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How to Write a Master's Thesis: A Guide to Planning Your Thesis, Pursuing It, and Avoiding Pitfalls

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Part 1: Initial Considerations

Who needs to write a master’s thesis.

Thesis writing is one of the more daunting challenges of higher education. That being said, not all master's students have to write a thesis. For example, fields that place a stronger emphasis on applied knowledge, such as nursing, business, and education, tend to have projects and exams to test students on the skills and abilities associated with those fields. Conversely, in disciplines that require in-depth research or highly polished creative abilities, students are usually expected to prove their understanding and independence with a thesis.

What's Your Goal?

Do you want to write a thesis? The process is a long one, often spanning years. It's best to know exactly what you want before you begin. Many people are motivated by career goals. For example, hiring managers may see a master's degree as proof that the candidate is an expert within their field and can lead, motivate, and demonstrate initiative for themselves and others. Others dream of earning their doctorate, and they see a master's degree as a stepping stone toward their Ph.D .

No matter what your desired goal is, you should have one before you start your thesis. With your goal in mind, your work will have a purpose, which will allow you to measure your progress more easily.

Major Types of Theses

Once you've carefully researched or even enrolled in a master's program—a feat that involves its own planning and resources —you should know if you are expected to produce a quantitative (which occurs in many math and science programs), qualitative (which occurs in many humanities programs), or creative (which occurs in many creative writing, music, or fine arts programs) thesis.

Time and Energy Considerations

Advanced degrees are notoriously time and energy consuming. If you have a job, thesis writing will become your second job. If you have a family, they will need to know that your thesis will take a great deal of your attention, energy, and focus.

Your studies should not consume you, but they also should not take a back seat to everything else. You will be expected to attend classes, conduct research, source relevant literature, and schedule meetings with various people as you pursue your master's, so it's important to let those you care about know what's going on.

As a general note, most master's programs expect students to finish within a two-year period but are willing to grant extra time if requested, especially if that time is needed to deal with unexpected life events (more on those later).

Part 2: Form an Initial Thesis Question, and Find a Supervisor

When to begin forming your initial thesis question.

Some fields, such as history, may require you to have already formed your thesis question and to have used it to create a statement of intent (outlining the nature of your research) prior to applying to a master’s program. Others may require this information only after you've been accepted. Most of the time, you will be expected to come up with your topic yourself. However, in some disciplines, your supervisor may assign a general research topic to you.

Overall, requirements vary immensely from program to program, so it's best to confirm the exact requirements of your specific program.

What to Say to Your Supervisor

You will have a supervisor during your master's studies. Have you identified who that person will be? If yes, have you introduced yourself via email or phone and obtained information on the processes and procedures that are in place for your master's program? Once you've established contact, request an in-person meeting with him or her, and take a page of questions along with you. Your questions might include:

• Is there a research subject you can recommend in my field?
• I would like to pursue [target research subject] for my thesis. Can you help me narrow my focus?
• Can you give me an example of a properly formatted thesis proposal for my program?

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help (to a Degree)

Procedures and expectations vary from program to program, and your supervisor is there to help remove doubt and provide encouragement so you can follow the right path when you embark on writing your thesis. Since your supervisor has almost certainly worked with other graduate students (and was one at some point), take advantage of their experience, and ask questions to put your mind at ease about how to write a master’s thesis.

That being said, do not rely too heavily on your supervisor. As a graduate student, you are also expected to be able to work independently. Proving your independent initiative and capacity is part of what will earn you your master's degree.

Part 3: Revise Your Thesis

Read everything you can get your hands on.

Whether you have a question or need to create one, your next step is simple and applies to all kinds of theses: read.

Seek Out Knowledge or Research Gaps

Read everything you can that relates to the question or the field you are studying. The only way you will be able to determine where you can go is to see where everyone else has been. After you have read some published material, you will start to spot gaps in current research or notice things that could be developed further with an alternative approach. Things that are known but not understood or understood but not explained clearly or consistently are great potential thesis subjects. Addressing something already known from a new perspective or with a different style could also be a potentially valuable project. Whichever way you choose to do it, keep in mind that your project should make a valuable contribution to your field.

Talk with Experts in Your Field (and Don't Be Afraid to Revise Your Thesis)

To help narrow down your thesis topic, talk to your supervisor. Your supervisor will have an idea of what is current in your field and what can be left alone because others are already working on it. Additionally, the school you are attending will have programs and faculty with particular areas of interest within your chosen field.

On a similar note, don't be surprised if your thesis question changes as you study. Other students and researchers are out there, and as they publish, what you are working on can change. You might also discover that your question is too vague, not substantial enough, or even no longer relevant. Do not lose heart! Take what you know and adjust the question to address these concerns as they arise. The freedom to adapt is part of the power you hold as a graduate student.

Part 4: Select a Proposal Committee

What proposal committees are and why they're useful.

When you have a solid question or set of questions, draft a proposal.

You'll need an original stance and a clear justification for asking, and answering, your thesis question. To ensure this, a committee will review your thesis proposal. Thankfully, that committee will consist of people assigned by your supervisor or department head or handpicked by you. These people will be experts who understand your field of study and will do everything in their power to ensure that you are pursuing something worthwhile. And yes, it is okay to put your supervisor on your committee. Some programs even require that your supervisor be on your committee.

Just remember that the committee will expect you to schedule meetings with them, present your proposal, respond to any questions they might have for you, and ultimately present your findings and thesis when all the work is done. Choose those who are willing to support you, give constructive feedback, and help address issues with your proposal. And don't forget to give your proposal a good, thorough edit and proofread before you present it.

How to Prepare for Committee Meetings

Be ready for committee meetings with synopses of your material for committee members, answers for expected questions, and a calm attitude. To prepare for those meetings, sit in on proposal and thesis defenses so you can watch how other graduate students handle them and see what your committee might ask of you. You can even hold rehearsals with friends and fellow students acting as your committee to help you build confidence for your presentation.

Part 5: Write Your Thesis

What to do once your proposal is approved.

After you have written your thesis proposal and received feedback from your committee, the fun part starts: doing the work. This is where you will take your proposal and carry it out. If you drafted a qualitative or quantitative proposal, your experimentation or will begin here. If you wrote a creative proposal, you will now start working on your material. Your proposal should be strong enough to give you direction when you perform your experiments, conduct interviews, or craft your work. Take note that you will have to check in with your supervisor from time to time to give progress updates.

