...Parts of a Thesis Prelims Main body of thesis End matter The diagram above shows the basic layout of a thesis. The thesis is made up of three major elements: Prelims: Everything that comes before the first page of the Introduction. Main body of the thesis: Begins with the first page of the Introduction and continues to the last page of the Conclusions/Recommendations. End matter: The reference list and the appendices. (Note that these titles— Prelims, Main Body and End matter— are used here for convenience only. You are not to use them as labels for these parts of your thesis.) You can see from the diagram that the parts get progressively bigger. The prelims are just a few pages. There is a lot of built-in repetition in the way a thesis or report is set out, particularly in the prelims. They provide an outline or road-map of the thesis, and explain to the reader how it is structured. The Prelims include: Title page Abstract Acknowledgements Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures Glossary (if needed) List of Abbreviations (if needed) The main body of the thesis is made up of the thesis chapters. For theses based on primary research, the chapter titles are as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter 3: Methodology Chapter 4: Results and Discussion Chapter 5: Conclusions (and Recommendations if required) Theses based on desk research will include: ...
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...___________________________________ Accepted by ___________________________________ , Chair, Department of Computer Science ___________________________________ , Dean, College of Arts and Sciences TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES II LIST OF TABLES II DEDICATION II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. 1.1 Problem Description and Motivation Error! Bookmark not defined. 1.2 Research Hypothesis and Questions Error! Bookmark not defined. 1.3 Research Contributions Error! Bookmark not defined. 1.4 Organization of the Dissertation Error! Bookmark not defined. 1.5 Bibliographical Notes Error! Bookmark not defined. CHAPTER 2 COLLEGE STYLE GUIDE 2 2.1 Style Guide and Instructions for Thesis and Dissertation 2 2.1.1 Reasons for Regulations 2 2.1.2 Responsibilities 2 2.1.3 Approval 2 2.1.4 Paper 2 2.1.5 Copies and Binding 2 2.1.6 Font Styles 2 2.1.7 Margins 2 2.1.8 Spacing 2 2.1.9 Pagination 2 2.1.10 Front Matter 2 2.1.11 Figures 2 2.1.12 Tables 2 2.1.13 Footnotes 2 2.1.14 Appendices 2 2.1.15 Bibliographies/References 2 2.1.16 Abstracts 2 2.1.17 Publication Requirement for Doctoral Dissertation 2 2.2 Some Examples of tables and figures. Error! Bookmark not defined. CHAPTER 3 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH 2 3.1 Main Results Error! Bookmark...
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...Page 1. The thesis title page is the first page of the thesis. It usually contains the author's name, graduation date and thesis title. Copyright Page 2. The second page of the thesis indicates ownership of the copyright to the work. Signature Page 3. The signature page includes one line for each thesis committee member to sign off on the work. Abstract 4. Contains a short summary of the thesis and is usually no more than one page in length. Table of Contents 5. Numbering usually begins on the table of contents page. It is followed by a List of Figures page and a List of Tables (if needed). Thesis Body 6. The thesis usually begins with an introduction. Length of the thesis and style (MLA or APA) are determined by your major and department. Ads by Google References * ------------------------------------------------- Thesis Guidelines Resources * ------------------------------------------------- American Psychological Association, Publication Manual * ------------------------------------------------- Modern Language Association, The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing Who Can HelpSponsored * ------------------------------------------------- Earn your associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree at University of Phoenix. Find out how. * ------------------------------------------------- Earn your degree from industry experts at University of Phoenix. Take the next step in your career. Thesis: Title...
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...THESIS MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING THE PREPARATION OF THESES AND DISSERTATIONS Research and Graduate Studies Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, Texas 78363 (361) 593-2808 SPRING 2011 COPYRIGHT PRIVILEGES BELONG TO RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES Reproduction of this THESIS MANUAL requires the written permission of the Graduate Dean. FOREWORD The nature of a research study should be one in which the investigation leads to new knowledge or enhancement of existing knowledge in the student's field of study, either through acquisition of new data or re-examination and interpretation of existing data. At the graduate level, all students should learn how new knowledge is created, how experimentation and discovery are carried out, and how to think, act and perform independently in their discipline. Depending upon the degree to which the discipline has an applied orientation, the student can demonstrate mastery of the discipline through means such as research papers, literature reviews, artistic performances, oral/written presentations or case studies. The doctoral dissertation is viewed in academia as the ultimate model of documentation of the student's research. The characteristics of dissertation research include the theoretical background, description of the problem, the method which was used to solve the problem, interpretation of results and explanation of their significance. The student is expected to produce a product of excellent quality which reflects...
