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Site Analysis Categories You Need to Cover For Your Architecture Thesis Project

Neha Sharma

05 mins read

After having spent hours brainstorming ideas, building the perfect brief and selecting a great site for your architecture thesis topic, the question that pops into every student's mind is, where do I start?

While you build a brief and an area program, you need to simultaneously be conducting a detailed site analysis. Being architecture students, we’re no strangers to a good site analysis, but sometimes it’s good to have a checklist to see what all you should be covering!

Architecture Site Analysis

As we know, the Site Analysis is a study of the portion of land selected for your thesis project. It’s a crucial step involving the collection of data on all possible tangible and intangible aspects of your site, to help you make informed design decisions throughout the semester.

For all categories we will put down as a part of the checklist, the process of a good site analysis could be broken down into the following three parts: Documentation: Gathering all relevant data. Analysis: Critically studying the gathered data. Inferences: Making possible deductions from the analysis for your design.

The three steps of a Site Analysis (Source: Author)

Agreed that it is a formidable task, but do not be overwhelmed. Read through our checklist of site analysis categories for your architecture thesis project, and make one for yourself!

[Read: 7 Tips on Choosing the Perfect Architecture Thesis Topic For You ]

1. Movement, Connectivity and Circulation

The suitability of your site for the chosen architecture thesis topic is determined by the connections it has to the surroundings. The connectivity of your site can be on 2 scales: Macro and Micro.

Macro-connectivity is on a larger scale which explores access routes to the major nodes in a region like transit terminals, hospitals, offices, commercial centres, etc.

Micro-connectivity is defined by the immediate site network like access roads, surrounding buildings and proximity to project relevant utilities. This may help plan the major circulation paths on site.

Knowing how well-connected (or not) your site is will help make crucial design decisions like entrances and exits, how much parking you need, what kind of traffic you’re catering to, etc.

Source: www.aucklanddesignmanual.co.nz

2. Immediate Site Context

Context is what is happening (or has happened) in, out, around and about the site! It involves areas like the local architectural style, materials, construction techniques, historical and cultural background, analysis of edge conditions , urban morphology , prior uses, political conditions or anything that may be relevant to the site.

I don’t think we need to explain why this is important to your thesis, because if you needed to know, you wouldn’t have reached thus far in architecture school!

Source: www.pinterest.com

3. Zoning and Development Control Regulations

Every region has laid down its development control regulations, zoning and land use patterns. Various factors like site location, type of zone it falls under, land use as per DCR, prevailing vehicular/ pedestrian traffic (high, medium, low-density zones) and permissible setbacks give you an idea of how suitable the site is for the project chosen. Prominent points to note would be the FAR , permissible built-up area, setbacks, height-restrictions, etc.

This will make your thesis as realistic as possible, giving you guidelines within which you must plan and would prevent any faculty or jury member from questioning the legitimacy of your thesis.

Source: Studio 6 site analysis, slideshare.com

4. Climate and Ecology

What is good architecture if not an immediate response to climate? One of the first and most important things to know about your site is its climatic conditions. To make things simple, divide the study into 2 parts:

Macro-climate - The climate of the larger chunk of land, like the region or country the site is located in and remains constant (more or less) irrespective of the architectural developments taking place. Here, the sun path, seasonal temperatures, humidity, annual precipitation and prevailing wind direction are common data acquisition sections and are the deciding factors for (but not limited to) the building’s location on site, its orientation, form and massing.

Micro-climate - The local climate conditions that might affect design decisions like the presence of water-bodies nearby, existing vegetation, topography, etcetera. It is especially crucial when dealing with projects abutting lakes, rivers or the sea, where the effect of water-body may dictate your design development. Or a site in a hilly region where contour study/slope analysis is a must!

Source: www.lassetercoa.wordpress.com

5. Demographics

Design is for your users, and good architecture takes full account of them. Demographic analysis involves the socio-economic study of a region by categorising its population into religion, ethnicity, cultural background, income profiles, nativity and occupation. This analysis is key for socially or culturally sensitive architecture thesis topics like places of worship, community housing and welfare centres.

Want to create something for the people? Know them first!

6. Services and Amenities

A brief study of site services is essential to know how your site is connected to basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, drainage, sewerage, or telephone and internet lines (all hail WiFi!).

For planning and locating your building services, you need to know where the service lines are going and how they’re laid out, including any existing service features on site.

7. Sensory Analysis

Does your site have points where the view is just fantastic (maybe overlooking a waterbody, eye-soothing greenery or the cityscape)? Or maybe it has spots where there is unbearable noise (could be from your weekly vegetable market or that one lane through which the whole city has to travel)!

More often than not, such sensory analysis of the site is neglected. But when such observations are noted and inferred from, they can be some of the strongest drivers of your architecture thesis project.

Source: www.wp.com

It is always good to make a checklist while dealing with a lot of data, and the site analysis is no exception. However, please do not limit yourself to the above list, as each site is unique and may have exceptional needs. You may need to do additional analysis particular to the features of your thesis, as it reflects the individuality of both the project and the student. Depending on your architecture thesis topic, other categories may include historical analysis, water/soil integrity sampling, traffic volume analysis, and more.

Having read the above list that has been put in place for you, go ahead and put your hard work and magic in place too! Novatr is always here to help.

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thesis advice - methods for finding a site

I am in the beginning of my second semester of thesis and things are not progressing well. In short, my thesis is about using the design of a school to reconnect children with the natural environment. It came about from the idea that urban/suburban developments, technology, safety factors, etc. forced children indoors and into childhoods that were preplanned for them without giving them the opportunity to explore. The problem I am having is finding a site. Unlike many of my peers proposals, which are based around a specific site, I have a list of criteria but no good ideas for finding a place. I guess I am looking for a kind of natural interruption within a developed area that creates interesting edge conditions, such as a hill, cliff, etc. in the northeast. Does anyone have any tips on how to go about finding something like this(aside from zooming in and out of google earth for hours - which hasn't proved fruitful btw)?

where are you? if ny, I always did want to a inset a building into the palisades....

pick a place close to where you live. unless you can travel. why not site of an existing school? they are located in places where people actually want them and can use them on more than a casual basis... actually, it sounds from your list above that place is not part of the question...the topic is broad enough you can locate your project anywhere and also design the landscape too. a didactic landscape if you want (but don't call it that cuz that would be seriously obnoxious). when i was a kid played with/on the bales of hay in the barn (back when they were still rectangular), in the woods out by my dad's house, in the URBAN greenhouse by my mom's house, in the farm-machinery repair yard (city centre back in those days), and sometimes on the empty oil-barrels at my gramma's rural gas-station...the thing that made them fun was not their "naturalness"...you should be careful not to substitute your own program for the childrens' future. and anyway, natural does not always equal better, and design does not work too well when pressed into service as social engineering...gets gloop all over it...

northeast of what ? where r u ???

if you have time, do a quick study of existing schools in the area, and propose where the next one should be based on proximity and pop growth. keep it local, mine was halfway around the country - not very wise. also, if you are connecting with nature, check out wg clark's lucy daniels. and then research montessori's.

Just check a "free" site in an area that you are familiar with - and that could need a school. Then work with that. don't try looking for "the perfect site" - your strategies should not depend on a really inspirational natural setting, but be aimed at finding a good solution in ordinary circumstances - dealing with the issues you are interested in - with real restraints from the surroundings rather than having a site that actually does not need architecture to be inspirational. and remember, kids love mud.

Agreed, I got absorbed in this 'perfect site' obsession and it almost killed my thesis. For reasons I cant understand it seems like 70% of the discussions during thesis crits at my school amount to "you have the wrong site", right up to the final crit. I must have gone through 10 sites before I coming back to the first one and telling my advisor to shove it up his ass. Closeness is important too. Even at 2 hours away it was a pain in the ass. Check population growth, towns where schools are failing, and just pick somewhere. You dont want to be looking for a site more than a week or two into second semester.

Its just part of the decision making process- you have to DECIDE on a site, and move on. Otherwise your thesis will not move along. Take two or three days and go on a whirlwind tour of your area, focusing on the characteristics you described. Whittle your list down to three places. Revisit each a week later. Pick the best one that evening. Its like anything in life, design, etc. Do some research, think it through, make a decision. If a juror or your advisor criticizes your site, stand firm. It is what is and you need that datum. Tell them this is the site ans ask them to judge the design based on the site and the decisions you have made that have been informd by the site you picked. If they continue, tell them to get over it and that this crit is over. (I saw someone do that once, it was quite shocking and amusing.) Good luck.

Thanks everyone for all the responses! I definitely agree about the whole perfect site thing, I just wish my professors could see my project in the same way! I feel like this project could be done almost anywhere, and that the site would just impact the way that "nature" is used in the project. I still am not really any closer to having a site at the moment, but after a semi-frantic email to one of my advisors, I think he gets that something needs to happen. He even left me a message telling me that he found some good places in the area for me to look at. Now I just have to make it through this pinup having no site and nothing related to architecture at all...

