The prospectus is a short 5-10 page description of the
dissertation research project with a bibliography. The bibliography
can be annotated or not, depending on faculty or student needs. The
prospectus is like a grant proposal---it sketches work that is only
partially completed. As a result, the document should do several
things:
- Introduce the topic to non-specialists
- Explain why the project is important
- Sketch the specific argument, or the questions that the
research will ask.
- Describe the research accomplished so far, and research yet to
do
- Give a brief sketch of what each chapter seeks to
accomplish.
View a prospectus example.