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...How to write chapter 1 of a Thesis: Basic Guide How to writer chapter 1 of the thesis? This is the mainly question on every researcher. In every thesis writing, some of the people say that the first part will be the most difficult part. Because here you must think of a topic that you can proposed and in this chapter you must conceptualize your whole thesis or your whole research. The whole research will be reflected by the first chapter. Some of the school have different format than other school so please use this guide for your references. Be sure to check out the Attributes of a Good Thesis before you start and check out the basic parts of the thesis also. This can also serve as your guide for your case study, research paper, and term paper. This will help you to understand the chapter 1 of your school paper works. Chapter 1: Introduction also includes the following: * Introduction This must include introduction of your study. You must tackle the field of your study. Your introduction must be consisting of 1-2 pages only. * Background of the Study This must include some of the past study that is currently connected to your topic or study. You can include some of the history but it must be 2-3 lines only. * Rationale This section must describe the problem situation considering different forces such as global, national and local forces. Stating some the existence of the problem included in your topic. * Objectives of the study The objective of your study...
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...Chapter Breakdown Abstract (<= 1 page) * one page stating what the thesis is about highlight the contributions of the thesis Chapter 1: Introduction (~5-10 pages) * Thesis Statement (one or two sentences) * What is your thesis about and what have you done? * If you have a hypothesis what is it? * How will you test (prove/disprove) your hypothesis? * Motivation * Why is this problem you've worked on important * Goals / Objectives * What are you trying to do and why? * How will you or the reader know if or when you've met your objectives? * **** Contributions ***** * What is new, different, better, significant? * Why is the world a better place because of what you've done? * What have you contributed to the field of research? * What is now known/possible/better because of your thesis? * Outline of the thesis (optional) * Chapter 2: Background / Related Work (~8-20 pages) * More than a literature review * Organize related work - impose structure * Be clear as to how previous work being described relates to your own. * The reader should not be left wondering why you've described something!! * Critique the existing work - Where is it strong where is it weak? What are the unreasonable/undesirable assumptions? * Identify opportunities for more research (i.e., your thesis) Are there unaddressed, or more important...
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...Thesis Format Guidelines UGC approved: April 28, 2006 These guidelines are designed to provide the formatting requirements for all theses and project reports submitted to Mewar University. It contains the basic structure, layout, form, and style are required for the purpose, however, Candidates/ Departments may use additional requirements, if needed, provide that does not conflict with the guidelines contained in this document. 1. Thesis and Project Report Arrangement Assemble the thesis/project report in this order: 1. Cover page: includes the title, author, degree (“Thesis/Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Ph.D. of … in …”), and date. 2. Cover page color: Pink 3. Thesis/Project Approval Form. 4. Plagiarism policy compliance statement. 5. Copyright page that grants MU the right to use and reproduce fully or partially the work being presented. 6. Dedication page (optional). 7. Acknowledgments page (optional). 8. Abstract: a concise summary of the essential information of the work being presented, namely of the study’s scope, purpose and results. The reference-free single spaced abstract should not exceed two pages. 9. Table of Contents: includes all the subsections of each chapter and the list of appendices (if applicable) and page numbers. 10. List of Figures: includes figure number, caption, and the page number. 11. List of Tables: includes table number, caption, and the page number. 12. Abbreviations...
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...MZUMBE UNIVERSITY (CHUO KIKUU MZUMBE) GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THESIS OR DISSERTATION Prepared by: The Directorate of Research, Publications, and Postgraduate Studies P.O. Box 63 Mzumbe Morogoro, Tanzania Tel: +255 (0) 23 2604380/1/3/4 Fax: +255 (0) 23 2604382 E-mail: mu@mzumbe.ac.tz Website: www.mzumbe.ac.tz TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION ONE INTRODUCTION .. .. .. .. .. .. 1.1 Preamble .. .. .. .. .. 1.2 Thesis versus dissertation .. .. .. 1.3 Objectives of the thesis or dissertation option 1.4 Non-thesis /Non- dissertation option. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 1 1 1 1 SECTION TWO FONTS, MARGINS, SPACING, PARAGRAPHS, PAGINATIONS, ETC. 2.1 Typing and spacing .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.2 Dissertation/ Thesis title and its chapters.. .. .. .. 2.3 Fonts .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.4 Paragraphs .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.5 Language .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.6 Treatment of abbreviations .. .. .. .. .. 2.7 Quotations .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.8 Pagination .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.9 Margins .. .. .. .. .. .. 2.10 Capitalisation and bolding of words .. .. .. .. 2.11 Tables and their numbering .. .. .. .. .. 2.12 Figures, diagrams, graphs, charts, illustrations, and photographs SECTION THREE THESIS/DISSERTATION OUTLINE 3.1 Sequencing the major parts .. 3.2 Details of the preliminary items 3.3 Headings .. .. .. 3.4 Length of the thesis/dissertation 3.5 Final submission .. .. SECTION FOUR DOCUMENTATION 4.1 Documentation styles .. .. 4.2 APA style for in-text citations 4.3 APA style for references...