I agree. There are lot's of "perfect" sites. And for thesis, it's nice to have one close enough that you can travel to it several times. Especially if you want "nature" to be a large part of the project. My thesis site was an hour drive away, and it was great. I went many times, was able to take many photos, and think about it. It was a good experience, much better than the usual single trip in a studio. I think, just pick one, or two, and work with them. What about picking an abandoned building and adding to it, to show how your design thinking would alter what we normally do? Pick an existing school that you particularly like or hate.

My thesis sounds very familiar to what you are trying to do. I would suggest figuring why the idea of nature and education are interesting to you. Did you go to a particular area growing up to be close to nature? If so, why not pick that area? How about where you are originally from? If these don't work, I would pick an abandoned industrial/brownfield in a city and renaturalise it. Hope that this helps.

I am doing thesis on shiv temple.I have to make a temple complex. Can anyone help me with the guidelines for shiv temple and any other data to be considered while designing ? Also please suggest me some sites .

School is hard. It's much easier to ask random strangers instead.

curious who has the record for resurrecting the oldest thread?

11 years, almost to the exact date. Maybe we should only keep score from this point on.

I am designing a memorial for saint basavanna. can anyone help me regarding site selection criteria?

Why? We don't need more religious shrines to long dead (likely) fictional characters. Build a strip mall instead!

Is anyone having information about the Iskcon temple proposed by Ar. Sanjay Puri in Ahmedabad ?

yes ! email me and i will pass along

Please mail if you have the related information on [email protected]

Just pick a site, and it might help if it is one that doesn't offer up a "perfect" situation for what you are trying to structure and you have to design your way into a thesis.

Screw trying to find the 'perfect' site.  Leave that untouched and for everyone to enjoy.  Go find the worst site instead, perhaps contaminated, discarded and challenge yourself to work with it, renew it and give it life.  If you can do that, you'll have a more interesting project and probably learn a lot more along the way.  Many try to find the most perfect and pristine site and want to plonk down their work on it, often times cutting it off from the general public's use forever.

Pick a triangular site and then see if you haven't grounded your head down to a nub by the end of the year.

If any site is large enough a group of landscape architects and civil engineers can create several kinds of biologically diverse areas within the broad parameters of any school's climate setting.

Pretty sure the new OP is just looking for handouts, not ideas. 

Hi new OP, if you leave your email address here:  it will give you all the answers you never needed. Good luck!

Does that actually work? I typically use that site when I get aggressive PMs of from those looking for free design services.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/...  You may find the perfect site from one of these schools. Good luck!

Hey everyone! Can anyone please help me in finding a suitable proposed site for my thesis on music academy ? 

Use Budapest, that way you can copy submissions from that Music Academy competition that Sou Fujimoto won, even less work for you and less to learn or develop your own ideas!

Just add a few shipping containers to cleaveland, Ohio.

World map, bottle of tequilla and a dart should do it...

Try university library website, and journal sites too. There are ample resources in  google scholar but one that will fit your topic could really be hard. good luck to your thesis.

hello, i am currently conducting my thesis and i was wondering if any of you know how to make a site statement (parameters) for a prototype proposal? My thesis is a house that focuses on technology and I’m having trouble with how to write about my site because I don’t really have a specific one. Thank you to anyone who would help.

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• 3b- Selecting a Research Site

Now that you are aware of some of the things you will be looking for and reading as a researcher, you can begin to think about possible sites for your primary research. Over the years, students using this text, engaging in ethnographic research projects, have studied a wide range of sites and communities. These sites have been both physical and virtual, dealing with online and real-time communities. Sometimes students see themselves as complete insiders, and sometimes students are less able to find that connection immediately, and choose a location because of another interest, such as cultural background, personal belief, or even social interest. Examples of research sites chosen by students in first year writing classrooms:

Dog parks Ethnic restaurants Art activist projects Laundromats Family holiday parties Smoking lounges Dorm spaces Workspaces Online discussion groups focusing on any number of topics

No matter what, the most important factor when selecting your own site is choosing a place or space or group of people to whom you already feel connected in some way, either by direct membership, burgeoning interest, or cultural/political belief. That last statement is so important that it merits repetition. The most important consideration as you narrow your search for a research site is to identify some kind of a connection with the place/space, even if you might not consider yourself a complete insider, even if you believe you know very little about the culture. We recommend that students have a personal connection with their site for a few reasons:

• One semester is not enough time to conduct research and then write an enthographic essay discussing the behaviors and/or beliefs concerning a particular site/group/community about which you know, and initially care, absolutely nothing. You want to give yourself a leg up and choose your site based on a genuine interest or personal connection with a site so that you have a starting point for your observations and analysis.
• The site you select will be a place you go or a group you meet with for many, many, many hours over the next weeks. Your site will be your text. If you are not “into” your research or “into” your site, chances are that you’ll be bored and not want to conduct your research. And, then writing an essay will become more of a chore than a challenge.
• If you have an identifiable connection with the site, you will be better able to embrace and understand the role of the participant-observer in ethnographic data collection. To some degree, you will need to see yourself as part of, rather than separate, above, or beyond the community/site you’re researching. Choosing a research site based upon personal connection allows you to more easily become one of the subjects of your own research, thereby increasing your own abilities to conduct reflexive analysis of the community and yourself.

There is an important caveat if you are considering writing as an insider and selecting a group or site to which you already belong. The “insider” perspective is challenging because it can be quite difficult to see yourself and your friends with the eyes of a researcher and observer when you are not confronted with anything unfamiliar, if you are simply doing what is “normal.” You also may find that it becomes awkward to talk and write about some of the observations you make. Being able to see patterns and find the rituals and rules that members of a community take for granted is a challenge if you are a part of that community.

An example: One student decided to look at how Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was able to form such strong support networks. This was an “insider” group for him because he attended an AA meeting every day. As a writer and ethnographer, his challenge was to take that very familiar world and to see it with the new eyes of a cultural observer. While he could see and report on the very obvious rituals and “rules” of AA and AA meetings, he was not comfortable writing about some of the deeply personal issues that came up in the meetings in which he was both an active participant and an observer. He was not ready, nor was he ethically able, to share some of those things with the world outside of AA. Ultimately he was able to write a very good essay about how AA created a “safe” space for him. The struggles he faced in writing a very personal, close-to-home ethnography are not uncommon when researching as an “insider,” so you should keep these things in mind as you consider possible research sites.

The challenge in writing from more of an outsider perspective, though making sure to choose a site based upon some genuine interest that is not driven by voyeurism, is the opposite of that of the insider challenge. You will probably find many patterns and interesting things to explore, but you may have more difficulty becoming a participant in the community and finding the meaning in your observations. Deciding which behaviors are meaningful (rituals) and which are just done (habit) can be problematic. If you are able to discern between those to things, you then have to move on to presenting an interpretation of what the meaning might be. You will need to be very aware of your own filters and make sure that you find out how the members of the community see things.

And, as is the case with the dangers of the “insider” perspective, problems being clearly situated as an “outsider” in a research site have ethical implications. Some students may be tempted to choose sites based upon stated interests in issues such as homelessness, homosexuality, exotic dancing, and other ‘foreign’ communities. When a site is chosen because of a kind of voyeuristic impulse, the project itself is at risk of being unethical. If it is impossible for the individual to become a participant-observer, and not just remain an observer, the student-research risks ‘othering’ the members of the community that they’re observing.  Students must selected sites and research trajectories that allow them to participate in the community rather than simply watch it from afar. Often, the solution can be to figure out how to engage in a volunteer scenario and serve the community in some way, via homeless shelter, or community organization. If this option seems impossible, then a student would do well to read a couple memoirs written by folks in their community of interest, and choose a different site.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1a- Connecting to Ethnographic Writing
• 1b- Identifying with Ethnographic Writing
• 1c- Rhetorical Strate­gies for Ethnographic Writing
• 2a- Writerly Ethos
• 2b- Under­stand­ing Pla­gia­rism
• 2c- Eth­i­cal Conun­drums in Com­munity Research
• 3a- Examining Culture as Text
• 3c- Access to Your Research Site
• 3d- Rhetorical Strategies for Research Proposals
• 4a- Rhetorical Strategies for Writing Observations
• 4b- Considering Types of Fieldnotes
• 4c- Expanding and Revising Fieldnotes and Observations
• 5a- Searching for Sources: Keywords, Databases, Catalogs, and Shelves
• 5b- Ethical Considerations when Conducting Research of Secondary Sources
• 5c- Impact of Technology on Conducting Research of Secondary Sources
• 5d- Sorting Sources and Eating Books
• 5e- Popular Culture Source Material
• 5f- Summarizing Sources
• 5g- Building an Annotated Bibliography
• 6a- Introducing your Research
• 6b- Presenting the Methodology and Focus
• 6c- Selecting Examples and Evidence
• 6d- Selecting Effective Secondary Source Evidence
• 6e- Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Documenting Source Material
• 6f- Concluding in a Meaningful Way
• 6g- Reviewing and Revising Your Essay
• Supplemental Modules
• How to Use this Textbook
• Teaching with EC
• How to Become a Contributing Author

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Chapter 12: Field Research: A Qualitative Research Technique

12.4 Getting In and Choosing a Site

When embarking on a field research project, there are two major aspects to consider. The first is where to observe and the second is what role you will take in your field site. Your decision about each of these will be shaped by a number of factors, over some of which you will have control and others you will not. Your decision about where to observe and what role to play will also have consequences for the data you are able to gather and how you analyze and share those data with others. We will examine each of these contingencies in the following subsections.

