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Managing Your Thesis:

Getting a Head Start With


Your Proposal
I F T H E RE S A BO O K Y O U
R E A L L Y W A N T T O R E A D , BU T I T
H A S N T BE EN W R IT T E N Y ET ,
T H E N Y O U M U S T W R IT E I T .
- T O N I M O R R IS O N

What You Will Learn Today

Learn how to analyze the thesis proposal

requirements
Develop a strong research question
Gain resources for being successful in this thesis

proposal project

ANALYZE THE
THESIS
PROPOSAL

Why Write a Proposal:


Its like a contract: You say you will do X, and if you do

X, then youve fulfilled that component of the grad


program.

Why Write a Proposal


Its like a contract: You say you will do X, and if you do

X, then youve fulfilled that component of the grad


program.
It forces you to conceptualize what you are trying to do
before starting the thesis project, as well as articulate it
persuasively to your committee who may or may not be
experts in your proposed field of study.

Why Write a Proposal


Its like a contract: You say you will do X, and if you do

X, then youve fulfilled that component of the grad


program.
It forces you to conceptualize what you are trying to do
before starting the thesis project, as well as articulate it
persuasively to your committee who may or may not be
experts in your proposed field of study.
It demonstrates that you understand how to conduct
discipline-specific research within an acceptable timeframe. In other words, it forces you to demonstrate
that you know how to be part of the discourse.

The essential elements of a successful thesis proposal


Inquiry (e.g. research question, problem, gap in

scholarship, opportunity for exploration)

The essential elements of a successful thesis proposal


Inquiry (e.g. research question, problem, gap in

scholarship, opportunity for exploration)


Background (e.g. rationale, lit review, definitions,
assumptions)

The essential elements of a successful thesis proposal


Inquiry (e.g. research question, problem, gap in

scholarship, opportunity for exploration)


Background (e.g. rationale, lit review, definitions,
assumptions)
Purpose (e.g. significance, implications, so
what?)

The essential elements of a successful thesis proposal


Inquiry (e.g. research question, problem, gap in

scholarship, opportunity for exploration)


Background (e.g. rationale, lit review, definitions,
assumptions)
Purpose (e.g. significance, implications, so
what?)
Methodology (e.g. procedure, scope/limitations,
approach, timelines)

Finding disciplinary-specific guidelines


Search for Graduate student handbook (fill in your

department) on Westerns website

Finding disciplinary-specific guidelines


Search for Graduate student handbook (fill in your

department) on Westerns website


Google (fill in your department) thesis proposal
example

Finding disciplinary-specific guidelines


Search for Graduate student handbook (fill in your

department) on Westerns website


Google (fill in your department) thesis proposal
example
Talk to an advisor or fellow graduate students for an
example

GETTING (OR
REFINING) YOUR
RESEARCH
QUESTION

Getting Your Research Question


The first part of any thesis project is the research

question
Having a good research question is not only the first

thing you should start with, it is the foundation for


all the work you will do
Pick something you are passionate about!

Getting Your Research Question


Talk about your ideas
Collaboration and communication are key components

of research and will help you to refine your topic


Talk with people from different backgrounds

Advisors and professors


Field experts
Peers
The Graduate Research/Writing Center

Getting Your Research Question


Talk to someone briefly about your research

interests.

Getting Your Research Question


If you could boil down your interests into one

research question, what would it be?


Write it down

Getting Your Research Question


Example Research Question:

What kind of renewable energy is good for the


community?

Now lets interrogate the question

Refining Your Research Question


Question # 1: What words are vague or

undefinable?

Good

Good as in what? Healthy? Sustainable?


There are many kinds of good, so which one is it?

Community

Which community?
The Western campus community? Bellingham community? US
community?

Refining Your Research Question


Question # 2: What is the methodology?
How would we measure if certain renewable energies are good for the
community?
Would we test them all? In every conceivable way?

If youre realizing that the methodology is impossible for the timeframe in


which you have to produce your thesis, its time to refine your research
question even further.
If your methodology is doable, you still may even consider revising if youre
finding that your research question doesnt really line up with the method of
research that you actually want/plan to do.

Refining Your Research Question


Question # 3: How does this question fill a gap in the

scholarship?

A good research question is embedded within a field of


scholarship and adds to the conversion

If you already know the scholarship surrounding your subject,


you can refine your research question so that you are adding
something new to the academic conversion

If you are unsure if your question fills a gap, you will want to
identify the topics you need to research to know if your question
is original to the field

LOCATING YOUR
QUESTION IN
THE FIELD OF
RESEARCH

Is your research project


Focused
Novel
Feasible
Theoretical
Near-Term Results

VS

or is it

Extended
Grounded
Challenging
Empirical
Long-Term Prospects

Compared with other research in the field, you want to make sure
your research project fits in a happy medium for each of these
different considerations.

Is your research project


Focused
Novel
Feasible
Theoretical
Near-Term Results

VS

or is it

Extended
Grounded
Challenging
Empirical
Long-Term Prospects

Take each of these binaries and consider your own research question
within the body of scholarship research that youve found already
(or know you will need to find).

MOVING FORWARD
FROM THESE
INITIAL EXERCISES

Weve started the process, now ask yourself

What do you need to further consider or find out about

the proposal assignment itself?

What do you need to further consider as you refine your

research question?

What do you need to further consider in terms of framing

your inquiry within a field of research?

MANAGING
YOUR THESIS &
THE THESIS
PROPOSAL
PROCESS

Why the thesis process is so hard

Challenges in writing a thesis are often not rooted in academic

ability, but in being able to manage the project as a whole.


Organizing your thesis project research/writing is a Herculean task,
to say the least.
Luckily, there are many resources that make this process

exponentially easier than it has been in the past.


Links for the following items can be found on the Graduate

Research/Writing Center webpage, which you can find through


WWUs library website.

Research
Zotero is a "personal research assistant" that helps

you collect, organize, cite, and share your references.


Mendeley is a "reference manager and academic

social network" that helps you organize your


research and collaborate with others.
Endnote is reference management software used to
collect and manage bibliographies, citations, and
references.

Writing
Gingko is a mapping and writing tool that allows

you to write spatially and in smaller chunks.


Scrivener is a "content-generation tool" that allows
you to compose in one place throughout the writing
process, from brainstorming to final polishing.
Evernote is a content management tool that allows
to collect, find, and share anytime an idea strikes
you.

Planning and Mapping


Mindomo is a mapping and task-oriented program

that allows you to plan out what you need to get done
in a project.

People

Although all librarians can help with research, each has a

subject specialty. Get to know your librarian.


Keep in close contact with your advisor(s), since they are

the ones to whom you are ultimately writing your thesis


and thesis proposal.
Email us to make an appointment to work with a Graduate

Writing Center Assistant. Or submit a draft online and


well work with you asynchronously!

GOOD LUCK
WRITING!

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