The document outlines the typical structure and content of a thesis, including introduction, literature review, research methodology, data analysis and results, and discussion and conclusion chapters. It provides guidance on what to include in each chapter, such as stating the research problem in the introduction, filtering and critically analyzing sources in the literature review, describing the research design and data collection instruments in the methodology, and interpreting findings and discussing limitations and future work in the conclusion. The presenter emphasizes selecting an appropriate structure and focusing on integrating relevant literature to address the research questions or hypotheses.

1. Presented by: Dr. Imran Anwar
How to Write a Good Thesis

2. Steps in Writing a Thesis (Harvard; MIT; Columbia University)
Introduction: Background; Research Problem(s); Objectives; Significance; Thesis outline/structure
Literature Review: Identify sources; Critically analyze and summarize; Identify
themes/patterns/debates; Identify literature gap(s)
Research Objectives: Define research objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and
time-bound (SMART).
Research Questions/Hypotheses: Setting testable research questions or hypotheses aligned with the
Research Objectives.
Research Methodology: Research Design (qualitative/quantitative/mixed methods); Population;
Population/Sample and Sampling technique; Data collection instrument (survey/interview/observation);
Data analysis tools/techniques; Ethical considerations
Statistical Validation, Data Analysis and Findings: Data organizing and cleaning; Analyzing the data;
Reporting the results; Interpreting the findings corresponding to hypotheses
Discussion and Conclusion: Interpretation, discussion and implications (for theory and practice) of
findings; Limitations and suggestions for future research
References: List out all cited sources following a referencing style (e.g., APA, Harvard, MLA).
Proofreading and Revision: Necessary revisions; proofread and language editing.

3. Chapter 1: Introduction
“A description of the general problem followed by a statement of the specific
problem and the motivation for the study.”
What to write in the Introduction?
Knowledge (what we know) about the topic: Comprehensive & critical review
of the major findings in the area.
Knowledge gap (what we don’t know): Identify knowledge gap(s) and
exemplify their importance.
Showing the true picture: A clear statement summarizing what’s known, what
needs to be known, and what your thesis aims to accomplish.

4. Writing Good Introduction
Start by giving a general background
Example: “India is suffering from a serious unemployment problem.
According to Jain (2015), 10 million unemployed youth are added to the
Indian labour workforce every year. It is worth mentioning that youths below
the age of 35 years comprise 65 percent of India’s population.”
Write the rational and problem statement
Example: To feed a large young population, every year, about 10 million jobs
are needed (Jain, 2015), and it might only become possible by developing
entrepreneurship. Hence, it is particularly important to fulfil this
entrepreneurial gap. The possible solution could be a better understanding of
the entrepreneurial mindset of Indians and eventually developing an
ecosystem accordingly to foster self-employment.

5. Continued…
Connecting the problem statement with the need of the study
Example: “The main problem in India is unemployment, and according to an
estimate, India needs 10 million jobs annually (Jain, 2015). This is a major
concern that is gradually affecting the socio-economic condition of India, and
if not appropriately addressed, it may have catastrophic effects…Henceforth,
this study tries to fill this gap and contribute to the literature on
entrepreneurial intention by developing an integrated model combining
entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial traits approach with the
TPB model using mediation and moderation mechanism.”

6. Chapter 2: Literature Review
“A literature review in a thesis entails a thorough and evaluative
examination of scholarly works, research articles, books, and other
pertinent sources that have a direct or indirect connection to the
thesis topic. Its objective is to offer a condensed, critical assessment,
and integration of the present knowledge and research pertaining to
a specific subject.

7. Filtering & Sorting the Essential Literature

8. Sift and
Funnel
Approach for
Literature
Search and
Review
(Jessica Kaufman, 2011)

9. Skills for Digesting the Literature

10. SALSA Method for Literature Review

11. Scope and Length of Literature Review
 Be selective
 Describe the current state of the theory
 How far back? (preferably 10-15 years)
 Avoid verbosity
 Demonstrate ability to synthesise the body of
 Literature – brief but focused.

12. Chapter 3: Research Methodology
 Select an appropriate research design (Quantitative; Qualitative;
Mixed methods)
 Population, sample and sampling technique (Identify the
population; determine sample size; data sampling technique)
Describe the data collection instruments (Survey instrument;
interviews, observations)
 Explain the data analysis techniques (statistical analysis, thematic
analysis)
 Address ethical considerations and obtain necessary approvals

13. Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results
“This chapter aims to answer the research questions or test the research
hypotheses. It involves organizing, analysing, and interpreting the data to
derive meaningful conclusions and findings. This chapter includes the following:
 Introduction to data analysis (Provide research questions/hypotheses;
specify methods)
 Data preparation and cleaning (Handling missing values; addressing any
data quality issues; transforming variables; normalizing/standardizing the
data)
 Descriptive statistics (Present descriptive statistics viz. mean, standard
deviation, frequency distributions using appropriate tables, charts, and graphs)
 Statistical validation and data analysis (Validate the data i.e., reliability and
validity; perform data analysis using suitable statistical/qualitative techniques)

14. Continued…
Presentation of results (Logically present the results using tables, figures,
graphs, or any other visual representations)
 Interpretation of findings (Interpret and discuss the findings corresponding
to research questions/hypotheses; Analyse the patterns, relationships, or trends
identified; Critically relate the findings to existing literature or theoretical
framework)
Summary (Provide a concise summary of the key findings; Restate the main
research questions/hypotheses explaining how they have been addressed)
 Limitations (Acknowledge the limitations of the study, such as sample size,
data quality issues, methodological constraints, or any other factors that may
have affected the results)

15. Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion
“This chapter provides a logical flow of ideas and arguments,
supported by evidence from the data analysis and relevant literature.
This chapter focuses on synthesizing and interpreting the findings and
providing insights into the broader implications of the study.
 How to discuss?
 How thorough is your discussion & interpretation? (Are the findings well
grounded and can be substantiated with your data)?
 Discuss the results succinctly
 Give supporting evidence/information from previous works

16. Continued…
How to write a conclusion? It includes the following:
 Write the strongest and most important statements that you can
make from your findings.
 Refer back to research problem(s) and exemplify how the findings of
the study help them resolve.
 Summarize new observations, and insights that have resulted from
the present work.
Signify the contributions that your thesis makes to the body of
knowledge.
 Suggest practical implications of the work.
 Suggest avenues for future research.

17. Thank You