In our first session, we were introduced to the thesis proposal brief and the expectations for developing a research topic. The session focused on understanding the purpose, significance and ethics behind choosing a thesis subject. We discussed how a research topic should not only be interesting personally, but also have a clear purpose, audience and potential relevance to future practice.
A key part of the session was thinking about what makes a strong research proposal. The proposal needs to explain what the research is about, why it matters, and how it could contribute to the field. It should also show how the research will be carried out, including the methodology, possible limitations, and the sources that will support the investigation. The structure includes a research title or question, draft introduction, keywords, draft literature review, draft chapter, chapter outline and indicative bibliography.
We also looked at how a thesis should be organised. The thesis needs to include sections such as an introduction, literature review, methodology, themed chapters, findings or discussion, conclusion and references. This helped me understand that the thesis is not just a long essay, but a structured investigation where each section has a clear role
The resources from the session were useful because they explained how to break a topic down into main questions and sub-questions, and how to start planning the investigation. They also reminded me that academic research needs to be properly referenced using the Harvard system, and that the sources should be relevant and recognised academically.