formnat thesis school of science and technology universiti malaysia sabah

1. Common Format for a Thesis
• An Abstract set at the beginning;
• An Introduction where the writer inform the
readers about the subject of his thesis, the
aim and objectives of the study and the scope
of his research;
• A Literature Review which evaluate the work
related to the area of study;
• A Methodology section in which the data and
the procedure followed are described;

2. • A Result section whereby the findings of the
study are given;
• A Discussion in which often interprets the
findings described. This section shows if the
objectives are achieved, how the findings
relate to previous studies, and also evaluate
the findings.
• A Conclusion which summarizes the whole
study and draw a conclusion.

3. Literature Review
• A literature Review is essential in a thesis and
is a critical or evaluative report of work related
to your area of study.
• The review should describe, summarize and
evaluate this related literature.
• The LR should not just be a description of
work in the same area as yours. All the work
referred to has to be read, evaluate and
analysed.

4. • “In writing the LR, the purpose is to convey to
the reader what knowledge and ideas have
been established on a topic, and what their
strengths and weaknesses are. The LR must be
defined by a guiding concept (e.g. your
research objective, the problem or issue you
are discussing, your argumentative thesis). It
is not just a descriptive list of the material
available, or a set of summaries.”
(http://www.utotonto.ca/writing/litrev.html)

5. • In general, LR should do the following:
1. Provide a context for your research.
2. Ensure that the research has not been done
before.
3. Justify your research.
4. Show where the research fits into the
existing body of knowledge.

6. 5. Show how the specific area has been study in
the past;
6. Show weaknesses in previous study;
7. Indicate gaps in previous study;
8. Show that the present study will contribute to
the knowledge in the field.