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...CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY Thesis Writing and ETD Submission Guidelines for CEU MA/MSc Theses and PhD Dissertations (Revised and adopted by the CEU Senate 7 December 2007) The thesis or dissertation is the single most important element of a research degree. It is a test of the student’s ability to undertake and complete a sustained piece of independent research and analysis, and to write up that research in a coherent form according to the rules and conventions of the academic community. As the official language of study at CEU is English, students are required to write the thesis/dissertation in English to a standard that native speaker academics would find acceptable. A satisfactory thesis should not only be adequate in its methodology, in its analysis and in its argument, and adequately demonstrate its author’s familiarity with the relevant literature; it should also be written in correct, coherent language, in an appropriate style, correctly following the conventions of citation. It should, moreover, have a logical and visible structure and development that should at all times assist the reader’s understanding of the argument being presented and not obscure it. The layout and physical appearance of the thesis should also conform to university standards. The purpose of this document is to outline the standard requirements and guidelines that a master’s thesis or PhD dissertation (hereafter the term ‘thesis’ is used to cover both MA and PhD except where the PhD...
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...------------------------------------------------- Thesis Writing: A Guide for Students By Jennifer Swenson The Sparrow’s introduction to thesis writing is a clear-cut and comprehensive tool for those who are about to embark on one of the more difficult projects in all of academia. Thesis writing is not an art; rather, it is the product of many months of research and painstaking hard work. Whether you are writing a master’s thesis, a PhD thesis, or any other form of this venerable genre, I hope this guide will serve you well. Thesis Writing Background What is a thesis? A thesis is essentially a research report. It addresses a very specific issue and describes what is known about that issue, what work the student has done to investigate or resolve it, and how that issue may play out in the future. It is the thesis writer’s responsibility to familiarize her with the history of the issue and the different points of view that exist. The thesis writer works with a mentor who is an expert in the field that the thesis concerns, but not necessarily an expert on that exact topic. Usually thesis topics are so specific that very few people in the world except the thesis writer herself could be considered an expert on them. Your thesis writing will make a contribution to the field about which you are writing, and in a larger sense, to all of human knowledge. A thesis is distinctively different from an undergraduate research report because it is so original. How Specific Should My Thesis Get? When writing a thesis, you should...
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...CHAP TER Rhetorical Modes 1. NARRATION L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S 10 1. Identify the purpose and structure of narrative writing. 2. Recognize how to write a narrative essay. Rhetorical modes simply mean the ways in which we can effectively communicate through language. This chapter covers nine common rhetorical modes. As you read about these nine modes, keep in mind that the rhetorical mode a writer chooses depends on his or her purpose for writing. Sometimes writers incorporate a variety of modes in one essay. In covering the nine rhetorical modes, this chapter also emphasizes these as a set of tools that will allow you greater flexibility and effectiveness in communicating with your audience and expressing your ideas. rhetorical modes The ways in which we effectively communicate through language. 1.1 The Purpose of Narrative Writing Narration means the art of storytelling, and the purpose of narrative writing is to tell stories. Any time you tell a story to a friend or family member about an event or incident in your day, you engage in a form of narration. In addition, a narrative can be factual or fictional. A factual story is one that is based on, and tries to be faithful to, actual events as they unfolded in real life. A fictional story is a made-up, or imagined, story; the writer of a fictional story can create characters and events as he or she sees fit. However, the big distinction between factual and fictional narratives is based on a writer’s purpose...
