Many people think that writing a dissertation proposal is very difficult. For writing a proposal, the student should be thorough with the topic, should perform a literature review, should have his own view of the topic under consideration, and finally, submit these results. Though this seems to be a bit difficult, the below discussed tips would certainly make the job easier.
1. The Length of the Dissertation Proposal
Many have doubts regarding the length of the dissertation proposal. Anyhow, if the key components of the proposal are included, it would extend up to about 20 pages. In fact, it is not a big issue if the proposal is some pages more or less; but it should necessarily include every major points.
2. Spending Sufficient Time for the Preparation of the Proposal
It is not advisable to prepare a dissertation proposal at the very last minute. In fact, to prepare a good dissertation proposal, it takes about six months to finish it off after selecting the topic and collecting the relevant literature related to it.
3. Conduct a Detailed Literature Review
Conducting a detailed literature review would certainly help you to understand the research topic in a broader sense. More often, there are cases where good proposals turn out to be utter failure owing to lack of proper literature review.
4. Maintain Good Rapport with the Members of the Dissertation Committee
Communicating with your committee members regularly is quite important while preparing a dissertation proposal. This would help you to update them about any changes made in the dissertation proposal as well as remain open to the advice they may give. Further, it is also advisable to collect past dissertation samples which have the approval of the advisors.
In short, by keeping the above tips in mind, you can certainly prepare a good dissertation proposal.