Writing A Graduate Thesis

Most graduate programs require the completion of a thesis. Even non research based programs would have a general requirement for some academic papers to indicate your proficiency in the field of study. So how do you prepare a thesis? There’s no one way to do it, and many universities would have their own guideline on how to go about it. In this article, we highlight some of the common tips on how to prepare your thesis.

1.Choose A Topic

        The first step is to choose a broad topic for your thesis. For example, if you are under taking a PhD in History, the topic might be as broad as women’s involvement in the World War II. You will refine and narrow this topic at a later stage. Choosing the topic for your thesis is an important step that requires a great deal of thoughtful consideration. Many factors need to be considered. Ask yourself these questions :

        What Topic In My Field Interests Me The Most?

        If you are writing a Master thesis, you will need to maintain your interest in the topic you choose for at least one year. If you are completing a PhD, you will be researching this topic for three or more years! For this reason, it is important that you choose a topic that will hold your enthusiasm, interest and passion for an extended period. There is nothing worse than being locked in to studying a thesis topic that no longer interests you.

        Will I Be Able To Find An Appropriate Supervisor For That Topic?

        Finding a supervisor is an important step in your postgraduate journey and it is something you need to consider when choosing your topic. There needs to be a balance between your interest in a topic and the ability of a specific supervisor to work in this area. It is not useful to choose a topic that is of immense interest to you if no one at your university has sufficient knowledge in the area to act as your supervisor. However, it is also not advisable to choose a supervisor first and then choose a topic based solely on their research interests, as you may end up studying something that is not of interest to you.

        Will I Have Access To The Appropriate Sources To Research This Topic?

Similarly, it is not useful to choose a topic that is immensely interesting to you if there is very little information on the subject. When choosing your topic, consider what types of sources you would need to be able to research it well, and find out if you will have access to these sources. Does a wealth of material on your chosen subject exist? Would you need to travel overseas to get information that you require.

2.Conduct The Literature Review

Once you have chosen a topic to study for your thesis, you need to begin your background research to discover what has already been written on the topic by other researchers. There are several reasons why it is important to conduct a thorough Literature Review :

-       Most thesis structures require you to include a well written Literature Review in your thesis, so that you can demonstrate you have conducted in- depth research in the field and possess a sound knowledge of it.

        3.Narrow Your Topic And Define Your Research Questions

Once you have conducted your Literature Review and identified a gap in the current field of knowledge in your topic, you will be able to narrow your topic further. This is an important step as this is the point at which you will decide what questions your thesis will answer.

This, the third step in writing a thesis is narrowing your topic, deciding on a main research question and deciding on sub-questions.

4. Research Proposal

If you are writing a Masters or a PhD thesis, you will normally be required to write a detailed Research Proposal in the first few months of your candidature. If you are undertaking a PhD, for example, you might have six months to write a 10,000 word proposal. This Research Proposal will include information you have discovered in your Literature Review, and will outline what your thesis aims to achieve. For many students, this Research Proposal later becomes the basis for the introduction and Literature Review in their final thesis. The successful completion of this proposal and its acceptance by your university is a necessary step in order to continue your candidature. Once you have written your Research Proposal, it is important that you have it professionally edited prior to submitting it, to ensure you have the best chance of its acceptance. See ‘The Final Stage : Professional Editing’ below.

5.Conduct The Research

The aim in conducting your research is to answer your research questions and develop a thesis statement. The thesis statement is your answer to your main research question. It defines the argument that you will be putting forward throughout your thesis. In fact, the word ‘thesis’ means ‘argument’ or ‘position’. Conducting the research is the most important and time consuming stage of writing a thesis. How you do this will depend on your field of study and the research project you have created. It is important to consult with the supervisor throughout this stage and to use time management skills to ensure that you stay on track.

6. Follow The Guidelines

Your university department or school will have guidelines that you must follow when writing your thesis and it is important to be familiar with these before you begin writing your first draft. These guidelines will vary from university to university. They even vary within universities, as different disciplines follow different guidelines. It is important that you check with your supervisor about where to find the correct guidelines to follow. Often these guidelines will be very detailed and will specify the following things : the length of your final thesis; the structure of the thesis and what elements it should contain; the referencing style to be used; and the formatting and presentation of the thesis. If you have trouble following some of the guidelines, for example the formatting and presentation or the correct referencing of your thesis, your professional editor will be able to assist you in these matters (please see ‘The Final Stage : Professional Editing’).

7.Write The First Draft Of The Thesis

Once you have completed your research, you will arrive at what can be the most nerve- racking stage, writing up your result in the form of your first draft. Before you begin writing, it is important that you finalize a detailed plan for your thesis (one that you no doubt will have begun developing during the research stage). With a detailed plan and organized research, you will not feel like you are starting from scratch when you begin writing your first draft. Your professional editor at Elite Editing & Tutoring can help you during this stage, as some students find it helpful to submit individual chapters for editing as soon as they have written them. This is especially helpful for students who have English as a second language. This way you are able to submit drafts to your supervisor that have already been edited to improve the level of English and your supervisor can concentrate on advising you regarding the ideas and arguments contained in your thesis, rather than being distracted by the language use.

8.Thesis Structure

The structure of a thesis varies widely. It will depend on what level you are studying at, what field you are studying in, the guideline you are following, your supervisor’s suggestions, and how best to present the type of research you have done. Below is an example of a common thesis structure. This is a guide only and you will need to adjust it to suit your needs and adhere to your department’s guidelines.

-          Title Page

-          Contents

-          Abstract

-          Declaration of Original Work

-          Acknowledgements

-          List of Figures and Tables

-          Introduction

-          Literature Review

-          Thesis Chapters

-          Conclusion

-          Bibliography

-          Appendices