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...------------------------------------------------- Thesis Writing: A Guide for Students By Jennifer Swenson The Sparrow’s introduction to thesis writing is a clear-cut and comprehensive tool for those who are about to embark on one of the more difficult projects in all of academia. Thesis writing is not an art; rather, it is the product of many months of research and painstaking hard work. Whether you are writing a master’s thesis, a PhD thesis, or any other form of this venerable genre, I hope this guide will serve you well. Thesis Writing Background What is a thesis? A thesis is essentially a research report. It addresses a very specific issue and describes what is known about that issue, what work the student has done to investigate or resolve it, and how that issue may play out in the future. It is the thesis writer’s responsibility to familiarize her with the history of the issue and the different points of view that exist. The thesis writer works with a mentor who is an expert in the field that the thesis concerns, but not necessarily an expert on that exact topic. Usually thesis topics are so specific that very few people in the world except the thesis writer herself could be considered an expert on them. Your thesis writing will make a contribution to the field about which you are writing, and in a larger sense, to all of human knowledge. A thesis is distinctively different from an undergraduate research report because it is so original. How Specific Should My Thesis Get? When writing a thesis, you should...
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...writing their thesis after successfully completing their internee/project. One aim of the internee/ project is to enable the student to apply in a practical environment the techniques and knowledge gained during the taught component of the course. Specifically the internee/ project report should demonstrate that the student has: (a) Conducted a comprehensive literature search relating to the area of investigation. (b) Synthesized and analyzed the evidence from the literature search and identified an appropriate approach to the problem specified. (c) Demonstrated practical and professional skills in the development of business solution. (d) Documented the system to professional standards. (e) Perform an in-depth critical review of the work undertaken. (f) Made an effective contribution within the industrial environment. (g) Communicated effectively with colleagues. All students are counseled by staff and an outline for the investigation and ensuing practical work is discussed and approved by the student and academic and the industrial supervisors (if any). BASIC GUIDELINE FOR THESIS WRITTING • Format: the shape, size, and general makeup of a publication Processing of your thesis by the University will define several aspects of the format. The following is a list of items the University will check on the deposit copy... 1. Paper size. (A4, white) 2. Typeface* consistency and minimum point size (10 pt minimum) 3. Line spacing (4 lines/inch = 1 1/2 space =...
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...MINOR THESIS: STRUCTURE Your minor thesis (sometimes called a research report) is a description of your research project based on your research question(s) and/or problem(s). Your thesis tells the story of your research questions/ problems and how you found answers to them. What is the purpose of a minor thesis? purpose Although it may make a contribution to your broader academic field, the main purposes of a minor thesis or research report are to demonstrate: • • a critical awareness of the previous work in your field exploring some additional questions (a minor thesis may reproduce a previous study in a new context or with modifications) an understanding of basic research theory and techniques. Who is the audience? You need to imagine someone who is well-educated in your broad area but who does not know about your specific research. You will need to define and clarify some terminology and concepts. writing? When should I start writing? Begin your writing early. The more work you've done at the proposal stage the easier it will be. Set up folders that will contain separate documents for each chapter or major section. Add to these as you develop your ideas. The order in which you write about your research is often not the same as the order of the finished chapters or sections. Discuss and work out a draft for organising your chapters with your supervisor. Using questions to guide your structure Here are some questions to help you think about some sections you might include...
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...MANAGEMENT IN ARID CLIMATES Suleiman Mohammed Al Belushi A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Soil and Water Management Department of Soil and Water Sciences College of Agriculture Sultan Qaboos University Sultanate of Oman 2006 Layout 1b. Title Page WATER MANAGEMENT IN ARID CLIMATES Suleiman Mohammed Al Belushi A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Soil and Water Management Department of Soil and Water Sciences College of Agriculture Sultan Qaboos University Sultanate of Oman 2006 © Layout 2. Thesis Committee Thesis of…………………………………………………………(I.D. #)………………... Title of Thesis…………………………………………………………………………….. Thesis Committee: 1. Supervisor……………………………………………………………………………. Title…………………………………………………………………………………… Department………………………………………………………………………….. Institution…………………………………………………………………………….. Signature………………………………………………Date……………………….. 2. Member………………………………………………………………………………. Title…………………………………………………………………………………… Department…………………………………………………………………………… Institution…………………………………………………………………………….. Signature……………………………………………….Date………………………. 3. Member……………………………………………………………………………….. Title……………………………………………………………………………………. Department…………………………………………………………………………… Institution…………………………………………………………………………….. Signature……………………………………………….Date………………………. Layout 3. Thesis Examining Committee Thesis Examining Committee: 1. Chair……………………………………………………………………………… Title………………………………………………………………………………...
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