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5EasyWaystoWriteaMaster'sThesis(withPictures)

HowtoWriteaMaster'sThesis
FiveParts:

ChoosingaTopic

SelectingYourTexts

MovingthroughtheWritingProcess

PlanninganOutline

FinalizingYourThesis

StudentslearninghowtowriteaMaster'sThesiswillfirstlearnthatacentral
thesisquestionmustbepresentedandsubsequentlyanswered.AMaster's
Thesiswillbethemostprominentpieceofyourgraduateworkuptothispoint,
andapertinentthesisquestionthatformsthespineofthisworkelevatesit
fromtheprosaictothesignificant.

Part1of5:ChoosingaTopic

Thinkaboutwhatinterestsyou.Youwillspendalotoftimeworkingonthis
project,soitisimperativethatyouchooseatopicthatyouaretrulyinterestedin,

somethingthatyouwillnotgrowboredofafterashortperiodoftime.
Trythinkingaboutyourfavoritesubjectofstudyitmaybeaparticularauthor,
theory,timeperiod,etc.Imaginehowyoumightfurtherthestudyofthatsubject.
Ifyouarehavingtroublethinkingaboutyouracademicinterests,youmight
considerskimmingthroughpapersyouwroteforyourgraduatecoursesandsee
ifthereisanyapparenttopicthatyoutendtogravitatetowards.
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Chooseyourthesisquestion.CarefullyconsiderquestionsforyourMaster's
thesisthatwillgenerateimportantresearchandanswersforthemembersofthe

educationalcommunityandtheirclients.[1]InyourMaster'sthesis,youmustanswerthe
thesisquestionwithconvictionandclarityinthewrittenpresentationsubmittedto
completeaMaster'sdegree.
Makesurethatyourquestionandtheanswersprovidedwillprovideoriginal
contenttothebodyofresearchinexistence.Ajudiciousquestionwillalsokeep
researchfocused,organized,andinteresting.

Conductyourresearch.InordertoanswerthecentralquestionofyourMaster's
thesis,you'llneedtoconducttheresearchnecessary.Readthetexts,conductthe

experiments,dowhatyouhavetodotoansweryourthesisquestion.Thiswillallowyou
toseeifyourprojectisworthmovingforwardwith,oriftherearesomeinherent
problemsthatyoumayneedtoworkout.Itwillalsohelpyougathertheinformation
you'llneedtomoveforwardtothenextsteps.

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Chooseyourcommitteemembers.Usuallyathesiscommitteeismadeupof
threeprofessors:achair(the"head"ofyourcommittee),andtworeaders.Itis

importanttochoosecommitteememberswithwhomyougetalong,whohaveenough
timeintheirschedulestodedicatetoyourproject,andwhoseareaofexpertiseis
relevanttotheworkyouproposetodo.[2]
Nothingismorefrustratingthanyourthesisprogressbeingheldupbya
professorwhohastoomanyobligationstomaketimetomeetwithyou.
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Part2of5:SelectingYourTexts

Completealiteraturereview.Reviewtheliteratureandresearchcurrently
availablethatisrelevanttoyourMaster'sthesis.[3]Thisreviewoftheliterature

mustbeexhaustivetoensurethatyourMaster'sthesiswillbeimportantandnotbe
redundant.Itisimportantthatyourthesisideabeoriginalandrelevant.Inorderto
ensurethisisthecase,youneedtobeawareofthecontextofyourresearch,whatother
peoplehavesaidonthesubject,andwhatthegeneralopinionofyourtopicis.Take
notesonthebackgroundinformationaboutyourtopicandonthepeopleinvolvedinthe
availablematerial.

Chooseyourprimarysources.Primarysourcesarethosethatarewrittenbythe
personwhocreatedtheidea/story/theory/experiment/etc.[4]Theyaretheimportant

factualbasethatyouwilluseinyourMaster'sthesis,especiallyifyouarewritingan
analyticalthesis.
Forexample,anovelwrittenbyErnestHemingwayorascientificjournalarticle
inwhichnewresultsaredocumentedforthefirsttimewouldbothbeconsidered
primarysources.

