7. Finalize the Thesis Prospectus/Proposal
The thesis prospectus is a description of the student’s thesis plan and includes a Title, Introduction, and Methods section. The Introduction includes a review of the relevant background literature framing the research questions or aims, an explicit statement of these questions or aims, and possibly a statement of the clinical importance of the study. The Methods section includes important information such as sample size, variables to be measured, how the data will be collected, reliability and validity of the measurements, and the plan for data analysis. The prospectus document may also include a proposed timetable to accomplish the research and the resources required to complete the project. In cases where a relatively small amount of money is needed to cover expenses related to thesis research, a student may apply for funds from the Christopher Norman Fund (application form here).
Students should work with their thesis advisor to develop a written thesis prospectus document to be submitted to their thesis committee one week prior to the prospectus meeting. The prospectus Introduction may be fairly well developed from CD 724-01, but modifications should be expected.