The Challenges Of Masters Project Writing
The challenges of masters thesis/project writing is in the details of organization. Once you get the basic outline down, however, everything else – your research, graphs, examples, anecdotes, surveys and studies – will all fall into place. Make sure you double check this list with your institution to be sure that the two match. Some or all of them may or may not apply.
The Sections
Proposal
3-30 pages long.
Detail the goal of your masters thesis.
Show that the problem is important enough to write a masters thesis on.
Summarize previous research in the field.
Tell the methods you plan to use.
Explain how the results are likely to make an original contribution to the field.
Expected time frame of completion.
Title page
Your name should appear exactly as it is registered with the school.
The date on this page must be the date that the degree in conferred.
This page is assigned Roman numeral “i,” although the number should not appear on the page.
Signature page
Your name should appear exactly as it is registered with the school.
Duplicate signature pages may be copies, but the committee signatures must be original.
The number of signature lines should equal the number of committee members
Your major and degree listed must be those to which you were admitted by the school.
Not numbered or counted.
Approval Sheet
Your name must appear in the same form as it is registered with the school.
Duplicate approval sheets may be copies, but the committee signatures must be original.
Number of signature lines should equal the number of committee members.
Major and degree listed must be those to which you were admitted by the school.
Not numbered or counted.
Statement of Permission to Use
Allows the library at your university to provide academic copies of your masters thesis without securing further permission.
Preface
Academic tone.
Thanks those who have helped you obtain your degree.
List permissions to quote copyrighted material and acknowledgments for grants and special funding.
List month and year of submission to the supervising committee at the bottom of the page.
First page on which Roman numerals appear.
Acknowledgements page
Personal statement may be included.
Thank those who have helped you obtain the degree.
May list permissions to quote copyrighted material and acknowledgments for grants and special funding.
Month and year of submission to the supervising committee included at the bottom of the page.
Dedication page
Dedication of masters thesis to an individual or group of people.
Should not exceed two or three paragraphs.
Table of Contents
List exact organization of your thesis.
Include absolutely everything that is in your thesis.
Page numbers for Bibliography and Appendix are those on the separation sheet preceding each.
Don’t include pages with Roman numerals. Start with page 1.
List of Tables, Charts, Figures
Include if there are five or more tables, charts, and/or figures.
A List of Plates must be included if plates are used.
Separate lists for tables, charts, figures, and/or plates.
Every title must be different.
Each title must have the exact wording that appears on the corresponding table, chart, figure, personal injury lawyer New York , and/or plate.
List of Symbols and Abbreviations
Include if you use symbols and/or abbreviations that have meanings outside of common knowledge.
Abstract
Concise statement of content and significance.
Continuous summary, not disconnected notes.
Short statement about the area of investigation.
Brief discussion of methods and procedures used.
Brief summary of findings.
Brief summary of conclusions.
Synopsis
Brief outline or general overview of the main points of the argument or theory behind your thesis.
Executive Summary
Summarize the dissertation or thesis in a clear, concise, persuasive manner.
Write this last.
Introduction – Statement of the Problem
Identify the topic and explain why it is important.
Don’t overestimate the reader’s familiarity with the topic.
Make it interesting.
Show rationale in the form of a problem statement that explains what issue or controversy needs resolving.
Make a prediction about the probable resolution.
Hypothesis – Rationale
Identify the problem and its importance.
Asserts that your research will help solve the problem.
Explain, defend, and/or prove that the current literature and findings are inadequate, outdated, and/or wrong.
Literature Review
Summary of the recognized facts and information in academic literature about a given subject.
Summarize each piece of literature in a few sentences and identify the approach taken.
Evaluate author’s approach and contextualize.
Explain why each piece of literature was chosen.
Methodology - Statistical Analysis, Data Collection, Subject Population
Varies depending on subject matter, type of experiment conducted, and requirements.
Most require a detailed explanation of the subject population, procedures, timelines, objectives, limitations, instruments, data collection, ethical considerations, tools, and statistical analysis.
Conclusion – Results, Discussion, Recommendations
Explain in detail what has been learned, explained, decided, proven.
Reveal the ways in which the masters thesis might have significance in the field.
Answer questions that are logically raised.
Put masters thesis in a larger context, create a call for action, issue a warning or hypothesis, raise a question, or relate an anecdote.
Summary, if used, should be brief.
Show the importance or implications of the research.
May propose the natural next step to take.
Should not end with a quote or statement that could begin another paper.
Endnotes
Footnotes can be placed at the bottom of the page, the end of the chapter, within the text, or at the end of the thesis.
Listed with their corresponding superscript number
Written with the first line indented.
Bibliography, References, Works Cited
The bibliography lists books, articles, or other works consulted in preparing the paper.
Included even if endnotes or footnotes are used.
Arrangement of each entry is determined by the chosen style (MLA, APA, Harvard, Turabian, Chicago, etc.).
In the Works Cited section, all sources should be listed in alphabetical order.
Appendices
Materials that are peripheral but relevant should be placed in appendices.
Paginate with letters – A, B, C, etc.
If there is only one appendix, it is called Appendix. If not, then Appendix A.
List appendices in the Table of Contents.
HAPPY WRITING