Chooseyoursecondarysources.Secondarysourcesaresourcesthatare
writtenaboutprimarysources.[5]TheyareimportanttoincludeinyourMaster's

thesisbecauseyou'llneedtodemonstratethatyouhaveasolidunderstandingofthe
criticalcontextofyourtopicandthatyouunderstandwhatthemajorscholarsinyour
fieldhavetosayaboutthesubject.
Forexample,abookwrittenaboutErnestHemingway'snovelorascientific
journalarticleexaminingthefindingsofsomeoneelse'sexperimentwouldboth
beconsideredsecondarysources.

Manageyourcitations.Dependinguponyourfield,youmightfrontloadmostof
yourresearchintoanearlychapterofthethesis,oryoumightincludesources

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5EasyWaystoWriteaMaster'sThesis(withPictures)

throughouttheentiretyofthedocument.Eitherway,yourelikelytoneedtokeeptrack
ofmanydifferentcitations.Youneedtokeeptrackofyourcitationsasyouwrite,rather
thantryingtoaddthemafteryouarefinishedwriting.
Usetheintextcitationformatappropriatetoyourdiscipline.Themostcommon
formatsareMLA,APA,andChicago.
Createacoordinatingworkscitedorreferenceentryforeachsourceyoucitein
thetextofyourdocumentorinafootnote.
ConsiderusingacitationmanagementsoftwaresuchasEndNote,Mendeley,or
Zotero.[6]Thesewillenableyoutoinsertandmovecitationswithinyourword
processorprogramandwillautomaticallypopulateaworkscitedorreference
pageforyou.
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Part3of5:PlanninganOutline

Knowtherequirementsforyourfield/department.AnEnglishMaster'sThesis
hasdifferentrequirementsandemploysdifferentformatsthanaMaster'sThesisin

Chemistry.TherearetwotypesofMaster'stheses[7]:
Qualitative.Thistypeofthesisinvolvescompletingaprojectthatisexploratory,
analytical,orcreativeinsomeway.Usuallystudentsinthehumanitieswill
completethiskindofthesis.
Quantitative.Thistypeofthesisinvolvesconductingexperiments,measuring
data,andrecordingresults.Studentsinthesciencesusuallycompletethiskind
ofthesis.

Naildownyourthesisidea.Prepareaclearstatementofthecentralthesis
questionthatyouintendtoanswerwithyourresearch.Beingabletostateyour

thesisexplicitlyandclearlyisimportant.Ifyoustrugglestatingthequestion,youmight
needtorethinkyourprojectaltogether.

Prepareanoutline.Theoutlinewillbebeneficialtoyouto"seewhereyou're
going"asyoumoveforwardinyourproject,butalsotogiveyourcommittee

membersanideaofwhatyouwanttoaccomplishandhowyouplantodoso.

Knowwhattoinclude.Youshouldcheckwithyouruniversityfortheexact
requirements,butmostMaster'sthesesshouldincludethefollowing[8]:
Titlepage
Signaturepage(withthecompletedsignaturesofyouradvisingcommittee
usuallyattainedatthedefense,oraftertheprojectisdeemedcomplete)
Abstractthisisashort(oneparagraphorso)description/summaryofthework
completedinyourthesis

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TableofContents(withpagenumbers)
Introduction
Bodyofpaper
Conclusion
WorksCitedorBibliography
Anynecessaryappendicesorendnotes
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Part4of5:MovingthroughtheWritingProcess

Makeaschedule.Oneapproachthatworksformanypeopleistouseareverse
calendar,whereyouplanyourwritingschedulefromtheduedateandwork

backwards.[9]Ifyouknowhowmuchtimeyouhavetocompletetheprojectandbreakit
upintomanageablepartswithindividualduedates(whethertheseduedatesaresimply
foryouoriftheyareforyourcommitteechairaswell),you'llbelesslikelytoget
overwhelmedbythescaleoftheproject.

Writealittleeveryday.Writing30finishedpagesintwoweeksisadauntingtask,
butifyouwrite500wordseveryday,thenyouwillbeabletomeetthatdeadline

withease.Trynottogetfrustratedandputoffyourworkbecausethenitwillpileupand
becomeunmanageable.

TrythePomodoroTechnique.Manypeoplewhohavetroublemotivating
themselvesandbeingproductivewiththeirthesesfinditusefultoworkin

tomatoesusingthePomodoroTechnique.[10]Thebasicideaisthatyoucomplete25
minutesofcompletelyfocusedwork,thenyougeta5minutebreak.Thisbreaksyour
workintomanageablechunksandcancutdownonthefeelingofbeingoverwhelmed
thatoftenaccompaniesalarge,longtermproject.

