Writing the Proposal / Prospectus

It’s time to write your thesis/dissertation proposal … er, uh, prospectus … um, wait, what is it that we graduate students write before we actually write a thesis or dissertation? And how do we write this thing?

If you’re confused, you’re not alone. I know that I had many questions when writing my proposal, and I recall many of my colleagues feeling the same. Let’s start by clarifying, somewhat, the difference in the terms “proposal” and “prospectus.”

These terms are used interchangeably by many universities, and whatever you call it, this piece of writing is basically an outline of your proposed study as you see it now. Some universities do distinguish between the terms “proposal” and “prospectus”; see Walden University (click here) where a prospectus is actually the plan for a proposal! But a proposal, in general, is a written piece that seeks to convince its audience to do something, buy something, or accept a solution. If you think about it, a thesis or dissertation proposal does just that for your committee: you are writing to show your committee members the plan for your ultimate project, and you hope they accept your design. No one expects that you will know exactly what your thesis or dissertation will ultimately look like at this stage, however.

So let’s move on to the actual the document. As Alice N. T. Reid, on her website, says, a (general) proposal “offers a plan to fill a need.” The thesis/dissertation proposal fits that description exactly, as it should suggest that your project will fill in a gap, however small, in the existing scholarship on the same topic. But, again, what are the requirements for this proposal?

Here is where variety comes in; there are as many kinds of proposals as there are theses and dissertations. For this reason, you should check with your advisor to see what she or he suggests. All proposals contain one or more research question/s and how those will be addressed, and all have a bibliography. All give the context of what is currently being discussed regarding the topic, but, other than that, proposals vary, depending on the study and the discipline the work is situated in.

I found that typically, proposals are about 20 pages, but I’ve heard of many being much shorter or longer. Carolyn Law, NIU’s thesis advisor, suggests not to worry about page length; instead, she says to “outline your proposal based on necessary sections.”  She advises you to think of the proposal as a contract or action plan to keep you focused throughout your research project.

After you talk to your department, you could search other university websites for department-specific advice as well; for instance, Brown University’s History Department gives exacting details as to how to write a proposal in history at Brown. Don’t forget, too: books! Several resources focus on helping writers of theses and dissertations. One example, with a 72-page chapter on writing proposals, is: Destination Dissertation: A Traveler’s Guide to a Done Dissertation by Sonja K. Foss and William Waters. 

Academic Record - Transcripts & Marksheets

Full details of your education including your course subjects and grades are required in the applications. Transcripts or official records of your previous academic qualifications are crucial for your application.

Students applying for admission are required to submit an official transcript from each college or university that they have attended after secondary school with complete details of the subjects, credits involved and other details like correspondence courses, diplomas etc. Most universities ask for the transcript to be sealed in an envelope and signed and attested across the seal by the registrar. This procedure is to be done for each and every college that you have attended. Some universities may ask for more than one transcript but most require only one.

Academic documents required include:

- Class X / 'A' Levels / Secondary School Marksheets & Certificate
- Class XII / 'O' Levels / High School Marksheets & Certificate
- Bachelor Degree Transcripts & Degree Certificate
- Transcripts & Certificates of any other programs that you may have attended.

If the originals are not in English, copies and a good English translation must be enclosed. If your undergraduate qualification or university is unknown to the admissions tutor, the British Council would be able to 

Submission Process – Upcoming Informational Presentations

“Everything is ready to go, and I believe the formatting is perfect. I should get a degree just for that – haha!” – quotation from an NIU graduate student.

We agree with this student’s sentiment: getting a thesis or dissertation ready for submission can be a degree-worthy task! And for some of us, the same goes for submitting the thesis or dissertation electronically (at which point the document becomes an Electronic Thesis/Dissertation, or ETD).

For instance, did you know that your thesis or dissertation must be submitted with keywords for indexing? Do you know how to embed all fonts into your document before submitting to Proquest? Do you know who or what ProQuest is and does? Are you aware of your embargo options and when to use them? Are you planning to order bound copies of your project when you submit?

