Activity No.

5-Narrative
Getting Started
The first step in preparing a research proposal is to prepare a
rough draft. The following questions, and any additional
questions that may be relevant to your study, can provide a
framework for this.

Start by writing preliminary answers to these questions. At this

stage, the answers do not have to be, and cannot be, complete.
This is merely a means to get you over the first hurdle.
Activity No. 5 - Write shop
Guide Questions:
(1) What is the tentative title? The emphasis here is on "tentative". The title will
change as your research progresses.
(2) Why do you want to do this research? What do you think you will be able to say
when your research is complete?
(3) What steps will you have to take to accomplish what you want to do? Can you put
these steps into a sequential order?
(4) What facilities will you need?
(5) What kind of help from other people will you need?
(6) What kind of permission will you need?
(adapted from Mauch and Birch, 1989:57-58)
 WRITING A THESIS PROPOSAL
• While the answers to these questions are still rather rough and
tentative, you should take some time to edit this preliminary
outline once or twice so that it becomes a cohesive text, not
simply a string of answers.
• Also, while the content of the draft is still quite informal, the
proposal should be written in an acceptable formal academic
style.
Activity No. 5: Topic Justification – Narrative Format
 REFERENCES:
WRITING A THESIS PROPOSAL: INDEPENDENT LEARNING
RESOURCES
© 2001 Learning Centre, University of Sydney

• Next topic – Unit 1 – Learning Module (Part 1)