Takebreaks.Itisimportant,especiallywhenworkingonalargescaleproject,to
giveyourbrainabreakeverynowandthen.Youcan'tstayfocusedandontask

100%ofthetimewithoutlosingcontentquality,andlettingyourselfstepawayfromyour
ideasforacoupledayswillgiveyoufresheyeswhenyoucomebacktoyourwork.
You'llcatchmistakesyoudidn'tseebeforeandcomeupwithnewanswersyoucouldn't
thinkofbefore.

Findawritingtimethatworksforyou.Somepeopleworkbestinthemorning,
whileothersareabletofocusmoreeffectivelyatnight.Ifyouareunsureofwhen

youaremostproductive,trydifferentapproachesandseewhatseemstoworkthebest
foryou.
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Writeyourintroduction.Youmayfindthatyourthesisproposalisauseful
jumpingoffpointforwritingyourintroduction.Youmightwanttocopyandpaste

sectionsofyourproposalforthestartofyourintroduction,butrememberthatitsokayto
changeyourideasastheyprogress.Youmaywanttorevisitandreviseyour
introductionatseveralpointsthroughoutyourwritingprocess,perhapseveneachtime
youfinishalargesectionorchapter.

Incorporatethereviewofliterature.Ifyouwererequiredtowriteareviewof
literaturepriortobeginningyourthesis,goodnews:youvealreadywrittenalmost

anentirechapter!Again,youmayneedtoreshapeandrevisethework,andyouwill
likelyalsofindoccasiontoaddtothereviewasyoumoveforwardwithyourwork.
Ifyoudonotalreadyhaveareviewofliteraturewritten,itstimetodoyou
research!Thereviewofliteratureisessentiallyasummaryofalloftheexisting
scholarshipaboutyourtopicwithplentyofdirectquotationsfromtheprimary
andsecondarysourcesthatyourereferencing.

Contextualizeyourwork.Afterreviewingtheexistingscholarship,youshould
explainhowyourworkcontributestotheexistingscholarshipinotherwords,

youreexplainingwhatyouareaddingtothefieldwithyourwork.

Writeyourthesis.Theremainderofthethesisvariesgreatlybyfield.Ascience
basedthesiswillinvolvefewsecondarysourcesastheremainderofyourworkwill

involvedescribingandpresentingtheresultsofastudy.Aliterarythesis,ontheother
hand,willlikelycontinuetocitesecondaryscholarshipasitbuildsananalysisorreading
ofaparticulartextortexts.

10

Writeapowerfulconclusion.Yourconclusionshoulddetailstheimportance
ofthisMaster'sthesistothesubjectcommunity,andmaysuggestthedirection

thatfutureresearchersmightfollowtocontinuewithrelevantinformationonthesubject.
[11]

11

Addsupplementalinformation.Besuretoincluderelevantcharts,graphs,
andfigureasappropriate.Youmayalsoneedtoaddappendicesattheendof

yourworkthataregermanetoyourworkbuttangentialtothecentralquestionofyour
Master'sthesis.Besurethatallaspectsofyourworkareformattedinaccordancewith
theguidelinesofyourinstitutionalanddisciplineexpectations.
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5EasyWaystoWriteaMaster'sThesis(withPictures)

Part5of5:FinalizingYourThesis

Compareyourdraftwithyouruniversity'srequirements.Theformatting
requirementsforthesesanddissertationsarenotoriouslytediousandcomplicated.

Makesurethatyourdocumentsadherestoalloftherequirementslaidoutbyyour
department,ingeneral,andbyyourcommitteechair,inspecific.
Manydepartmentsorprogramsprovideadocumenttemplateforthesesand
dissertations.Ifyouhaveoneofthese,itmaybeeasiesttousesuchatemplate
fromthebeginningofyourwork(ratherthancopyingandpastingyourwriting
intoit).

