Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: a handbook for Supervisors

Differences between disciplines in choosing 
a research topic
Many students do not realize that there are differences between the sciences,
humanities and social sciences in terms of the kinds of research topics they
can choose, the amount of freedom they will have in choosing their topic, the
amount of guidance they will be given in writing their research proposal, and
when they will be required to present their research proposal. For example, in
the sciences, students often have a restricted range of topics to choose from for
their proposal, especially if the topic is linked to a funded research project. In
the humanities, students are usually required to initiate their own topics, tak-
ing into account supervisors’ interests and the availability of data. In the
social sciences and in professional fields of study, topics and research ques-
tions are often derived from the student’s own professional practice. In the
sciences, the students’ research questions are often decided early on whereas in
the social sciences the identification of specific research questions may take
some time as students gain more disciplinary and methodological knowledge
before they finally formulate their questions (Parry and Hayden 1996).
Swales (2004) points to other differences in expectations for research pro-
posals, particularly across academic departments. For example, some
departments may require a 100-page research proposal that includes data col-
lection and analysis while others may ask for a review of the literature that
points to a doable and worthwhile project. Other departments may ask for a
proposal that follows the requirements of a particular external funding body.
One thing that does not seem to make a difference, however, is the country in
which the thesis is being written. Swales says that theses and dissertations
seem to be little influenced by different national traditions and do not seem
to have any typically distinct national characteristics, as opposed to the oral
examination, or dissertation defence, which can vary markedly from one
country to another (Johns and Swales 2002; Morley et al. 2002).
Writing a research proposal
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