In your area of study, there will be a variety of topics from which you can choose to focus on. It really doesn’t matter what topic you decide on, as long as you make it straightforward and manageable for yourself, and making something too difficult for you to complete wouldn’t be a good start to the choice of topic at all. There are generally considered two trains of thought when coming to the point of how to choose your topic, and how this will form the direction of the paper. This is through a straightforward hypothesis, that is usually found in undergraduate research papers; leaving this part in question form is usually for the advanced researcher/writer, and is usually reserved for postgraduate research theses. The choice in topic that you choose to write on will also shape the content and format of your paper – essentially what it will look like to the reader.

When considering your topic, you should be looking for something that is both narrow in scope, but well defined. You don’t want to restrict yourself and your research potential by focusing on something that is too restrictive; yet, you don’t want a topic that encompasses everything in your chosen area – you aren’t here to conquer the world.

When you are thinking of what you are going to be concentrating on, you should be wondering if you topic is going to be explanatory, narrative, or a compare and contrast a topic, as well as many more. It is never going to be straightforward when thinking and actually writing your thesis, but, having a clear understanding of what you are actually going to be writing about, or at least a guide/view, is of great importance.

As a student writer, you should also be aware of what is required of you in the different areas that you can choose. Your paper should be interesting to read and therefore be of equal interest to your lecturer/supervisor, colleagues, and other academics in your field of research. Therefore, you should avoid a broad range of ideas that can often be off topic and too vague to produce a concisely written paper.

At the planning stage of your paper, you should also be choosing an avenue that will be something unique and individual to you. You do not want to be researching and writing about something that has been written about over and over again, many times before. That doesn’t mean to say that because there has been many authors writing on a certain topic that it would rule it out. On the contrary, you should embrace such a theme and keep in mind that you will need to refer to previously written pieces of research, by other academic authors, throughout the theoretical part of your paper. A main part of this process is making sure that you conduct an initial reading of a few topics that you are interested in, to review whether they are viable options, and if there is sufficient availability of previously researched material.

Overall, your thesis should be an attempt at addressing an existing or imminent problem within a given topic. Also, this problem may have had much research previously conducted on it, but has come up with non-defining analyses; therefore, your independent aspect, as long as it is different enough from other material, will have the ability to convey a new angle on such given information.

Nick Sanders is the owner and founder of Supaproofread.com, a online thesis editing services company, specialising in editing and proofreading services. You should visit them if you are looking for online dissertation editing and proofreading.

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The worst part is getting started. To help you get started on your master thesis, here is a technical checklist of the following things you need to have and to do.

* Topic
* Adviser
* Readings
* Methodology
* Funding (optional)

Topic

Can you study and write about tapirs without first knowing what they are? Tapirs are pig-like mammals that can be found in the South and Central America as well as in Southeast Asia – but this is beside the point. The point is that before you can write your master thesis, you need to know what it is you want to write about.

Thus, the first step is to choose your thesis topic. Naturally, this should be something with which you’re familiar. You have to do some narrowing and trimming in the topic-selection process, especially if you belong to a large discipline; in demography, for instance, you have to decide whether you want to do a study in migration, fertility, mortality, etc. After specifying your field, choose your particular topic and formulate your thesis statement.

Thesis Adviser

Another preparatory step is selecting a thesis adviser or supervisor from amongst the members of your department’s or institution’s faculty. By the way, don’t choose an adviser because he or she is nice to you. You don’t need another friend; you need a professional guide.

Therefore, choose an adviser who has specialized knowledge about the field you’ve chosen and an extensive knowledge about the research process, research methods, thesis-writing, and relevant reading materials.

A Lot of Readings

If you think thesis-writing is all about, uh, writing, you can never be more off beam. Thesis work involves a lot of reading. Find and read similar studies; this way, you’ll know what has and hasn’t been done so you can differentiate your thesis from all that has been written on the same topic. You also need to review the literature in relevant fields so you can see what approaches you can borrow and improve upon. So get your eyeglasses out of its case and be prepared to go through mounds of reading materials.

Research Design and Methodology

The research design outlines how you’ll prove your thesis statement. Your research design and methodology will make data gathering and analysis easier, and it will ensure that your results will be valid and acceptable to the academic community. The theories, concepts and approaches which you have learned from your reading materials should come in handy here. You’ll also probably need your adviser’s help on this; he/she’d better be able to provide you with useful insights – or you’ll know for certain that you’ve got the wrong adviser.

Funding

If you’re not rolling in gold, then you’d better be rolling in contacts because you need them to help you find a source of research funds. You need money for equipment, materials and other expenses so if you can’t finance your research, you’d better find a willing benefactor.

The above are just “getting-started” procedures and specifics. You’ll still have to defend your thesis proposal then do your actual study and analysis. Next, you’ll have to write your first, second, third, and nth draft until your adviser is satisfied. After that, get your best suit out and prepare for the defense. If you pass, you’ll have done it – you’ll have completed your master thesis!