You must manage those tasks or choices as well as a few others when submitting your ETD. Knowing a little about the process before submitting really helps!

Our website offers detailed instructions about exactly what to do before, during, and after submission of your ETD. 

ProQuest, NIU's publishing partner for theses and dissertations, also includes many informative resources to help you through the steps of submission.

Even after looking through these materials, however, many still have questions about submitting their ETD. Carolyn Law, our Thesis Office Advisor, will demystify the entire process in our upcoming presentations, open to all NIU thesis and dissertation writers:

• The first session of “Demystifying the Submission Process” is Wednesday, June 8, from 2 – 4 PM in Founders Library room 297.
• The second session (same presentation – no need to attend both) is Wednesday, June 15, from 6 – 8 PM in Wirtz Hall, room 104.

We still have availability for either session, but we do ask that you register via email at thesis@niu.edu – please always include the name of the presentation and the date you wish to attend in any registration message.

If you can attend one of these sessions, I bet you'll feel much more comfortable with the process of submitting. If you are unable to attend, we will offer these presentations again in the fall. As you know, you may always contact your director or the Thesis Office for help as well. We hope to see you soon!

“I Didn’t Know What I Didn’t Know.”

The title of this post is a quote from a student who attended our “Writing a Dissertation in Education” Workshop of October 3rd.

We often hear positive comments after our workshops, either through email or in person. Typically, students report that the workshop they attended was very helpful.

So what is it that we do at our workshops?

Well, let me tell what we did at our fall workshops then alert you to some of the changes we have in store for the spring.

Typical Fall Workshop

This fall, we offered workshops for specific discipline areas and departments. Some focused on thesis preparation, and others focused on dissertation preparation. By “preparation,” we mean the actual construction of a document according to the appropriate Guidelines (←link to “Thesis Format Guidelines”) found on our website. Content issues are a matter for students and their committees, of course.

A common core at our fall workshops was to walk students through the appropriateGuidelines (←link to “Dissertation Format Guidelines”) in great detail, as the instructions do seem daunting at first. Yet these Guidelines are the publication conventions for theses and dissertations written at NIU, and they need to be followed closely.

We explained the rules, such as the correct placement of tables, and illustrated the rules by way of example, after which students better understood what they needed to do and felt more empowered to get it done. Hence, the positive reviews! (Not to boast, but here's another student quote: "Your presentation was fantastic and very much appreciated!")

We also directed students towards important areas on our website and the Graduate School’s website, such as where to find — and how to read — the Graduation Deadlines for Graduate Students.

Finally, we left time for hands-on manipulation of documents where we helped students address specific problems.

Workshop Issues

We found that many of these workshops were too extensive for some students to complete. In some cases, workshops were presented over two or three sessions. We also found that some disciplines require individualized information, while most do not. So in the spring, we are changing things up!

Spring Ahead! 

In 2016, we will split the sessions into A) ones that mainly present and cover necessary material, and B) ones in which students work right then and there on the formatting of their documents.

A) Presentations

Our presentations will be divided into “Thesis Requirements” and “Dissertation Requirements,” and anyone in any discipline can attend either as appropriate to their degree. Each will last approximately 75 minutes and will finish in one sitting. We will still offer a couple discipline-specific sessions, but our general presentations will give all writers a wealth of information in short order.

B) Workshops

Our workshops, which will be held on different dates than the presentations, will address specific formatting issues, such as problems that arise with tables, figures, and pagination. During these workshops, students need to bring their document on a laptop so they can implement format changes. These two-hour long sessions are open to writers of both theses and dissertations. They will be particularly helpful for those nearing their graduation semester. And, the first one is already scheduled!

Schedule of Events

You will find the dates, times, and locations of all of our events through our website (click Workshops and Support) or through NIU’s Events Calendar, where you can also subscribe to our RSS feed “Thesis-Workshops.” We will be listing more soon!

