Thesis

A thesis is a written record of the work that has been undertaken by a candidate, which is submitted to get a
degree. It constitutes objective evidence of the author’s knowledge and capabilities in the field of interest. Most
importantly, a thesis is not merely a record of technical work but also an attempt to communicate it to a larger
audience.

General format
Outline of a thesis largely depends on the academic field and the type of the research
that had to be done (theory-based or experimental)

Type 1: Type 2:
Experimental research; mostly used in scientific disciplines Theory-based

Abstract Abstract ***

Write 1-2-page, giving a complete outline of the thesis
and answering the following questions: Introduction chapter ***

What is the subject-matter of the research?

Body chapter 1 topic + subtopics
What was the research question/ gap?
Include introduction and conclusion
Why and how was the research done?
Link information from this part to other chapters
What are the results and why are they important?
Give a title to indicate its specific content/role in
the thesis
Introduction *
Start from a brief problem statement
Body chapter 2 topic + subtopics
State the aim of the research (only one aim, which logically
comes from the problem statement; the conclusions must
correspond to this aim) Body chapter 3 topic + subtopics
Include research objectives
Concluding chapter ***
Determine research approach

Explain the importance of the research

Identify limitations of the research

Outline the key assumptions

Clarify contribution to science at large

Dos
Provide a brief layout of the thesis
Cite all ideas/concepts that are not your own

Literature review * Back up all statements with data/reference

Explain theoretical foundations of the study Make sure the paper presents a critical analysis
Write a critical review of the literature
Work with background information and data
Dwell upon the gaps in previous research collection first, abstract last

Proofread several times

Background *
Use only complete sentences
Give information needed to understand what will
follow

Locate the study areas in space, time, culture

Don’ts
Methods/Research methodology
Include irrelevant information
State the time and place of the research
Use clusters of nouns
Describe the materials, approaches, data, samples, etc.
used Put subordinate clauses at the beginning of a
sentence
Explain the procedures followed
Describe qualifiable objects using qualitative
adjectives
Results **
Describe the results without their interpretation or Include observations/results that are not backed
reference to other studies up by data

Illustrate the results using graphs or tables Provide conclusions that are not supported by
your observations/results

Discussion of results **
Interpret the results

Discuss the results with reference to other researches and theories

Conclusion **
Sum up the aims fulfilled and the main discussion points of the paper within 4 pages

Provide recommendations and suggestions for further research

* — Depending on discipline, Introduction may include Literature review and Background

** — Results, Discussion of results, and Conclusion parts may be arranged either as three separate sections or combined in
pairs (Results and Discussion / Discussion and Conclusion)
*** — This section contains the same information as Conclusion in Type 1

As usual, instructions provided by one’s faculty are given the highest priority (and assignments of this
type are normally accompanied by very specific instructions).
Since this type of work is quite long and is expected to take a lot of time to write, the customer may order
any one of the individual sections.