CHAPTER 6: WRITING A THESIS
By: Dr. DOUAOUYA L
1. Definition of the thesis
It is a scientific document prepared according to specific rules
(theoretical, methodological, and practical) that marks the
culmination of years of study and enables the student to obtain a
degree.
2. What do we need to write a thesis?
• Planning and time management skills
• Critical reading skills
• Academic writing skills
• Internet searching skills
• Resources classification
• Referencing skills
• Data analysis skills
• Software’s skills (e.g. word, excel, origin etc.)
3. Usual Thesis structure
[Link] Cover Page (Mandatory): It must include the following information:
-The name of the affiliated university, institute, faculty, and department.
-The statement "Thesis/Dissertation for the Degree of
Bachelor's/Master's/Doctorate in: (Specialty), the title of the
thesis/dissertation.
-The student's full name with the mention "Presented by"
-The mention in front of the jury: indicating the names and academic
titles of each jury member in the following order: chairperson,
supervisor, and examiners.
-At the bottom, the defense date or the month and year of the academic
year.
b. Abstract
• The abstract is the hardest part of the thesis to write and most readers of the
thesis will read it first
• The abstract conveys the most important messages regarding your project,
such as: what you set out to do? How did you do it? What results were
obtained?
A good abstract has to:
• Be precise and honest
• Stand alone
• Use no technical jargon
• Be brief and specific
• Minimize the use of abbreviations
• Cite no references
c. Acknowledgements
Writing a thesis or dissertation requires energy, motivation, and conviction. It's
customary to express gratitude to those who contributed to the work, either
directly or indirectly. Acknowledgements are optional and serve as a token of
appreciation. A dedication, written before the table of contents, represents a
tribute to significant individuals.
d. Tables of contents, list of tables and graphs
e. Introduction chapter
The project's objective should be clearly stated in a numbered list, highlighting
the specific problem it aims to [Link], the introduction chapter should
contain:
Background for the work
The importance and significance of the work
Include brief descriptions of the development process, design, implementation,
and testing approaches
Provide a synopsis of what the other chapters containBy the time the reader has
finished reading the Introduction s/he should have a clear understanding of the
problem you set out to address and how it has been solved
f. Background & literature review Chapter (Mandatory)
It focuses on issues that are more specifically related to the work in
your project.
Describe similar work done by others in the past in the literature.
Proof that you have done a literature search and completed a critical
analysis of the relevant literature describing prior work in the field.
Demonstrate this by writing some discussions on what others have
done, what they have achieved, and limitations of their work.
Do not copy and paste text from the literature; paraphrase the
contents in your own words.
g. Research Methodology
Describing the materials used in your research project
Explaining how the materials were prepared
Describing the techniques that you used
Explaining how measurements were made and what calculations
were performed
Explaining how the setup was calibrated and the limitation of
your method
h. Results and Discussions chapters
• Use figures and tables to summarize data
• Comment on the results obtained
• Interpret what the results mean
• Identify any sources of error in your measurements
• Explain any results which are unexpected
• Define the limitations of the method
i. Conclusion
• Summarize the problem you set out to solve, describe what you
have achieved, and prospect for future work
• Refer back to the problems you encountered and how you
overcame those, or found workarounds.
• the conclusion section should not contain detailed descriptions
of the problems or the solutions
• Address how you have met the original objectives of the project
(i.e. proposal contents)
• Discuss potential future work
j. Appendices (if needed)
Use Appendix to present material that will interrupt the flow if included
in the main part of the thesis.
k. References
Use either Harvard referencing style or Vancouver Style BUT not
BOTH
- Learn how to Use Endnote referencing software
- Learning Endnote will save your efforts and time
4. Post writing
Here are the various elements of this final step:
- Selection of the final title
- Formatting of the thesis
- Review and correction of the document
- How to print the thesis
- Preparation for the thesis defense
5. Prepare and Succeed in Your Thesis Defense
After writing and printing your thesis, the next step is its oral
presentation:
1. What a Thesis Defense Is Not:
- A summary of the work
- A presentation of the theoretical and methodological details
- A reading of the thesis
2. What a Thesis Defense Is:
-A presentation of the entire work
- A lively and concise explanation (around 20 minutes) of:
-The research context
-The motivation for the research
-The methodology
-The main results
-Conclusions and future perspectives