A curated set of resource for helping you in delivering a better research proposal and a better thesis in general. The presentation is for students of information management. However the content can be applied to several disciplines.

1. On Proposal
Writing
And Scientific Thinking
F. Lelli

2. Let’s check the obvious
Are you interested in getting a Master (in
Information Management)?

3. Q1: What does it mean “Master”?
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin magister
From magis (“more or great”) + -ter. Doublet of master and maestro.
Meaning: teacher, captain, chief, director, boss, magistrate, trainer, schoolmaster,
superior, advisor, instigator, expert, proficient, specialist, connoisseur, adviser
Magister (plural magisters)
Master; sir: a title used in the Middle Ages, given to a person in authority, or to one
having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts.

4. Q2: How do you become expert,
proficient, specialist?
By demonstrating 2 things:
A) That you are able to understand, elaborate and reflect on concepts from your field
of study (Information Management)
B) By showing that you can assess and solve critical problems in your field of study.

5. Q3: What does it mean “PhD in
Information Management”?
PhD is the short for Philosophy Doctor
Again, Latin root.
A doctor is a particular “kind of master” that is “knowledgeable”
A Philosopher is “a person that practice the art of stretching the thinking”
In summary PhD in IM  A person that practice the art of stretching the thinking and
is capable to do it in Information Management.

6. Q4 How do you practice the art of
stretching the thinking?
By assessing and solving critical problems in your
field of study/Domain of expertise

7. Q5: How can you assess and solve
critical problems in your field of study?
By applying a set of procedures of rational test
(scientific process) to a problem related to your field
of study

8. A small digression
When did we started thinking scientifically? Any idea?
How we where thinking before thinking scientifically?

9. Characteristic of Scientific Thinking
Generalization from experience
Verifiability (what about confirmation?)

10. Q6: What about Falsifiability?
What is that? How it differ from verifiability?
Marxism vs Relativity

11. Hierarchy of Theories
Unfalsifiable (pseudo-science)
Falsifiable that has been falsified (Newtown vs Relativity)
Scientific Theories that have not been falsified.

12. Q9: What about theories?
Astrology, is it a scientific theory?
Invisible Object
Moving Target
Theories based on difficult/noisy measurement
Only the truly initiate

13. (Fun Fact): Thinking Scientifically and
Energy Consumption
Do you have any idea?

14. Put things to a test in Information
Management
What is a methodology?
What kind of methodologies are used in IM?
Introducing the “the list”: Each department maintains a list of
journal/conferences/venues that are considered important and relevant for the field.
Ask you your thesis coordinator/thesis supervisor “the list”.

15. “The List” vs “the rest of the world”
Is “the list” the only source of good ideas in IM?
Quality of a journal/conference/etc
Quality of a publication
Reading material:
https://francescolelli.info/thesis/how-scientific-venues-work-an-heuristic/
https://francescolelli.info/thesis/6-heuristics-for-assessing-the-quality-of-a-
publication/

16. How to write a good proposal
On Proposal Writing

17. On Proposal Writing (i)
Again, let’s check the obvious: what is a proposal?

18. On Proposal Writing (ii)
My 2 cents:
“2 pages of text that contains a scientific (novel) idea
that can be executed in the timeframe of your
thesis”

19. On Proposal Writing (iii)
What are the ingredient of an executable scientific idea?

20. On proposal Writing (iv)
Idea
Methodology
Tools
Data
Reading material:
https://francescolelli.info/thesis/how-to-write-a-thesis-proposal-or-a-research-
proposal-a-few-tips/

21. Would you like to do a good thesis
Consider checking out Open Science! A movement towards transparency and
reproducibility of scientific findings
Reading material:
https://francescolelli.info/thesis/adopting-good-scientific-practices-increases-your-
visibility-and-the-grade-of-your-thesis/

22. Reading Material
The audio chapters
Tips for improving the quality of your research proposal:
https://francescolelli.info/thesis/how-to-write-a-thesis-proposal-or-a-research-
proposal-a-few-tips/
How good scientific practices increase the final grade of your thesis:
https://francescolelli.info/thesis/adopting-good-scientific-practices-increases-your-
visibility-and-the-grade-of-your-thesis/

23. Optional Reading/Watching
How to do a good thesis: a curated set of articles and resources on how to address
each phase of your thesis: https://francescolelli.info/how-to-do-a-good-thesis-the-
miniseries/
How to become a better programmer: a curated set of articles and resources on how
to improve your programming skills for delivering a good thesis:
https://francescolelli.info/how-to-be-a-better-programmer-the-mini-guide/

24. Fun to watch
Scientific Studies: Last week Tonight John Oliver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rnq1NpHdmw