For any questions, you can always call us at (815) 753- 9405 or email us at thesis@niu.edu. 

Finally, one last student quote: "I will be encouraging all of my peers to attend your workshop in the future." We hope you'll take this student's advice, and we'll see you at one of our happenings this spring! 

Assignment Help Experts of UK Suggest You Must Avoid These Mistakes When Doing Your Paper

Try as you might, you cannot escape the task of doing your assignments. They are a significant and vital part of your academics, and you are expected to churn out several assignments throughout your student life. Now when you have to create multiple assignments, making mistakes is only natural. You may be getting the draft wrong, or there might be a break in the flow of your assignment or something to that effect. While these errors are quite obvious to pick out and correct, there are other mistakes you may be making, which are not that obvious.Assignment help experts of UK recommend you avoid these mistakes at all costs.  

1. Not going through the books on the reading list

If you are frantically searching on the internet for ‘solve my assignment’, chances are you are doing so because you do not have a good grasp of the basics of your subject, and hence, do not know where to begin. Therefore, it's crucial that you read the books, which have been suggested by your professor. This will make it easier for you to understand your topic. Plus, it'll also provide you with the necessary information for your paper.

2. Isolating yourself to do it alone

As experts at quality assignment providers will tell you, not taking help is simply not a good idea. It's unwise for you to think that working in isolation will lead you to create a perfect assignment. In fact, by trying to do it this way, you may give rise to a lot of chaos and confusion. Just like with everything else, feedback can go a long way in achieving assignment perfection; especially when you are editing and proofreading. This way, there will be zero chances of you skipping any errors unintentionally.

3. Organise your thoughts first, write later

Professionals at online custom essay writing services warn against starting the writing process straightaway. The reason for this is that when you sit down to writing, you will find that a lot of thoughts are coursing through your head. It's better to organise these thoughts first in pen and paper so that you get clarity on what you are going to write about.

4. Forget about the introduction at the start

Now the next stage after organising your thoughts is of course typing. If you think you have no choice but to begin with the introduction of your paper, think again. Introducing a paper that you haven't even written yet is challenging, to say the least. So it’s best that you move on to the main body of your essay, and write the conclusion towards the end.

Apart from these tips, it is important for you to try and not panic while doing your assignment. Panic and anxiety can break your concentration and can even lead to the creation of a shoddy essay. However, despite everything, if you still cannot do it on your own, consider buy your assignment online. These agencies will offer you online UML assignment help, biology assignment help and more.

Assignment Providers Of UK List Down 6 Really Interesting History Topics For Your Paper

The reason why most students (including you) hesitate to do their history paper is because they find the topics assigned to them to be boring. Fortunately, at the college level, you get the choice of selecting your own topic, which can make the whole task a lot less tedious for you. Since, history is such a broad subject, its natural or you to get confused regarding which topic to pick.Assignment providers of UK present you with a list of 6 very interesting topics you can work on-

1. Discuss the impact of Homer on ancient history and literature

For this essay, you can start by introducing a couple of lines from Homer’s famous epics – the Iliad or the Odyssey. Once you’re done, move on to show how Homer presented Greek gods and goddesses in his works and how they have shaped our perceptions of these historical figures. If you want, you can even go on to compare Homer to Sanskrit epic writers to create an interesting contrast.

2. Examine how Hitler rose to power to become one of the most powerful men in the world

Experts from quality assignment help providers of the UK suggest you treat this topic tactfully and write in an as unbiased way as possible. That said, when writing your paper, consider different aspects of the life of Adolf Hitler, starting with his childhood and moving on to his early adult years. Also, do not forget to discuss how different social and political influences of the time led to his rise to power.

3. Pick any two religions of your choice and compare and contrast them

This should be very easy to do and also a lot easier than most other topics on this list. Start by picking any two religions that you have always been interested in, and explain what they are all about including their origin. Once you have established the religions, analyse the doctrines of each and see whether they are similar to each other or different.

