Tips to write PhD/Master proposal for business, economics, finance,

accounting student (secondary data).

By: Dr Abdul Rahim Rizwan

Part 1: Identifying the issues

1. Know your field. Which area to focus. You must have interest with it!
2. Survey all the recent journals published by index journal. See what are the most
popular topic that most author have covered.
3. See recent news. What are the common issues addressed in media and most
importantly, are these news related to the recent topics highlighted in the
journal?
4. Now, it is time to relate both scope of study. Find more issues related to that
scope of studies. Save /quote all supportive materials for that issue that happen
to the country that you wish to investigate.
5. Go back to the journals. Check all the econometric models that have been used.
Learn the theory behind it. Check any important variables that have been left out
in the model (not tested together in single framework). Moreover, perhaps, you
could also introduce new variable. In addition, you could use existing variables
that are seemed to be connected and have potential to be the solutions for the
above problem.
6. At this stage, you should already trigger out what topics that u want to do for
your thesis draft. By writing and connecting all the dots above, and support it with
recent publication. You can discuss this with your potential SV! Good luck~

Preparing Proposal
Part 2: Writing the first chapter and second chapter
1. Continued from the first part, assuming that your potential SV kind of agree
with your topic, now you can start write your first chapter.
2. Some universities only allow one chapter for introduction. Some allow student
to have two chapter for introduction (while the second one focus on background
of studies).
3. For introduction, begin your explanation with broad topic. Slowly narrowed it
down based on the subtopics that you like to have. Each subtopic is usually
related to issue that you wish to investigate and probably will be represented in
your list of research objectives and research questions.
4. You can have few diagrams that showing trend to support your info. However,
most data that you put in the form of table need to be placed in second chapter.
There will be more brief discussion about your data in second chapter.
5. Problem statement should be sharp and precise. In my university, it should not
exceed 2 pages (1 and half pages is common). You cannot have any references
and table of data in this part! Problem statement will change each time you
change the issue that you wish to investigate~
6. For proposal, introduction and background of studies need to be in the same
chapter. Its should be around 5 pages max. However, for full draft, the suggested
pages for chapter 1 should not more than 40 pages. Around 30-35 pages
(depends). You can have higher number of pages for chapter 2. As long as the
difference is not too much as compared to chapter 1.

Part 3: Literature Review

1. LR is the most difficult part in thesis. The process of writing for this chapter will
never end until your sv allow you to submit for viva!
2. There are two parts in this chapter. First is theoretical, the second one is
empirical.
3. For theoretical, you have to write a brief introduction of the theory. Who
introduce it? At what particular year or era? Why it is existed etc.
4. Assuming there are so many school of thought, you need to cluster it
accordingly. Who support the theory...who against it.
5. Relate the theory with your issues. Is it the best theory to solve the problems?
Any strength. Any weakness?
6. Now, the second part of LR is empirical study. In this chapter, you have to
investigate all past studies that have been done to address your issue.
7. Critically, you need to address the weakness of the model that previous studies
adopt. Do not forget to report all the important findings!
8. Usually, there will be a summary of table for empirical studies.
9. Last part of this chapter could be the gap of the previous studies. In this part, u
need to be able to creatively write up how the theory and model that you choose
able to solve your thesis problem with extra twist. In order words, what kind of
possible variables that is so important, but have been left out the previous model.
Address the gap carefully.

Part 4: Methodology (especially for economics/finance/accounting

thesis)

1. This is really interesting chapter to write. The main component will be your
theoretical and conceptual framework.
2. For economics thesis, in this chapter, we have to begin with the explanation of
theoretical framework. It’s important to have one big research framework that
can address all your research objective and the proposed model and how its link
to your main issue.
3. Next part will be formulation of the econometric model. How from original
model that you want to use is expanding over time. And how you expand it with
your suggested variables. Yes, there will be calculus or a lot of mathematical
proving in this section.
4. For me, each research objectives will have specific econometric model to
tested out. Bear in mind, some research objective will have more than one
proposed econometric model. So the above arrangement must follow your
research objective.
5. The second half part of this chapter is to list all the techniques and estimation
used in the study. At this stage you should already know which types of analysis
you want to conduct: time series or panel data estimation (you can obtain this
knowledge from journals) And of course, the technique must relate to your
introduction and background of studies...either you one to focus on individual
country or group. My sv advise me not being too ambitious. Focus only one types
of analysis is better than having both!
6. The last part for this chapter is sources of data. Here my advice. Before u want
to select any econometric model, please check the data availability first for all
proposed variables. This should be done even before part 2!
7. Perhaps, another advice, if you have the knowledge to run the estimation for
your suggested model, do run the model first to check the results. Its will provide
u more information in term of the suitability of the data, or either your variable
support the hypothesis or not.
8. By completing this chapter, you are ready for your proposal draft! Congrats~
*In my case, i have completing all the data analysis before i defense my proposal.
So yes...it gives me a better picture regards to the per-outcomes of the thesis
studies. its really help me to stay calm and answer all the panel questions very
well. Best wishes to all of you.