Your research question might determine where you observe, by, but because field research often works inductively, you may not have a totally focused question before you begin your observations. In some cases, field researchers choose their final research question once they embark on data collection. Other times, they begin with a research question but remain open to the possibility that their focus may shift as they gather data. In either case, when you choose a site, there are a number of factors to consider. These questions include:

• What do you hope to accomplish with your field research?
• What is your topical/substantive interest?
• Where are you likely to observe behaviour that has something to do with that topic?
• How likely is it that you will actually have access to the locations that are of interest to you?
• How much time do you have to conduct your participant observations?
• Will your participant observations be limited to a single location, or will you observe in multiple locations?

Perhaps the best place to start, as you work to identify a site or sites for your field research, is to think about your limitations . One limitation that could shape where you conduct participant observation is time. Field researchers typically immerse themselves in their research sites for many months, sometimes even years. As demonstrated in Table 12.1 “Field Research Examples”, other field researchers have spent as much or even more time in the field. Do you have several years available to conduct research, or are you seeking a smaller-scale field research experience? How much time do you have to participate and observe per day? Per week? Identifying how available you’ll be in terms of time will help you determine where and what sort of research sites to choose. Also think about where you live and whether travel is an option for you. Some field researchers move to live with or near their population of interest. Is this something you might consider? How you answer these questions will shape how you identify your research site. Where might your field research questions take you?

In choosing a site, also consider how your social location might limit what or where you can study. The ascribed aspects of our locations are those that are involuntary, such as our age or race or mobility. For example, how might your ascribed status as an adult shape your ability to conduct complete participation in a study of children’s birthday parties? The achieved aspects of our locations, on the other hand, are those about which we have some choice. In field research, we may also have some choice about whether, or the extent to which, we reveal the achieved aspects of our identities.

Finally, in choosing a research site, consider whether your research will be a collaborative project or whether you are on your own. Collaborating with others has many benefits; you can cover more ground, and therefore collect more data, than you can on your own. Having collaborators in any research project, but especially field research, means having others with whom to share your trials and tribulations in the field. However, collaborative research comes with its own set of challenges, such as possible personality conflicts among researchers, competing commitments in terms of time and contributions to the project, and differences in methodological or theoretical perspectives (Shaffir, Marshall, & Haas, 1979). When considering something that is of interest to you, consider also whether you have possible collaborators. How might having collaborators shape the decisions you make about where to conduct participant observation?

This section began by asking you to think about limitations that might shape your field site decisions. But it makes sense to also think about the opportunities —social, geographic, and otherwise—that your location affords. Perhaps you are already a member of an organization where you would like to conduct research. Maybe you know someone who knows someone else who might be able to help you access a site. Perhaps you have a friend you could stay with, enabling you to conduct participant observations away from home. Choosing a site for participation is shaped by all these factors—your research question and area of interest, a few limitations, some opportunities, and sometimes a bit of being in the right place at the right time.

Choosing a role

As with choosing a research site, some limitations and opportunities beyond your control might shape the role you take once you begin your participant observation. You will also need to make some deliberate decisions about how you enter the field and who you will be once you are in.

In terms of entering the field, one of the earliest decisions you will need to make is whether to be overt or covert. As an overt researcher, you enter the field with your research participants having some awareness about the fact that they are the subjects of social scientific research. Covert researchers, on the other hand, enter the field as though they are full participants, opting not to reveal that they are also researchers or that the group they’ve joined is being studied. As you might imagine, there are pros and cons to both approaches. A critical point to keep in mind is that whatever decision you make about how you enter the field will affect many of your subsequent experiences in the field.

As an overt researcher, you may experience some trouble establishing rapport at first. Having an insider at the site who can vouch for you will certainly help, but the knowledge that subjects are being watched will inevitably (and understandably) make some people uncomfortable and possibly cause them to behave differently than they would, were they not aware of being research subjects. Because field research is typically a sustained activity that occurs over several months or years, it is likely that participants will become more comfortable with your presence over time. Overt researchers also avoid a variety of moral and ethical dilemmas that they might otherwise face.

As a covert researcher, “getting in” your site might be quite easy; however, once you are in, you may face other issues. Some questions to consider are:

• How long would you plan to conceal your identity?
• How might participants respond once they discover you’ve been studying them?
• How will you respond if asked to engage in activities you find unsettling or unsafe?

Researcher, Jun Li (2008) struggled with the ethical challenges of “getting in” to interview female gamblers as a covert researcher. Her research was part of a post-doctoral fellowship from the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre to study female gambling culture. In response to these ethical aspects, she changed her research role to overt; however, in her overt role female gamblers were reluctant to “speak their minds” to her (p. 100). As such, she once again adjusted her level of involvement in the study to one who participated in female gambling culture as an insider and observed as an outsider. You can read her interesting story at the following link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol13/iss1/8 .

Beyond your own personal level of comfort with deceiving participants and willingness to take risks, it is possible that the decision about whether or not to enter the field covertly will be made for you. If you are conducting research while associated with any federally funded agency (and even many private entities), your institutional review board (IRB) probably will have something to say about any planned deception of research subjects. Some IRBs approve deception, but others look warily upon a field researcher engaging in covert participation. The extent to which your research site is a public location, where people may not have an expectation of privacy, might also play a role in helping you decide whether covert research is a reasonable approach.

Having an insider at your site who can vouch for you is helpful. Such insiders, with whom a researcher may have some prior connection or a closer relationship than with other site participants, are called key informants. A key informant can provide a framework for your observations, help translate what you observe, and give you important insight into a group’s culture. If possible, having more than one key informant at a site is ideal, as one informant’s perspective may vary from another’s.

Once you have made a decision about how to enter your field site, you will need to think about the role you will adopt while there. Aside from being overt or covert, how close will you be to participants? In the words of Fred Davis (1973), [12] who coined these terms in reference to researchers’ roles, “will you be a Martian, a Convert, or a bit of both”? Davis describes the Martian role as one in which a field researcher stands back a bit, not fully immersed in the lives of his subjects, in order to better problematize, categorize, and see with the eyes of a newcomer what’s being observed. From the Martian perspective, a researcher should remain disentangled from too much engagement with participants. The Convert, on the other hand, intentionally dives right into life as a participant. From this perspective, it is through total immersion that understanding is gained. Which approach do you feel best suits you?

In the preceding section we examined how ascribed and achieved statuses might shape how or which sites are chosen for field research. They also shape the role the researcher adopts in the field site. The fact that the authors of this textbook are professors, for example, is an achieved status. We can choose the extent to which we share this aspect of our identities with field study participants. In some situations, sharing that we are professors may enhance our ability to establish rapport; in other field sites it might stifle conversation and rapport-building. As you have seen from the examples provided throughout this chapter, different field researchers have taken different approaches when it comes to using their social locations to help establish rapport and dealing with ascribed statuses that differ from those of their “subjects

Whatever role a researcher chooses, many of the points made in Chapter 11 “Quantitative Interview Techniques” regarding power and relationships with participants apply to field research as well. In fact, the researcher/researched relationship is even more complex in field studies, where interactions with participants last far longer than the hour or two it might take to interview someone. Moreover, the potential for exploitation on the part of the researcher is even greater in field studies, since relationships are usually closer and lines between research and personal or off-the-record interaction may be blurred. These precautions should be seriously considered before deciding to embark upon a field research project

Field notes

The aim with field notes is to record your observations as straightforwardly and, while in the field, as quickly as possible, in a way that makes sense to you . Field notes are the first—and a necessary—step toward developing quality analysis. They are also the record that affirms what you observed. In other words, field notes are not to be taken lightly or overlooked as unimportant; however, they are not usually intended for anything other than the researcher’s own purposes as they relate to recollections of people, places and things related to the research project.

Some say that there are two different kinds of field notes: descriptive and analytic. Though the lines between what counts as description and what counts as analysis can become blurred, the distinction is nevertheless useful when thinking about how to write and how to interpret field notes. In this section, we will focus on descriptive field notes. Descriptive field notes are notes that simply describe a field researcher’s observations as straightforwardly as possible. These notes typically do not contain explanations of, or comments about, those observations. Instead, the observations are presented on their own, as clearly as possible. In the following section, we will define and examine the uses and writing of analytic field notes more closely.

