When it comes to writing a thesis paper, your first priority should be finding an area which you can write about. In order to pick a topic that you will be able to write about, you need to ask yourself what you would like to write about for the next three months, or however long is left till the deadline. The most common route is to pursue an interest or topic which is of personal relevance or genuine curiosity.
The next step is to pick a topic with the area of your choice. This is basically just deciding what you want to know more about in the area that you have picked. If you do not pick a topic, then you will probably find completing your thesis paper to be quite difficult as your topic will be too broad.
Once you have picked both your area and your topic, you need to narrow it down even further into a single question to identify the specific aspect that you will be studying. This is the section that normally takes the longest to decide upon because many people find that their tutor tells them that their question isn’t specific enough or is even too specific. Even though this doesn’t sound particularly helpful, speaking to your tutor will help you come up with a decent question that you can answer well.
When you have chosen the question that you are going to answer in your thesis, it is time to get to work! Many people find that making a plan really helps them to structure their argument by getting all of their ideas down on one piece of paper. A basic plan should go like this: Include a title page, a contents table, introduction etc. Then you should go on to include a statement of your problem/focus, significance of study, background of question , you may include aims, hypotheses or research questions, definitions and limitations of your study and finally a summary of Relevant Literature.
For further ideas and help, this website should provide lots of information about all the different stages of writing a thesis www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/fall98/Jeffery.htm
The next step is to pick a topic with the area of your choice. This is basically just deciding what you want to know more about in the area that you have picked. If you do not pick a topic, then you will probably find completing your thesis paper to be quite difficult as your topic will be too broad.
Once you have picked both your area and your topic, you need to narrow it down even further into a single question to identify the specific aspect that you will be studying. This is the section that normally takes the longest to decide upon because many people find that their tutor tells them that their question isn’t specific enough or is even too specific. Even though this doesn’t sound particularly helpful, speaking to your tutor will help you come up with a decent question that you can answer well.
When you have chosen the question that you are going to answer in your thesis, it is time to get to work! Many people find that making a plan really helps them to structure their argument by getting all of their ideas down on one piece of paper. A basic plan should go like this: Include a title page, a contents table, introduction etc. Then you should go on to include a statement of your problem/focus, significance of study, background of question , you may include aims, hypotheses or research questions, definitions and limitations of your study and finally a summary of Relevant Literature.
For further ideas and help, this website should provide lots of information about all the different stages of writing a thesis www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/fall98/Jeffery.htm
