Can You Reuse Your Research Proposal in Your Thesis?
Are you wondering whether you can use your already approved research proposal in your thesis writing or not? Worry not because you are not alone, hundreds of students are asking the same question on different platforms where the academics are.
So, the answer is yes, you can use your already written dissertation proposal while writing the complete study or expanding the mentioned sections, like the introduction and methodology. But there’s a catch in it; copying and pasting the same content can land you in hot water.
Every researcher needs to paraphrase or revise the existing content to avoid getting caught in plagiarism and save time by reusing some sections of the manuscript, excluding the abstract. Explore what to pick and what to ditch for successful repurposing.
What’s the Difference Between a Research Proposal and a Thesis?
A research proposal is the framework or initial draft that researchers prepare to demonstrate what they are going to do, why it matters, and how they are going to do it. Students usually take dissertation proposal writing services to get instant approvals from their supervisors at the university to work on their entrusted idea.
On the other hand, a thesis or dissertation is a complete manuscript containing findings, evaluations, and recommendations for further research. All in all, a proposal is a blueprint, and the dissertation is the finished building.
Can You Reuse Your Research Proposal in Your Dissertation?
Yes, you can reuse your research proposal in your thesis or dissertation, but with some exceptions. For example, you can’t repurpose the already written abstract in your study, project timeline, or even preliminary assumptions that have changed altogether while conducting research.
What Sections Can be Reused from Your Research Proposal?
To clear the air, we have mentioned all the elements of a dissertation proposal that you can reuse in your manuscript, but with some tweaks and changes to avoid getting them flagged as plagiarism by Turnitin.
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Research Methodology
- Research Questions
- Research Aims
- Research Objectives
- Theoretical Framework
What to Consider When Reusing the Content?
Reusing existing content from your research proposal doesn’t mean copying and pasting the paragraphs as it is. You need to change the structure of sentences to avoid getting caught up in plagiarism because most universities don’t allow you to resubmit the same content twice unless it is significantly changed or cited.
You can consider applying the following strategies while writing your dissertation manuscript and picking content pieces from the already written or approved proposal.
Update Content: Make sure the stats or claims you are copying are in alignment with your research findings or evaluation that you have conducted now.
Rephrase Everything: The best hack to avoid similarity in your new content and existing document is rephrasing even a single phrase that you are copying from it.
Don’t Copy the Abstract: Write an entirely new abstract reflecting your actual outcomes and conclusion derived from the tedious research.
Avoid Self-Plagiarism to Maintain Academic Integrity
It is possible when you submit the final version of the study to your supervisor or university. They may detect plagiarism in the content reused from the proposal after passing it through Turnitin. Though it is self-plagiarism, most universities don’t accept it.
You can remove the plagiarism by making the changes in the sections copied from the proposal, like the introduction and methodology. If, after the hassle, the content is again being flagged as plagiarised, then consider using a reliable paraphrasing tool to get the words changed altogether without losing the meaning or sense.
It will help you to pass the plagiarism test without spending hours on manual paraphrasing, guaranteeing 100% success upon passing the plagiarism test.
Why Reusing Your Own Work is Beneficial in Your Thesis?
First of all, it gives researchers the momentum to build the whole dissertation on the proposal laid out by them. Reusing your own content really helps in taking the already established arguments as a launch pad to knit the whole discussion around it by connecting with the preceding findings and results.
Saves Time: Researchers don’t need to rewrite the same kind of content again for introduction, research methodology, and so on.
Ensures Consistency: It also helps in creating harmony or consistency in your arguments when reproducing them in the dissertation manuscript.
Conclusion
Copying the already written content in your research proposal for your dissertation writing is totally fine and according to the research writing standards. But copying and pasting the exact paragraphs or even sentences can lead towards plagiarism issues. That’s why you should always edit and revise the content before repurposing it in your study to avoid self-plagiarism.