How to Write a Thesis

After your successful master’s degree, you’ve decided to pursue your PhD. This is a big step in any person’s life. Not only is a thesis an achievement but it is also a big responsibility. This is because when you are writing a thesis, you are acknowledging the fact that you are intelligent and making a contribution to the world of education.

So what is a good thesis? For a thesis to be a good one, and a successful one, it has to be able to identify a good theory or question, and then to provide a suitable answer to that. There are other criteria as well to a good thesis, it should also be convincing to the reader and also should be able to make a contribution to education and knowledge.

General guide on how to write a thesis
Here is a guide or an outline on how to write a thesis, or what method to follow while writing a thesis:

• Introduction – an introduction is the section where you are giving the reader a glimpse into your ideas and your thesis. Here you are giving information to the reader about why you are doing a thesis, why is it important to you and what procedure you have followed to gain a suitable answer for the thesis.
• Background information – this is an important section, as it provides the reader with some background information. The background information depends upon the kind of thesis you are doing, this means that you give the reader some insight into why you have chosen a particular topic, give its history and some terminology.
• Review of materials – this is the point where you will give a review of the material on the topic in your thesis. It is not to be mistaken with background information, but it is still general in nature. Be careful in giving just different view points of the thesis and not a critical analysis, this come later in the thesis report.
• Statement of Question – this is when you introduce the question in the thesis to the reader. Remember that the thesis, in order to be successful should have a question that is unanswered and at the same time worth answering. Introduce the question or state it, in a concise manner but make sure it is easy to understand, which means clarity.
• Presentation – this is the time when you need to present your findings, your question, its answers and results, all are to be presented in a logical sequence in this section. Make sure the format is simple, clear and concise. This is the section where you have to convince your readers about the question, its authenticity and your answers.
• Conclusion – a conclusion has to have three subsections, these will typically be – conclusions arrived at from thesis, summary of work done, possible future research. It is very important that the research has correct findings, and that these not be repeated versions of other people’s works.
• References – you have to mention all the references you have used for your thesis. This helps in understanding your thesis, and literature presented.
• Appendices – this is the section where you include your tables, charts, graphs and other matter used in your thesis that is not a part of the presentation, but is important in showing the findings.