How To Write A Good Thesis

Most universities include a written thesis as one of the requirements for completion of many degree programs. It is therefore important to know how to write a good thesis. Writing skills are essential, as is deep knowledge of the subject matter. After all, the thesis is one way to demonstrate the necessary competence to receive a degree in the selected field of study.

How To Write A Thesis Statement

The first step in writing a thesis is to compose a strong thesis statement. The thesis statement defines the subject matter to be discusssed and identifies the particular aspects of the topic that will be addressed. The specifics will, naturally, vary depending on the field of study; the thesis statement of a medieval historian will be quite different from that of a particle physicist!

If the thesis is to summarize a research study, the thesis statement could be the working hypothesis that is either supported or contradicted by the study. Here are a few thesis statement examples:

• The Higgs boson will be identified and found to have a mass of approximately 124-125 gigaelectronvolts. This could also be stated as a null hypothesis: The Higgs boson will be found to not exist.
• Reckless speculation by investment bankers was a contributing cause of the current economic recession.
• The cantatas of J.S. Bach show influences from the work of Dietrich Buxtehude.

The Thesis Proposal

Start by writing your proposal

A strong thesis statement is just the beginning. Next comes the thesis proposal, which will serve as the research paper outline and working guide for how to write a good thesis. Start the proposal by writing an essay that expands upon and adds detail to the thesis statement. Describe the methods by which the study will be carried out and how they will provide the answer to the research question. This will be followed by a literature review and/or annotated bibliography which describes and summarizes work done by other researchers in the same field. The literature review will identify questions left unanswered by previous work; one of those unanswered questions might be the thesis statement for the current project. The literature review should also show how the proposed research fits with and expands upon previous work. At most universities, the thesis proposal must be approved by an advisory committee before further work can proceed.

The Research

A strong proposal serves as good introduction for the entire thesis. Once the proposal is written and approved, the actual research project begins. For a historian that might mean consulting original documents in an archive or interviewing persons who lived through a particular event. For a physicist or chemist it will likely involve laboratory work. In the visual or performing arts it might mean producing a body of work such as pieces of art, a musical composition, a play or a piece of choreography; or it could mean performing a recital. Regardless of the field of study, it is essential to document the progress of the project by keeping meticulous notes and records. The more detailed the records are, the easier the eventual thesis writing will be.

How To Write A Good Thesis

Once the research is complete it’s time to write the actual thesis. The introduction and literature review from the proposal will form the first section of the final thesis. The next, and largest, section will be the description of the research as it occurred. If the course of the actual research turned out to be different from what was expected in the proposal, the reasons for the difference must be explained. Any unexpected findings should be described and their causes explored and explained if possible.

Conclusions

After describing the research process and findings in detail, end the narrative with a conclusions section summarizing the entire project and stating whether or not the original thesis statement or working hypothesis was supported by the results, or if the research question was answered. Often the answer to one research question will bring up other questions to be asked and answered by future work. The conclusions section is the place to formulate these questions for further research.

The Bibliography and References

The final section of any good thesis is the bibliography and references. In this section all works by other researchers which are cited in the literature review are listed in detail. Any original archived documents used in the research are also listed here. The precise format for this section will depend upon which style manual is being used. The two most commonly used style manuals for academic writing are the American Psychological Association (APA) style manual and the Modern Language Association (MLA) style manual. Some universities use the University of Chicago Manual of Style as well. The APA manual is most often used in the sciences and medicine, while the MLA and Chicago manuals are more often used in the arts and humanities.

The Presentation of the Thesis

An essential component of how to write a good thesis is its physical presentation. There is no excuse for poor grammar or sloppy punctuation and spelling. It is worth the expense to hire someone to proofread and edit the rough draft. If necessary, hire a typist as well, so that the finished thesis is presented on good-quality paper and free of typographical errors. Make sure that any hired proofreaders and typists are familiar with the specified style manual required by the thesis advisory committee. Many universities have specific requirements for how a thesis is to be bound and presented; make sure to follow them precisely.

Thesis Help

There are many ways to obtain help in writing a thesis. As noted, proofreaders, editors and typists are available for hire. There are also web sites that offer thesis help; an internet search will bring up many such sites. The thesis advisory committee is also a source of help, especially regarding subject-specific questions and problems that arise during the course of the research.

Writing a good thesis is often a matter of simply, precisely and methodically following the guidelines and rules set forth by the university and the thesis advisory committee.