• Step II: Development of ideas for thesis

proposal 8

• Step III: Development of overall outline 9
• Step IV: Writing and editing your proposal 10
• Step V: Collection of data 20
• Step VI: Analysis 21
• Step VII: Overall outline for the thesis 22
• Step VIII: Outline for introduction and

literature review 23

• Step IX: Outline for methods and findings 24
• Step X: Outline for discussion and conclusion 25
• Step XI: Writing and editing 26
• Step XII: Submitting drafts to your supervisor 27
• Ten tricks of the trade 28

Visualize Completion !!!!

Essential feature I: Successful theses reflect an ongoing supervisory relationship with clear expectations

Essential feature III: Successful theses reflect a great deal of time planning the feasibility and logistics of the study

You need to ask yourself how feasible is the project and what are the logistics involved. A realistic time table which you revise as needed is absolutely essential.

Essential feature IV: Successful theses reflect a strong rationale and refer to it throughout the various sections of the document

Step I: Establish ongoing relationship with supervisor

Essential Feature

• Frequent meetings where student and supervisor are very clear about mutual expectations

WHAT A THESIS STUDENT SHOULD

EXPECT OF A THESIS SUPERVISOR

RESPONSIBILITY: This refers to the advisor's assuming responsibility for effective supervision of the student. The following behaviours support this concern.

- giving the student direction, guidance and focus on the thesis

- carrying through with agreed-upon tasks

- keeping the student aware of task requirements

- working together to reset goals when things go off track

- showing up on time, making meetings

- meeting negotiated deadlines for giving feedback to the student on thesis drafts

- meeting regularly (from once a week to at least once every three weeks)

COLLABORATIVE ATTITUDE: This entails a willingness to work cooperatively with others, including student, peers, and external agencies.

- collegiality

- providing the student with interaction/assistance

- willingness to compromise with schedules, workload

- being flexible, appreciating the stress that students are under

- taking someone else's perspective/point of view on an issue

PRESENTATION OF FEEDBACK: This category includes the information given to the student by the advisor and other reviewers

- acknowledging work that is well done

- giving feedback that is explicit and specific

- presenting constructive criticism

- being open to students' justifications of their position and challenges of criticisms

INTELLECTUAL COMMITMENT: This category refers to the advisor's commitment to the intellectual growth of the student, and to the thesis project itself.

- commitment to the personal growth of the student

- providing knowledge, information, and resources to the student

interest in the research ideas

PREPARATION/ORGANIZATION:

- negotiating dates for meetings or submission and return of work to be done

suggesting next steps

- helping the student to anticipate problems

WHAT A THESIS SUPERVISOR WILL

EXPECT OF A THESIS STUDENT

Quality of academic performance applies across all categories. It is assumed that there is an evaluative continuum within each category. Students are not expected to excel in all categories, but are expected to demonstrate a reasonable level of competence for each.

RESPONSIBILITY: This should be perceived as a global concept which subsumes dependability. Basically, this refers to the student assuming responsibility for the thesis. The following items support this concern.

- carrying through with agreed-upon tasks

- keeping on top of the task requirements

- resetting goals when things go off track

- showing up on time, making meetings

- meeting deadlines

EFFORT:

- motivated

- hard worker

- careful in writing, including editing and attention to syntax and grammar

- handing in drafts in the best possible shape and not expecting supervisor to correct grammar, levels of headings or references missing

COLLABORATIVE ATTITUDE: This entails a willingness to work cooperatively with others, including supervisor, peers, and external agencies.

- collegiality

- peer interaction/assistance

- willing to compromise with schedules, workload

- taking someone else's perspective/point of view on an issue. Among other things, this includes the ability to incorporate other people's ideas and reciprocate with your own ideas (i.e., synergy).

ASSIMILATION OF FEEDBACK: This category includes information received from the advisor and other colleagues.

- receptive to constructive criticism

- able to integrate feedback into one's research process

At the same time, students should also be encouraged to:

- assert and justify their own position

- appropriately challenge criticisms

INITIATIVE/INDEPENDENCE: This category is to be perceived within an advisor/advisee relationship. It describes students' willingness and ability to anticipate and carry-out tasks.

