(July 2006)
If your topic has NOT been approved by your thesis advisor, you need to do some background preparation for the fall semester. To prepare to write your proposal, do the following background work during the summer.
If you want a copy of my thesis proposal guidelines, it is available at this website. The guidelines ask very specific questions that will help you outline your study. If you already have a thesis advisor, ask that person what guidelines you should follow. If you do not have an advisor you could use my guidelines just to help you outline your proposal.
A. If you already have a firm topic for your thesis:
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1. Do your literature research. Keep track of the keywords you use.
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2. Start collecting articles.
(Online and from journals and books. Use interlibrary loan to get article from other places.)
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3. Read the 10 most important articles during the summer, highlighting important points AND taking notes.
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B. If you have only a general area that you might want to do your thesis about:
1. Find a few articles or books. See if they mention any topics that need to have further research done on.
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2. Choose a topic and do what it says in (A) above.
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C. If you have no clue what you want to do for your thesis:
1. Review all of your classes this semester and last semester to see if any of them mentioned any topics you might want to look at.
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2. Read my handout Choosing a Thesis Topic.
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3. If you have only a general area, do (B) above.
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4. If you decide on a topic, do (A).
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EVERYONE should do the following BEFORE starting their thesis:
Following these steps will help you become familiar with what a thesis / study should look like.
1. Go to a large university library.
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2. Find out where the English Department's theses are.
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3. Look at the titles for EVERY thesis for the past ten years.
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4. Read the abstract for 5 to 10 theses.
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5. Read chapter one for one thesis.
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