QUICK TIPS FOR WRITING THESIS

Pharm Anas Haruna

Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Kaduna State University

Background

An academic thesis is a long piece of writing based on students own ideas and research on a
particular subject done as a requirement for an award of university degree. It is often described
as a complex documents with varying structure, page and words limits based on students
university requirements. In most cases, student is required to defend his thesis to a panel of
examiners at the end of this degree. Thesis is different from proposal. Proposal is a write up
conveying a background idea, proposed methods of conducting the research and timeline for the
study including the budget.

Structure of a thesis

Most Universities recommend structured thesis. (The body consisting of sections with heading
and sub-heading). Normally: title page, abstract, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables,
introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions, recommendations,
acknowledgements, references, appendices.

Title Page
The title of a thesis should be catchy, informative and descriptive in a sentence form that will
convey the research idea as well as of interest to the reader. It seems an easy part of a thesis but
many students make mistakes. Always consult your supervisor when developing a title.
Depending on the requirements for thesis writing by the students university, other items to be
in the title page includes: name of institution, name of student and other supervisor(s),
faculty/department, year of submission.

Abstract
The abstract is a summary of the thesis with word limits in most cases between 400-500 words.
The abstracts highlights a brief background on the research including the gap of knowledge and
main aim. It also provides summary of the key findings (results) and conclusion.

Introduction
The introduction provides background information to the topic such as; what has been known
about the topic, the current knowledge, indicates gap in knowledge, states aim of your research
and how it fits into the gap, the study hypotheses; significance of the study, and
justification/rational of the study.
4. Methods
Methods is the section of a thesis that describes; what, when, where, how and why you did what
you did to get results of a study. The method should be re-producible, feasible and clearly
written. All the materials used should be stated, other methods or instruments adopted from
previous study should be appropriately cited. Statistical analysis used and software used in the
analysis should also be stated. Statements on ethical approval should be stated in case of studies
involving human and animals

Results
Results section of a thesis outlines what you found out in relation to your research questions or
hypotheses. Results are presented in form of text, figures, table, picture and graphics.
Results contain the facts of your research. Often you will include a brief comment on the
significance of key results, with the expectation that more generalised comments about results
will be made in the discussion section. Some Universities recommends combining results and
discussion in a single heading.
Discussion
The discussion section of a thesis is meant for interpretation of results/findings of a study in a
wider context. It eexplains what your results mean; indicates which results were expected or
unexpected; provides explanations for unexpected results; comparison with other studies. In
some cases it highlights implication of the research findings, recommendations, future
directions and limitations of the study.

Conclusion
This section is where the key message/findings of the study is summarized. it explains the
achievement of the study aims and objectives.
Acknowledgements
This section acknowledges people who helped the student in conducting the study a part from
the supervisors. These include those who assisted them experimentation, data collection,
statistical analysis, supplies of materials, and those who helped them intellectually and
financially.
References
This section consists of list of sources of information cited in the thesis. The format and style is
always based on institution.

Quick Tips on Thesis Writing

Write sooner: Start writing your thesis as early as possible. Thesis is a project that will be
reviewed rigorously by your supervisor and your examiners, and your graduation depends on
your successful completion and defense. So, the longer you delay writing, the more difficult it
will be to actually start the process.

Write continually. Once you start writing, dont stop! Of course, you need to continue to read,
study and take notes. Before writing, read what you have written previously. Many mistakes can
be detected in this way.

If you get stuck, move to another section: If you get bored, or lost direction in a section,
leave and move to another section that you have more interest.
Stay on task: Identify a time that you are more productive. Use it to read and write your thesis.
Remember the lesson eat your frog in the last lesson.

Set deadlines: Deadlines force you to achieve more in a stipulated time. Set realistic deadlines
and stick to them. Deadlines produce results, and results lead to completed writing projects.
Plan the structure of your thesis carefully with your supervisor.

Get a buddy: Find a colleague, your partner, a friend who is willing to support you. Someone
who can discuss your research with, or a group of liked minds, example YPS forum.

Supports: Use some Microsoft Words Ad-ins that supports writing easily and efficiently.
Example include Thesaurus, page breaks, split, inserting table of contents, insert table and
figures, cross referencing and lots more (It will be discussed in details in upcoming YSP lessons)

Coffee break: Many students write, study and think more efficient after taking coffee..

Share your write up with friends: Send a draft copy of your write up to your colleague for
editing, it helps. Many mistakes can be detected by someone that read your work. It is also an
avenue to get other peoples view on your writing and how they understand the information you
are trying to communicate.

Tips on writing are not exhaustive, every individuals has a unique style of writing! The take
home message is Study yourself, and start writing

Reference

Postgraduate life https://www.postgrad.com/advice/