Five Steps To Writing a Thesis Proposal

Number 1: Choose an area of research that you are excited about

When you begin writing a thesis proposal, your advisor might give you a
choice of dissertation topics. What criteria should you use to make this
decision? The most important advice that former graduate students have
given, is that your thesis topic should cover an area that you are truly
passionate about.
Regardless your field, you will have good days and bad days.
On good days you will be enthusiastic and motivated to work. On bad days,
you might question whether your research makes any sense, and you might
even doubt your ability to graduate. If you pick a meaningful topic, the daily
setbacks in your research will not bring you down.
You will still be working in an important field, and you will be learning the
skills and expertise necessary for your career.
Number 2: Select a project which balances novelty with established
research
Given that you want to finish your thesis within a reasonable amount of time,
should you research a novel or hot area, or to go with a safer, betterunderstood topic? One way to answer this question is to visualize yourself at
every stage of your thesis.
How will you make it happen? Can you gather the resources and complete the
work by your proposed graduation date?

Most likely your project will take longer than you anticipated, so allow some
flexibility to account for contingencies. The general rule of thumb is that
things take 2-4 times longer than predicted.
If you have little expertise, begin your work by exploring questions in wellunderstood areas. For example, you could learn the basics of your field, by
extending the research projects of previous students, or trying to reproduce
their data.
Starting your research in an area where the methodology has been established
will teach you the necessary research skills for your field. Once you learn the
basics, you can expand your research by exploring novel areas, and build your
own unique niche.
Number 3: Ask well-defined open-ended questions for your thesis
One of the mistakes that some PhD students make while writing a thesis
proposal is that they ask High-risk questions. The most common type of
high risk question is a Yes/No question, such as Is this protein produced by
cells under these conditions?
The reason that Yes/No questions can be high-risk is that sometimes the
answers are only publishable if the answer is Yes.
Negative results are usually not interesting enough for publication and you
could have spent months or years researching a question that has a high
chance of not being published. For many students open-ended questions have
a much higher likelihood of success.

In the case of one student in Biology, he thought about asking a question such
as: Do cells produce a particular protein under these conditions? However, if
the answer had been No, it would not have been publishable. Instead, he
phrased his research question as follows: What proteins do cell produce in
these conditions? or How does XYZ influence the production of proteins?
Be sure that your question is well-defined. In other words, when you ask your
thesis question, think about the possible outcomes. What results do you
expect? Are they interesting and publishable?
To summarize this key point, consider the following when constructing your
thesis question:
1) Ask open-ended questions
2) Be sure that your possible outcomes are interesting and publishable

Number 4: Look for projects that are educational and incorporate

marketable skills
Think about your progression through graduate school as a pyramid. As the
years pass, you become more and more specialized with fewer and fewer
people being experts in your field. By the time you graduate you will be part of
a small community of people who specialize in your particular area.
On the other hand, you will probably need a diverse skill set after graduation,
so it is important to avoid the common mistake of narrowing your pyramid too

quickly. It is not necessary to learn all the subspecialties, but do familiarize

yourself with the background literature and technical skills in your field.
Some students make the mistake of focusing only on finishing graduate school
quickly, rather than taking advantage of the learning opportunities. One way
to add marketable skills to your resume is to collaborate on a side-project.
For example, if you specialize in cell culture then it would be advantageous if
you collaborated on a project that added a different but related skill set such as
DNA/RNA work, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry or imaging. If
you browse through job listings you will get an idea of which skill sets
employers look for.
Collaborating on complementary projects will help you to broaden your
marketable skill sets, and also help you in deciding which career path is best
suited for you.
Number 5: Visualize your finished publication(s)
A physics PhD student I worked with had an advisor who outlined each paper
even before the research was started. He wrote down what questions he
wanted to be answered, and what each graph and table should show.
This method was so helpful for the student, that he still designs his research
papers in advance. As you are in the process of writing your thesis proposal
draft some preliminary answers to the following questions:

What is your central hypothesis or research goal?

What is the motivation for this study?

What have other groups contributed to this research?

What methods do you need to learn to complete this project?

What are the possible outcomes, or results, of this study?

What will your tables and graphs show?

How does this work contribute to your field of research?

