2. ● A thesis is the main (or controlling) idea of an essay, report,
speech, or research paper, sometimes written as a single
declarative sentence known as a thesis statement.
● An effective thesis is generally composed of two parts: a topic and
the writer's attitude or opinion about or reaction to that topic
(William J. Kelly, Strategy and Structure. Allyn and Bacon, 1996).
The thesis identifies two basics:
● what your ideas are about, and
● what your ideas are (i.e. what you will be trying to prove).
INTRODUCTION : THESIS
3. THESIS FORMAT
● Title page (required)
● Dedication (optional)
● Acknowledgment
(optional)
● Abstract (required)
● Table of contents
(required)
● List of tables
(required)
● List of figures
(required)
● List of abbreviations
(optional)
Section 1 - Preliminary
Pages
Section 2 - Text
● Introduction
● Body of Thesis
Section 3 - References/ Bibliography
(required)
Section 4 - Appendices (optional)
4. HOW TO START A
THESIS ?
Below-given are the prewriting steps to start a thesis successfully.
1. Choose an interesting thesis topic, along with central argument.
2. Research credible sources to support your claims. It may
include online journals, periodicals, and books.
3. Collect relevant statistical data for scientific studies.
4. Search and gather opposing views to present your work in a
better and in-depth manner. It will also identify the strength of
counter-arguments.
5. Create a well-structured outline to organize all the chapters and
headings in one place.
6. Make sure to list down the sources in the referencing section
from the start.
7. Check the format, methods of research, and thesis writing
guidelines to ensure that you are on the right track.
5. 1. Thesis Title Page
A thesis title page is the first page that includes the following elements.
● Title
● Subtitle
● Student Name
● Supervisor Name
● Institution
● Department
● Date of Submission
2. Acknowledgments
It is an optional page in a thesis paper. Here, the writer appreciates the people who
supported the research technically, financially, or intellectually.
How to Write a Thesis Paper?
6. Contd…
3. Abstract
An abstract states a summary of the major findings and explains why the paper is important. It should be 250
words long and does not include citations.
Similarly, a good abstract must answers the following questions:
● Why did you conduct the research?
● What question were you trying to answer?
● What methods you have used to conduct the research.
● What are the research findings?
● How will your research contribute to the field area?
4. Table of Contents
This section includes a list of headings and subheadings with page numbers. Moreover, it is followed by a list
of figures and tables. However, the titles should be mentioned with each figure and table.
7. Contd…
5. Thesis Introduction: The introduction of your thesis paper provides a brief overview of your research work. It
must include a strong thesis statement to present the answers to the research questions. Furthermore, divide the
introduction into logical segments by using subheads.
6. Research Significance: In this section, mention the reasons for choosing a particular topic. Also, think about
why the research is important and how it will contribute to the field.
7. Literature Review: Conduct thorough research to review the relevant literature on the topic. Identify the
literature gaps and structure your arguments according to it. Also, analyze the methods used by other scholars to
acquire the results.
8. 8. Research Methodology: State the type of research methods that have employed in the research. It can
either be qualitative or quantitative, depending on the field of your study. Scientific fields mostly use practical
methods, i.e., quantitative research. In contrast, humanities work with theoretical approaches, i.e., qualitative
research
9. Discussion: Discuss the research outcomes and explain how you get them. If the results are different than the
expected ones, elaborate on the reasons behind it. Also, describe the relationship between the results.
10. Thesis Conclusion: Conclude your paper by writing the thesis statement and research findings. Keep it brief
and discuss the important points only.
11. References: In this section, add all the sources used in thesis. It will add credibility to your work by avoiding
plagiarism. Also, arrange the list alphabetically and according to the given format.
Contd…
9. Tips on Writing a
Thesis
● Start writing thesis early.
● Determine the audience and their expectations.
● Organize paper as a logical argument.
● Create tables and figures to present the arguments.
● Arrange the sections to make the first and last chapter engaging.
● Write the introduction after the conclusion. Ensure both sections are related to each other.
● Do a critical review of the literature to make the research credible and authentic.
● Read your work aloud to identify spelling, grammatical and punctuation mistakes.
● Set the deadlines for each day and make sure to work accordingly.
● Remember to proofread and refine the thesis before the final submission.
● Make changes according to the feedback.
● Use a simple sentence structure along with easy words
10. REFERENCES
● Eco, U. (2015). How to write a thesis. MIT Press.
● Hansen, R. (2012). Thesis. Langmuir.
● Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Thesis. In Merriam-Webster.com
dictionary. Retrieved May 8, 2022, from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thesis
●
● Nordquist, Richard. (2021, February 16). Thesis: Definition and
Examples in Composition. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/thesis-composition-1692546