Vladimir Chen is the founder of MasterYourThesis.com that helps graduate students get their theses done with an outstanding result. Visit http://www.MasterYourThesis.com to get more of Master thesis advice, strategies and tips.

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1. Choose a Topic

The first step is to choose a broad topic for your thesis. For example, if you are undertaking a PhD in History, the topic might be as broad as women’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War. You will refine and narrow this topic at a later stage. Choosing the topic for your thesis is an important step that requires a great deal of thoughtful consideration. Many factors need to be considered. Ask yourself these questions:

•What topic in my field interests me the most?

If you are writing an Honours thesis, you will need to maintain your interest in the topic you choose for at least one year. If you are completing a PhD, you will be researching this topic for three or more years! For this reason, it is important that you choose a topic that will hold your enthusiasm, interest and passion for an extended period. There is nothing worse than being locked in to studying a thesis topic that no longer interests you.

•Will I be able to find an appropriate supervisor for that topic?

Finding a supervisor is an important step in your postgraduate journey and it is something you need to consider when choosing your topic. There needs to be a balance between your interest in a topic and the ability of a specific supervisor to work in this area. It is not useful to choose a topic that is of immense interest to you if no one at your university has sufficient knowledge in the area to act as your supervisor. However, it is also not advisable to choose a supervisor first and then choose a topic based solely on their research interests, as you may end up studying something that is not of interest to you.

•Will I have access to the appropriate sources to research this topic?

Similarly, it is not useful to choose a topic that is immensely interesting to you if there is very little information on the subject. When choosing your topic, consider what types of sources you would need to be able to research it well, and find out if you will have access to these sources. If, as in the example above, you will be studying the Spanish Civil War, can you speak Spanish? Will you be able to travel to Spain to access sources? Does a wealth of material on your chosen subject exist?

2. Conduct the Literature Review

Once you have chosen a topic to study for your thesis, you need to begin your background research to discover what has already been written on the topic by other researchers. There are several reasons why it is important to conduct a thorough Literature Review:

•Most thesis structures require you to include a well written Literature Review in your thesis, so that you can demonstrate you have conducted in-depth research in the field and possess a sound knowledge of it

•You need to study what has been written on a topic so you can identify a gap in the current literature that can be filled by your thesis, since a thesis needs to make an original contribution to a field of knowledge

3. Narrow your Topic and Define your Research Questions

Once you have conducted your Literature Review and identified a gap in the current field of knowledge in your topic, you will be able to narrow your topic further. This is an important step as this is the point at which you will decide what questions your thesis will answer.

In the example of the PhD student who knew she wanted to study women’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War, after a careful review of the literature she might have found that one unexamined area is the role of Republican women in combat during the war. This is a much narrower topic than ‘women’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War’, and thus it is a suitable subject for a thesis. The student would then need to define her research questions. Her main research question might be ‘Why was the military participation of Republican women in the Spanish Civil War significant?’ In order to answer this main research question, she would first have to answer a set of sub-questions, like these:

•How many women fought in the Spanish Civil War?
•What motivated these women to volunteer for combat?
•Why were these women removed from their combat positions only eight months after the beginning of the war?

Thus, the third step in writing a thesis is narrowing your topic, deciding on a main research question and deciding on sub-questions.

4. Research Proposal

If you are writing a Masters or a PhD thesis, you will normally be required to write a detailed Research Proposal in the first few months of your candidature. If you are undertaking a PhD, for example, you might have six months to write a 10,000 word proposal. This Research Proposal will include information you have discovered in your Literature Review, and will outline what your thesis aims to achieve. For many students, this Research Proposal later becomes the basis for the Introduction and Literature Review in their final thesis. The successful completion of this proposal and its acceptance by your university is a necessary step in order to continue your candidature. Once you have written your Research Proposal, it is important that you have it professionally edited prior to submitting it, to ensure you have the best chance of its acceptance. See ‘The Final Stage: Professional Editing’ below.

5. Conduct the Research

The aim in conducting your research is to answer your research questions and develop a thesis statement. The thesis statement is your answer to your main research question. It defines the argument that you will be putting forward throughout your thesis. In fact, the word ‘thesis’ means ‘argument’ or ‘position’.

Conducting the research is the most important and time-consuming stage of writing a thesis. How you do this will depend on your field of study and the research project you have created. It is important to consult with your supervisor throughout this stage and to use time management skills to ensure that you stay on track.

6. Follow the Guidelines

Your university department or school will have guidelines that you must follow when writing your thesis and it is important to be familiar with these before you begin writing your first draft. These guidelines will vary from university to university. They even vary within universities, as different disciplines follow different guidelines. It is important that you check with your supervisor about where to find the correct guidelines to follow. Often these guidelines will be very detailed and will specify the following things: the length of your final thesis; the structure of the thesis and what elements it should contain; the referencing style to be used; and the formatting and presentation of the thesis. If you have trouble following some of the guidelines, for example the formatting and presentation or the correct referencing of your thesis, your professional editor will be able to assist you in these matters (please see ‘The Final Stage: Professional Editing’).

