Before writing a thesis, one should know what a thesis is, what it requires, and how to write it in a way that engages the reader without distracting him/her anywhere. Such a thesis can help you earn good grades. Have a look at a brief guide about thesis writing.

1. “THESIS WRITING”
MAKE OR BREAK YOUR FINAL
GRADES

2. INTRODUCTION TO THESIS
Thesis (plural: theses, pronounced THEES-eez)
 By definition, a “thesis” is the point your paper is
trying to prove.
 In the US, a thesis is the final project for the
masters degree, written by a candidate.
 A thesis is not the same as the thesis statement,
which is a sentence or two in your introduction
that tells the reader what the thesis is.
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3. COMPONENTS OF A THESIS
Preliminaries:
All theses have a number of
preliminary requirements, that
are:
1) Cover page/Title Page
2) Approval sheet
3) Summary/abstract
4) Acknowledgements
5) Nomenclature/Notation
6) Table of Contents
7) Publications
8) List of tables, figures or
illustrations
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4. TITLE PAGE
1. Thesis Title
2. Candidate's Name
3. Qualifications
4. Thesis Details
5. Faculty & Department
6. University & Date
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5. APPROVAL SHEET
o Proves that the authors have passed the requirements
needed for the thesis.
o Is signed by the thesis/FS adviser, panel and the Dean.
o States the grade obtained by the author/s.
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6. SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
o Summarizes the research undertaken
o Provide an overview of the project & its scholarly
significance
o Never contains new information
o Extends no longer than 2 pages of A4
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7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Recognizes the help given by supervisors, technical
staff, family and anyone else who aided the
researchers in finishing the thesis.
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8. NOMENCLATURE / NOTATION
o Defines all notation and symbols used in the text
of the dissertation.
o May be replaced by a list of abbreviations in other
disciplines.
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9. TABLE OF CONTENTS
o A topic outline of the thesis
o A list of all major divisions and chapter
titles.
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10. PUBLICATIONS
o A list of the author's publications which directly
relate to the research work for the dissertation.
o often included in an appendix.
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11. LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES OR
ILLUSTRATIONS
o Include a list of figures (illustrations) and a list of
tables
o Use a separate page for each list.
o List the number, caption, and page number of every
figure and table in the body of the thesis.
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12. TEXT OF THE THESIS:
o Introduction
o Literature Review
o Sequential chapters
o Conclusions and Recommendations
o References/Bibliography
o Appendices
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13. INTRODUCTION
 Provides a clear statement of the topic under
investigation
 Provides the general context for the research
 Outlines applications of the research.
 Justifies the need for this research, and states the
aims
 Concludes with a chapter by chapter outline of the
content of the dissertation.
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14. LITERATURE REVIEW
o Presents a critical review of relevant previous
studies in the research field
o Shows how knowledge has been built up in the
research field
o Demonstrate the achievements and the limitations
of the previous research
o Presents a well argued justification for the research
to be undertaken. 13

15. SEQUENTIAL CHAPTERS
o Present a detailed description of the experimental or
theoretical work undertaken, the results and a
discussion of the significance of these results.
o Each chapter usually has a brief introduction which
states the aim of the chapter and an outline of its
structure, as well as a short summary to highlight the
significant findings of the chapter. 14

16. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
o Presents the major conclusions which can be
drawn from the findings of the research.
o This chapter also makes recommendations for
further research.
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17. REFERENCES / BIBLIOGRAPHY
Records all works that have been referred to
in the text of the dissertation.
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18. APPENDICES
o Contain any information which is too detailed to include in
the body of the dissertation, such as:
1) Additional graphs
2) Tables of detailed data
3) Interview transcripts,
4) Coding procedures etc.
o Copies of published papers based on the research reported in
the dissertation are often included in an appendix. 17

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