By: Graduate Student Knowledgebase
Congratulations! You're at a phase in your doctoral program where you need to write your dissertation prospectus. This document serves as a blueprint for your research, outlining the core elements of your study and setting the stage for the work ahead. The prospectus not only helps to clarify your research goals but also communicates your plan to advisors and committee members, providing them with a clear understanding of your approach. In essence, the prospectus is where you articulate your main argument, justify its importance, and detail the evidence that will underpin your analysis. A well-crafted prospectus is essential for gaining approval to proceed with your dissertation, ensuring that you have a solid foundation for the research journey ahead.
In its simplest form, the dissertation prospectus should provide a preliminary outline of:
(1) your main argument,
(2) its significance, and
(3) the evidence you will use to support it.
Your argument can be presented as a focused research question, a hypothesis, or a tentative thesis. When explaining why it matters, you should detail how your dissertation will contribute to or potentially alter the existing scholarship on the topic. In discussing the body of evidence, you should identify the primary and secondary sources that are critical to your research.
In addition to the general aims of your dissertation prospectus, it’s important to address several key questions that will help clarify and strengthen your proposal:
Why are you addressing this topic? Consider how this topic builds upon your previous work, and explain the significance of your approach, archive, or perspective in contributing to the field.
Do you make use of any special methodological or theoretical perspective? Identify any specific methodologies or theoretical frameworks you plan to use, and discuss why they are particularly suited to your topic and the body of evidence you will examine.
What is the proposed organization of the dissertation? Provide an overview of how you plan to structure your dissertation, outlining the major sections or chapters and how they will contribute to your overall argument.
By answering these questions in your prospectus, you’ll create a more detailed and compelling case for your dissertation, ensuring that your research plan is well thought out and effectively communicated to your committee.
In addition to the content, it is important to consider how one should organize the contents within one's prospectus:
A Title: Choose a title that clearly indicates the topic and focus of your project. Avoid being overly creative; clarity is key.
The Body of the Prospectus: This section should provide a detailed description of your project, highlighting its potential scholarly interest and significance. Clearly identify the core objects of study and how they contribute to your research.
A Chapter Breakdown: Offer tentative descriptions of each chapter, dedicating a page or less to each one. This breakdown should provide a roadmap of how your dissertation will be structured and how each chapter will contribute to your overall argument.
A Timeline: Outline your intended schedule, specifying what you plan to complete and by when. This helps demonstrate that your project is manageable within the given timeframe.
A Description of Special Needs: If your research requires specific resources, such as travel for archival research, specialized equipment, or the development of new skills (e.g., linguistic or technical), include a description of these needs and how you plan to address them.
Bibliography: Compile a bibliography that mostly reflects the research you have already done. While it can include a few key works you still need to read, it should primarily showcase your familiarity with the existing scholarship related to your topic.
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