Thesis Writing: It's Important to Pace Yourself and Take Breaks

Do not expect the work to go quickly. You will need to pace yourself and make sure you record your progress meticulously. You can always discard information you don't need, but you cannot go back and grab a crucial fact that you can't quite remember. When in doubt, write it down. When drawing from a source, always create a citation for the information to save your future self time and stress. In the same sense, you may also find journaling to be a helpful process.

Additionally, take breaks and allow yourself to step away from your thesis, even if you're having fun (and especially if you're not). Ideally, your proposal should have milestones in it— points where you can stop and assess what you've already completed and what's left to do. When you reach a milestone, celebrate. Take a day off and relax. Better yet, give yourself a week's vacation! The rest will help you regain your focus and ensure that you function at your best.

How to Become More Comfortable with Presenting Your Work

Once you start reaching your milestones, you should be able to start sharing what you have. Just about everyone in a graduate program has experience giving a presentation at the front of the class, attending a seminar, or watching an interview. If you haven't (or even if you have), look for conferences and clubs that will give you the opportunity to learn about presenting your work and become comfortable with the idea of public speaking. The more you practice talking about what you are studying, the more comfortable you'll be with the information, which will make your committee defenses and other official meetings easier.

Published authors can be called upon to present at conferences, and if your thesis is strong, you may receive an email or a phone call asking if you would share your findings onstage.

Presenting at conferences is also a great way to boost your CV and network within your field. Make presenting part of your education, and it will become something you look forward to instead of fear.

What to Do If Your Relationship with Your Supervisor Sours

A small aside: If it isn't already obvious, you will be communicating extensively with others as you pursue your thesis. That also means that others will need to communicate with you, and if you've been noticing things getting quiet, you will need to be the one to speak up. Your supervisor should speak to you at least once a term and preferably once a week in the more active parts of your research and writing. If you give written work to your supervisor, you should have feedback within three weeks.

If your supervisor does not provide feedback, frequently misses appointments, or is consistently discouraging of your work, contact your graduate program advisor and ask for a new supervisor. The relationship with your supervisor is crucial to your success, especially if she or he is on your committee, and while your supervisor does not have to be friendly, there should at least be professional respect between you.

What to Do If a Crisis Strikes

If something happens in your life that disrupts everything (e.g., emotional strain, the birth of a child, or the death of a family member), ask for help. You are a human being, and personal lives can and do change without warning. Do not wait until you are falling apart before asking for help, either. Learn what resources exist for crises before you have one, so you can head off trauma before it hits. That being said, if you get blindsided, don't refuse help. Seek it out, and take the time you need to recover. Your degree is supposed to help you become a stronger and smarter person, not break you.

Part 6: Polish and Defend Your Master's Thesis

How to write a master’s thesis: the final stages.

After your work is done and everything is written down, you will have to give your thesis a good, thorough polishing. This is where you will have to organize the information, draft it into a paper format with an abstract, and abbreviate things to help meet your word-count limit. This is also where your final editing and proofreading passes will occur, after which you will face your final hurdle: presenting your thesis defense to your committee. If they approve your thesis, then congratulations! You are now a master of your chosen field.

Conclusion and Parting Thoughts

Remember that you do not (and should not) have to learn how to write a master’s thesis on your own. Thesis writing is collaborative, as is practically any kind of research.

While you will be expected to develop your thesis using your own initiative, pursue it with your own ambition, and complete it with your own abilities, you will also be expected to use all available resources to do so. The purpose of a master's thesis is to help you develop your own independent abilities, ensuring that you can drive your own career forward without constantly looking to others to provide direction. Leaders get master's degrees. That's why many business professionals in leadership roles have graduate degree initials after their last names. If you already have the skills necessary to motivate yourself, lead others, and drive change, you may only need your master's as an acknowledgement of your abilities. If you do not, but you apply yourself carefully and thoroughly to the pursuit of your thesis, you should come away from your studies with those skills in place.

A final thought regarding collaboration: all theses have a section for acknowledgements. Be sure to say thank you to those who helped you become a master. One day, someone might be doing the same for you.

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Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

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Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on 8 June 2022 by Tegan George .

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation, such as:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)

In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organisational structure of your thesis or dissertation . This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.

Table of contents

How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, frequently asked questions about outlines.

While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.

• Working Title
• ‘Elevator pitch’ of your work (often written last).
• Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
• Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
• Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope, population , and data collection ).
• Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
• Answer the research question in a concise way.
• Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.

To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.

 Download Word template    Download Google Docs template

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilising some of the alternative constructions presented below.

Example 1: Passive construction

The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.

Example 2: IS-AV construction

You can also present your information using the ‘IS-AV’ (inanimate subject with an active verb) construction.

A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.

Example 3: The I construction

Another option is to use the ‘I’ construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.

Example 4: Mix-and-match

To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and ‘I’ construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.

As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as ‘discuss’, ‘present’, ‘prove’, or ‘show’. Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organise your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract   in the table of contents.

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Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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Your Dissertation Plan - 18 Free Tools

Find your perfect postgrad program search our database of 30,000 courses.

• by Charlotte King
• In Theses and Dissertations

A dissertation  requires solid organisational skills and effective time management  in order to achieve a high standard, so we’ve put together a list of some of the best free tools available to make the planning stages of your project easier.  

Choosing a topic

Before you even get near your research proposal , you need to have a topic in mind. Mind mapping is a great way to organise and visualise your early ideas when developing your dissertation topic. Mind42.com 's mind mapping tool allows you to collaborate with colleagues online, which could be useful for sharing with peers or your project supervisor. Mindmeister.com  also features collaboration and boasts mobile access with it’s free iPhone app, whilst Bubbl.us  focuses on speed with it's handy keyboard shortcuts.

Evernote  provides tools for your computer, mobile device, or web browser which capture your ideas, notes, and inspiration wherever you are. This free toolset lets users save text notes, web pages, photos, and screenshots with a comprehensive search feature so that you can retrieve your ideas quickly and easily.

Reading & research

Using Google Scholar  you can search a large index of scholarly articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions. To get the most out this research tool check out Google’s guide to Advanced Scholar Searches . Compiling a bibliography in the required format can be a time consuming task at the end of a dissertation, especially if you haven't kept track whilst writing . Fortunately there are free tools available which help you to store your citations from the beginning of your project and retrieve them in a number of commonly use formats. Bibdesk  is an Open Source Mac app with bibliography management and search features, as well as some useful import and export capabilities. Alternatively, you could use Zotero 's browser extension for Firefox which can automatically sync your data with multiple computers. It also features browsing for mobile devices, which means you can access your data in away from your computer. For Windows users, BiblioExpress  offers a simple reference manager that can format citations in common styles such as ACS, APA, and MLA.