Analysis of field research data

Field notes are data. But moving from having pages of data to presenting findings from a field study in a way that will make sense to others requires that those data be analyzed. Analysis of field research data is the focus in this final section of the chapter.

From description to analysis

Writing and analyzing field notes involves moving from description to analysis. In Section 12.4 “Field Notes”, we considered field notes that are mostly descriptive in nature. In this section we will consider analytic field notes. Analytic field notes are notes that include the researcher’s impressions about his observations. Analyzing field note data is a process that occurs over time, beginning at the moment a field researcher enters the field and continuing as interactions happen in the field, as the researcher writes up descriptive notes, and as the researcher considers what those interactions and descriptive notes mean.

Often field notes will develop from a more descriptive state to an analytic state when the field researcher exits a given observation period, with messy jotted notes or recordings in hand (or in some cases, literally on hand), and sits at a computer to type up those notes into a more readable format. We have already noted that carefully paying attention while in the field is important; so is what goes on immediately upon exiting the field. Field researchers typically spend several hours typing up field notes after each observation has occurred. This is often where the analysis of field research data begins. Having time outside of the field to reflect upon your thoughts about what you have seen and the meaning of those observations is crucial to developing analysis in field research studies.

Once the analytic field notes have been written or typed up, the field researcher can begin to look for patterns across the notes by coding the data. This will involve the iterative process of open and focused coding that is outlined in Chapter 10, “Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Methods.” As mentioned in Section 12.4 “Field Notes”, it is important to note as much as you possibly can while in the field and as much as you can recall after leaving the field because you never know what might become important. Things that seem decidedly unimportant at the time may later reveal themselves to have some relevance.

As mentioned in Chapter 10, analysis of qualitative data often works inductively. The analytic process of field researchers and others who conduct inductive analysis is referred to as grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Charmaz, 2006). The goal when employing a grounded theory approach is to generate theory. Its name not only implies that discoveries are made from the ground up but also that theoretical developments are grounded in a researcher’s empirical observations and a group’s tangible experiences. Grounded theory requires that one begin with an open-ended and open-minded desire to understand a social situation or setting and involves a systematic process whereby the researcher lets the data guide her rather than guiding the data by preset hypotheses.

As exciting as it might sound to generate theory from the ground up, the experience can also be quite intimidating and anxiety-producing, since the open nature of the process can sometimes feel a little out of control. Without hypotheses to guide their analysis, researchers engaged in grounded theory work may experience some feelings of frustration or angst. The good news is that the process of developing a coherent theory that is grounded in empirical observations can be quite rewarding, not only to researchers, but also to their peers, who can contribute to the further development of new theories through additional research, and to research participants who may appreciate getting a bird’s-eye view of their every day.

Research Methods for the Social Sciences: An Introduction Copyright © 2020 by Valerie Sheppard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Architecture Student Chronicles

Site Selection and Analysis | Architectural Thesis

Site analysis for construction.

Site Analysis is very important before we initiate our construction. Detailed study of site and its surroundings will help justify our design proposal. Detailed study of the site and surrounding areas of the site helps in designing the project efficiently.

Site Selection

A site is selected on the basis of the demand of the construction

An already existing site is taken, is analyzed and the kind of project to be proposed on that particular site is decided.

New Trend: Environmental Friendly or Green Building Construction

When analyzing the site, we also have to consider the impact of the structure on the surrounding environment. If the proposed structure would have any negative impact on the environment. In one of our earlier articles, we have discussed “Site selection” and “Site Analysis” with respect to the environmental impact.

Check it out:

Selection of a suitable site | Environmental Sustainability

Site Analysis and Development

Here are some of the steps to be followed for Site Analysis:

Google maps.

Locate your site on the google maps.

It will give you an idea of the:

Site contours

The connectivity to the main road and other sub roads

The distances from the major landmarks such as:

• Shopping centres
• Railway Station
• Visit the site.
• Dimensions of the site
• Get the exact dimensions of the site.

Site Surveying

Hire a surveyor and get the survey of the land. It will help you figure out the geological and hydrological structure of the site.

Accessibility to the site

The main entrances and the main road abutting the site also has to be noted. Easy accessibility to the site is very important for any kind of project. But of course, the significance varies if we are to compare an industrial project with residential project.

Major Landmarks

After spotting the major landmarks, analyze the integrity of their existence in close proximity to the site. It is essential to know as to what kind of impact would these structures have on our site.

Orientation of the site

Mark the orientation of site. Orientation of site will help you in orienting the structure correctly in the process of designing.

Climatology Factors

Climate can be subdivided into two major divisions:

• Micro climate
• Macro climate

We have to study the micro climate and macro climate of the place in order to design a Bio-climatic structure. We have already discussed Bio-climatic Architecture. You must give a read before advancing further. It will give you a clear idea of the Bio climatic aspects to be considered while designing.

Economic feasibility

The site location and detailed site analysis will give you an idea of the economic feasibility of the project. It means that the type of building or construction you are looking forward to proposing on that site would be a successful venture or not depending on the conditions of the site.

For example:

If you propose to build a five star hotel on a highway, it would not be economically feasible because you would not have the kind of users you would like to target for your venture to become successful. Hence, going for a construction of a Highway Restaurant would be much more feasible.

Sustainability Factors

Apart from environmental Sustainability, we are also looking at Sustainability in terms of construction.

That is, it is important to satisfy three important principles of Green Architecture which aims at Sustainability :

• Energy Efficiency
• Water Efficiency
• Material Efficiency

Site Services

Study of services on site is also very important. The major site services include:

• Water Supply
• Electricity Lines
• Drainage Lines

 After the absolute study of the site, one can conclude on the kind of project to be executed, its feasibility and also its sensitivity to be shown towards designing the structure and the site as well.

Also check out the “Guide on Site Planning” .

60 thoughts on “Site Selection and Analysis | Architectural Thesis”

hi am doing my final year architecture thesis project. self sustainable district police head quarters.i need some help for doing this project regarding sustainable design…

Hello Arvinth! We would gladly like to help you with your project.

But first I would like you to study Sustainable construction and technologies used before we discuss as to how you could incorporate it into your design. List of things you need to do before we discuss: Literature study of Police Head quarters (In your country and abroad) This will give you an idea of the difference in the planning and design of the police head quarters in your country and abroad. Also study about Sustainable structures…not necessarily sustainable police headquarters. After you have sufficient knowledge to discuss, we can then discuss it together and ask for different opinions from experts and other students and then come to a conclusion.

Live casestudies Minimum of two live casestudies have to be done by you. We can then discuss the scope of your design and the methodology in which you should progress.

Hope to see you back with some study on your project topic.

All the best!

Hi Ma’am thank you so much for such useful information!

I have a query! Does the site have to be barren land? Could it be a site that has farmlands or maybe a golf course, which could be scrapped out and considered as barren land? I need to select a site in delhi, but am unable to locate a big enough site in the midst of the city…..please help me out!

Hello Rama, Is this your thesis project?? I assume it is.

In this case, you are not allowed to assume things. You can definitely consider farmlands but not golf courses. It would also depend on the topic of your project. If you want we could discuss your design topic on the blog. This will help you as well as others.

hi maam, do u hv ne data related to police headquarters

hello .. i’m astudent at architecture college and i wish from you to help me by supply me with useful data ,information,drawings,and and standards of international airports design,because my graduation project is international airport in sinai ..please help me to design a good airport . thanks at all

hello maam me parul jain .. of 3rd year b.arch ….

hi… im a final year student of architecture doin my thesis as an automobile manufacturing plant… so can u help me in this by sayin wat s more imporrtant in lookin towards the site!!!

hi, i’m michael architecture student. please give me some tips for my proposal “city Hall”.

Hello Michael,

I am glad to hear from you. I am assuming that you have already done your literature case studies as well as live case studies. So write to me about all the requirements you have listed for the city hall design and I will give you my feedback on how you could proceed with design.

it is ideal to buy a land in private owner if your proposal is a city hall?

I am not sure if I understood your question clearly. Could you elaborate please so that all of us could help you through?

Hii i am nimit and my thesis project is ‘ORPHANAGE AND OLD AGE HOME” so can you plz give me some tips for my design concept how i can start with concept for orphans and old people ….

hi am doing my final year architecture thesis project. :institute of music, fine arts and architecture.i need some help for doing this project regarding which Indian based case studies as well as foreign to consult…n also suggest some tips for a design concept

Hello Akriti,

There are some really good institutions which you should consider for your casestudy. 1) Calcutta School of Music 2) Mumbai School of Music 3) Delhi School of Music

Let me know what you think. This would be a very good way to initiate a discussion.

