BOT699 - Thesis Proposal Preparation

Course General Description:

The Research Proposal Writing course is an advanced course designed for doctoral students, aiming to guide them through the process of preparing a systematic research proposal in their field of specialization. The course focuses on identifying research problems, formulating clear and actionable research questions, reviewing relevant literature, and selecting appropriate research methodologies. It also emphasizes academic writing skills, sound documentation practices, and adherence to research ethics. Through proposal writing discussions with the thesis supervisor and receiving ongoing feedback, students develop a comprehensive research proposal that demonstrates their readiness to conduct independent research and forms the basis of their doctoral's thesis.

Course Main Objective(s): 
On completion of this course, students should be able to: 
1. Outline the structure and function of a research proposal 
2. common scientific/professional communications (ethics, grant and scholarship 
applications, funding bodies). 
3. Formulate a specific research question of interest to the student. 
4. Demonstrate an ability to justify the need for a proposed study related to the research 
question. 
5. Demonstrate a basic ability to formulate an ethical research plan/methodologies 
appropriate to the research question. 
6. Accurately identify methods to synthesize or analyze the potential data collected via the research proposal.