Thesis Proposal Defense Guidance for Students in the Master’s of Geosciences Degree

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

One key step toward completing the M.S. degree in Geosciences is defending a thesis research

proposal. This document provides general guidelines for completing this step. Completion of

GEO 5103 Current Topics in the Geosciences and GEO 5113 Research Design in the Geosciences

provides materials that form the foundation for proposal development. Be sure to discuss both the

proposal document and presentation with your faculty research supervisor as well as other faculty

members or external experts desired as members of your thesis committee., which must be

constituted prior to completing the defense.

I. Research proposal guidelines

The purpose of the research proposal is to articulate the scope and plan for a thesis project. This

will help you stay on track with completing the thesis component of the degree, which will

facilitate degree completion in two years (for full-time enrollment), as recommended in the

Graduate Handbook for the degree. It also provides a mechanism to improve the research through

constructive input offered by thesis committee members.

A research proposal outlines the research to be undertaken and explains its significance. As such

it requires specific aspects to be described in sufficient detail so that your graduate committee is

convinced you are prepared to take on the research (i.e., you are knowledgeable enough) and the

plan to complete it is sound (i.e., defendable, valid results will be produced in a timely manner).

In the proposal it is appropriate to use illustrations to make and support points about the research

similar to what is typically done in journal articles (see Appendix for suggestions). Research

proposals can vary somewhat in organization but the following components should be included.

1. Introduction

This component introduces the reader to the general topic of the thesis research and should include

a statement about the overall significance of the topic to the broader field of study. This section

need not be long.

Length guideline: One to two paragraphs is usually sufficient to make the needed points.

2. Background knowledge

This component outlines what is known about the topic in detail drawing upon the relevant

scientific literature. This section should be written critically in that all information presented helps

to identify the current status of understanding of the topic and the gaps in knowledge. In other

words, it should not simply be a reporting of information. What should be evident in the text is an

overall framework that links details and provides an overall argument about the state of knowledge

about the topic at hand.

Length guideline: The text should provide sufficient demonstration of knowledge of the

scientific literature relevant to the research aim. This will vary across subfields but aim for

around 5 double spaced pages. Write more or less as needed.

3. Problem statement

If the background knowledge section is written well, the state of knowledge and gaps in knowledge

will be evident and the problem statement is then a logical outcome from this content. A problem

statement summarizes the key points of knowledge related to the specific research aim. It then

discusses the gaps relevant to your research focus, which is followed by the overall aim or

objective of your research, which will logically help fill this specific gap identified. After the

overall aim is stated, it should be followed by specific research questions that, when answered,

will meet the aim. Each research question would have a working hypothesis or expected answer.

Hypotheses come from understanding background knowledge and using deductive reasoning

where appropriate.

Length guideline: One to two paragraphs is usually sufficient to make the needed points.

4. Methodology

This component is the research design or, if you prefer, the experimental design and analysis

section. It outlines how observations will be collected and analyzed to test the working hypotheses.

If the research involves field work, this section should start with a short description of the key

characteristics of the field site. A good methodology section provides enough detail so that

someone else could replicate the work. It is also written for an informed audience so that low-

level details about the data collection and analysis that can be assumed to be known or standard

protocol within the scientific community are not needed. Finally, a good methodology section

includes a rationale or justification for every decision made in the process of site selection, data

collection, and analysis that is supported by citations from the literature.

Length guideline: This will vary across subfields but aim for around 5 double spaced pages.

Write more or less as needed

5. Significance of the research

This section explains why the research is worth conducting. Put in another way, how will it fill

the gap in knowledge and what could be credibly expected to be the benefit once the research

question(s) are answered? The significance can fall under two general categories of basic science

and application of that science (e.g., management of landscapes).

Length guideline: One to two paragraphs is usually sufficient to make the needed points.

6. Preliminary results (optional)

If some results have been generated it is appropriate to include them so the committee is fully

aware of progress. Preliminary results should be presented in a separate section of the proposal.

Length guideline: This will depend on the extent of preliminary results. Write enough to convey

the needed points to the committee.

7. Schedule for completion

Provide a general timetable for completing major tasks (e.g., field or laboratory work) of the thesis

project and give an anticipated semester for the thesis defense.

Length guideline: One table containing all information about tasks and completion dates should

be sufficient.

II. Proposal defense

The purpose of the proposal defense is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas before the

research is completed to keep you on track with thesis research. It also provides a mechanism to

improve the research through constructive input offered by thesis committee members.

The proposal defense is a meeting in which a short presentation will be given on the research

proposal that is followed by a question and answer session. This is an open forum for all interested

parties. The defense will be advertised to the geoscience community in the department very similar

to the thesis defense.

The presentation should cover each aspect of the proposal document, highlighting key points. It

should be prepared in PowerPoint or comparable software. The presentation should typically last

for about 20 minutes, followed by the question and answer exchange. The entire proposal defense

should take no more than an hour.

The proposal document must be circulated to committee members two weeks prior to a scheduled

defense date. The faculty research supervisor must approve the proposal document prior to its

circulation. Once the defense date is set, the date, time, and location plus thesis title and members

of the thesis committee should be forwarded to Laurie Gay ([email protected]) for advertising

purposes.

III. Timeline

GEO 5103 and GEO 5113 build the foundation for developing a thesis proposal document, and

hone skills in giving scientific presentations. Therefore, these courses should be completed before

a proposal defense.

For full-time enrolment, the defense should be completed after the first academic year in the

program. The target period for the defense is within one month of the second semester. For part-

time enrolment, the timeline is extended to one month after the end of the fourth semester.

However, the defense may occur earlier upon the recommendation of the thesis research

supervisor.

Appendix. Possible Illustrations for Proposal Sections

Section

Possible figures

Introduction

Visualization of reason topic important in the field

Background knowledge

Schematic of conceptual model; visualization of current

understanding of predictive relation, etc.; important results from

prior study; synthesis of data from literature highlighting current

knowledge and gaps

Problem statement

Photograph of fossil being investigated; Conceptual model;

Illustration upon which hypothesis based

Methods

Map of study area, schematic of workflow for lab analysis

Preliminary results

Diagram illustrating specific result; table containing data or

analysis outcome

Significance

Image that connects study to its broader scientific importance

or application to societal problem

Schedule

Table that contains key benchmarks for completion.

3/22/22 Draft document by J.K. Haschenburger, Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee

3/24/22 Feedback from Graduate Sudies Committee members A. Godet and L. L. Lambert

4/4/22 Revised document by J.K. Haschenburger