Planning your time

Time management is crucial  in a large project such as a dissertation. It may be useful to plan backwards from your deadline, allowing extra time where necessary for unforeseen delays and revisions. Gantt charts are a very visual way to allocate time to your dissertation tasks and there are many free tools to help you build your own. This is especially great if you're accommodating some non-work time too . Google Docs has a Gadget  in it’s spreadsheet feature which creates Gantt charts for free. Similarly, if you already own Microsoft Excel you can build Gantt charts with it too.

Tomsplanner  is a dedicated web-based Gantt generator which is free for personal use, and Team Gantt 's free trial offers an alternative with a slick interface. If you’re not keen on Gantt charts you could simply plan your project in a standard calendar. Google Calendars  is web based meaning you can access it from any computer and most mobile devices. You could also share your calendar with your supervisor if you think you're likely to miss deadlines. Microsoft Outlook’s calendar and iCalendar on Mac could also be useful planning tools.

To-do lists

If you need to organise your dissertation workload on a shorter time scale,  TeuxDeux 's well designed interface helps you to plan your tasks on a weekly basis. There’s also a paid iPhone app for task management on the go.

HabitRPG  is an excellent option for those of you who need a bit of positive reinforcement alongside your planning. If a week is still too much to think about, check out Todokyo  which takes simplicity to the next level with a clean-looking daily list.

Productivity

If you find yourself constantly distracted by the lures of email and social networking, you could try Freedom’s free trial . This Mac app blocks your web connection for up to 3 hours at a time, leaving you to concentrate on your dissertation. Alternatively you can block specific websites from Firefox using Leechblock , and Google Chrome users can do the same with StayFocusd .

Related articles

Planning A Good Research Project

How To Write A Thesis or Dissertation

Publishing Your Thesis or Dissertation

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Halley Jan. 10, 2020, 5:57 a.m.

Great article! Thank you :)

Charlotte King Jan. 13, 2020, 8:28 p.m.

Glad you liked it – hope you found it useful too!

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How to Create a Dissertation Timeline (With Examples + Tempate)

When it’s time to start thinking about writing your dissertation, it is vital to put together a dissertation timeline. This will help you map out the months you will be spending on your dissertation, and ensure that you’re staying on track. A specific and detailed dissertation timeline will serve as an outline to guide you, step by step, through what can be a long and challenging process. 

While we often refer to a dissertation in a way that makes it sound like a monolith, in reality, a dissertation consists of many moving parts. A dissertation timeline includes a series of milestones that leads up to the dissertation defense , revisions, and final submission of your dissertation. Constructing an outline of every step in the dissertation process , including rough estimates of how long each will take, will give you a realistic picture of where you are in the process at any given time. 

Before embarking on your dissertation, it is a good idea to meet with your dissertation advisor and sketch out a dissertation timeline that is realistic for the size and scope of your project and includes deadlines. This will provide you with much-needed structure and a sense of what will happen next. To get an idea of what a completed dissertation looks like and the components your program requires, ask to see samples from recent graduates in your department. 

These are a few frequently asked questions about crafting a dissertation timeline: 

• What does a dissertation timeline look like?
• What goes in a dissertation timeline? 
• How structured should a dissertation timeline be?
• What do you do with a dissertation timeline? 

What Does a Dissertation Timeline Look Like? 

One way to think about a dissertation timeline is as a kind of outline. While the outlining process is unique to each writer, there are commonalities shared by all of them. Likewise, when writing a dissertation timeline, you’ll want to include all of the basic elements of your dissertation as well as the amount of time you think you’ll need to execute them. 

The best dissertation timeline format is the one that works for you. Though I’ve reformed somewhat over the years, for a long time I wasn’t a fan of intensely detailed outlines. Many people don’t like outlines. And that’s okay! However, writing a dissertation is not the time to be flying by the seat of your pants. To get started, a simple, linear timeline that projects the amount of time you think you’ll need to write your dissertation will suffice. 

Example Dissertation Timeline

Below, you’ll find an example of a dissertation timeline, which you can view as an image in your browser or download as a spreadsheet. Feel free to use the spreadsheet as a template as you build your own dissertation timeline.

Or download the spreadsheet below:

Inclusion in a Dissertation Timeline

When constructing your dissertation timeline, include every element of the dissertation from the abstract to the conclusion. Keep in mind that you may not be writing your chapters in chronological order. For instance, after completing their first round of research and writing their research question, most graduate students will tackle their literature review next, even though it comes after the abstract and introduction in the final document. 

Depending on the field being studied, most dissertations will also include sections for methodology, results, and discussion. Many programs also require a detailed conclusion that alludes to future research possibilities. Every dissertation also has an extensive list of references (pro tip: write this as you’re writing your dissertation), as well as appendices for charts, graphs, and other ephemera. And don’t forget your acknowledgments! 

Dissertation Timeline Structure

The structure of your dissertation timeline will take shape once you’re engaged in the research process. While a road map may seem like an apt metaphor for a dissertation, once you get started you may notice a lot of starts and stops and circling back. After you’ve begun researching, you may realize that you need to allot more time for digging through the databases, or you may discover that you need to reformulate your research question entirely. 

I’ve seen many of my own graduate students use calendars to great effect, giving themselves hard and fast deadlines to meet. Many students also build out their dissertation timelines as they progress, attaching working drafts of their abstract, introduction, and literature review to their timeline within a giant spreadsheet that links to multiple documents and sources. All of these methods are valid. Devise one that works for you. 

Using a Dissertation Timeline

So once you have a thoughtful, soundly-constructed dissertation timeline, what do you do with it? First, and most importantly, try your best to adhere to it. Check in with your dissertation timeline regularly, and use it to keep yourself on track. Also, make adjustments to it as needed. If you find yourself breezing through your preliminary research but needing a bit more time for your literature review, consult your timeline and adjust accordingly. 

While meeting your deadlines is important, also construct your dissertation timeline with an understanding that many graduate students face delays once they start working on their dissertation. These can include hold-ups at the department or university level in the form of late IRB approval or limited lab space or grant funding that gets cut. Anything can happen, but having a dissertation timeline will help you get back on track as soon as the storm passes. 