Heyy evry1. I’m studying achitecture year 2 nd im findin it really hard to design a house, its like ive lost my creativitt wen it coms to designin houses…..wat should I do pls?

Hello Maryam,

Designing is a skill and takes time to learn. You should practice drawing more often. This will help you brush up your sketching skills which are important when it comes to expressing your thoughts on paper. Browse internet for house design ideas but don’t simply copy them. Having a look at different house designs will give you lots of design ideas. Check out floor plans, elevations and 3d views. I hope this helps.

hey m doing ma final yr architectural thesis project on super speciality children hospital. plz i need some help regarding case studies and suggestions for taking up a theme for the design concept

Hi, Im doing thesis on seafront development with hotel/resort. Could you please tell me, where to get standards for open space (like park) design based on tourist flow….

You could check out Time Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture. That is one huge resource.

what project should i carry out on my thesis topic Heritage conservation? what can i design for this?

Hello Aditya,

Well, you can take up an existing heritage building which is in ruins and not in a very good condition. You can work on the importance of why heritage buildings need to be regenerated and work on its designing. You can’t design a NEW heritage building. It has to be an existing one that you would like to consider.

hello ma’am, i am final year architecture student , and my thesis topic is ”media city “-designing a hub for all the visual media. so is their any standards while designing the channel station and can you please help me with some tips related to this topic. thank you..

Hi, am Felix. Am doing my thesis on ‘PLATEAU SOUTH BAPTIST CONFERENCE: Towards effective acoustic control in church building in nigeria. I need more literature on acoustics and what are the criteria in choosing a site for church building. Gracias

You can get all the information you need about acoustics in any library physics textbook. You can use a variety of excellent sound absorbing materials during interior design of a building to make it acoustically suitable for a Church gathering. It is all about material sciences.

I have designed a Church before. There are no specific criteria for choosing a site for a Church building. It is just a large building. Any site of sufficient area would be fine.

There may be local zoning regulations governing where you can build large public buildings, which generally depend on the available infrastructure like roads, parking and accessibility of fire trucks. But generally, any site is fine.

HI ma,m, I am a final year Architecture student, my project is SUSTAINABLE APARTMENT BUILDING and i need some help regarding to design plz…

hello ma’am, my thesis project is aerospace museum..please guide me with what factors should be considered while choosing a site for this project as i am finding difficulties in it.also which books should i refer for literature study of the same topic. please help. thank you.

Hello Tanna,

The major factors relating to your topic would be: 1) Good connectivity with the city 2) Easy transportation (public and private) 3) Scenic location if possible 4) make sure there are no other aerospace museums in the city.

Also refer to the factors mentioned in the article and use it like a checklist.

For museums you could refer to Times Savers Standards for literature study. Also, browse the internet for literature casestudies. You will find plenty of examples.

Keep me updated with your project progress.

hello, my thesis project is air and space museum. what factors should be considered while choosing a site for air and space museum?please help. thank you

Factors to keep in mind while selecting a site for air and space museum: 1) Good connectivity with the rest of the city 2) Easy transportation (public and private) 3) Open site ( with greenery around) – this is what people love. 4) make sure there are no such museums in the city (if there are choosing this topic will be waste of time)

Cant think of any other factors at the moment specific to your topic. But the factors mentioned in the article should be considered as well.

Keep me posted on the progress of your project.

hi sir/ma’am.. im in my final year in architecture and wondering if you can help me for my thesis, it’s a “vacation village: amalgamation built forms and the nature” . is my title sound okay? and can you also help me for some tips regarding my proposal? thank you

hi sir/ma’am..im in a final year in architecture and i’m wondering if you can help me for my thesis. “vacation village:amalgamation of built environment and the nature” is my title sound okay? and can you help me for some tips regarding my proposal?

Vacation Village | A Union of Structure with Nature

Sounds very good. That is going to be a large project. Define what your objectives are for this thesis. This would be critical. Estimate how much time you may require for this. If time is short, cut down the scope of your project. In my opinion, completing the thesis on time is more important than the thesis itself.

Once you have your main objectives of the thesis defined, things will become very easy.

Thank you for enhancing my title ? , actually ma’am my main objectives is to provide an alternative vacation destination featuring sustainable built forms in a relaxing place that incorporates tropical architecture.

Ma’am, I also have another topic which is health club or fitness center. I just want some suggestion how I can make this one more convincing to be a thesis title. What supporting topic can I add for this? A leisure hub maybe?

BenzuJK : Vacation Village | A Union of Structure with Nature Sounds very good. That is going to be a large project. Define what your objectives are for this thesis. This would be critical. Estimate how much time you may require for this. If time is short, cut down the scope of your project. In my opinion, completing the thesis on time is more important than the thesis itself. Once you have your main objectives of the thesis defined, things will become very easy.

Thank you for enhancing my title (smiling face) , actually ma’am my main objectives is to provide an alternative vacation destination featuring sustainable built forms in a relaxing place that incorporates tropical architecture.

Hello Vanvan, A leisure hub does sound interesting and could be very well accepted as a thesis topic. Since this is not a substantial design project which is what is expected at the final year level, you will have to work a lot harder in detail. You will also have to include interior detailing to clear your final year thesis. Also use plenty of 3d renderings to express your ideas. They make your portfolio catchy and interesting.

Good luck! Keep me posted.

hi i am currently in 5th year and i am planning to do Site analysis/Site development for my dissertation. Can you help me with it.

Yes of course we can. If you post your thesis topic and your plan as to how to plan to achieve your aims and objectives of your thesis project, we will assist you wherever possible.

Hi mam I m Dipesh my thesis topic is Indian institute of hotel management and I have chooses Goa as my site because govt. is proposing d same project there and I m done with my case studies Can you help me in concept and planning

Hello Dipesh,

It appears that I am late in responding to your question. I would be interested to know how far have you reached with your project.

hi sir/ma’am..im in 4th year of architecture and if you can help me for my thesis. “ornithological centre” … can you help me for some tips and case studies regarding my proposal?

Hello….I am final year student of architecture and my thesis topic is orphanage.Can you please help me find out important factors to be considered while designing orphanage.what kind of site is appropriate for designing orphanage?And where are the best places for doing case studies?

Hello Astha, Orphanage is a residential institution. So you will need the following spaces: – bedrooms – bathrooms – toilets – kitchen – play area – living/common area – dining area – rooms for the caretakers – store room – parking area

Location: You must choose a site preferably in the outskirts of a city/town.

Casestudies: Visit a few orphanages so that you can compare them. Comparative analysis is the best method to learn. I wouldn’t recommend which orphanage to visit. You will have to research and find out.

Hi, I am on my final year of architecture and currently working on my thesis project “Factors in designing a state of the art kidney centre promoting patient/resident-centred care” and one of the critical factor that I must consider is the criteria for site selection and preferably in regional areas because there has already been built kidney centre in our city “The National Kidney and Transplant Institute”. The problem is where should I strategicallyput the project with consideration of environment and proximity in other necessary establishments that a kidney centre needs.

Hi Sherwin, I don’t see why there cannot be two kidney transplant institutes in one city. If you don’t think you would want to propose one in your city, then you would have to look outside of your place which would probably be more difficult.

hello sir/ma’am… i m final year student of architecture and my thesis topic is tourist resort .can u please help me how to approach the topic …how to start the topic …how to present it ……what factors or areas to be covered …….or the site for resort cum hotel can also be used for only resort

Again, you have got the right questions… which is a good thing. You have to research various different resorts and make a list of everything you see. That will give you an idea of what resorts should have… Here’s a link to one of my favourite articles… Use it as a guideline to conduct a casestudy. http://architecture-student.com/case-studies/how-to-conduct-a-case-study/

is the tourist resort sound okay or is it very common topic big confusion help me

In my opinion you have chosen a very good topic. You should never worry about what it sounds like. The topic you choose should interest you without which you will not be able to design something extradordinary. Concentrate on designing the tourist resort in the best way you can. All the best!

Hello!^^ I’m a final year interior architecture student. My thesis project is based on a space for deaf and speech impaired people. However my aim is to encourage face to face communication between non-disabled people and deaf/speech impaired people. Could u please advise me on the factors that i should consider to choose an appropriate site for such a project.

I look forward to have a reply from u soon. Thank u.

Sites for such institutions are best suited away from the hustle and bustle of the city crowd. I like your topic however i would suggest that you rethink about your concept. When you say your aim is to encourage face to face communication between non-disabled people and deaf/speech impaired people, you should first have a clear idea of how you intend to do it. The concept has to be realistic. Focus more on design rather on fancy concepts would be my advice.

Hello I am a 2nd year student if architecture. We were given a project for performance spaces with capacity of 500. What are the factors to be considered? And how do I design a hypothetical site? Please help me out. Thank you.

I believe you have already begun designing the above mentioned project. Remember the tip I am about to give… Whilst designing any project, you must first do a couple of case studies of the existing spaces and list all the spaces in them. Figure out the area of spaces and compare both the cases. You will then have an idea of what is lacking and what you can do to improve it.