Visualizing your publications while writing a thesis proposal will motivate you
to work, because most graduate students feel a sense of pride when they hold
their very first published paper in their hands.
Most likely, the answers to the above questions will change with time and you
might have several setbacks or forks in the road. Fortunately, most students
become more efficient as they progress through graduate school.
Your cumulative experience will pay off during your last year when you are
racing to finish your research and your dissertation simultaneously. In the
meantime, work on defining your questions and methods meticulously, so that
you will have a realistic plan to work with.
The last step in the process, Visualizing your finished publications, is
probably the most important one in the 5-step process of writing a thesis
proposal. First, visualizing the end result of a major project is very motivating
in itself. Second, publishing a paper is one of the most important steps
towards earning your graduate degree.
Most PhD programs require at least one publication. When you structure your
research, and the writing of a thesis proposal, by asking the right questions,

you will be able to design a realistic project that canbe completed in time and
provides you with marketable job skills.

How to Write a Paper Topic Proposal & Thesis Statement

How to Write a Paper Topic Proposal & Thesis Statement

PART 1 OF THE ASSIGNMENT: PAPER TOPIC PROPOSAL

The formal research paper or honors thesis will provide you with an
opportunity to more fully develop the background and implications of one of
the topics presented during the semester or explore a related topic not
covered. Your paper topic proposal requires research in order to make your
proposal as close to your paper topic as possible. I strongly suggest you
come to office hours to discuss your topic proposal with me, because I will
review all proposals for viability and reject any inappropriate or undoable
topics.
The written proposal must include the following 2 things:
1.

Your proposed paper topic: This part of the proposal is one sentence.

Keep your paper topic narrow (but not so narrow that there are no scholarly
sources available on the topic).
2.

Why the topic is interesting and important: Address how you will focus

the topic. If you choose a topic that is not of interest to you, it will show in
your paper. This topic must remain of interest to you for two semesters, so
give it some serious consideration. As we cover topics in class, undoubtedly
something will come up that you want to learn more about. This would be an
ideal paper topic. This part of the assignment requires that you include two
to three paragraphs about why this topic is interesting and important. Why
should the reader care about Roger Williamss relationship with the
Narragansett Indians? If you simply retell the story of his exile from
Massachusetts and what he thought of the Narragansett religious beliefs and

practices, thats a book report, not an honors level research paper. However,
if you explore the significance Narragansett religion had on Williams, his
writings, and his life, you have the makings of an interesting and important
research paper. It would require research pertaining to the role of
missionaries in the American colonies, research of the Puritan philosophy and
why Williams was banned from Massachusetts Bay Colony, and research of
Narragansett beliefs and religious views and how they were impacted by the
English and Dutch.
What should your paper topic be? Select a course-related topic. I suggest
you write about an area that most interests you and in which you might
already have some background knowledge. What do you want to learn more
about? What are you interested in? Avoid choosing a topic that bores you.
Sustained interest in your topic is important, as a topic that bores you makes
for a boring paper. It is unlikely you will be able to fool the reader into
believing you liked a topic that you didnt actually like.
Now, narrow down your topic: Once youve chosen a topic, ask yourself if its
narrow enough for you to tackle in the paper or honors thesis you will be
writing. Narrow topics generally result in the best papers. One important
consideration is the availability of material. Therefore, before making a final
decision on your topic, do some initial research to find out the type, quality,
and quantity of information available. Finally, how much time do you have to
write your paper? The earlier you begin your paper, the more thorough the
treatment your topic will receive. If you cant begin your paper early in the
semester, consider limiting your topic so you can deal with it adequately.

PART 2 OF THE ASSIGNMENT: THESIS STATEMENT

What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement is a proposition stated as a

conclusion which you will then demonstrate or prove in your paper. It is
the focal point around which your research will revolve. It is usually stated in
the form of an assertion or statement you resolve through your research. Its
not a question; its an answer, such as:
Key decisions in large U.S. cities are made by a handful of individuals, drawn

largely from business, industrial, and municipal circles, who occupy the top
of the power hierarchy.
Cigarette smoking harms the body by constricting the blood vessels,
accelerating the heartbeat, paralyzing the cilia in the bronchial tubes, and
activating excessive gastric secretions in the stomach.
A thesis takes a position on an issue. Because you must take a position or
develop a claim about a subject, you need to convey that position or claim in
a thesis statement in your research paper. It is different from a topic
sentence in that a thesis statement is not neutral. It announces, in addition
to the topic, the argument you want to make or the point you want to prove.
This is your own opinion that you intend to back up. This is your reason and
motivation for writing. A thesis statement:
i)

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject

matter under discussion.

ii)

is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to

expect from the rest of the paper.

iii)

directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation

of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an

essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to
understand the war or the novel.
iv)

makes a claim that others might dispute.