In my own experience, I also found my dissertation timeline to be a great document to share and discuss with my dissertation chair and committee. Once I finished my comprehensive exams, I met with members of my dissertation committee and got feedback on my rough dissertation timeline to make sure my goals for submitting my dissertation and graduating were realistic. This also ensured that we were all on the same page. 

When writing a dissertation, timing is everything. Creating a dissertation timeline gives you definitive time limits for research and writing, and it also influences several other major decisions that you’ll need to make. These include preparation to go on the job market, which often coincides with writing your dissertation. There is no doubt that this will be a hectic time in your graduate school career, but having a well-organized dissertation timeline is a good way to keep everything in perspective. 

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Courtney Watson, Ph.D.

Courtney Watson, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of English at Radford University Carilion, in Roanoke, Virginia. Her areas of expertise include undergraduate and graduate curriculum development for writing courses in the health sciences and American literature with a focus on literary travel, tourism, and heritage economies. Her writing and academic scholarship has been widely published in places that include  Studies in American Culture ,  Dialogue , and  The Virginia Quarterly Review . Her research on the integration of humanities into STEM education will be published by Routledge in an upcoming collection. Dr. Watson has also been nominated by the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Rising Star Award, and she is a past winner of the National Society of Arts & Letters Regional Short Story Prize, as well as institutional awards for scholarly research and excellence in teaching. Throughout her career in higher education, Dr. Watson has served in faculty governance and administration as a frequent committee chair and program chair. As a higher education consultant, she has served as a subject matter expert, an evaluator, and a contributor to white papers exploring program development, enrollment research, and educational mergers and acquisitions.

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How to Finish Your Dissertation in Half the Time

Learn how to avoid the pitfalls preventing you from finishing your dissertation faster.

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“How to Finish Your Dissertation in Half the Time”

Your studies

Master thesis/degree project.

Every programme concludes with a thesis/degree project. This is something that you write at the end of your studies and is for many the way to enter the world of work. During the work with the thesis/degree project, you get the help of an examiner and a supervisor at Chalmers. If you choose to do your thesis/degree project in collaboration with a company, you need a responsible supervisor there as well. You will receive information about what applies to your programme from your Student Guidance Counsellor or Head of programme/Director of Master's programme.

Regulations and learning objectives

Here you can read more about the regulations and learning objectives applicable for your thesis/degree project. Regulations and learning objectives differ depending on what you are studying.

Regulations

Chalmers regulations for theses/degree projects are based on the goals formulated in Chalmers lokala examensordning (in Swedish) and in the regulations for the theses/degree projects.

Master of Science in Engineering, Master of Architecture, Master of Science

Learning objectives.

In the learning objectives you find valuable information that you can benefit from throughout your thesis/degree project. You can for example read about:

• Examination
• Conditions for starting the thesis/degree project
• Implementation
• Student responsibility

Regulations for the use of AI tools in thesis work

Here you will find Chalmers regulations for the use of AI tools in your thesis work.

Find a thesis/degree project

You most often find a thesis/degree project yourself in consultation with your supervisor. You can get support from your Head of programme/Director of master's programme or the department where you write your thesis/degree project.

Chalmers master thesis portal

In Chalmers master thesis portal you will find available projects announced by both external parties and projects at our departments.

Application forms – thesis/degree project

The application forms apply to students on both bachelor of science in engineering, shipping, civil engineering and master's programmes. To be able to start the process with your thesis/degree project, you must fill in the web form "Thesis application form" and have it signed by the examiner and Head of programme/Director of master's programme. You must do this well before your estimated start date.

For more information and link to forms

Digital work card and signature

A digital work card containing e-publishing agreements. Create your digital work card using Adobe and submit it to the department where you completed your thesis.

Find your digital work card

Instructions - handling of the digital work card, instruction - how to make a digital signature, master's thesis at the department of technology management and economics (tme), information regarding master's thesis at tme, you may also be interested in.

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Master's Thesis Plan Form

Master’s Thesis Plan Information

Students completing a written thesis as part of their Master’s degree program must submit this form so that their record can accurately reflect their plan and associated requirements. Students pursuing a thesis plan will also register for Master’s thesis hours as appropriate and complete a thesis defense. Work closely with your department to determine the minimum and maximum thesis credit hour requirement for your degree.

The form should be submitted as early as possible in a student’s career, and at the latest should submit it by the deadline to apply to graduate for the semester in which the student plans to earn the degree.  Deadlines  and  thesis information  can be found on the Graduate School’s website. 

Note that students completing an art practices MFA creative thesis, music thesis project, or dance MFA project do not submit a written thesis and need not complete this form.

Endorsements Needed

The graduate program must endorse the form.

Information Needed 

Students will provide their name, CU e-mail address, student ID, and select their program on the landing page.  On the form, the student should read and sign the form indicating that their master’s degree will include the submission of a written thesis.

Submission & Routing Information

Students will receive notification upon submission, and the Master’s thesis plan form will be sent to the graduate program for endorsement.  After review by the Graduate School, the student and program will receive notification. 

Additional instructions here .

Student Information

Creating awesome Gantt charts for your PhD timeline

It’s a common scenario: you have never heard about Gantt charts. Then, when writing a PhD application or planning your PhD timeline for the upcoming years, someone suggests: You should include a Gantt chart! No need to worry. Here is all you need to know about Gantt charts for your PhD timeline.

What are Gantt charts?

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A Gantt chart is a visual representation of a project schedule and a widely used tool in project management.

Gantt charts belong to the family of bar charts. In a Gantt chart, bars depict different project tasks. The length of each bar is proportionate to the task duration and indicates both start and finish dates.

Gantt charts are named after Henry Gantt. He lived from 1861-1919 and developed these types of charts as part of his work as a management consultant.

A Grantt chart is a great way to provide an overview of project tasks, activities and milestones.

Gantt charts are frequently used to illustrate PhD timelines because doing a PhD essentially means creating, managing and implementing a project with many components over several years.

Therefore, Gantt charts are popular tools among (aspiring) PhD students.

They are often featured in PhD proposals: Through visual representations, Gantt charts help communicate milestones, plans and estimated task durations.

Furthermore, Gantt chart PhD timelines allow PhD students to track their progress. They can also help PhD students to stay on track with their work.