Take a look at the article below: http://architecture-student.com/case-studies/how-to-conduct-a-case-study/

Hello mam/ sir my name is garima. I’m 5th yr student my design topic is acedemy of martial art. I hav’t find any proposal in india. can u hlp me to finding a site. thank you..

dear sir/ maam,

I would like to know how feasible is a site if it has already built structures on it for my thesis

Hi Drishti That would depend on what your topic is. Also are you required to select a real site or a fictional site?

hello ma’am I am final year architecture student, and my thesis topic is “Reinterpreting Gurukulam for contemporary world” I need some help for doing this project regarding good case study. please help me with some tips related to this topic. Thank you

i am 5th year architecture design i would like to design bio-climatic cyber hub for this thesis design i would like to get information

Hello mam myself muktai working on my thesis of B.Arch on Agrotourism and allied activities. I need some guidance of how to give justification to a site chosen can u help me out .

Hello ma’am/sir,

My thesis topic is sensory experience museum. Could you please guide me on what basis I can select my site or if you would suggest any suitable site for the same

Will be looking forward to your reply Thank you

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How to Choose an Undergraduate Architecture Thesis Topic

• Written by Suneet Zishan Langar
• Published on September 11, 2017

As architecture students head to their final year of BArch, half-crazy from years’ worth of scraped fingers, ghastly juries, sleepless nights, and a general lack of social life, they encounter the mighty problem of choosing a thesis topic. There are many subjects to choose from, but a personal interest in a particular subject is just one of the many factors that should influence this decision. Students need to ask themselves several other questions: Is the topic significant enough? Is it expansive enough? Is the project realistically doable?

The process can be daunting, for the decision has many consequences; sometimes, the choice of topic alone can mean the difference between the success and failure of a thesis. With so many factors to consider and deadlines closing in, students easily end up making decisions that they regret later. Here are eight tips to help you make an informed choice on the matter:

1. Dare to Be Un original

Thesis work at the undergraduate level strongly differs from that at the graduate or doctoral level, and it is important to understand the rationale behind its inclusion in the curriculum. Work at the graduate or doctoral level usually asks for the identification of a “gap in existing knowledge” about a subject and an original proposal to bridge that gap, but the expectations of an undergraduate student are less demanding. This means that you don’t necessarily have to go out of your way to be innovative at the undergraduate level. Choosing a simple unoriginal topic but executing it in a way that exhibits all the knowledge you’ve acquired in college will also do the trick.

2. Choose a Topic that Personally Interests You

With your peers picking varied topics and schedules, this year will be lonesome; the most you will have for company on an average day is a drawing board, your laptop, some books, and coffee. You will find yourself routinely getting distracted by Buzzfeed ’s latest video on Youtube or the cool new Drake track. Choosing a topic that you’re passionate about will make sure that you stay inspired and motivated to work, which should ultimately result in a great final project.

3. Set Your Scope Small

Many students give in to the natural temptation to do too much by picking topics or issues that are too expansive, and therefore almost impossible to execute in a short time-frame. A tip would be to start with the simplest version of a topic and add in extra complexity later if the circumstances allow it.

4. Recognize What You’re Good at

Every student possesses a unique set of skills and abilities which they’ve acquired through their experiences and by following their interests. No one is good at everything. An unbiased understanding of your creative and technical capacities and their limits thereof will allow you to choose a topic that best employs your expertise.

5. Is There Enough Existing Literature on the Topic?

A thesis project requires an enormous amount of reading and analysis before the beginning of the design process, and the primary source of reference information for an undergraduate student is usually existing studies or research. Hence, it makes sense to choose an area of study where a substantial amount of previous work exists. The availability of such work will enable you to analyze, compare, draw conclusions, and employ the knowledge gained to suggest an informed proposal.

6. Strike a Balance Between Art and Science

Architecture students dig themselves a grave when they begin to romanticize their thesis projects. It is hard to blame them, however, when you consider that the thesis project is viewed as the culmination of a multi-year program which is rooted as deeply in art and theory as it is in building technology. But it’s imperative to find a topic that is a balance of the two. A topic that seems too abstract might make it difficult for a jury to ascertain a student’s understanding of tangible issues.

7. What Do You Want to Do in the Future?

The thesis project is the single most important part of your portfolio as a fresh architecture graduate looking for a job in the industry or applying for a graduate program. The choice of topic will reflect your interest in or experience with a particular specialized subject. Hence, when choosing a thesis topic, you should try to align it with your plans for the near future.

8. Aim to Solve a Real World Problem

While there are many wide-ranging opinions about architecture’s ideal role in society, there is a general agreement that an architect’s work does influence how a society functions and evolves. In a world that is grappling with myriad serious issues like climate change, population growth, and an inequitable distribution of resources, it benefits young architecture students to acquaint themselves with the larger picture, and to choose a topic that at least aims to solve a current socio-environmental problem through a design intervention.

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如何选择建筑学毕业论文题目

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How to Pick a Master’s, Ph.D., or Undergraduate Thesis Topic

Last Updated: February 2, 2024 Fact Checked

• Brainstorming Topics

Narrowing Your Focus

• Crafting Your Question

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 74,969 times.

Choosing a topic for your thesis , whether it be for a master’s, Ph.D., or undergraduate, can feel like a daunting task, but it can also be exciting. Your thesis is your chance to dive deep into a topic that interests you and contribute something new to your field. To pick the right topic for you, start by brainstorming potential topics without worrying if they're good or not. Then, narrow your topics based on feasibility and your personal strengths. Finally, start researching so you can craft a good thesis question.

Things You Should Know

• Jot down your interests in your topic of study. Then, research your interests and go through your past papers to find unanswered questions in your field.
• Narrow down your interests to potential topics you can add value to. Then, find a professor who has experience in your area of study.
• To formulate your research question, research your topic. Brainstorm a few questions you might ask, then select the one you can best answer.

Brainstorming Possible Topics

• Review all of the classes you've taken and the subjects you've covered.
• Think about why you got into your field of study.
• Consider what you like to read about in your free time, especially things related to your field. This might be books, news articles, or blogs.
• Think of people in your field who you admire or aspire to be like. Then, ask yourself what you like about them.
• Consider if you'll continue your academic studies after graduation, as well as what you'd want to study.

• Consider any lingering questions you had working on past projects as a starting point for your new thesis.
• It’s best to stick to your recent work because it will better reflect your current knowledge and abilities.
• You can use the same topic you used in your prior work, or you can use your old work to point you in the direction of a new topic.

Tip: Your past coursework can also tell you what you didn’t like studying. Consider the assignments that you struggled through and the research topics you hated. Then, avoid topics like them.

• For example, let’s say you’re studying politics. You might read about current presidential candidates and reflect on how their platforms have diverted from the historical platforms for their political party.
• If you’re writing a literature thesis, look at the novels that are being nominated for this year’s literary awards and consider their genre, theme, or style.
• For a thesis on psychology, you might look for news about PTSD research or read articles about pop psychology that people are sharing on social media.
• For an aeronautical engineering thesis, you could read up on what SpaceX is currently working on, or look into NASA’s most recent experiments.
• Check prominent research journals in the field you’re interested in to see what current academic conversations look like.
• Make a list of keywords that show up during your searches so you can look up published theses using sites like ProQuest. That way, you know what topics have already been covered.

• You don’t need a topic that’s completely absent from research, as this would be difficult to examine.
• One way to find a unique angle is to combine 2 topics together. Alternatively, you can build on someone else's work.
• For example, let's say you're studying clinical psychology and want to write about PTSD. You might find that not much research has been done into how people with PTSD cope with workplace conflicts.
• Similarly, let's say you're studying politics and want to look at how political party platforms evolve. You might find that there's a gap in research when it comes to evaluating how voters react to platform changes.

• For instance, you might say, “I’m hoping to be a research professor one day, and I want to focus on modern poetry. Which of these thesis topics do you think would make me most attractive to doctoral programs?”

• Focus on questions that can be researched and don’t have a simple answer. For instance, a question like, “How can we motivate people without offering them extrinsic rewards?” can be researched and doesn’t have a simple answer. Conversely, the question, “When did free verse poems start to become mainstream?” is easy to answer with a simple Internet search.

• You don’t need to plan out your whole life. However, it’s good to have an idea about where you’re going.
• Think about the type of work you want to do, the job title you want to attain, or the types of organizations you want to work with.
• For instance, if you want to be a university professor, you might choose a topic that you plan to continue researching through your doctorate and career as a professor.
• As another example, let's say you want to be a project manager for an engineering firm. You might choose a topic that encompasses both your knowledge of engineering and your interest in motivating other engineers to produce their best work.

