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DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS AND LITERATURE REVIEW. What is a Dissertation Prospectus?. Not an a summary of a completed dissertation or an introductory chapter, but an attempt to describe what is planned before it has been done. Should provide a preliminary description.
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What is a Dissertation Prospectus? • Not an a summary of a completed dissertation or an introductory chapter, but an attempt to describe what is planned before it has been done. • Should provide a preliminary description. • What topic and area will the dissertation explore? • Why does this topic and area merit such exploration? • Should be between 8 and 20 pages long, with up to 10 more pages of bibliography, diagrams, figures and tables.
Elements • Cover Page with Working Title. • Table of Contents. • Abstract. • The Research Problem. • The Methodology/ Procedures. • Literature Review. • Bibliography. • Timetable.
Title/Cover Page • Proposed title. • Your name. • Department. • Names of the supervisory committee with a place for their approval signatures. • Date of submission.
Abstract • One page. • Formulate your project for someone who is not immersed in its field.
Problem/Goals • What central problem does the dissertation address? • Begin with one sentence statement of the problem- your Thesis Statement. • Some problems will be highly descriptive. Other problems are instrumental. Others require hypothesis testing. • Problem can be theoretical, critical, or historical; should be presented as a question which the dissertation will attempt to find answers.
Literature Review: What is it? • An overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration. • Conduct a Literature search to find relevant materials. • Evaluate each item you include: determine which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. Tell how this topic been treated before. • Include a brief review of the present “state of the art” with respect to your topic. • Explain how your approach differs from earlier ones: Has new evidence appeared (for example, a new primary source) since previous treatments?
Literature Review-Assessing the Sources • What are the author's credentials? • Are the author's arguments supported by evidence? • Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point? • Which of the author's theses are most/least convincing? • Are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?
Significance • Description of how the dissertation will advance knowledge in the field. • How is your dissertation going to change peoples’ ideas, add to the present picture, or revise commonly held views?
Methodology • Develop a set of logically related abstract ideas that are central to your research problem. Principal issue is what you propose to analyze and the justification for studying it. Presentation of the model must include a definition of terms. • First part of the analysis methods section of the prospectus must briefly summarize the research problem and related model. • The data collection and analysis should be linked to the problem and the model. The research design section must also include: a. the unit of analysis/observation.b. the data collection instruments and/or data sources.c. sampling strategy.d. the analytical techniques including statistical techniques.
Timetable/Outline • Acknowledge pitfalls and limitations of the research. • Suggest alternative strategies. • The outline can be in narrative form, should be as precise as possible, though it may be modified in the course of writing the dissertation. • Developing an outline helps focus writing. • Outlining a sequence of potential chapters will help clarify the argument of the thesis. A finished chapter should be approximately 30-40 double-spaced pages. If the major sections of your dissertation exceed this length, plan to subdivide them.
References/Bibliography • The purpose is to identify those works that are central for your problem. • At this stage of your research, you may list reference items that are not included as citations in the text of your paper. • The final dissertation, however, must include only reference items that are actually cited in the body of the work. • It can be arranged in a number of ways: alphabetically, chapter by chapter, thematically, or in whatever order best suits your subject matter and method.
Bibliography for this Presentation • DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS • http://info.med.yale.edu/eph/phdgraduate/pdf/Guidelines_for_Prospectus_and_Dissertation.pdf (Yale School of Public Health) • http://www.arthistory.ucsb.edu/pdfs/writing%20_prospectus.pdf (University of California) • http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~rll/graduate/prospectus.html (Harvard) • http://www.ou.edu/cas/psc/graduate/phdprospectus.html (University of Oklahoma) • http://www.uta.edu/history/transatlantic/prospectus.htm (University of Texas) • LITERATURE REVIEW • http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/litrev.pdf (University of Washington) • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature_review (Wikipedia) • http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html (University of California) • http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