You may also like: How to develop an awesome PhD timeline step-by-step

Gantt charts can include all kind of information, based on the specific project they are focusing on. When it comes to Gantt chart PhD timelines, there are several elements that are commonly featured:

• Extensive PhD proposal/plan
• Data collection
• Experiments
• Data analysis
• Writing plan
• Publications
• Conferences
• Courses/Coursework

Of course, every PhD project is unique. This uniqueness should be reflected in your Gantt chart. For instance, your Gantt chart PhD timeline will look different if you write a PhD based on articles or if you write a monograph .

For a PhD based on published articles, different bars in a Gantt chart PhD timeline could for example represent individual papers. For a monograph, it may be smarter to focus on research stages.

How do you create a Gantt chart for your PhD timeline?

Unfortunately, creating a Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel is far from straightforward as Excel does not provide its own Gantt chart template.

You can create a table, turn it into a bar chart and manually edit it until it looks like a Gantt chart. If you have some experience with Excel, it is doable. Detailed instructions on the process can be found in this manual from Ablebits.com.

However, why go through all the hassle when you can simply download a template? You can use Microsoft’s own free Gantt project planner template and adjust it to your PhD project.

Manually creating a PhD timeline Gantt chart in PowerPoint is a bit easier than in Excel. Therefore, I will explain the process here.

First, you need to open a blank PowerPoint slide. Then click on Insert (1.), then Chart (2.). A popup will appear. Select Bar (3.) and finally select the Stacked Bar option (4).

A standard bar chart will appear on your slide and a small Excel table with open next to it. The first column in the Excel table is called Categories . You can replace categories with the PhD tasks that you want to display. For instance, Literature Review, Interviews, Transcribing and Analysis. You can add more categories or delete existing ones by removing a row in the small Excel table.

Next to the Categories (now tasks) column, you see three more columns: Series 1 , Series 2 , Series 3 . You can use these columns to showcase the length of tasks. Rename Series 1 into Start Date and Series 2 into End Date . Series 3 indicates the overall length. Depending on the timeframe you want to showcase, you can opt for instance for Length (weeks) or Length (months) .

In the example below, I decided to plan PhD tasks for a year. Thus, 1 means January, 2 means February, 3 means March and so forth. The length of tasks is also indicated in months:

Next, click on your chart and three icons will appear in the upper-right corner next to it. Click on the bottom one, the Chart filters , remove the tick of the check box of End Date , and click on Apply. You will see that the bar chart will start to look like a Gantt chart:

Now, the blue parts of the bar, indicating the Start Dates, need to be removed. Just click on one of them, and on the righthand side, Format Data Series should appear. Select No fill. Alternatively, in the upper menu, select Format , go to Shape fill, and select No fill .

Now comes the fun part, namely decorating. You can add a chart title, colour the bars in the colour of your choice, edit the legend and the axis descriptions. Just play with it to explore the options.

One more thing I did was changing the value of the axis, because I want to illustrate the months of a year. Thus, it was a bit weird that the horizontal axis started with 0 and ended with 13 while I needed 1-12 to indicate each month of a year. You can simply change this by clicking on the axis. On the righthand side, Format Axis will appear. Go to Axis Options , Bounds , and enter 1 for Minimum and 12 for Maximum .

And voila! Your Gantt chart is ready.

The nice thing about learning how to create a Gantt chart in Microsoft PowerPoint is that you basically teaches you how to create one in a Word file as well! The process is very similar.

To start the process in Word, it is smart to first change the orientation of your page to Landscape . In the top menu, click on Layout , then select Orientation , then choose Landscape .

Next, select Insert , then Chart , and select a Stacked Bar chart again.

A basic bar chart will appear on your page:

Looks familiar? Yes! From here, it is basically the same process as editing the bar chart in PowerPoint.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of creating your own Gantt chart but are not convinced by any templates, you can make use of online tools and software.

There are some paid providers out there, but in my opinion, it is not worth paying to create an awesome PhD timeline.

You can use a free provider (or make do with one of the many Gantt chart templates that exist on the internet). One free online tool is the Free Online Gantt Chart Software :

The site requires no signup. You can editing and simply start filling in the Gantt chart, and export it as an Excel, Image or PDF file when you are done!

PhD timeline Gantt chart templates

A great way to create a detailed Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel is by using Microsoft’s free Gantt project planner template . The level of detail and functionality exceeds those of simple, manually created Gantt charts. This makes this type of Gantt chart especially useful to track detailed PhD progress.

A useful Gantt chart template for PhD timelines in PowerPoint can be downloaded here via OfficeTimeline.com This Gantt chart is particularly great to provide a rough overview of plans over a longer period. For instance, with a few edits, you can illustrate a nice 3-year PhD timeline.

Useful Gantt chart templates for Microsoft Word can be downloaded here from TemplateLAB. I like these templates as they can be easily adjusted to the needs of a PhD timeline. For instance, a weekly Gantt chart template can be useful to establish a detailed plan with weekly objectives to keep your PhD progress on track.

PhD timeline Gantt chart examples

Using the template provided by Microsoft above, an example PhD timeline to track regular progress on tasks could look, for instance, like this:

Using the Gantt chart PowerPoint template by OfficeTimeline.com above, an example PhD timeline to present a plan for a 3 year PhD could look, for instance, like this:

Using a weekly Gantt chart template from TemplateLab mentioned above, an example PhD timeline with weekly tasks and objectives could look, for instance, like this:

Master Academia

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Thesis, Master's Degree

Lead paragraph

Starting a thesis can seem challenging, even if the topic and the development of own professional competence are motivating and inspiring. However, it is not worth to make the start become an obstacle to the progress of studies.

On these pages we have compiled a description of the stages, requirements and goals of doing the thesis. It is worth reading the materials well in advance and carefully, as they provide the answer to many things. However, this is not the only support when doing a thesis.

The community of orientation, ie. studies, other students and Master seminars (prev. orientation evenings), as well as the head of specialisation support the progress from start to finish. Significant support is also provided by the advisor of the thesis.

The Master's thesis is a 30-credit research and development task (approximately 800 hours of student work). Its purpose is defined in law as follows: "The aim of the Master's thesis is to develop and demonstrate the ability to apply research data and use selected methods for the analysis and solution of problems in working life and readiness for independent demanding expert work" (Government Decree 423/2005, § 7a).  

The thesis can be started immediately at the beginning of the studies. First, the student comes up with an idea suitable for the specialisation and sends a topic proposal to the specialisation head. In addition, the student enrols in the Applied Design Research course. NB: You don't enrol for thesis via PSP.

In the 90-credit Master's degree programme, the student starts the thesis at the beginning of the second academic year at the latest, so that the student can graduate within the target time.