• Undergraduate theses may be more broad, while master’s or Ph.D. theses should be more specific.
• Choose the best topics that came to you while you were brainstorming.
• You might enjoy doing this activity with a classmate who’s also working on their thesis. You can bounce ideas off of each other.
• For example, you might write down things like "evolution of political party platforms," "effect of civil war on cultural norms," "themes of literature immediately before and after a social crisis," "effects of robotics on the workforce," "mission to Mars," or "building intrinsic worker motivation."

• For instance, you might love William Shakespeare, but finding a new area of research about his work could prove difficult. Similarly, if you're studying psychology, you'll likely want to avoid writing about older ideas that aren't widely supported anymore, like dream analysis.

• Say something like, “Hi, Dr. Gomez. I know you’re really knowledgeable about morality politics. I’m planning to write my thesis about a topic related to morality politics, so I hoped you might be my thesis supervisor.”

Tip: You don’t need to select your thesis topic before you find a thesis supervisor. Just get a general idea of what area you want to pursue.

• For example, you might say, "I'd like to write my thesis about modern American haiku structure, autobiographical expression in contemporary 21st-century poetry, or poetry in the Internet age."
• Your thesis supervisor will likely want you to choose a topic that they know well and are interested in themselves.

Crafting Your Thesis Question

• This will help you figure out what types of questions to ask about your topic.
• If you can, highlight or mark important passages and summarize sections of text in the margins of the work.
• Talk to your librarian. They can help you find materials that might be of interest to you, and they can pull books or journals related to your topic.

Tip: Save your research materials so that you can use them when writing your thesis. You may not use all of your early research, but some of it will be relevant.

• How did 20th-century warfare alter literary themes?
• How have expanding cultural norms impacted the criteria for literary awards?
• What social changes have impacted diplomatic exchanges among world leaders?
• How does detaching morality from public policy affect the efficacy of legislation?
• How does culture adapt in the aftermath of a civil war?
• How can robotics enhance early childhood education?
• What are the best ways to motivate employees to work harder?
• What treatment protocols can enhance recovery in PTSD patients?

• Think about the process you'd need to use to research the topic, such as a digital search, social experiments, or lab testing. Then, decide if you'd be able to complete these tasks with the time and resources you have.
• List the research materials you have available to you, such as computer databases, library materials, or a laboratory.
• Consider your thesis supervisor’s area of expertise.
• Think about the courses you’ve taken and the skills you’ve developed.

For example... The thesis question "How have expanding cultural norms impacted the criteria for literary awards?" works well because it's researchable and debatable. You can explore cultural norms using social science studies, news or journal articles, and survey results from different decades. Then, study the themes and styles of award-winning literature using articles and books. From there, evaluate the relationship between them, which is up for interpretation.

• Listen to your thesis supervisor’s advice. They’ve likely been doing this for a long time, and they know what it’s like to be in your shoes.

Expert Q&A

• Try to choose your topic as early as you can. This will help you stay on track to finish your thesis on time. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• It’s helpful to do additional research throughout the selection process. If you find texts that might be of use to you later, save them to use in your thesis. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Since you’ll spend at least 1-2 years on your thesis, it’s best to choose a topic that interests you. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.millersville.edu/honorscollege/thesis/choosetopic.php
• ↑ https://www.ceu.edu/article/2019-03-29/how-choose-your-thesis-topic
• ↑ https://hhd.psu.edu/shm/undergraduate/honors-study-hospitality-management/first-steps-choosing-topic-and-thesis-supervisor
• ↑ https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/study/thesis-supportall/choose-thesis-topic/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/how-to-write-a-research-question

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12 Websites That Can Aid Architectural Thesis Research

Writing the perfect thesis can be a daunting experience. While also juggling other deadlines, internships, projects and tests, final year architecture students are faced with the various challenges that thesis research brings in. Right from finalizing a suitable topic to identifying and analysing verified research data, the entire process is quite taxing on the mind and time-consuming. 

To make your journey a little simpler, here’s a compilation of ten websites that can aid your architectural thesis research:

1. Library Genesis

The holy grail of research papers, dissertations, scholarly articles, scientific projects, journals, books, paintings and magazines, Library Genesis is a must-visit website for thesis research. It provides access to documents that are otherwise paywalled or not digitized and enables users to download and/or upload data. The website provides a searchable database from publicly available resources and currently holds over three million files!

The website can be accessed at: http://libgen.li/

2. The Pudding

Students engaged in thesis research often face difficulties while attempting to obtain reliable data when it comes to area-wise population density. Especially in areas where documented information in the field is sparse, this website can be of great help. The Pudding is a project that utilizes satellite imagery, census data and volunteered geographic information to create near-accurate population density maps. The website not only lets the user explore current population trends but also lets one compare data collected over the years.

The website can be accessed at: https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/

3. Ventusky

Ventusky is a Czech based website that presents real-time meteorological data. It simplifies one’s research by offering various parameters of climatic information on a single platform, thereby cutting down multiple website visits and analysis time. It offers a range of forecast models including the ICON, GFS, GEM, HRRR and NBM and covers thirteen meteorological factors (Temperature, Precipitation, Radar, Satellite, Clouds, Wind Speed, Wind Gust, Air Pressure, Thunderstorms, Humidity, Waves, Snow Cover and Air Quality). It also lets the user access each of the parameters on eighteen different altitude levels.

The website can be accessed at: https://www.ventusky.com/

Another online library, JSTOR has an extensive collection of academic journals, articles, scientific publications, photographs and research papers. With a user-friendly interface and millions of rights-cleared sources, this website is a great companion for architecture students pursuing a thesis. This website also offers an advanced image searching option that can aid research.

The website can be accessed at: https://www.jstor.org/

5. The Courtauld Institute’s Conway Library

This website is a digital collection of architectural drawings, publications, photographs and cuttings from the Courtauld Institute of Art, based in London , United Kingdom. It offers thousands of digitized files from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and is a great resource for thesis research work.

The website can be accessed at: http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/

6. ArchDaily

ArchDaily is a household name for architecture students. Aside from news, competitions and reviews, the blog offers millions of detailed case studies on projects. Highlighting relevant specifications of architectural design with technical drawings and pictures, Archdaily can cover a major chunk of your preliminary studies! Additionally, it is one of the most visited architecture websites in the world and attracts over 160 million monthly users.

The website can be accessed at: https://www.archdaily.com/

7. Architect Magazine

This website rolls out hundreds of articles every day, describing the latest projects, technologies, products, events and building resources in the architecture industry. It covers multiple facets of the architectural community through insightful reviews by architects and journalists from across the world. Architect Magazine is a great tool to enhance thesis research by learning and discovering practices around the world. 

The website can be accessed at: https://www.architectmagazine.com/

8. Andrew Marsh: 3D Sun Path

Acquiring and plotting accurate sun paths can be a cumbersome process. Andrew Marsh’s Sun Path website simplifies this task by providing solar information according to the location’s geographic coordinates. The site not only maps the sun’s annual path in three dimensions , but it also lets the user observe the behaviour of light during different times of the day. The website also projects shadows of 3d buildings that can be modified by the user.

The website can be accessed at: http://andrewmarsh.com/apps/staging/sunpath3d.html

9. Harvard Digital Collection Library

Opening doors to an Ivy League library, Harvard’s Digital Collection Website is another online database with millions of digitized files. Users can search for information within a range of years with an advanced search option. Adding to the vast collection of text files, the digital library also provides maps, 3d material, audio and videos.

The website can be accessed at:  https://digitalcollections.library.harvard.edu/

10. Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

The Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD) website is a thesis exclusive online database. It offers a range of filters including university, country, language, department and degree that can be instrumental in simplifying thesis research. Indexing nearly 60 lakh publications from over 1100 universities, this non-profit website is one of the best open access dissertation databases on the internet. 

The website can be accessed at:  https://oatd.org/

11. Rethinking The Future

Rethinking The Future (RTF) is a digital platform that aims to inspire individuals to think, create and criticize. The team at RTF rolls out hosts of digital content that is instrumental in thesis research including design journals, courses, collated articles and projects.The website extends its presence on social media as well, with thought provoking articles and designs posted on a regular basis. 

The website can be accessed at:  https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/  

A Danish startup based in California , ISSUU is every creator’s go-to publishing platform. This website allows designers and enthusiasts to create and share their work with the world. Users can distribute, measure and monetize their content while also exploring other work in their niche.

The website can be accessed at:  https://issuu.com/

A third year undergrad, Srilalitha believes that the literary universe is a gateway to exploring art and architecture. She has a strong affinity towards music, athletics and photography and enjoys unraveling the similarities between her worlds over a cup of tea.

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How To Choose A Research Topic

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + Free Topic Evaluator

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | April 2024

Choosing the right research topic is likely the  most important decision you’ll make on your dissertation or thesis journey. To make the right choice, you need to take a systematic approach and evaluate each of your candidate ideas across a consistent set of criteria. In this tutorial, we’ll unpack five essential criteria that will help you evaluate your prospective research ideas and choose a winner.