7. Write the First Draft of the Thesis

Once you have completed your research, you will arrive at what can be the most nerve-racking stage, writing up your results in the form of your first draft. Before you begin writing, it is important that you finalise a detailed plan for your thesis (one that you no doubt will have begun developing during the research stage). With a detailed plan and organised research, you will not feel like you are starting from scratch when you begin writing your first draft. Your professional editor at Elite Editing & Tutoring can help you during this stage, as some students find it helpful to submit individual chapters for editing as soon as they have written them. This is especially helpful for students who have English as a second language. This way you are able to submit drafts to your supervisor that have already been edited to improve the level of English and your supervisor can concentrate on advising you regarding the ideas and arguments contained in your thesis, rather than being distracted by the language use.

8. Thesis Structure

The structure of a thesis varies widely. It will depend on what level you are studying at, what field you are studying in, the guidelines you are following, your supervisor’s suggestions, and how best to present the type of research you have done. Below is an example of a common thesis structure. This is a guide only and you will need to adjust it to suit your needs and adhere to your department’s guidelines.

• Title Page
• Contents
• Abstract
• Declaration of Original Work
• Acknowledgments
• List of Figures and Tables
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Thesis Chapters
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Appendices

9. The Final Stage: Professional Editing

Once you have completed writing your thesis, it is vital that you have it professionally edited by an academic editor. You have just spent between a year (for Honours students) and over three years (for PhD students) doing your research and writing up your results. After all this effort, it is critical that your work is presented in the best possible way. Using a professional academic editor will ensure that your work is polished, well written, and presented correctly. If English is your second language, having your thesis professionally edited is even more important. You do not want mistakes in your writing to confuse your examiners or distract them from the important arguments you are making.

This article has been written by Dr Lisa Lines, the Director and Head Editor of Elite Editing & Tutoring. For more information on how to write your thesis or dissertation, please visit our website.

Please note that some universities require postgraduate students to obtain the permission of their supervisor prior to having their thesis professionally edited. We recommend that students follow the policies of their universities.

Dr. Lisa Lines
Director and Head Editor
Elite Editing & Tutoring

Web: http://www.eliteediting.com.au
Blog: http://eliteediting.blogspot.com

Our professional, academic editors will edit your essay, assignment, thesis or dissertation to help you improve your grades. We provide an online service to high school and university students all over the world.

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One of the primary goals in writing many theses is to use it as an opportunity to make contacts and connections in the field in which you seeking employment after graduation. It is a lot easier to get in touch with professionals that might otherwise not be willing to meet with you if you use the thesis and your need for their expert knowledge to speak with them. If you make a good impression, often sources you use for your thesis may ask to see it when it is completed and in many cases will offer their help or advice in gaining employment.

Depending on your major the thesis may be an opportunity to explore a particular area that you have been wanting to during your studies. Perhaps you see an area that is overlooked or think you have stumbled on a solution for a problem that has not been done yet. Some theses that truly break new ground in a particular area can launch your career and gain publication in industry journals. If it is something you are particularly proud of you can send your thesis to leaders in your field to see what kind of feedback you get. You never know when an experienced professional might want to take a promising young graduate under his wing. For this reason, sometimes if you have a ‘passion’ or what I call a ‘wow’ topic that you think could really open doors or make a mark in your industry your thesis is one way to make that mark and launch your career.

Regardless of what topic you choose, it is important that you have a passion for the material. The amount of time and effort to complete a thesis is nothing to take lightly. You don’t want to be spending all that energy and time on something that doesn’t truly interest you. In addition, you will do a much better job and enjoy the work involved if it is something you can really put your heart into and that you have a sincere emotional interest in. Readers can pick up on writing that is detached and void of purpose. Especially if you have a thesis that you will have to defend, it will be much harder if you really don’t believe in your thesis. Remember, you want to be able to show your thesis to prospective employers and you also want to be able to discuss it and the process of completing it with others and to come across as excited and genuinely interested. If you pick a topic that is simply ‘easy’ or ’safe’ it will be that much harder to impress them on the page and in person.

While you certainly want to choose a topic that you are passionate about, you want to also make sure that you are not biting off more than you can chew. You should do an honest assessment of your abilities, personal strengths and weaknesses as well as the amount of time that you will be able to devote to your thesis. You don’t want to be overly ambitious and then be rushed to finish towards the deadline and not do a job up to your potential. It is better to do a great job on a narrow topic than a mediocre job on a big and far reaching topic. A very common mistake that some theses writers make is to be too ambitious and take on a project they really have no way of finishing with the resources and time they truly have. They often then abandon the project half-way and do another ’safe’ thesis that while good enough to fulfill graduation requirements is not something the student is really proud of or that will be of great use in his pursuit of employment.

Writing your thesis should be one of the most satisfying endeavors one takes during his education. With proper planning and with keeping these few simply rules in mind, your thesis should end up fulfilling all the goals that it can attain for you. For more great articles and information about thesis writing, visit www.BestThesis.com.

Also, for great information about the MBA, check out http://www.TopTenMBA.com

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