Thesis Proposal:
The thesis proposal shall be 5 pages in length not including title page or references.
Your title page should include the working title of your thesis, your name, and your working abstract.
The abstract includes the following components: purpose of the research, methodology, findings, and conclusion. The body of the abstract is limited to 150-200 words.
Your thesis proposal should have the following sections:
Introduction: The introduction is where you identify your specific research question and where you set the general context for the study. In this section you need to include:
Literature Review: This short preliminary literature review section reviews the literature important to your specific research question. The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same or similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this case. It provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it relates to your specific research question. In this section you should:
Theoretical Framework/Approach: The theoretical framework section develops the theories or models to be used in the study and shows how you have developed testable research hypotheses. This section should include:
For some additional information on how to organize your theoretical framework into your paper, check out this USC Library guide on Theoretical Frameworks.
Research Design & Methods: Describes how you will test the hypothesis and carry out your analysis. This section describes the data to be used to test the hypothesis, how you will operationalize and collect data on your variables, and the analytic methods that to be used, noting potential biases and limitations to the research approach. It should include:
Conclusion: Should re-emphasize the importance of the study and bring the proposal full circle.
Reference List: References the works that you have cited (direct quotes or paraphrases) in the text. This list must be in the Turabian “Reference List†style rather than in the “Bibliography†style. Remember that the references you use demonstrate your knowledge of the topic area. This research proposal is meant to convince your professor that you not only have identified a worthy question in need of investigation, but that you are also capable of carrying out the research involved to successfully answer that question. At the very least you should have referenced 6-10 sources in this proposal.