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. Presentation contentThe importance of getting your proposal rightAnd why we are strict about the processThe link between the proposal and research undertaken at Masters level The proposal, the work undertaken, the final dissertationHow to fill in the proposal form And how not to. . The
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1. 1 MSc dissertation CO72008 Proposal writing
Hazel Hall
School of Computing, Napier University
2. Presentation content
The importance of getting your proposal right
And why we are strict about the process
The link between the proposal and research undertaken at Masters level
The proposal, the work undertaken, the final dissertation
How to fill in the proposal form
And how not to…
3. The importance of getting your proposal right
To get the work started on time
You will not be registered for the MSc by the module co-ordinator (Hazel) until your proposal is approved by your Programme Leader
If you hand in a proposal which does not meet the standard required by your Programme Leader, you will be asked to revise it until it does
To make the rest of the process as straightforward as possible
Hard thinking at this stage will make the rest of the process easier
4. Proposal writing is part of the research process
You should indicate
Appreciation of what has been done in this domain before
Identification of appropriate research aims and questions
Methods to be deployed, for example
how empirical work will be conducted
special equipment required
how results will be analysed and interpreted
5. Good proposals to good research
The output
The antecedents of the work produced are clear
Tackles a focused problem
Methods deployed can be replicated
Claims made are supported by evidence
Implications of what is found are explained
Wider applicability of the work is indicated
6. Good proposals to good research
The output
The antecedents of the work produced are clear
Tackles a focused problem
Methods deployed can be replicated
Claims made are supported by evidence
Implications of what is found are explained
Wider applicability of the work is indicated
7. The research cycle
8. The research cycle
9. Your dissertation
10. You are ready to start writing a draft proposal when
You have a topic that is
Related to your degree programme
Feasible: for example, narrow enough to be manageable at MSc level, yet non-trivial
Novel/original
Will interest you for the duration of the project
You have done some preliminary reading
Material on the topic to check feasibility (and cite in proposal)
Material on research approaches so that you can outline a possible approach
17. Completing the proposal form
Fill in the sections
The order of filling it in is unlikely to be linear
Make sure that it all makes sense as a “whole” document
Attention to writing style
Academic tone
Logical ordering of elements
Attention to detail, e.g. Harvard for in-text citations, APA for listed references
18. Reasons why your proposal may be returned to you for further work
Failure to do the preparatory reading, for example
No evidence of familiarity with the literature of the research domain
Methods proposed do not make sense
Inappropriate “research” proposed, for example
Research questions too broad, too trivial, impossible to answer
Aims not linked to research questions
Proposal is focused on development, rather than Masters level research
Poor presentation, for example
Written style (use of “I”, contractions, journalistic tone), formatting
19. Convince your Programme Leader
Why it is worth undertaking this project
What you propose to do
How you intend to go about it
What it will deliver
The potential impact/importance of this proposed work