4. Analyse famous historical myths and legends

This is another very interesting topic on the list, and there are just so many myths and controversy theories you can make use of. For example, the legend behind the Knights Templar is very interested and even has a lot of historical data to attest to the fact they might have been linked to the Illumination. The key over here is to pick only one myth or legend, though. Otherwise, your assignment will be too long.

5. Why did the Cold War happen? What were its effects on the world? Discuss

This is a topic that is more out of recent history and hence, finding ample material on it should not be difficult at all. Academic writers at custom assignment writing services recommend that you start the assignment on this topic with by examining the underlying causes of friction between the two participating countries i.e. the Soviet Union and the United States. After this, an analysis of its impact on the nations of the world has to be made.

6. Does war have any positive effects on society? Discuss

Keeping in with the theme of war, this is another interesting topic you can try. You can break the conventional ideology that war has only negative effects through your assignment. Pick up some of the important wars that were fought throughout history and try to analyse if they had any positive outcomes. Arguments you can make in your favour include the intermingling of different cultures, the spread of religious tolerance, etc.

Unfortunately picking a topic is just the beginning and you may get stuck during the writing process, thereby searching ‘solve my assignment’ on the internet. If you do so, know that you can buy assignments online and even get a host of services such as UML assignment help, sociology assignment help, etc.

Tame The Shrewd Assignment Monster On Your Desk Now With MyAssignmenthelp.com !

You see your assignment casually strewn about your desk like it’s the most harmless and innocent thing. But deep down you know it’s a vicious monster that is just lurking in the dark, waiting to pounce on you. Heck, you even get nightmares all about it, and wake up sweaty with a parched throat in the middle of the night and realize there’s no one to help you out. You’re all alone. Lost in the abyss of stress and panic that you’re assignment has locked you in.

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1. Devil in Disguise - The Deadline

As you toss and turn, fighting to get sleep; and even during the hours that you’re awake, you nervously bite your nails, stressing over these ‘dread factors’-

OMG! You’ve got about 15 assignments to deliver for 5 subjects! But that’s not the worst part. All of them have to be delivered on the one and same date! And that date is just way too close for comfort now. You can feel it coil around your neck like a deadly serpent, tightening its grasp with each passing day.

2. The Witch That Cast You Under Her Spell - Plagiarism

So you're working really hard, sacrificing on sleep, friends, life and everything in between just to complete this humongous task. You've gone through so many reference articles and books by now; it's impossible for you to distinguish between your ideas and those you've borrowed. Naturally, you've forgotten to cite all the resources, and now you've plagiarized. It's like you're under the spell of a clever witch. You didn’t do it consciously. It just happened.

3. The Ghost of Formatting - APA/MLA/Harvard And The Like

This one is haunting you like the ghost in your closet. Each assignment is demanding a different reference style, and you just can't understand the head or tail of it! Harvard, APA, MLA, Vancouver, and Chicago – all are just flying above your head. You're only option now is to turn to God, and pray for your paper.

4. The Troll of Topics - Complicated And Incomprehensible

Lastly, how can you forget all about your topics?! They're like the ugly green monsters who are batting their club on the top of your head, threatening you with dire consequences if you don't begin writing. But you don't know where to start! What do you do now?! *gulp*

Don’t worry. Take a deep, long breath and exhale all the stress and dread out of your system. Now turn on your computer. Put your head back and relax. And…

Let MyAssignmenthelp.com tame the shrewd monster that your assignment is!

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By the way, do you want to know how we discipline this wild monster? Let us show you our secret!

1. We get all the key points in order

We carefully peruse the files and instructions you upload before we get cracking on your paper. We get all those points in order to, and chalk out an assignment plan.

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Based on the instructions you’ve given us, we follow a cohesive structure throughout your assignment, so all the information is in the correct place.

3. We carry out a thorough research

Writers at MyAssignmenthelp.com do not take your assignment casually. We do our homework and perform meticulous research on our end for your assignment. 