Specialisation activities (studies and joint Master seminars, prev. specialisation evenings) provide support for the ideation and launching of a thesis.

1. Thesis stage 1: Planning

The thesis project begins with the choice of the topic. The student makes a topic proposal either before or at the beginning of the Applied Design Research course. Once the student has defined the topic, he/she prepares and processes the topic proposal in the manner instructed by the specialisation head. The specialisation head approves the topic proposal, and after that the student saves it in Wihi. Please ensure that the type of thesis is a Master's Thesis in Wihi. The head of specialisation appoints an advisor for the student’s thesis project. The supervision of the thesis can be individual or group supervision.

In the Applied Design Research course, the student prepares a thesis plan based on the topic proposal. The student saves the thesis plan in Wihi, after which the guidance process starts with the advisor. At the beginning of the guidance process, the student and the advisor go through the guidance contract together.

A thorough plan is a good starting point for the implementation of the thesis. The main features of the plan are as follows:

•  Introduction: The topic of the work (problem or need) and a compact introduction of the target organisation.
• Objectives: The expected results for the organisation.
• Research questions: Which questions does the thesis answer?
• Theoretical framework: What are the previous research, theories, concepts, literature and other possible material that are essential for the work?
• Methodology: Data, methods and tools which are used in the research and development project, and data management plan, which describes how the collected data will be processed and stored.
• Organisation: The business unit, function or project in the organisation which is the focus of the student’s research and development (in case the thesis is commissioned by an organisation).
• Schedule: Phasing and scheduling the tasks.
• Risk assessment: Anticipation and preparedness for problem situations.

In defining the objectives and schedule, the preparation of the plan is also supported by discussions with a representative of the organisation, ie. the commissioning party. In particular, the commissioning party can help define the goals and schedule of the thesis.

If possible, the student makes a commissioning contract with the representative of the target organisation. A contract is recommended especially when the organisation is other than the student's employer. In addition, a possible research permit must be agreed with the organisation.

Research authorization

When Haaga-Helia is the commissioning party, the contract is always made. If Haaga-Helia is the subject of the thesis or the research is conducted for Haaga-Helia students, staff or alumni, the research must be approved in accordance with research authorization guidelines. The research authorization application will be sent to the following expert  [email protected] .

When making the thesis plan, the student also familiarizes herself with research ethics (see 5. Research ethics).

Thesis topic proposal, Master's Thesis

Thesis plan, Master's Thesis

Commissioning contract, Master's Thesis

Template for Consent Form, Master's Thesis

Template for Research Announcement, Master's Thesis

Instructions:

Instructions for handling trade secrets and confidential information in Master Theses

2. Thesis stage 2: Implementation

After the thesis plan is accepted the student will start writing the thesis: he/she will read up on literature, plan and carry out the research and development project and write the thesis according to the reporting instructions. The writing of the thesis starts at the beginning of the work so that observations and causes and backgrounds for various choices will get noted. The student and the advisor use Wihi to track the progressing of different versions of the work. The student will participate in a Master seminar (prev. specialisation’s evening) at least two times and will present the thesis in a way agreed with the advisor.

The writing of a thesis is mainly independent work but there are several forms of support available for the student:

Thesis advisor will read different versions written by the student, comments them and gives feedback and by doing so promotes the completing of the work. The advisor and student will agree on meetings. When changes are made to the plan they have to be agreed with the advisor.

When the student is doing his/her thesis in a group the group itself offers support as well.

Master seminars (prev. spesialisation’s evenings) and specialisation’s community (including Teams platform or Moodle) offer possibility to discuss the topic and doing of the thesis with the specialization head and other students. At Master seminars topical issues are addressed and theses are presented. The student will agree about presenting of thesis at a Master seminar or by using a video recording with the advisor.  

This web page includes all the common instructions for a Master thesis.

Master thesis workshops are workshops intended for students to support the students’ use of methods and writing skills. The content and schedule of thesis workshops can be found at this thesis web page.

Library and information services (online library HH Finna ) offer guidance for information search and managing your references with Mendeley reference management program. Haaga-Helia’s LibGuides offer a lot of information and support for writing a thesis. It is recommended that the student familiarises him/herself with How to search for information guide and Referencing help at LibGuides. At LibGuide web pages you can also find tips for academic writing and research method literature.

Discussions with the commissioner at the target organisation can also support especially the writing of the practical part of the thesis.

Reporting template, Master's Thesis

Guidelines for Master's Thesis

3. Thesis stage 3: Finalising

The student agrees on the schedule of completing the thesis with the advisor so that there is enough time left for the assessment. The following tasks belong to the finalising of the thesis:

• Presentation of the thesis
• Maturity test
• Thesis plagiarism review
• Publishing the thesis

Presentation of the thesis: The student agrees on presenting the thesis with the thesis advisor and/or the teacher responsible for specialisation. For example, the student can present the thesis in the Master's seminar of the specialisation or by making video recording of it for the specialisation's platform.

Maturity test: The student writes the maturity test in the field of his/her study in his/her school language (Finnish or Swedish, otherwise English). Starting from September 1, 2023, an abstract written for the thesis will serve as the maturity test. The maturity test is evaluated on a pass/fail scale. (See instructions .) Plagiarism review: The student sends the public version of the thesis via Wihi to Ouriginal-review. Confidential parts of the thesis are not sent to Ouriginal.

Publishing the thesis: The student publishes the thesis after he/she has submitted the thesis to Wihi for evaluation, and the advisor gives a permission to publish the thesis.

If in a thesis that started before August 1, 2022, the student has agreed on the confidentiality of the material with the commissioning organisation, the student will receive instructions from the advisor to complete the work. The student publishes his/her thesis in the open collection of the national Theseus online repository of Universities of Applied Sciences. If the commissioning party does not want the thesis to be published in an open collection, the thesis will be stored in the restricted collection of Theseus. In Theseus' open collection, the thesis is available online in full pdf format. The thesis saved in the restricted collection can be read in Haaga-Helia's intranet. Thesis metadata and abstract are openly available in both Theseus collections. However, the thesis is always a public document, so anyone has the right to request that it be read. This also applies to a thesis stored in the restricted collection. You can find more information on the restricted collection on the submission page of Theseus .  As the thesis is public, make sure that the published thesis, its abstract or other metadata does not contain information that is subject to trade secret, privacy or other confidential information. NOTE! If the thesis commissioning agreement has been drawn up before 1.1.2022 and the commissioning party has refused to save the thesis in the open collection of Theseus, the student must assure the commissioning organisation that the thesis can be saved in the restricted collection of Theseus instead of previous restricted colletion HHthesis. Unlike HHthesis, the metadata and summary of theses stored in Theseus' restricted collection are openly available online. In case of doubt, you should contact the library [email protected] . Theseus submission page Theseus instructions on how to upload thesis Theseus search page for publications Please note that the publication link is activated only when the library staff has approved the thesis and published it in Theseus. This can take 1-2 work days. More information on Theseus can be obtained from Haaga-Helia libraries. If your thesis has not been published within a couple of days in Theseus, please check the email you have given when submitting your thesis. You may have received a notice of a failed submission. Please note that the confirmation message for an approved submission always comes to your Haaga-Helia email address, regardless of the address you provided during the submission.

