Knowledge Basket Dissertation Proposal Guidelines
Proposal Fundamentals
• WHO are you?
• WHAT is your practice?
• WHAT is your research?
• WHAT is your plan to complete the research?
• WHAT format are you using for the creative component?
• WHY is this format significant?
Format
• Written (word format)
• Length: 25-40 pages (double spaced)
Proposal Outline
• Introduction and Specific Aims
• Positionality
• Research Ethics
• Background and Significance (purpose and scope)Format for creative component
• Source Review
• Theory and Methods (Including Format for creative component with a budget and timetable)
• Chapter Outlines
Literature/Source Review
• Indicate the strengths and weakness of scholarship
• Demonstrate that you understand how scholars connect their specific research to larger issues, questions, or practices within the field
• Make connections between the work of other scholars and practitioners
• Assess the usefulness of each source as well as embedded assumptions
Tips
• Supervision
• Write Concisely
• Write Coherently
• Establish Boundaries in your research
• Focus on Major Issues
• Prove Compelling Answers
• Highlight Key Scholars/practitioners
Methodology/Methods
• Demonstrate that you know the difference between methodology and methods and how they are applied in research
• Methods: the tools or techniques used to gather sources of information
• Interviews, observations, experiments, data collection, archival research, procedures
• Methodology: refers to the theory that underpins your methods
Methodology Tips
• Consider connections between the source review & methodology section
• Discuss what you sought to accomplish before describing how you did it
• Discuss whether quantitative or qualitative methods are used Include enough description of methods so other researchers could replicate the study
• Discuss the limitations of your approach and the methodology/methods used
• Compare and contrast your use of methods/methodology with those used by other scholars
Research Ethics
Students whose work involves research with human subjects as defined by the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (questionnaires, interviews, for example) must gain the approval of Trent’s Research Ethics Board(s) after they have defended their proposal. Process and application documents are posted on the Research and Innovation website.
Format Option Selection
The dissertation knowledge basket requires that you complete two components:
• Creative Component
• Written Component
Your proposal must fully detail your plan for each component:
Creative Component
Your proposal should describe the creative component and the significance of expressing the topic and research findings in the chosen format:
• What is the nature of the format?
• How will it reflect your findings of the research you will do?
• Will further training be required to produce the creative component in this format?
• If further training is required, how will it impact your budget and timeline?
• Timetable for completion
Written Component
Your proposal should provide a breakdown of chapters, keeping in mind that the actual written component of the dissertation knowledge basket is expected to address the following questions:
• Who are you in relation to the the topic and practice?
• What is your practice & where did you learn it?
• Who were your teachers?
• What is the project (the overall project and the creative component)
• How did you do it?
• What did you learn?
• How does the overall project contribute to human experience?
Note: It is vital that proposals clearly articulate the interface between the creative component and the written component. There is an expectation that the dissertation knowledge basket will be scholarly, creative, coherent, and rigorous. This expectation should be reflected in the project design that you outline in the proposal.