- act independently when appropriate

- undertake work on one's own

- propose ideas, suggestions, and modifications

- ability and willingness to actively participate in discussions with the advisor

INTELLECTUAL COMMITMENT: This category captures the desire to learn, grow, and benefit from the thesis experience.

- commitment to personal growth from the experience

- looking forward to learning and the research process

- interest in the research ideas and research process

PREPARATION/ORGANIZATION:

- having expected work done

- knowing next steps to be taken

- setting agendas/goal setting/having a time frame

- data organization/information management

- "trouble-shooting", i.e., anticipating problems before they occur

Step II: Development of ideas for candidature application

• Strong and well articulated rationale that does one or more of the following:



• Addresses gap in the literature
• Resolves controversy
• Explores new territory
• Integrates the literature and offers new directions
• Critiques the literature or current practices
• Clarifies conceptual issues

Checklist

• Is relationship to the literature clear?
• Does it meet a scientific or social need?
• Are you able to convey the rationale to peers?
• Does it address one or more of the issues stated in the essential features above?
• Is the project doable and feasible at this stage of your career or is it just too complex?

Potential deviations

• Research design does not fit your career stage because it is too complex
• Excellent idea but impossible to operationalize

Step III: Development of Overall Outline for Research proposal

Essential Features

• Very clear and detailed outline with obvious flow among various sections of proposal

Checklist

• Are you able to see the entire structure of the proposal before you start writing?
• Do you have a blueprint for the entire proposal?
• Is there a flow among the various sections of the proposal?
• Is the amount of space allocated to each section adequate?
• Do you know exactly what you'll say in each section in point form before you start writing it?

Potential deviations

• Start writing a section or even a paragraph before you know in which direction you are headed
• You wrote something that is "nice" but that does not fit and you want it in because you like the prose
• You have an outline for a section but not for the entire proposal. Very dangerous to start building a huge bathroom if you don't have room for bedrooms. You don't decorate a room before you know the entire decoration for the house (unless you don't care about coherence, esthetics, style, and internal consistency, which may be fine for creativity but not for academic writing).

Step IV: Writing and editing your research proposal

• Covers all aspects of research proposal expressed in guidelines, including:

- introduction

- contribution to knowledge

- statement of significance

- literature review

- aims (general and specific

- methodology and techniques

- facilities and equipment

- budget

- timescale

- length of about 15-20 pages double space

Essence of each section

Introduction (about 1 page long)

In about one page you need to introduce the topic and the proposed methodology. Here you need to create interest in the theme and express why it's an important topic to research. This is an extended abstract of the study. Think of the introduction as an orientation map for the uninitiated. If somebody who knows nothing about your area reads your introduction, he or she should be able to get a clear picture of what you'll do. Therefore, write it in eloquent but simple language, devoid of jargon.

Contribution to knowledge (about 1 page)

Here you are expected to state what contributions your study will make to the literature. Hence, you need to state the contributions in academic language. For example, you need to claim that your study will:

- enhance understanding of the dynamics involved in phenomenon X in population Y

- extend our knowledge of phenomenon Z in a different cultural context

- explore the factors associated with the onset of disorder K

- test the theoretical hypothesis advanced by Smith concerning the validity of R

As you can see, these examples relate to the general body of literature you will explore and contribute. The examples do not offer yet concrete aims of the study. These will be stated later on.

I recommend that you state the contributions to knowledge in point form, and immediately underneath each statement you elaborate in 3-5 lines. Focus is of the essence here.

Statement of significance (about 1 page long)

This is different than the previous section in that here you address the social and practical implications of the study. In the previous section you focussed on the scientific contribution, here you emphasize what social or practical needs will be met or advanced by your study. For example, you can state that:

- The study will contribute to our understanding of best practices in the treatment of X

- The study will improve teaching skills in university instructors

- The study will have direct implications for the reduction of institutionalized racism in organizations

- The study will facilitate collaboration among groups with seemingly opposed values

- The study will enhance the educational opportunities of underprivileged children

- The study will reveal how members of ethnic minorities help each other

- The study will improve our ability to treat people with sleeping disorders

Literature review (about 5-6 pages long)

I recommend that you organize the literature review according to the different items listed under contributions to knowledge. If you have 4 contributions to knowledge, then organize the literature accordingly. Remember that here you do not have to cover all the literature in the filed, but the main sources. It is important to show scholarship and that you know both the classic and the recent best sources in the field. I offer below strategies for literature reviews.

