HOW TO WRITE THESIS

This lecture is applicable to undergraduate students only.

Suppose, you want to  invite some friends or relatives to eat. Finishing the invitation means that your work begins. Listing items and preparing menu can be compared with research proposal. Buying  listed items and cooking the dishes can be compared with doing the research. Your thesis is to treat guests with delicious food. The guests are happy if the food is good and you graduate.

Thesis or Dissertation is used in the same sense, though some have called Dissertation for thesis and doctoral degree for undergraduate and master’s degrees, explaining Originality and Significance differently.

In case of masters or PhDs need to be careful with the originality, in undergraduate research there can be a little bit compromised with originality. It can be compared with a science fair in primary school, kids will be  appreciated if they can make a periscope with paper boxes and broken mirrors, but at the High school it won’t.

How much difficult to write a thesis,one can never  understand without  going through the process. The supervisor is just a guide, no one can write another one’s thesis. Research work is time-consuming and it requires considerable training, research, practice and writing skills.

Everyone’s thesis is different, but everyone has some common outlines. We’ll  discuss it letter. Remember, it is important to avoid plagiarism. No matter what your research, you should be honest.

A few words before starting

• Research begins with questions. Topics and theories need to be considered. Do not know what answer to the question? Ask differently.
• Find relevant facts and info to find the answer. Check out trusted books, internet sites, research papers. Combine the data. Find out the research gap.
• You know all the details about your topic, now make it clear what is the purpose of your thesis. Now you are ready to write your proposal. The proposal contains the purpose, significance, literature review, theoretical framework, research questions, hypotheses, how to collect and analyze data, etc.
•  Complete Fieldwork, Experiment, Data Analysis under the guidance of the Supervisor. Think again and again about the unknown answer.

Let us discuss this chapter-wise.

Chapter 1 Purpose and significance or role

Clearly write down the purpose of your thesis work and explain its significance. How your work will enrich the world of knowledge and who will benefit from it? Also beautifully explain how basic your work is. Because, without a clear purpose and strong theoretical ground, the thesis does not make sense. That means that you have to write a clear introduction to the topic and method. The research problem states that research needs to be addressed (practical and scientific contributions, etc.). Introduction Writing within a page or two is good.

Chapter 2 Literature Review

Your work will have some theoretical framework. The Literature Review will explain this topic and analyze all previous research you know about this topic; Including references . This does not mean that all previous studies are simply mentioned. Rather, it should explain, analyze what has been done and what has not been done. The desire to know the unknown has inspired you in this study. However, in some cases, different studies have also been repeated in previous contexts. Literature Review actually organizes your Idea, where there is a Theoretical Foundation or Overview, Storey sort with various Literature support, Model, Hypothesis, Scope, Limitation etc.

Chapter 3 Methodology

The data collection method is explained here and validated; How Data is Analyzed ,Which method has been used, why that method has been used. In many cases accurate reference is required. Then explain in detail the step-by-step data collection and analysis method.

The general trend in this regard is-

• Explanation of Research Design (with Internal and External Validity)
• Justification of used samples or methods
•  Instrument or Method of Explanation of Method (Pre-test, Reliability and Validity of Instrument or Method)
• Methods of making observations
• Data coding
• Data Analysis (Statistical Analysis and Testing, Category Identification) etc.

Chapter 4 Findings or Result

The results of the data analysis are described here. There is usually no explanation relevant to other studies. Various tests or factor analysis, hypothesis test results, etc. are presented. Tables and Figures are used to present results and summarize numerical information. That means, there will be a brief overview, results of applying the procedure, dealing with an annuity sequestration (if any), the nature of the sample, analysis and tendency, validity or reliability analysis.

Chapter 5 Discussion

Not only  what you find here, but your discussion should be about how meaningful your findings are, with your knowledge of the matter. Discussion is an important part, though many students are less concerned about it. Occasionally, new literature is mentioned in this section to indicate involvement in the discussion. The actual implication of the research also needs to be explained. Limitations and suggestions for future research are mentioned.

Some researcher present the results and discussions in the same chapter. This is very common in the undergrad thesis.

Chapter 6 The conclusion

Finish writing a thesis with a brief conclusion. Here the author’s opinion is also reflected.

Appendix. Bibliographical works, questionnaire and coding manuals, real data (if any), etc.

Reference. The End Note Program or such software can make the job much easier.

Some tips For (How to write thesis)

1. The thesis should be done with enough time (at least 2 semesters).
2. Finishing all the work before the defense.
3. Be very careful in editing, whether it is spelling or grammar.
4. Flow maintenance from one chapter to another.
5. Checking with an experienced senior. Because, supervisors do not spend time for editing.
6. It is best to read the entire thesis at least 2 times before submitting the thesis and before the defense.

Something about the format of how to write thesis

Thesis is a formal report. So check out the formal report lecture.

1. What language will be used for writing, what the size of the page, what the margin will look like, how the font type and size will be, how the spacing will be, how will be the table and figure numbering etc. specifications know from university.
2. Title page is counted but number is not typed. If you don’t know how many words should be in the abstract , stop on one page.
3. Biographical sketches, dedications, acquisitions, tables of contents, list of figures, list of tables, list of abstractions, list of symbols, prefaces, etc. apply on separate pages. Roman numerals are commonly used in this section.
4. Page numbers start from the introduction. In the undergrad thesis glossary, the index is usually not appended.
5. Every university should have a format guide for thesis and dissertation.

Short Guide Line about how to write thesis

1. Introduction: It will contain a short description of your field of interest.

2. Rationale of study / background of study: This part will show a short description of how much work you need to do in this field, subject to some old work and up to date science updates.

3. Literature Review: This part will keep track of how much your interest has been up to date and the latest updates! As a summary, you will be doing this research to find out if there is an extension in your field.

4. Objectives: Ultimate Object of Research is, of course, subject to the Literature Review.

5. Analysis / Experience Detail: According to Subject / Field. This is where you have to apply some statistical theory to prove the accuracy of your findings, the test of hypothesis is almost compulsory. However, the regression model is also expected in the advanced thesis

6. Summary of Findings / Dissertations: Your inventory short summary will be here.