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Guide to Writing Research Proposal and Thesis

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GUIDE TO WRITING RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND THESIS

STRUCTURE I

Doctor of Philosophy (BA)
Master of Science (BA)

CENTRE FOR GRADUATE STUDIES
SEPTEMBER 2009

INTRODUCTION

All students pursuing a postgraduate programme under Structure I shall submit a thesis for examination as a requirement for the award of the degree. This would entail the preparation of a research proposal which is later developed into a thesis. This document provides guidelines for writing the research proposal and the thesis. WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Research proposal is a document written to inform others including your supervisor or graduate committee and your examiners of a proposed piece of research you intent to do. You should be aware that a research …show more content…

* Discuss the issue that you intend to study in terms of problem statement and show that there is an issue that needs to be addressed or a “gap” in the body of knowledge that you want to fill. When you are able to identify the issue or gap, than the research questions will fall in place naturally. Think of the Introduction as follows:
Imagine a group of academics discussing in general the area of study you are interested in. You join in the conversation (assuming they allow you to!) and draw their attention to your specific problem of interest. You tell them that there is something that has not been resolved or there is a gap or problem. You argue that this gap or problem has to be addressed and go on to describe it in detail. Then you tell your listeners the objectives of your study and how it will attempt to answer the research questions.

Title Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background to the Study 1.2 Problem Statement 1.3 Objectives of the Study 1.4 Research Questions and Hypotheses (if any) 1.5 Significance of the Study 1.6 Scope of the Study 1.7 Definitions of Terms Chapter 2 Review of Literature 2.1 Previous Studies 2.2 Methodological Issues 2.3 Conceptual Framework Chapter 3 Methodology 3.1 Theoretical Framework 3.2 Research Design 3.3 Framework for Data

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