Aims (about 2 pages long)

Here is where you describe in operational terms the objectives of the study. It is different than contributions to knowledge in that here you describe the specific aims of the study. It is also different from statement of significance in that here you describe the specific steps you will take to achieve the objectives. Previously you stated contributions to knowledge and social or practical importance. Here you translate those contributions into operational terms. You are expected to state general and specific aims. Some examples of general aims include:

- The first general objective is to explore the relationship between X and Y

- The second objective is to determine what methods of instruction are preferred

- The objective is to explore ethical dilemmas of mental health workers

- The aim is to review the programs and policies designed to prevent child abuse

- The aim is to evaluate a health promotion program conducted by the department of public health

- The objective is to validate a test of non-verbal intelligence

For the specific aims you give more details concerning background of the problem. Some examples of specific aims related to the previous general aims include:

- The first objective is to explore the correlations between variable X and variable Y

- The second objective is to compare the performance of children in the experimental and the control group

- The objective is to explore what types of ethical dilemmas mental health workers face in hospital settings dealing acute psychiatric disorders

- The aim is to review the programs and policies designed to prevent child abuse in Victoria using a semi-structured interview guide piloted in New Zealand

- The aim is to evaluate a health promotion program piloted by Vichealth designed to reduce smoking among teenagers in the western region of Melbourne

- The objective is to validate a test of non-verbal intelligence developed in France by researchers in the cross cultural unit of XXXX.

Methodology and Techniques (about 4 pages long)

Here you need to say how exactly you will explore or test each one of the aims or hypotheses stated in the section on aims. Therefore, I recommend that you structure this section in such a way that it is clear how the methods address each aim.

You should start with a general statement about why this or that research design is the best one suited for the study. Open with a general claim why this quantitative or qualitative approach is the best. Then, you can be more specific about the aims of the study. I suggest you divide this section into the following subheadings:

1. methodological approach and rationale for research design

2. instruments

3. participants

4. procedures

5. proposed methods of analysis

Remember that a proposal should persuade the reader of the sound rationale of all of its sections. Hence, you should persuade the reader that your explanations of points 1 to 5 above match the aims of the study. You need to be explicit about all the points. The more explicit you are, the fewer questions will readers have about your project. This is the part where the rationale for doing the project gets translated into action. This is about operationalizing the rationale of the study.

Facilities and equipment (about 1 page)

Describe the main pieces of equipment or instruments you will need. This section is important for the budget and timescale. persuade the reader that you know what aids you will need to carry out the study.

Budget (about 1 page)

Describe the costs associated with the project, and be clear about where the money will come from. If you require money from the faculty, make sure you know how much funding you can get and that the request is legitimate and fundable from the faculty.

Timescale

Here you need to show that you have a realistic appraisal of how long the project will take and that you know what you will do in each stage. It is recommended to use a table like the following:

Recommended Steps for The Literature Review

1. Select and obtain articles and books

2. Reading: As you read, write on a cue card or separate page main contributions of the article. It is also helpful to write on the front page of the article some key words that will help you locate information quickly. You will appreciate having a method of identifying articles quickly for necessary information when you begin collecting dozens of them.

3. Creating an outline:

3a. After you have read sufficient material, you will be in a position to construct an outline for your literature review. Look for logical ways of organizing your literature. Try to identify subthemes within your topic and integrate the literature on each subtheme in discrete sections of the literature review.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Outline for Literature Review

Subtheme A: Contribution of author 1 to theme: Was first one to talk about it, conducted first experiment on subject, etc.

Contribution of author 2 to theme: Developed theme of author 1 but added another dimension, etc

Contribution of author 3 to theme: Offered unique perspective, revolutionary ideas and findings that startled author 1, etc.

