Understanding the structure of PhD thesis

1. Understanding the structure of PhD Thesis thesisclinic.co.uk

2. PhD Thesis Title • The title is the face of a thesis. It denotes an identity to the project and also gives an insight about what the thesis is going to be about. Hence then PhD thesis topic lay a basic foundation of your thesis. • While formulating a title, it must be ensured that it clearly communicates the idea that the aspirant has in mind. A vague or disconnected title may fail to impress. • The size of the title is another point that should be noted, if it is too long it may miss explaining the idea to the evaluators. thesisclinic.co.uk

3. Acknowledgements • This is a page that contains a note of gratitude and acknowledgment for those who may have been of help in the process of making the thesis. • Aspirants usually show acknowledgement to the institute, the mentor or the dean and at times all three. • The format of the write up that goes on the acknowledgement sheet is generally in the first person mode and the person making the thesis, dedicates this page to those who have been instrumental in the completion of the project. thesisclinic.co.uk

4. Table of Contents • This is an overview page for the entire thesis. • The contents page not only gives an insight on the topics that are covered in the project. • Apart from showing the topics, the content page also serves as a quick access tool for reaching a particular point in the thesis, without having to look through all the pages. • The content page usually consists of serial numbers, sub serial numbers, particulars or sub-topics and page numbers. thesisclinic.co.uk

5. Abstract of Thesis • A window to the thesis may be named the abstract. • As the name suggests it is an abstract of the entire thesis and serves as a summary of the project. • When choosing a thesis subject, it is first necessary to provide the evaluator with the abstract or the proposal of the project. • If the abstract is impressive, it may help in getting the topic getting approved. thesisclinic.co.uk

6. Introduction • Any topic of study needs to be introduced to the reader. • In the case of the thesis, not only should the introduction talk about the subject, but it should also provide a short background about the topic of study so that the project does not have an abrupt start. • The introduction serves well in cases when the evaluator needs to know the thesis aspirants understanding of the study. thesisclinic.co.uk

7. Literature Review • The literature review section helps an aspirant express the kind of study and research he or she has made for the thesis. • The section should talk about the personal inferences and ideas of the aspirant that he or she derived after studying various resources. • The inferences could be in the form of comparative studies or even descriptions, however one should avoid writing summaries of studies while creating a literature review. thesisclinic.co.uk

8. Research Methodology • This is one of the most important sections in the thesis, it is because of the methodology information that an evaluator may be able to know what kind of a thesis research designor techniques aspirant has used. • The chapter should explain in detail the ways in which a research will be carried out and how one proposes to use the method. thesisclinic.co.uk

9. Data Analysis • As the name suggests, this chapter works as an explanatory section for any data inferences that are made. The chapter gives a summary of the analysis of a study that is derived from researches and surveys. • The data analysis that is done should be explained in the chapter and an evaluator should be able to get an unambiguous account of how one came to the conclusions mentioned in the inferences. thesisclinic.co.uk

10. Findings and Discussions • The discussions and findings section is a place where one can express their study and their findings in a more detailed manner. • One must ensure that the findings are not repeated from the literature review • The findings and discussions should be more in the context of the data analysis and by way of examples or studies, one should elaborate on the inferences found. thesisclinic.co.uk

11. Conclusions and Limitations • The conclusions and limitations section is the part of the thesis where one finishes off. • This is the part where the writer can express his or her findings in a new light and can talk about how the findings of the thesis may affect the study. • One should also talk about the limitations of the study in this section to show where the scope of study was obstructed or how the findings may be limited to the understanding of the writer. thesisclinic.co.uk

12. Bibliography • The bibliography is the part of the write up where one puts in the names and resources of the places where the study was found. • The bibliography is important in order to make sure that no copyright is infringed and that the person who did the original study is duly recognized and acknowledged. • The section should include detailed descriptions of all the journals, books, websites or articles that the information is studied and used from. thesisclinic.co.uk

13. Appendix • This is the section where you can use all of the information that did not suit the flow of the thesis. • The appendix should contain only relevant study, data or survey that adds value to the study as a whole or any part of the study. • The appendix or appendices are explanatory supplements used to explain theories or studies and inferences. thesisclinic.co.uk