Making a preliminary research plan for thesis
The next step in the process is writing a preliminary research plan. This document usually includes the following:
- a preliminary title of the thesis,
- a preliminary table of contents of the thesis,
- an introduction of the topic,
- an assessment of the significance of the topic and the motivation for the research,
- a description of the aim of the thesis and the research problem or task,
- an outline of preliminary research question(s),
- a brief description of the research method(s) and data and
- a brief review of existing research and/or a preliminary list of references.
The preliminary research plan can simply be composed of a sketch of outlines for the thesis. It serves as a guide for you at the outset of your work. However, the plan will develop and become more precise as the work evolves. Therefore, the final thesis may differ, and often does, from the preliminary plan.