Rereadtheentirethesisforcorrectness.Takeaweekorsooff,ifpossible,
onceyouhavefinishedwritingandgiveyourbrainabreak.Then,gobackwith

fresheyestocatchanygrammaticalerrorsortyposyoumayhavemade.Whenyouare
sodeepinthewritingprocess,itiseasytojustreadwhatyoumeaninsteadofwhatyou
actuallywrote.Soitisimportanttotakeastepbacksothatyoucanevaluateyourwork
andyourwritingmoreeffectively.
Alternatively,askatrustedcolleagueorfriendtoreadoveryourthesistohelp
youcatchanyminorgrammar/spelling/punctuationerrorsandtypos.

Followallprintingguidelinesaccordingtoyourdepartment'spolicies.You
willprobablyhavetopay(ourofpocket)toprintoneormorecopiesofyour

Master'sthesisforyouruniversity,aswellasanyotherpersonalcopiesyoumaywant
foryourself.Makesureyouabidebytheseguidelinestoavoidanypotentialsetbacks
duringthisfinalstage.

Prepareforyourthesisdefense.Aftercompletingthewrittenportionofyour
Master'sthesis,youwillprobablyhavetoparticipateinadefenseinvolvingyou

presentingtheideasdiscussedinyourthesistoyourcommitteemembers.Thisisa
greatopportunitytoshowwhatyouhavelearnedduringtheprocessandtogiveyour
committeemembersachancetobringupanyquestionsorconcernstheymighthave.It
isusuallymoreofaconversationthanactuallydefendingyourstance,asthename
mightseemtoimply.

Submityourthesis.Yourinstitutionlikelyhasveryspecificguidelinesfor
submittingyourthesis.MostuniversitiesrequireyoutouploadyourthesistoPro

Questforelectronicpublication(oratleasttracking)throughtheirdissertationandthesis
archive.Besuretofollowyourschoolsspecificguidelinesforsubmission.
Someinstitutionsrequireyoutosubmityourthesisforaformattingcheckprior
touploadingthedocumenttoProQuest.Besuretocheckwithyour
departmentsDirectorofGraduateStudiesforspecificinstructions.
Beawareofthesissubmissiondeadlines,whichareoftenwellinadvanceof
yourgraduationdate.Latesubmissionofyourthesismayforceyoutopush
backyourgraduationdate,whichmayaffectyouremploymentorcontinuing
graduatestudies.

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Tips
Anexhaustivereviewoftheliteratureandresearchavailableonsimilar
topicswillsaveyoufromtimeconsumingrevisionsbeforepresenting
yourwork.
RememberwhyyouarewritingaMaster'sthesisandwhowillwantto
readandusethematerial.YouwriteaMaster'sthesisformembersof
yourcommunity,sokeepinmindthattheywillhaveextensive
knowledgeandexperiencebeforereadingyourwork.Don'tborethem
withunnecessarymaterial.
Choosingtheperfectquestionbeforestartingresearchwillprevent
frustrationandsavetime.Rigorouseffortonfindingtheperfect
questionisprobablythemostimportanttaskwhenlearninghowto
writeaMaster'sthesis.
ConsultotherpeoplewhohavecompletedaMaster'sthesisand
obtainedaMaster'sdegree.Itcanbealong,gruelingprocess,and
havingthesupportandadviceofsomeonewhohasalreadydoneitcan
beveryvaluable.
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SourcesandCitations
1. http://www.gwr.arizona.edu/writingproposal1.htm
2.
http://www.sml.hw.ac.uk/postgraduate/downloads/dissertations/disserta
tionguide.pdf
3.
http://www.sml.hw.ac.uk/postgraduate/downloads/dissertations/disserta
tionguide.pdf
4. http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html
5. http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html
6. http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/choose_citation_mgr.html
7. http://www.unk.edu/academics/gradstudies/admissions/grad
files/Grad%20Files/ThesisGdlnsFinal08.pdf
8.
http://www.kf.vu.lt/dokumentai/Uzsienio%20reikalai/Masters_Thesis_G
uide.pdf
9. http://ifsh.de/pdf/studium/ThesisGuide.pdf
10. http://pomodorotechnique.com/
11. http://www.imm.dtu.dk/~janba/MastersThesisAdvice.pdf

ArticleInfo

Categories:Essays
Inotherlanguages:
Espaol:escribirunatesisdeunamaestra,Deutsch:EineMasterarbeit
schreiben,:,Portugus:Escrever
UmaDissertaodeMestrado,Italiano:ScrivereunaTesidiMaster

Thankstoallauthorsforcreatingapagethathasbeenread100,297times.

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