Our writers also check that students are from UK, US or any other country accordingly they provide assignment help for UK students, assignment help for USA students and many others countries.

4. We write in lucid and elegant language

An ideal assignment is as much about clean, beautiful presentation as about anything else. Which is why we only make use of elegant prose language in your paper.

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Not only do we support the argument you want us to present in your essay, but we also take it to the next level by using assertive terms and provide qualitative essay help.

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On our end, we do everything in our power to guarantee your paper is error-free. So we diligently proofread and edit your paper to polish it to perfection.

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We never plagiarize. And just to be extra sure, we put your paper through reliable plagiarism checkers to guarantee it is plagiarism-free.

That’s how we put a leash on the assignment ogre. Do you want to try it out too?

Experts at MyAssignmenthelp.com suggest you try these ways to do a bang-up job at assignment writing!

1. Grasp the essence of your topic

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In a bid to sound fancy, sometimes you may end up overusing technical terms. Don’t do that. You won’t come off as smart. Only pretentious!

5. Use short paragraphs

Short paragraphs make it easy for your audience to make transition from one idea to the next. Long ones, on the other hand, can get tedious to read and confusing.

6. Don’t forget to edit and proofread

Once you’re done, all you’re left with is editing and proofreading. By editing and proofreading, you’ll have an exemplary copy that your professors will enjoy.

How To Choose The Right Cheap Essay Writer For Your Paper

Essay writing services are gaining popularity among students for the obvious reasons. The academic pressure is too high, and there's very little time to complete all of the assignments within the set deadline. Consequently, you may resort to taking the help of one of these services for your paper. However, your budget is tight, which means you prefer having a cheap essay writer online in UK who working on your essay. To decide on the best one, you have to take into consideration certain factors, which have been listed below. This will help you in choosing the right one for your paper. 

1. Don't fall for very low prices

Even though budget can be a constraint, it’s still wiser to not invest your money in very cheap essay writing services. The reason behind this is simple. Those services that claim to offer extremely low priced papers in the shortest time-frames are usually plagiarizing. Otherwise, there’s no way they can afford to provide services that sound too good to be true.

2. Check if they offer services for different kinds of essays

What is the point of selecting best essay writing service that only provides help for narrative essays when you actually want an argumentative essay? No point at all. So before you actually hire one for your paper, you should check the company’s website and find out which types of essays they offer their services for. Ideally, they should cover all types.

3. Ensure that the writers can write in your style

Your teachers and professors have seen your writing; they know your style. If you present them with an impeccably written paper that is vastly different from the kind you write, you are going to get a bad grade. That's because your teacher will know that this paper has not been written by you and is the work of someone else. Therefore, ask the college essay writing help service you plan to choose for a sample of their work. If it matches your requirement, go ahead. If it doesn’t, find another.

4. Check if they have an open line of communication 

Another important factor to keep in mind when availing college application essay help or any other essay help for that matter is to see how their customer service is. You should be allowed direct contact with the writer so that you can convey all your instructions correctly and even correspond in the case of issues. Plus, the customer service should be available 24x7 so that you can get access to their services whenever you desire.

5. Ask them about their revision policy

Ideally, the service you choose should offer you a couple of free revisions at least. Even if it's not free, they should show their willingness to make amends if things go wrong. After all, you are paying your money to get a perfect paper, and there's no way you should compromise on quality. Also check, if they offer a couple of other free services as well such as free title creation, free formatting and the like.

6. Get to know about the qualification of the writers

Is the expert writing your essay paper, really an expert? You must find out the answer to this question to know that your paper is in safe hands. The writer should ideally be a specialist of his field with at least a year of experience in academic writing. So check the company’s website thoroughly and make sure the writers hold a masters or PhD degree.

Other things that you should keep an eye out for include the time taken to deliver the paper, whether they offer plagiarism report and their payment options. Only go ahead if you’re sure the company is worth investing in.