Preliminary Topic to Write About, and to

¶ … preliminary topic to write about, and to determine which faculty members are going to help guide the prospectus development (Thomas, 2009). The topic will come from the beginning investigation that is done by the writer of the dissertation, but will generally change and be refined as the prospectus and then the proposal are developed. The faculty members who are identified in the creation of the premise are also very important (Thomas, 2009).

Their guidance will become significant to the dissertation from the very beginning all the way through the end, so it is not something that can or should be taken lightly. There are four parts to the dissertation premise. These are the title, approach, problem statement, and references (Rudestam & Newton, 2007). The sense of direction provided by the premise is very important, as it is necessary to show that the writer of the dissertation has the focus needed to tailor his or her dissertation properly.

Methodology details and other specifics are not necessary when the premise is being created (Rudestam & Newton, 2007). Once the premise has been completed and approved, the writer of the dissertation will move on to the prospectus. This is a plan that is used to develop the actual proposal, and is then carefully evaluated to ensure that the project undertaken in the dissertation will actually be at the doctoral level (Rudestam & Newton, 2007).

The supervisory committee for the dissertation will also be finalized at that time, allowing the dissertation to move forward. There are generally a few small sections that are used in the prospectus, so it can be easily gone through and properly addressed. More information is needed for the prospectus than for the premise, but it is still not necessary to know everything about the study or how it will be undertaken (Rudestam & Newton, 2007).

Some of the variables for the study should be defined at this point, but knowing exactly what will be used to consider those variables does not have to be spelled out (Thomas, 2009). When it comes to the premise, it is important to show that the dissertation is going to provide the reader with something new and different, that has not been seen before.

In other words, just rehashing everything that was already addressed in past studies is not going to be enough for the dissertation writer to use as a premise for the value of the study (Thomas, 2009). Instead, the gap in the current literature or problem that has not been considered or solved by past studies is what should be brought to light (Thomas, 2009). In order to find that, it is necessary to study many past dissertations on the subject. That can help the writer find what other researchers have missed.

There may be a different angle that can be taken, or another way that past information can be considered. Additionally, it may be possible to take the information collected from past studies and extrapolate it out to another group of people (Rudestam & Newton, 2007). While the premise is not generally a long document, there has to be a clear direction and understanding for what is going to be studied. If the idea has already been done, it is not a logical one for a new dissertation (Rudestam & Newton, 2007).

It must either be a new idea, or a new twist on an old idea. Either one is generally acceptable, but finding the gap in the literature or the problem that has not been solved are both among the best ways to get a premise approved and allow the dissertation process to move forward toward a prospectus. Until the premise has been correctly addressed, though, the dissertation writer will be stalled at the premise stage.

It is not realistic to simply re-write what another study has provided and have that be enough, especially not for a high-level dissertation. The value of the premise is in showing what the dissertation writer is going to be able to provide to the field of study, by completing his or her dissertation (Thomas, 2009). The prospectus is a general document with a relatively common outline and layout. It is also something that is unique to each study, because every study is different.

With that being the case, the writer of the dissertation may find that there are several issues to consider that do not fit the standard mold or outline that is commonly seen in a prospectus (Rudestam & Newton, 2007). This is to be expected, and not something that necessarily indicates a problem with the prospectus or the proposed study. In short, it is possible that the prospectus will vary from a standard outline, and also possible that.