Often times, reviewing a dissertation proposal sample can be extremely beneficial to a student nervous about or inexperienced with the process of writing a dissertation proposal.  Those are completely natural, but viewing a sample can help you break the process down step by step.

That is really the key to writing a good proposal, especially if it is for an undergraduate dissertation.  After all, at that point in your academic career, you are understandably unfamiliar with the thesis writing process.  And why not, if you have never before written one?  Just as your professors offer you examples of how to cite in MLA style, APA style, or Chicago style, there is no reason why you should not study a dissertation proposal sample.

Of course, you should make it a point to look at a good dissertation proposal example!  Naturally, you will not benefit much by studying a poor one, unless you want to see exactly what you should not do.

To begin with, a dissertation proposal needs to flow well together, from section to section.  Therefore, you should look for a sample that has all the components:

•    the title, which marks the beginning of the dissertation proposal; all its sections should be recorded, including the degree level of the proposal, the writer’s name, and the appropriate department.

•    next, it is appropriate to include the committee members, including their names and credentials;

•    third is the abstract, which is basically a summary of what, precisely, you are proposing with your research;

•    the fourth part includes the foreword, where the student introduces the research, the primary questions dealt with, and the overall scope.

•    fifth comes the methods the writer intends to use in order to do the research and address the theory;

•    the sixth part should contain the deadline of the research;

•    lastly, there needs to be a section devoted to the potential funding.

A sample is an excellent source of proposal help as it pertains to the necessary format – though, of course, the specifics may very, sometimes you may have to include more, sometimes.  The general layout, especially as it pertains to the meat of the dissertation proposal, are basically the same.

It is not necessary to read a dissertation proposal sample in your chosen topic of study, although that can certainly provide extraordinarily proposal help as well.  You can see the methods of research someone else found beneficial, or at least get a general notion of the possibilities open to you.  Of course, you should be careful to view samples like this objectively and not be too influenced by the topic, because above all, dissertation writing – and proposal writing – should be a learning experience, and you always want to bring something brand new and innovative to the table.

All in all, you can benefit from reading a dissertation proposal sample – or several of them – in a number of ways.  At the very least, you will have a general outline that you can follow as you draft your proposal, which in turn can help you organize your thoughts and ideas.  This provides an excellent source of dissertation help.