can seem overwhelming, that’s why TADA! Thesis
and Dissertation Accomplished CD has already done the work for
you.
When I was in graduate school I spent a
lot of time attending workshops on how to write a thesis proposal.
I didn’t
find any useful information that helped me jumpstart the process.
Often I left the workshop feeling more overwhelmed than before.
I am a visual learner; I needed to look at other proposals in my
discipline to get ideas. Even then I was not motivated to get started.
It wasn’t until I found a precious gem of a book called The
Proposal Cookbook: A Step by Step Guide to Dissertation and Thesis
Proposal Writing by J. Bruce Francis, that I felt confident
that I could write my proposal. Unfortunately this book is currently
out of print. I summarized some of his suggestions in this newsletter.
While the thesis proposal is generally
written in the present and future tense, the thesis is always written
in past tense.
1. Introduction
(1-2 pages) |
- If you really need to write an introduction, it should
capture the reader’s interest but don’t get
hung up on making it perfect.
|
- You can write this section last. Your best overview of
the project may come after you have written the other sections.
|
2. Problem Statement |
- Formulate a research question then restate the question
in the form of a statement: note the adverse consequences
of the problem.
|
- The type of study determines the kinds of question you
should formulate: Is there something wrong in society,
theoretically unclear or in dispute, or historically worth
studying? Is there a program, drug, project, or product
that needs evaluation? What do you intend to create or
produce and how will it be of value to you and society?
|
3. Background |
- Capture the reader’s interest and convince him/her
of the significance of the problem.
|
- Give at least three reasons why the problem you have
chosen is important to you and society, and specify
at least two concrete examples of the problem.
|
4. Purpose |
- Begin with “The purpose of this study is to…” change,
interpret, understand, evaluate, or analyze the problem.
|
- State your goal completely, remembering that it should
be some form of investigative activity.
|
5. Significance |
- Focus on the benefits of your study not the research
problem.
|
- Place yourself in the position of responding to someone
who says “so what?” Provide a persuasive rationale
for your argument by answering the following questions:
Why is your study important? To whom is it important? What
can happen to society, or theory, or a program if the study
is done or not done?
|
6.Thesis Writing Methodology |
- Describe in technical language your research perspective
and your past, present, or possible future points of view.
|
- List three research methodologies you could use, and
describe why each methodology might be appropriate and feasible. Select
the most viable reseach method.
|
7. Literature Review |
- Locate and briefly describe those studies and theories
that support and oppose your approach to the problem. In
other words, place the proposed study in context through
a critical analysis of selected research reports.
|
- Be sure to include alternative methodological approaches
that have been used by others who studied your problem.
|
8. Hypotheses |
- State clearly and succinctly what you expect the results
of your study to show.
|
- Focus more on the substantive nature of what you expect
to find and less on how you will test for those expectations.
|
9. Definition of Terms |
- Describe for the reader the exact meaning of all terms
used in the problem, purpose and methodology sections.
Include any terms that, if not defined, might confuse the
reader.
|
- State the clearest definition of each term using synonyms,
analogies, descriptions, examples etc. Define any theoretical
terms as they are defined by proponents of the theory you
are using.
|
10. Assumptions |
- Describe untested and un-testable positions, basic values,
world views, or beliefs that are assumed in your study.
|
- Your examination should extend to your methodological
assumptions, such as the attitude you have toward different
analytic approaches and data-gathering methods. Make the
reader aware of your own biases.
|
11. Scope & Limitations |
- Disclose any conceptual and methodological limitations
|
- Use the following questions to identify the limitations
of your study: What kind of design, sampling, measurement,
and analysis would be used “in the best of all possible
worlds”? How far from these ideals is your study
likely to be?
|
12. Procedure |
- Describe in detail all the steps you will carry out to
choose subjects, construct variables, develop hypotheses,
gather and present data, such that another researcher could
replicate your work.
|
- Remember the presentation of data never speaks for itself,
it must be interpreted.
|
13. Long-Range Consequences |
- Think ahead approximately three years after the completion
of your thesis project. What are the long-term consequences
of your having done the study or not done the study?
|
- If you carry out the study successfully your results
will: confirm your hypothesis; contradict your hypothesis;
or possibly be inconclusive.
|
Thesis Writing Methodology/sample
methodology in a thesis
Use the outline above to write
your thesis proposal and finish your thesis. |