If you have problems with publishing your thesis, you can contact Haaga-Helia library ( [email protected] ). If you need personal guidance with the publishing, library's specialists would be happy to help you also in a Teams meeting. Please tell in your message, if you wish to get guidance via Teams.

Open UAS students can't submit their thesis to Theseus. They can contact library staff, who will take care of the submission:  [email protected]

Your feedback on the thesis process

Feedback on the thesis process is included in the AVOP feedback at the end of the studies.

4. Thesis evaluation

Assessment of the thesis begins after the advisor has approved the Ouriginal analysis and the student has saved the finalised thesis to Wihi.

The thesis is assessed on a scale of 0-5, and the assessment is conducted by two assessors, the advisor together with another person appointed by Haaga-Helia (Section 13 of the Degree Regulations). The grade is determined on the basis of a joint assessment by the advisor and the second examiner. More detailed assessment criteria can be found in the file below.

The assessment of Master's Theses will change from August 1, 2022, so that the weighting factor for the results of theses will be removed. Theses started before August 1, 2022 will be assessed with an emphasis on results until July 31, 2023. After that, all theses are assessed without a weighting factor.

The evaluation statement is a public document that can be viewed by anyone in Haaga-Helia's library.

To assessment, the student requests also feedback from the possible commissioning party.

Rectifying procedure

The approved grade of the thesis cannot be raised by improving the thesis after the assessment. However, a correction request can be made for the assessment of the thesis (see Norms to be observed and appeal proceedings ).

If you feel that the assessment criteria have been incorrectly applied in the assessment of your thesis, you have the possibility to request a third assessor. In this procedure, a third assessor will re-assess your thesis. You will then still have the opportunity to request a correction from the examination board, which will not re-evaluate your thesis, but will examine whether the assessment process and criteria have been followed.

Assessment form, Master's Thesis

Evaluation criteria, Master's Thesis

Commissioner's feedback form Master's Thesis

5. Research ethics

In accordance with Haaga-Helia's values, we take responsibility into account in all our operations. We are committed to good scientific practice and to conducting research and development in accordance with the principles of research ethics (see Responsible Conduct of Research by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK ). In addition, we follow the ethical guidelines of The Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Arene .

The following are the functions and processes related to Haaga-Helia's research ethics principles, especially from the students' point of view.

The Finnish National Board on Research Integrity divides research misconduct into four subcategories, namely, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification and misappropriation:

• Unacknowledged borrowing, that is, plagiarism , refers to presenting material produced by someone else as one’s own.
• Fabrication refers to presenting invented observations or results.
• Falsification refers to the modification of original observations in such a way that the results are distorted, or that essential information is omitted.
• Misappropriation means that results, an idea or a plan by someone else is presented as one’s own.

Ouriginal, plagiarism tracking program

All theses are reviewed with the Ouriginal application. The use of Ouriginal increases the awareness of plagiarism and its prevention. Its introduction indicates that plagiarism is not acceptable and that our university has both the desire and the means to address the issue.

The Ouriginal review of the thesis is done through Wihi. The thesis advisor approves the Ouriginal report in Wihi if there is no indication of plagiarism in the report, and the thesis can proceed to evaluation. If there is reason to suspect plagiarism, a preliminary investigation will be started, in which the student will also be heard.

The program can be used to find out if there is possible plagiarism in thesis or other learning assignments. The program compares the content of the document to three different source types:

• Material published on the internet
• Publisher material (eg. e-books and e-magazines)
• Student-generated materials previously stored in the Ouriginal database.

The result of the comparison is an analysis report, which shows the similarities found. Based on this report, the advisor can determine if there is a suspicion of plagiarism.

The student's report is stored in a database, which will reveal possible plagiarism of the student's work in the future. If the student does not want the work to be the source material for plagiarism comparisons with other Ouriginal users, he / she should click on the link at the end of the confirmation message: "Follow this link if you want to prohibit the use of your document as described above."

Thesis Ethics Committee

Suspicions of plagiarism in theses are reviewed by Haaga-Helia’s Thesis Ethics Committee.

Haaga-Helia’s Degree Regulations 27 §, Personal Conduct at Haaga-Helia: “Cheating in examinations and plagiarism of assignments, thesis reports or other existing materials are strictly forbidden. If a student is found guilty of cheating, he or she is will be removed from the exam session or learning assignment and the course exam or other performance is failed. Plagiarism will result in failure of the course in question. Proved cheating will be entered into the study register. The punitive measures for the above-mentioned violations are governed by Section 38 of the Polytechnics Act (932/2014).”

6. Master seminars and thesis workshops

Students get support for their thesis work either in the specialisation’s Master seminars or the general thesis workshops. In the seminars, topics for theses are brainstormed, and in addition, the graduating students present their thesis.

Master seminars take place on the following Mondays in the spring:

• February 5th in English
• March 25th in Finnish
• April 22nd in English from 17.00 to 19.30.

The teachers responsible for specialisations inform the students separately about the seminar agenda and place.

Thesis workshops

The thesis workshops support the planning and implementation of the Master's thesis and are intended for all Master's students. Participating in the workshops is voluntary and does not accumulate study points, but according to the feedback, they are useful at every stage of the thesis.

Monday's theme workshops and Tuesday's method workshops are organised online. For Monday's theme workshop, one must enrol no later than the previous Sunday evening, in order to receive a link to the Haaga-Helia email address before the workshop starts. Kindly notify master(at)haaga-helia.fi if you cancel your enrolment. 

Enrol for spring 2024 thesis workshops in Webropol.