Subtheme B: Contribution of author 1 to theme: bla, bla, bla

Contribution of author 4 to theme: yea, yea, yea

Contribution of author 5 to theme: yak, yak, yak

Subtheme C: Same as above

3b. After you summarized what each author/s contribute/s to the literature, you are ready to create an outline for the various subthemes. In order to do this ask yourself the following question: Knowing what I know about subthemes A, B, etc, what do I want to say about each subtheme? For example, your outline may look like this:

Subtheme A:

This is what I want to say first about this topic

These are some of the authors (1, 2, 5, etc) to quote here (see 3a).

This is what I want to say next

These are the authors I need to use for this section (see 3a)

And this is the third thing I want to say about this theme

Look again at 3a for references

Subtheme B:

Repeat as above

3c. Next, you should find ways to link the various subthemes in a logical way. Ask yourself how are these subthemes related? What should come first, what should follow, etc.? This is a challenging part, because it requires that you integrate the various contributions. Spend time considering the various ways in which the literature can be organized. This is time well spent. Do not opt for the easy way of just stating what one author said after another. Avoid the freight train approach. When you have answered these questions you are in a position to go back to 3a and write on the outline some introductory and linking statements.

FOR EXAMPLE:

I. Write an introductory statement to literature review.

II. Say how you are going to present the relevant literature. What are the main subthemes you will review and discuss.

III. Present and discuss subtheme A as per 3b

IV. Say how subtheme A is related to subtheme B

V. Present and discuss subtheme B as per 3b

VI. Repeat procedure

3d. Follow the SIC rule: Synthesize, Integrate, Criticize: It is important that you synthesize the literature (i.e., highlight main points, show key trends, demonstrate how all the papers fit together, etc), integrate it (show connections among readings, provide a conceptual framework to show where the different parts belong, how are the different parts of the topic related, complementary, etc.), and criticize it (tell us your opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of the various contributions or of the literature in general, what should be done next, what is useful about what has been done, what aspects of the topic have been neglected, etc). A comprehensive literature review not only summarizes a topic, but also uncovers errors of fact or concept and provokes discussion that leads to new research activity. A critical review of the literature helps to keep your review balanced, so that it is not biassed in favour of a single point of view. You may do SIC at various points of the literature review. You may choose to do it after you review each subcomponent, or towards the end as a summary and conclusion statement. Ask yourself where does it make sense to do SIC?

4. Actual writing of the literature review: So far you have just been working on the outline. However, if you do the outline well, the actual writing should be easy, as you know what you are about to say. It is just a matter of expressing it clearly and eloquently. It is a big mistake to begin writing a section before you know what precisely you want to say, and in what order.

Tips for writing a clear proposal

Writing a paper and/or, a thesis is very challenging. It is essential that you present your ideas clearly and concisely.

Some strategies to improve your final document include:

a. Prepare a detailed outline before you begin writing. Make sure sections flow in a coherent fashion. Spend as much time as necessary on the outline. It is time well spent.

b. Make sure you know what is the main point of every paragraph and section. Before you begin writing, know the appropriate references for each section.

c. Orient the reader to the thesis by giving a brief introduction, having linking sentences, and appropriate summaries of sections.

d. Once you have completed a section or the entire document, give it to a friend or relative for reading before you give it to your supervisor. Chances are your readers will give you useful feedback as to whether you have communicated your ideas clearly.

e. PROOFREAD! Before submitting the paper to your supervisor, read it carefully a few times, edit, use a spell checker, and improve accordingly.

f. When you introduce new concepts, explain and define them.

g. The use of headers helps the reader follow and appreciate the main point you are trying to convey in each section.

i. Check that all the references cited in the thesis appear in the reference list.

Some common pitfalls include:

a. Writing very long and convoluted sentences.

b. Frequent use of the same word, repetitive language.

c. Inappropriately combining singular and plural, or past and present tenses in the same sentence or paragraph. Reporting past research in the present tense.

d. Confusing the words "effect" and "affect", "then" and "than", "it's" and "its" (there is no such word as its')

e. Treating the word "data" as singular.

f. Inappropriate punctuation.

g. Lack of focus in various sections.

Research Proposal Checklist