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A Thesis Proposal in Seven Days: A Day-by-Day Plan

A Thesis Proposal in Seven Days: A Day-by-Day Plan

Seven days, one deliverable each. Illustrative.


A thesis proposal is not a small thesis. It is an argument that a question is worth answering and that you can answer it. Seen that way, a first draft in a week is realistic, as long as each day has one clear output.



Day 1: The question


Write the research question as one sentence with a population, an exposure or method, and an outcome. Then write three alternative versions: narrower, broader, and different in method. Bring all four to the next day.



Day 2: The landscape


Ask tlooto each version of your question. Read the cited reports to see what is established, what is debated, and how much has been done. By evening, pick the version with a real gap and enough literature to build on.



Day 3: The evidence table


Build a table of the 15 to 25 most relevant studies: sample, design, main finding, limitations. Save the papers to a Library collection for the thesis so they stay together.



Day 4: The gap


Write the gap as a single paragraph with citations on both sides: what is known, and what has not been tested. If you cannot cite both halves, go back to Day 3.



Day 5: The method


Describe design, sample, measures and analysis. Borrow credibility from the literature: cite the studies whose measures or designs you are adopting.



Day 6: The draft


Open your report in the Research Editor and shape it into proposal sections: introduction, literature, gap, aims, method, timeline. Citations come with the text, and the reference list builds itself in your chosen style.


Days 2 to 6 happen in one place: cited report on the left, draft on the right



Day 7: Tighten and send


Cut every sentence that does not support the argument. Check each key citation by opening it. Export to DOCX and send it to your supervisor with two specific questions you want feedback on. A draft that asks for feedback gets better feedback.


Keep everything in one Project so the next round of revisions starts with your files, your questions and your reports already in place.



Start Day 1 with your question →