Students find the task of writing a thesis, a tedious one. Writing a thesis sure requires a lot of work, but the end product gives maximum happiness and satisfaction. Do you have to write a thesis too? If yes, then simply follow the steps below to structure your thesis properly. The structure of a thesis varies with the format style. This is a basic arrangement of a thesis. The steps are as follows:
1. Title Page
As the name suggests this is the first page of your thesis. There are some elements that you must add to a title page. They are:
- Subtitle
- Authors name
- Name of the institution
- Name of the department
- Date of submission
- Name of the Research guides
- Their institutions
- Their e-mail address.
2. Abstract
This is the second part of your thesis. An abstract includes the following:
- The reason as to why your paper is important.
- A brief summary of the main points in your paper.
- The abstract must simple, clear and readable.
- You must not include a citation for this section of the paper.
- You can use numbers where appropriate.
3. Table of Contents
Under this heading, you are supposed to list all headings and subheadings, with their page numbers. Make it a point to indent the subheadings.
4. List of Figures
If you have utilized any figures, then you must mention about them under this heading. Specify the page numbers and the short title of the figure.
5. List of Tables
If you have included tables in your thesis, then mention them under this heading. You can list the tables by putting their page numbers and names.
6. Introduction
This is a start point for your content writing. A trick to writing a good introduction is to write it at the last. Include the following while writing your introduction:
- Include a hook statement to catch the attention of your readers.
- You can include questions, quotes or statements to motivate the readers to read further.
- You must talk about why your research work is significant.
- Adding on to that, you must mention your main aim of writing the paper.
- Ensure to write about the background information about your topic, to give a basic idea to the reader.
- Mention briefly your research questions too.
7. Methods
In any research study, there is a method followed by all the students. Thus in this section, you need to talk about the method that you used while conducting your study. This part has to have :
- A detailed description of your method and theory.
- It must also have the calculations, techniques, types of equipment, calibration plots, and so on.
- You must also talk about the limitations and your assumptions for the study.
8. Results
This is part that reveals the success of your study. Include:
- The actual statements of observations.
- You must mention the positive and negative result of your study.
- You can use sub-headings to explain your results better.
- You must cover all your points.
9. Discussion
After the results section, you need to discuss the study in detail. You can:
- Start by summarizing the important results.
- You can answer the questions briefly.
- You must analyze the major patterns and observations in your thesis study.
- You must figure out the relationship and the trend in your thesis.
- You need to also talk about the implications of your study, in this segment.
10. Conclusion
A conclusion is an equally important section, as the main content or the introduction. This is the part where you conclude your paper. You must:
- Restate your main arguments.
- Restate your thesis statement.
- Mention the implications of your research.
- Do not repeat the content from your abstract, body or discussion parts.
11. Recommendations
Under this heading, you must suggest ideas or solutions, to the problems mentioned in your study. You must also talk about the gaps that you found, during your study and how can you fill those gaps. In order to come up with good recommendations, make it a point to make a note of everything as and when you are doing the experiment.
12. Acknowledgments
You must acknowledge the people, who have helped you carry out this study. Writing a thesis involves a lot of hard work in collecting the sources and writing. There are a number of people who help us, directly or indirectly in our study. Thus in this section, you must mention their names, starting with the name of your professor.
13. References
This is a very crucial section, as you need to list out all your sources that you referred while searching information. You have to follow a certain format to write references, it cannot be anything. The references have to be written according to the format of the citing style. Thus make sure you follow the format conscientiously.
14. Appendices
If there is any information which is rare to find, and you used it for your study, then you can mention it here. It can be a government document or a report, etc. You can also include extended tables and figures that you would want the reader to know.
15. Recheck your work
Once you are through with the drafting process, you must check your paper. Do not submit your paper without revising it. Most students submit their papers in a hurry and lose their grades for grammatical errors, spelling errors, or format related error. In order to avoid this circumstance, check your paper and pass the work through plagiarism detectors, to ensure the authenticity of your work.
Follow the steps mentioned above and get yourself a quality thesis.