Research Proposal Guidelines

A thesis will take at least two semesters to complete. Prior to starting a research, i.e.
enrolling first in the research course, students must go through the proposal stage,
during which students will develop their proposal and have it reviewed by his/her
research advisor. During the proposal stage, students should discuss their research
interests with faculty members, identify a research topic, conduct preliminary literature
review and develop a project proposal. The proposal should discuss problem statement,
objectives, research methodology, research activities, and a time schedule in about 5-
10 pages. A good thesis proposal will prove that your work is important and relevant.
The thesis proposal should also show that you are confident that you have the right
approach and tools to solve the proposed problem.
An internal committee has to be first selected by the student and his/her advisor to
examine the quality and adequacy of the research proposal. A one-page summary of the
thesis proposal, signed by the supervisor, must be submitted to the Engineering College
Graduate Office before handled out to the selected committee to be reviewed and
schedule the exam date.
For students planning to start their research in the fall semester, the deadline for the
proposal submission (to your advisor) is November 7. For those who plan to start in
the spring semester, the proposal deadline is June 7.

Suggested proposal outline

1. Title
Provide a brief and meaningful title to your thesis
2. Table of Contents
Lists the sections of the research proposal (headings and indented sub-headings) and
the corresponding page numbers.
3. Abstract
Outlines the essence of the research project in around 150–200 words. It describes the
purpose and motivation for the study, and a statement of the problem, the research
methodology and analysis, and the significant implications of the research.

4. Background or introduction (1-2)pages

Background or introduction section provides a description of the basic facts and
importance of the research area - What is your research area, the motivation of research,
and how important is it for the industry practice/knowledge advancement?

5. Problem formulation (2-3)pages

a) Problem statement
Problem statement provides a clear and concise description of the issues that
need to be addressed - What is the specific problem in that research area that
you will address (e.g. lack of understanding of a subject, low performance …)?
b) Scope
In this subsection, describe the scope of your research what work will be done
(and sometimes more importantly, what will not be done).
c) Objectives
 The goals and the objectives of the work to be performed may also be described
in this section. Objectives provide a list of goals that will be achieved through
the proposed research – What are the benefits/impact (e.g. better understanding,
improved productivity …) that will be generated if the research problem is
answered?

6. Preliminary literature review (0.5-2)pages

Preliminary literature review: provide a summary of previous related research on the
research problem and their strength and weakness and a justification of your research –
What is known/what have been done by others? And, why your research is still
necessary?

7. Methodology(2-3)pages
Research methodology defines the research methods and logic steps. What to do and
how to solve the problem and achieve proposed objectives? Which research methods
(e.g. experiment, modeling, case study, survey …) will be used?
Also in this section lists the required resources needed to complete the thesis or project
work (equipment, supplies, etc.) and the potential sources of equipment and funding if
not already determined.

8. Primary or expected results (1-3)pages

A detailed discussion of any calculations or experiments you have already completed,
as well as what new results are expected from your proposed study are presented in this
section. Discuss how they fit in the framework of your thesis
9. Proposed thesis structure (1)page
10. Time schedule
List the stages of your project in a table format as provided example below

11. References
All factual material that is not original with you must be accompanied by a reference to
its source. This is a standard section listing references in an appropriate format (MLA,
APA, etc.).