Holding a PhD degree can get you far in the Ghanaian academic and corporate sectors. That said, you’ll have to write your PhD thesis to bag that degree, and this journey will begin with your proposal. This document will be your research blueprint, giving your readers a good idea of your academic abilities, research skills, and your study’s potential contribution to your academic field. With that in mind, you must know how to present this document. But, what is the format of a PhD proposal? While the requirement may not be the same in all tertiary institutions, this format may help you out.
What key components should your proposal have?
The following sections must make an appearance in your PhD thesis proposal:
- Title page: as the name suggests, your research title must be nested on this page, along with your name, and your academic affiliation. Now, you want your title to be concise and descriptive, helping your readers to quickly understand your research focus.
- Abstract: this section is a 250-300 word summary of your research proposal. With that in mind, make sure it concisely describes your research problem, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes. Your abstract will influence your readers’ impression of your research, so take your time to do it well.
- Introduction: in this phase, you’re laying the foundation of your research by introducing the topic, giving background information, and highlighting your research problem. While at it, pinpoint the existing knowledge gaps in this area, and show how your study will fill it.
- Research questions or hypotheses: these will be dependent on your Based on the research problem, you must define clear research questions or hypotheses. These will guide your study and determine the focus of your analysis.
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- Literature review: This section will show how much you understand the old and current research in your field. With this in mind, do well to point out the main theories, models, studies, as well as the gaps your research will fill. You must note that your literature review must be organised and demonstrate how your research will build upon what’s already there.
- Research methodology: now, this is the area that focuses on your research design, data collection methods, sampling techniques, and data analysis plan. Your methodology must go well with your research questions and be feasible within the Ghanaian context.
- Expected outcomes: you’ll also want to talk about your potential results in this segment of your proposal. As a tip, discuss how your study will improve upon the knowledge in your field of study, solve the research problem and fill the identified gap.
- Timeline: PhD thesis is often time-bound, so you must create a schedule of each research phase and the estimated completion date. You can include this plan in the timeline section of your research.
- References: academic writing is all about citing any source you use, and your proposal is no different. So, create a reference page where you list all the sources cited in your proposal according to your school’s citation style.
Let’s work on your PhD thesis proposal!
Writing a PhD thesis proposal can be quite the hassle, especially if other activities demand your time and attention. So why not leave the task to us? Our experienced thesis writers will ensure your proposal is well written and organised. Reach out to us on +233 24 156 7426 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
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Charis Preby Ghartey
Charis Prebi Ghartey is an international content creator with experience as an administrator of a successful preparatory school in Nigeria. She has over 4 + years of experience in top-level writing, proofreading, editing, and content creation. Having been an administrator in educational circles, she tailors student resource articles to meet the demands and needs of students, enabling us to provide a free resource centre for students globally in academic research, research gathering, topic selection, thesis development and interview management. She wields a BSc in Sociology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
