The importance of a thesis project as a means of wrapping up your senior school year is one that cannot be underestimated. This is due to the role it plays in examining the knowledge you have acquired through the 3-4 years you must have spent studying the course you are currently participating in. Therefore, it is quite important for you to understand every aspect involved in the writing of a senior thesis. To help you get the needed understanding, this article will attempt to provide answers to the important questions you may have concerning your dissertation.
What is a Thesis and what is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis is a long essay or a dissertation involving personal research written by a student as one of the most important assignments he or she must accomplish to obtain a university degree. Coming up with a thesis topic requires some effort from your end and you can read up on selecting thesis topics here. On the other hand, a thesis statement can be defined as a statement or theory that has to be proved or defended.
What is the Structure of a Thesis?
Writing a thesis involves sticking to certain guidelines and regulations which are usually set by your institution authorities. But there is a general structure to writing the body of your thesis and this includes:
- An Introduction: the introduction statement serves as a summary of your entire senior thesis. Therefore, the introductory statement consists of a discussion on the theory you intend to prove or expatiate on, as well as a nod on how you intended to go about defending your research results.
- A Body: this contains the main information and includes the details of your research, your findings and how they either prove or negate the theory to be proved.
- A conclusion: your thesis must have a concrete concluding paragraph which summarises everything you have touched upon during the entire writing of your project.
How long does it need to be?
The length of a thesis is generally determined by two major factors; the instructions provided by your supervisor or the amount of work you need to do to fully cover your research. To understand these factors, here is a breakdown of their role:
- Supervisor’s instructions — some colleges offer guidelines on word limit that should not be exceeded when writing a thesis and this is quite straightforward as you simply have to write within that limit.
- The level of work — the scope of your research also plays an important role for you must discuss every aspect of your research and how they back your project.
Should Your Thesis State your Personal Comments on the Topic?
The format of your thesis should determine your approach to providing a commentary on the issues at hand. If writing an original thesis, your personal opinion will serve as the bulk of the information to be provided in it while when working on a revised thesis, which reviews other professional works or theories, your comments should be at a minimum.
So here you have it, some important information you need to know covering the bolts and nuts of writing a senior thesis.