How To Write A Decent Dissertation Prospectus: Tips From An Expert


Many professors will require you to submit a prospectus for your dissertation prior to actually beginning work on the paper. The purpose of the prospectus is to ensure that you have chosen a good topic, that they are adequate resources to address that topic, and that your teacher likes the direction that your paper is going in. Essentially the prospectus is an opportunity for you to receive feedback on your paper before you’ve gone too far down a certain path. Because of this, it is important that you write the best prospectus possible, so that you’ll get the most valuable feedback back from your teacher. Follow these easy tips from an expert on how to write a decent dissertation prospectus:

  • Make it clear what question you are trying to answer
  • Most research and papers start with a basic question that you are trying to answer or explore. This question should be make obvious in your prospectus so that the reader can understand where the research started. This will give them a better idea of whether your research is stemming from that question in a logical and useful direction.

  • Explicitly state your thesis statement
  • One of the major components of a prospectus is to present the thesis statement that you will be arguing in your full paper. At the point in your writing process when you would submit a prospectus it isn’t unusual that your thesis statement might evolve later on, so you should just share the best version of it that you have at that time.

  • Only present the most crucial background information
  • One mistake that many students make when writing a prospectus is to present way too much background information. Chances are you will want to present some to familiarize your reader with the basics, and to show some of the research that you’ve done. Just don’t go overboard.

  • Try to show why the topic is important
  • If you can show why the topic is important in your prospectus you’ll give your reader a better idea of why you chose it, and you’ll be more likely to get them excited to read the final paper.

  • Use a prospectus example
  • It can be very helpful to have an example that you go off of. Look at this company to find examples and more tips on how to write a great prospectus.

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