v)

is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that

presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the
essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the
logic of your interpretation. After you have done some preliminary research
and reading on your narrowed-down topic, you should formulate a singlesentence thesis statement.
Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion convincing others that
you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are
studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You
persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car,
your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course

assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are
asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion,
often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing.
After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the
topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis
statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument youll make in the
rest of your paper.
What is the purpose of the thesis statement? The thesis statement guides
you, enabling you to focus your research paper and outline what you will
write. It allows you to clarify your thinking and determine what is relevant
and irrelevant as you do your research. Your research paper must be thesisdriven. A high school level report will not receive a passing grade. The
thesis must pull together the analysis that follows. Your thesis statement
must be specific it should cover only what you will discuss in your research
paper and must be supported with specific evidence. The thesis statement
usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. Early in your
paper I should be able to locate the thesis statement. If I ask you Where is
the thesis statement? you should be able to point to it immediately.
How do you come up with a thesis statement? A thesis is the result of a
lengthy thinking process and careful deliberation after preliminary research.
Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading a writing
assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to
collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known
facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the
significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will
probably have a working thesis, a basic main idea, an argument that you
think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the
way. Your topic may change somewhat as you write, so you may need to
revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in
the paper.

Thesis Statement Samples:

1)

The non-thesis thesis: You must take a stand or youll end up with a

non-thesis thesis.
a)

Bad Thesis 1: In his article, Stanley Fish shows that we dont really have

the right to free speech.

b)

Bad Thesis 2: This paper will consider the advantages and

disadvantages of certain restrictions on free speech.

c)

Better Thesis 1: Stanley Fishs argument that free speech exists more as

a political prize than as a legal reality ignores the fact that even as a political
prize it still serves the social end of creating a general cultural atmosphere of
tolerance that may ultimately promote free speech in our nation just as
effectively as any binding law.
d)

Better Thesis 2: Even though there may be considerable advantages to

restricting hate speech, the possibility of chilling open dialogue on crucial

racial issues is too great and too high a price to pay.
2)

The overly broad thesis: A thesis should be as specific as possible, and it

should be tailored to reflect the scope of the paper. It is not possible, for
instance, to write about the history of English literature in a five-page paper.
In addition to choosing simply a smaller topic, strategies to narrow a thesis
include specifying a method or perspective or delineating certain limits.
a)

Bad Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the First Amendment.

b)

Bad Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech.

c)

Better Thesis 1: There should be no restrictions on the First Amendment

if those restrictions are intended merely to protect individuals from

unspecified or otherwise unquantifiable or unverifiable emotional distress.
d)

Better Thesis 2: The government has the right to limit free speech in

cases of overtly racist or sexist language because our failure to address such
abuses would effectively suggest that our society condones such ignorant
and hateful views.
3)

The incontestable thesis: A thesis must be arguable. And in order for it

to be arguable, it must present a view that someone might reasonably

contest. Sometimes a thesis ultimately says, people should be good, or
bad things are bad. Such thesis statements are redundant or so universally

accepted that there is no need to prove the point.

a)

Bad Thesis 1: Although we have the right to say what we want, we

should avoid hurting other peoples feelings.

b)

Bad Thesis 2: There are always alternatives to using racist speech.

c)

Better Thesis 1: If we can accept that emotional injuries can be just as

painful as physical ones we should limit speech that may hurt peoples
feelings in ways similar to the way we limit speech that may lead directly to
bodily harm.
d)

Better Thesis 2: The fighting words exception to free speech is not

legitimate because it wrongly considers speech as an action.

4)

The list essay thesis: A good argumentative thesis provides not only a

position on an issue but also suggests the structure of the paper. The thesis
should allow the reader to imagine and anticipate the flow of the paper, in
which a sequence of points logically proves the essays main assertion. A list
essay provides no such structure, so that different points and paragraphs
appear arbitrary with no logical connection to one another.
a)

Bad Thesis 1: There are many reasons we need to limit hate speech.

b)

Bad Thesis 2: Some of the arguments in favor of regulating pornography

are persuasive.
c)

Better Thesis 1: Among the many reasons we need to limit hate speech

the most compelling ones all refer to our history of discrimination and
prejudice, and it is, ultimately, for the purpose of trying to repair our troubled
racial society that we need hate speech legislation.
d)

Better Thesis 2: Some of the arguments in favor of regulating

pornography are persuasive because they ask pornography proponents to

ask themselves whether such a profession would be on a list of professions
they would desire for their daughters or mothers.
5)

