2. What do you need to write a medical
thesis?
Of course, a knowledge about how to
conduct a research and how to pen down its
results in an appropriate format. Even if
you are adept in clinical research, it doesn’t
mean writing a thesis comes easily to you.
A medical thesis has a structure that is
important to follow.
3. Here we provide a step-
by-step guide on how to
write an ideal medical
thesis
4. Step 1: Start your thesis with a suitable ‘Title’. The title
is an intro to the contents of your medical thesis. An ideal
title should be within 65 characters, devoid of all
abbreviations and grammatical mistakes, and not contain
stop words like ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’, ‘of’, ‘but’, etc.
Step 2: Next, write your thesis ‘Abstract’. An abstract is
an introduction that tells the readers why you conducted
the particular study. What has already been done in the
field, what were the gaps, and how you fill those gaps
with your study?
5. To write an ideal abstract:
Give a brief background information about your topic
State the importance of the problem and what is unknown
about it
Tell the readers about the objectives of your study clearly
Give references to the research papers written on your research
topic. However, do not cite the well-known facts. For example,
“Isaac Newton discovered gravity…”
Include no information other than the problem being examined
6. Step 3: After the abstract, follow it with the title ‘Method and
Material’. Format this section as below:
Setting – the environmental conditions in which you conducted
your research
Sample – what materials were used in research and details about
the participants in the study
Inclusion and exclusion criteria – what factors were considered
to include or exclude any participant in the study
Measurement tools – details about the methods and equipment
used to measure the outcomes of the study
Independent and Dependent variables – what were the factors
you controlled or changed during the experiment and what you
measured as the outcome
7. Step 4: Write the “Analysis of Data“.
Step 5: Write the ‘Results’ where you will show the
conclusion of your study. You can present your results as a
text, table, figure, or illustrative graphs, but keep in mind
the aim of your study. Include no result that doesn’t satisfy
the aim of your study.
Step 6: It is the most crucial step where you include
the ‘Discussion’ of your results.
8. An ideal discussion should include:
The principal findings of your study
Strengths and weaknesses of your study in
relation to other studies in the field
A take-home message for the clinicians and
policymakers
Questions that your study can’t answer to
propagate further research
9. Step 7: Follow the discussion with
the ‘Limitations of your study’
Step 8: At the end of your thesis, include
your ‘References’. Track all your references so
you don’t miss out on anyone.
10. Finally, the quality of your thesis depends
upon the topic you choose, whether you opt
for a purely scientific experiment or a
clinical trial or a social research study
addressing the experiences of the patients,
etc.
11. Seek help from your mentor at every stage
of clinical research as well as medical
thesis writing. To be ideal, the study should
be carried out ethically in compliance with
the legal regulations.