Master seminars and theme workshops on Mondays from 17.00 to 19.00

• 22.1. Mindfulness opinnäytetyössä
• 5.2. Master seminar (in English)
• 12.2. Opinnäytetyön rakenne ja rajaaminen
• 'Framing and structuring the thesis' workshop will not be held in the spring. You can find the recording here .
• 26.2. Työkaluja ja innostusta kirjoittamiseen
• 26.2. Thesis writing workshop: practices and tools for writing Huom! Sama päivä – opiskelija valitsee kielen ilmoittautuessaan. NB! Same day, student chooses language version when enrolling to the workshop
• 4.3. Tiedonhaku ja vinkit hyvien lähteiden äärelle
• 11.3. Information search and tips for finding relevant sources
• 25.3. Master-seminaari (suomeksi)
• 8.4. Kriittinen kirjoittaminen ja teoreettisen viitekehyksen rakentaminen
• 8.4. Critical writing and building of theoretical framework Huom! Sama päivä – opiskelija valitsee kielen ilmoittautuessaan. NB! Same day, student chooses language version when enrolling to the workshop
• 15.4. Tiedon havainnollistaminen
• Data visualisation workshop will not be held in the spring but a recording will be available soon.
• 22.4. Master seminar (in English)
• 6.5. Opinnäytetyön viimeistely / Final steps of the thesis process (in Finnish & in English)

Method workshops on Tuesdays from 18.00 to 20.30

For Tuesday’s method workshops, one must book a personal meeting time by email no later than the night before. The email addresses are in the following form: [email protected]

• Quantitative methods (e.g. surveys) > Principal Lecturer Pirjo Saaranen
• Qualitative methods (e.g. interviews, content analysis) > Principal Lecturer Juha Lindstedt

Extra method evenings on 6.2. and 27.2. from 18.00 to 20.30

Extra method evenings will be held in English in the spring.

• 6.2. Interviews and content analysis. Assessing reliability and validity, Principal Lecturer Juha Lindstedt Click here to join the meeting Everybody who is interested in the topic can join!
• 27.2. Questionnaire design and use of Webropol for collecting data. Analysing and presenting quantitative data ,  Principal Lecturer Pirjo Saaranen

Assessment form Master's Thesis

Types of thesis

The research and development objectives, results and outputs can be very different. Respectively, working on the thesis can proceed in many different ways, and therefore, one general model cannot be given. However, theses have always in common that the student gets acquainted with previous research, collects and analyses one's own data or plans and implements one's own development project, and finally, describes and evaluates the results.

The master's thesis always begins with the definition of the objectives of research and development. The whole process is described in a thesis report and there can also be other outputs depending on the nature of the thesis. The progress of the work between these start and end points can then take different directions. The following orientations serve as examples.

The development-oriented thesis progresses from getting acquainted with previous research on the topic to the analysis of the current situation of the target organization and to the planned development and evaluation of the validity of the results. In addition to the thesis report, other outputs can be, for example, a new operating model, an operating manual for the organisation or operating instructions for an ICT system. In a development-oriented thesis, a separate output can also be developed and implemented, which can be, for example, a concept plan, product, a new service or piece of work.

Another common form of thesis is a research-oriented thesis , which also meets the development needs of the organisation. In this case, the thesis progresses from getting acquainted with previous research to collecting and analysing one's own research data, which serves as the basis for development proposals. Development proposals based on research must also be validated, for example, with feedback from the experts of the target organisation.

A research-oriented thesis can also focus on a current topic or challenge in working life or business. The student may not have an organisation or company as a commissioning party. Haaga-Helia, for example, can act as a client on the basis of its RDI needs. Even then, the thesis progresses from getting acquainted with previous research to collecting and analysing one's own research data. The result can be, for example, development suggestions, a new operating model for business, a blueprint or other recommendations.

The Dual B.A. /M.A. program is designed for the ambitious and talented undergraduate Georgia State student to complete a Master’s degree in one year beyond the B.A. In order to take advantage of the time savings, undergraduates should make sure all undergraduate pre-requisites are completed by the end of their junior year. The dual degree program is a 31-credit hour degree program beyond the Bachelor’s degree (25 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of non-course work) that is started in their undergraduate senior year. Participants will need to take SOCI 3010: Social Statistics, SOCI 3020: Research Methods, and SOCI 3030: Sociological Theory in their junior year at the latest. The B.A. /M.A. program consists of a Master’s Core (A), Master’s Electives (B), and Other Master’s Requirements (C).

Suggested Plan of Study

Dual degree fourth year (core course work).

• SOCI 8010 - Intermediate Sociological Statistics 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8020 - Research Methodology 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 9010 - Multivariate Sociological Data Analysis 4 Credit Hours
• 8000-level SOCI elective 3 Credit Hours 

Dual Degree Fifth Year (Thesis Option)

• SOCI 8030 - Sociological Theory I 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8342 - Qualitative Methods in Sociology 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8999 - Thesis Research 1 to 18 Credit Hours
• SOCI 9020 - Advanced Research Methodology 3 Credit Hours

Dual Degree Fifth Year (Internship Option)

• SOCI 8980 - Sociology Internship 1 to 6 Credit Hours
• 8000-level SOCI elective  3 Credit Hours 

Dual Degree Requirements

A. master’s core course work (16 hours):, b. master’s elective course work (6-9 hours):.

Substantive sociology courses or advanced data analysis courses as electives:

• SOCI 8102 - Life Course Sociology 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8156 - Sexuality and Society 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8212 - Race and Ethnic Relations 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8216 - Gender and Society 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8226 - Urban Sociology 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 9230 - Sociology of Health & Illness 3 Credit Hours

Advanced Methods courses: 

• SOCI 9050 - Special Topics in Social Research Methods 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8900 - Special Topics in Sociology 3 Credit Hours
• SOCI 8160 - Sociological Domestic Field School 3 Credit Hours
• GEOS 6520 - Quantitative Spatial Analysis 3 Credit Hours
• GERO 8700 - Special Topics in Gerontology 3 Credit Hours

C. Other Master’s Requirements (6 hours):

Choose a thesis or a non-thesis option. For the thesis option, you must register for 6 hours of SOCI 8999.

Thesis option

• SOCI 8999 Thesis Research 6 Credit Hours
• A thesis proposal, thesis, and oral defense.

Non-thesis option

• SOCI 8980: Internship (6)

Any dual degree student who wants to complete an MA thesis before obtaining a degree must also take SOCI 8030 as one of their elective courses. Not doing so, could hinder a student from successfully pursuing a PhD in Sociology at GSU or elsewhere.