Thanks, Nina, for reminding me that I'd said I would put something onto the net about a way forward on how to clarify thinking (at the initial stages) of developing either a thesis or research proposal.  I've now done that and for a while, the material resided as a blog.  But now, I've looked at it again and whilst it still hasn't been transformed into a formal paper or book section, it has at least been posited as a research resource.  To access that resource, click here. 

There's also a slide show that I've developed so that a viewer can trawl their way through the process of trying to clarify their thinking about developing a research proposal. To view that slide show, click here.