If you have never worked on the task of writing a thesis, you need to familiarize yourself with a thesis definition. A thesis is an academic writing with the main goal of establishing an issue, to state your opinion regarding it, and to present compelling evidence.
What is a thesis statement?
It is the argument you make in the first paragraph of your paper. It should reflect the main idea of a paper. A thesis statement typically consists of one or two sentences. In case you have never dealt with such assignments, it will be useful to take a look at well-written thesis statement examples to get a better understanding of what you are expected to submit. A thesis statement is presented in an introduction. In order to write an interesting thesis statement, you should avoid generalizing the subject under consideration. You need to be as clear and specific as possible. Readers need to understand what your stance on the issue in question is. In addition, your thesis statement should provide readers with a sense of direction. In other words, they need to understand where you are going with the topic you have chosen and what kind of paper they can expect from you.
In regards to a thesis proposal, it is an outline of a research study you do in your thesis or dissertation. To put it simply, a thesis proposal is a road map. It provides a reader with a vision of your future work. Your thesis proposal needs to be carefully planned and properly structured. The better you are at explaining what you are going to research and why the topic you have chosen is relevant, the more rewarding the result will be. Choosing a topic is the hardest part not only in thesis proposal writing, but also in academic writing in general. You should identify the problem you are dealing with in your thesis proposal, as well as state the questions you are going to address in your thesis. You are also supposed to describe all the resources and materials you need in order to conduct a research study for your thesis or dissertation. The successful approval of your thesis proposal means you will be able to continue the work on your thesis. Therefore, the importance of writing an impressive proposal should not be underestimated. The five most vital points of a well-written thesis proposal include:
- Outlining;
- Knowing the structure;
- Planning the writing process;
- Writing a thesis proposal;
- Proofreading a thesis proposal.
The first step is to provide a clear and detailed outline. In this part, you are required to present all materials you have already gathered. You need to prove you understand how the process of research works. You also need to demonstrate that you are able to find all relevant sources in regards to the subject you have chosen to research. The next step is structuring your thesis proposal. The common parts of every thesis proposal are as follows: an abstract, an introduction, significant prior research if any, a thesis/project statement, approach, potential outcomes, limitations, and proposed dissertation chapters.
When you plan your writing process, make sure you have organized your thoughts and have created a plan before you get down to writing. This way, you will be able to write a paper that will be understandable and easy to read. It will have a natural flow of thought, and the transition between paragraphs will be logical. This aspect is of major importance, as you need your piece of writing to be coherent. A lot of thesis proposals get rejected because of a lack of structure and poor planning. Do yourself a favor and allocate a lot of time on the task of writing a thesis proposal. This way, you will submit an impressive piece of writing on your first try, and will get positive feedback, which means your wish to continue a research study will be granted.
Apart from an outline, a thesis proposal should also include visuals. They helps a reader grasp the main idea better. You also required to describe the methodology and explain all the gathered data in your thesis proposal. If you have already come to certain conclusions in regards to the data, you should mention it in the proposal as well. Thesis proposals are written in a formal style. Yet, you need to keep it simple and avoid over-complicating your piece of writing. Maintain objectivity and make sure a thesis proposal is easy to read.
Once you are done with the writing part, start proofreading the proposal. You need to have a sufficient amount of time for proofreading, as it may require changing, omitting, or rewriting. Here are a few practices to help proofread your thesis proposal thoroughly. The first one is to read it out loud. It will help pinpoint those parts that need revising or rewriting. Secondly, do not start proofreading as soon as you are done with the writing part. If you have enough time, get back to your thesis proposal the next morning or in a couple of days. It will help you view your piece of writing in a more objective way. Thirdly, make sure you use more than one spell checker. Finally, ask at least two or three people to help you with proofreading. It is important to find those who have a deep understanding of the subject under consideration. Your future depends on the successful approval of your thesis proposal, which is why it has to be perfect. Eliminate all possible mistakes by editing and proofreading your proposal a couple of times. If you have put in a lot of effort, it will definitely be reflected in the quality of your thesis statement.
How long should a thesis be? There is no exact answer to this question, because a lot depends on the topic you have chosen, the amount of research conducted, and the evidence you need to provide to support your theoretical findings. Besides, the length of a thesis varies depending on the field of study and professor’s instructions. In other words, the length of a thesis is not the most significant aspect of such assignment. What matters is the ability to present the issue in detail and to prove why it has relevance nowadays.
Thesis writing is a difficult and daunting assignment. Here are a few helpful tips to take into account before you start working on this task. To begin with, learn more about the requirements. In other words, you need to know what is expected of you. Review these requirements with your supervisor if necessary. This way, you will be able to avoid a lot of mistakes. The next tip is to constantly check what you have already written. It will help you stay focused on the main idea you are trying to express in your thesis. Make sure there are no answered questions in your paper. The goal of your thesis is to find solutions. If you leave some questions answered, it will mean you have not done your job properly. Resolve all the issues that arise in the process of researching your topic. Then, make certain all citations mentioned in the proposal appear in the list of references. If you fail to do so at the start, you will have to do a lot of unnecessary work later, which is counter-productive. Keeping a list of references is a rather mundane task. You can make it easier for yourself by using specific tools available online. Finally, double-check everything before you submit your thesis proposal, as it has to be perfect.
Writing a thesis proposal is the first substantial contribution you make to demonstrate that you are serious about conducting a research study in the field you are interested in. A successfully approved thesis proposal means your permission to continue research in this area is granted. An effective thesis is not merely your opinion on a certain issue. It is not a topic you are supposed to dwell upon, nor is it a simple question answered with “yes” or “no”. It is a profound research study in which you present the topic you have chosen, analyze relevant sources, conduct research, and enumerate possible outcomes. A well-written thesis consists of an arguable claim. Your task is to prove the topic is relevant and to provide evidence to support your view. Make sure your thesis is clear and coherent. Overgeneralizing or not specifying your claim is one of the biggest mistakes in thesis writing. Avoid overused terms as well. If you introduce a new term, explain it to the reader. Do not choose to dwell upon any abstract notions in your thesis. It needs to be a detailed piece of writing — the findings of which can be supported by solid evidence. All in all, start working on thesis writing beforehand in order to have enough time on the successful completion of this task.