The research paper thesis: In another course this would be acceptable,

and, in fact, possibly even desirable. But in this kind of course, a thesis
statement that makes a factual claim that can be verified only with scientific,
sociological, psychological, or other kind of experimental evidence is not
appropriate. You need to construct a thesis that you are prepared to prove
using the tools you have available, without having to consult the worlds

leading expert on the issue to provide you with a definitive judgment.

a)

Bad Thesis 1: Americans today are not prepared to give up on the

concept of free speech.

b)

Bad Thesis 2: Hate speech can cause emotional pain and suffering in

victims just as intense as physical battery.

c)

Better Thesis 1: Whether or not the cultural concept of free speech bears

any relation to the reality of 1st amendment legislation and jurisprudence, its
continuing social function as a promoter of tolerance and intellectual
exchange trumps the call for politicization (according to Fishs agenda) of the
term.
d)

Better Thesis 2: The various arguments against the regulation of hate

speech depend on the unspoken and unexamined assumption that emotional

pain is trivial.
How do I know if my thesis is strong? If theres time, run it by a professor or
make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback
(http://www.umass.edu/writingcenter/index.html). Even if you do not have
time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your
own. When reviewing your first draft of your working thesis, ask yourself the
following:
1)

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after

constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the
focus of the question.
2)

Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your

thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with,
its possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an
argument.
3)

Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too

vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like
good or successful, see if you could be more specific: why is something
good; what specifically makes something successful?
4)

Does my thesis pass the So what? test? If a readers first response is,

So what? then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to

a larger issue.
5)

Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If

your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of
them has to change. Its okay to change your working thesis to reflect things
you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always
reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
6)

Does my thesis pass the how and why? test? If a readers first

response is how? or why? your thesis may be too open-ended and lack
guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better
take on your position right from the beginning.
Jane M. Smith
Honors ____
[Date]
Paper Topic Proposal and Thesis Statement
Proposed paper topic: [One sentence.]
Why the topic is interesting and important: [Two to three paragraphs.] See
details above on what is required of this section.
Thesis statement:
I submitted my thesis way back in March but, somewhere between CREET and the Research School,
the documentation was lost or abandoned for a couple of months. Add to that a spell in hospital
when they finally got round to fixing a date and Im left with a viva in late August, when my thesis
is fast becoming a distant memory and Im on the mend from major surgery.
Of course, successfully completing a viva affects all sorts of things: employment prospects, roles I can
take on at the university, status, pay and I could have done without lying in intensive care worrying
about the event itself. Someone, somewhere at the university has messed things up big time not
that they are apologising for it, or even owning up.
But, apart from awarding the unknown culprit(s) a #massivefail hashtag, Im thinking positive and
working on possible viva questions. Ive been setn, or read, several lists of these so here they are,
my selection of the Top 40 Potential Viva Questions.

1. Can you start by summarising your thesis?

2. Now, can you summarise it in one sentence?
3. What is the idea that binds your thesis together?
4. What motivated and inspired you to carry out this research?
5. What are the main issues and debates in this subject area?
6. Which of these does your research address?
7. Why is the problem you have tackled worth tackling?
8. Who has had the strongest influence in the development of your subject area in theory and
practice?
9. Which are the three most important papers that relate to your thesis?
10. What published work is closest to yours? How is your work different?
11. What do you know about the history of [insert something relevant]?
12. How does your work relate to [insert something relevant]?
13. What are the most recent major developments in your area?
14. How did your research questions emerge?
15. What were the crucial research decisions you made?
16. Why did you use this research methodology? What did you gain from it?
17. What were the alternatives to this methodology?
18. What would you have gained by using another approach?
19. How did you deal with the ethical implications of your work?
20. How has your view of your research topic changed?
21. How have you evaluated your work?
22. How do you know that your findings are correct?
23. What are the strongest/weakest parts of your work?
24. What would have improved your work?
25. To what extent do your contributions generalise?
26. Who will be most interested in your work?
27. What is the relevance of your work to other researchers?
28. What is the relevance of your work to practitioners?
29. Which aspects of your work do you intend to publish and where?
30. Summarise your key findings.
31. Which of these findings are the most interesting to you? Why?
32. How do your findings relate to literature in your field?
33. What are the contributions to knowledge of your thesis?
34. How long-term are these contributions?
35. What are the main achievements of your research?
36. What have you learned from the process of doing your PhD?

37. What advice would you give to a research student entering this area?
38. You propose future research. How would you start this?
39. What would be the difficulties?
40. And, finally What have you done that merits a PhD?
Rebecca