Overview: The “Big 5” Key Criteria

• Topic originality or novelty
• Value and significance
• Access to data and equipment
• Time limitations and implications
• Ethical requirements and constraints

Criterion #1: Originality & Novelty

As we’ve discussed extensively on this blog, originality in a research topic is essential. In other words, you need a clear research gap . The uniqueness of your topic determines its contribution to the field and its potential to stand out in the academic community. So, for each of your prospective topics, ask yourself the following questions:

• What research gap and research problem am I filling?
• Does my topic offer new insights?
• Am I combining existing ideas in a unique way?
• Am I taking a unique methodological approach?

To objectively evaluate the originality of each of your topic candidates, rate them on these aspects. This process will not only help in choosing a topic that stands out, but also one that can capture the interest of your audience and possibly contribute significantly to the field of study – which brings us to our next criterion.

Criterion #2: Value & Significance

Next, you’ll need to assess the value and significance of each prospective topic. To do this, you’ll need to ask some hard questions.

• Why is it important to explore these research questions?
• Who stands to benefit from this study?
• How will they benefit, specifically?

By clearly understanding and outlining the significance of each potential topic, you’ll not only be justifying your final choice – you’ll essentially be laying the groundwork for a persuasive research proposal , which is equally important.

Criterion #3: Access to Data & Equipment

Naturally, access to relevant data and equipment is crucial for the success of your research project. So, for each of your prospective topic ideas, you’ll need to evaluate whether you have the necessary resources to collect data and conduct your study.

Here are some questions to ask for each potential topic:

• Will I be able to access the sample of interest (e.g., people, animals, etc.)?
• Do I have (or can I get) access to the required equipment, at the time that I need it?
• Are there costs associated with any of this? If so, what are they?

Keep in mind that getting access to certain types of data may also require special permissions and legalities, especially if your topic involves vulnerable groups (patients, youths, etc.). You may also need to adhere to specific data protection laws, depending on the country. So, be sure to evaluate these aspects thoroughly for each topic. Overlooking any of these can lead to significant complications down the line.

Criterion #4: Time Requirements & Implications

Naturally, having a realistic timeline for each potential research idea is crucial. So, consider the scope of each potential topic and estimate how long each phase of the research will take — from literature review to data collection and analysis, to writing and revisions. Underestimating the time needed for a research project is extremely common , so it’s important to include buffer time for unforeseen delays.

Remember, efficient time management is not just about the duration but also about the timing . For example, if your research involves fieldwork, there may specific times of the year when this is most doable (or not doable at all).  So, be sure to consider both time and timing for each of your prospective topics.

Criterion #5: Ethical Compliance

Failing to adhere to your university’s research ethics policy is a surefire way to get your proposal rejected . So, you’ll need to evaluate each topic for potential ethical issues, especially if your research involves human subjects, sensitive data, or has any potential environmental impact.

Remember that ethical compliance is not just a formality – it’s a responsibility to ensure the integrity and social responsibility of your research. Topics that pose significant ethical challenges are typically the first to be rejected, so you need to take this seriously. It’s also useful to keep in mind that some topics are more “ethically sensitive” than others , which usually means that they’ll require multiple levels of approval. Ideally, you want to avoid this additional admin, so mark down any prospective topics that fall into an ethical “grey zone”.

If you’re unsure about the details of your university’s ethics policy, ask for a copy or speak directly to your course coordinator. Don’t make any assumptions when it comes to research ethics!

Key Takeaways

In this post, we’ve explored how to choose a research topic using a systematic approach. To recap, the “Big 5” assessment criteria include:

• Topic originality and novelty
• Time requirements
• Ethical compliance

Be sure to grab a copy of our free research topic evaluator sheet here to fast-track your topic selection process. If you need hands-on help finding and refining a high-quality research topic for your dissertation or thesis, you can also check out our private coaching service .

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While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

• Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
• Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
• Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
• Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
• Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
• picture_as_pdf Thesis

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

Thursday, April 18, 8:20am (EDT): Searching is temporarily offline. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to bring searching back up as quickly as possible.

Advanced research and scholarship. Theses and dissertations, free to find, free to use.

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Browse by author name (“Author name starts with…”).

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About OATD.org

OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 7,241,108 theses and dissertations.

About OATD (our FAQ) .

Visual OATD.org

We’re happy to present several data visualizations to give an overall sense of the OATD.org collection by county of publication, language, and field of study.

You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

• Google Scholar
• NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
• Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

How to Cite a Thesis or Dissertation in APA

In this citation guide, you will learn how to reference and cite an undergraduate thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral dissertation. This guide will also review the differences between a thesis or dissertation that is published and one that has remained unpublished. The guidelines below come from the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020a), pages 333 and 334. Please note that the association is not affiliated with this guide.

Alternatively, you can visit EasyBib.com for helpful citation tools to cite your thesis or dissertation .

Guide Overview

Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation, citing a published dissertation or thesis from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database, citing a thesis or dissertation: reference overview, what you need.

Since unpublished theses can usually only be sourced in print form from a university library, the correct citation structure includes the university name where the publisher element usually goes.

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case [Unpublished degree type thesis or dissertation]. Name of institution.

Ames, J. H., & Doughty, L. H. (1911). The proposed plans for the Iowa State College athletic field including the design of a reinforced concrete grandstand and wall [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Iowa State University.

In-text citation example:

• Parenthetical :  (Ames & Doughty, 1911)
• Narrative :  Ames & Doughty (1911)

If a thesis or dissertation has been published and is found on a database, then follow the structure below. It’s similar to the format for an unpublished dissertation/thesis, but with a few differences:

• The institution is presented in brackets after the title
• The archive or database name is included

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year published). Title in sentence case (Publication or Document No.) [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Database name.

Examples 1:

Knight, K. A. (2011). Media epidemics: Viral structures in literature and new media (Accession No. 2013420395) [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Trotman, J.B. (2018). New insights into the biochemistry and cell biology of RNA recapping (Document No. osu1523896565730483) [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center.

In the example given above, the dissertation is presented with a Document Number (Document No.). Sometimes called a database number or publication number, this is the identifier that is used by the database’s indexing system. If the database you are using provides you with such a number, then include it directly after the work’s title in parentheses.

If you are interested in learning more about how to handle works that were accessed via academic research databases, see Section 9.3 of the Publication Manual.

In-text citation examples :

• Parenthetical citation : (Trotman, 2018)
• Narrative citation : Trotman (2018)

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year Published). Title in sentence case [Degree type thesis or dissertation, Name of institution]. Name of archive or collection. URL

Kim, O. (2019). Soviet tableau: cinema and history under late socialism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh]. Institutional Repository at the University of Pittsburgh. https://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/37669/7/Olga%20Kim%20Final%20ETD.pdf

Stiles, T. W. (2001). Doing science: Teachers’ authentic experiences at the Lone Star Dinosaur Field Institute [Master’s thesis, Texas A&M University]. OAKTrust. https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2001-THESIS-S745

It is important to note that not every thesis or dissertation published online will be associated with a specific archive or collection. If the work is published on a private website, provide only the URL as the source element.

In-text citation examples:

• Parenthetical citation : (Kim, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Kim (2019)
• Parenthetical citation : (Stiles, 2001)
• Narrative citation : Stiles (2001)

We hope that the information provided here will serve as an effective guide for your research. If you’re looking for even more citation info, visit EasyBib.com for a comprehensive collection of educational materials covering multiple source types.

If you’re citing a variety of different sources, consider taking the EasyBib citation generator for a spin. It can help you cite easily and offers citation forms for several different kinds of sources.

To start things off, let’s take a look at the different types of literature that are classified under Chapter 10.6 of the Publication Manual :

• Undergraduate thesis
• Master’s thesis
• Doctoral dissertation

You will need to know which type you are citing. You’ll also need to know if it is published or unpublished .

When you decide to cite a dissertation or thesis, you’ll need to look for the following information to use in your citation:

• Author’s last name, and first and middle initials
• Year published
• Title of thesis or dissertation
• If it is unpublished
• Publication or document number (if applicable; for published work)
• Degree type (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral)
• Thesis or dissertation
• Name of institution awarding degree
• DOI (https://doi.org/xxxxx) or URL (if applicable)

Since theses and dissertations are directly linked to educational degrees, it is necessary to list the name of the associated institution; i.e., the college, university, or school that is awarding the associated degree.

To get an idea of the proper form, take a look at the examples below. There are three outlined scenarios:

• Unpublished thesis or dissertation
• Published thesis or dissertation from a database
• Thesis or dissertation published online but not from a database

American Psychological Association. (2020a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

American Psychological Association. (2020b). Style-Grammar-Guidelines. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative

Published August 10, 2012. Updated March 24, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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To cite a published thesis in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, publication year, title of the thesis, institute name, archive name, and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a thesis, along with examples, are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Use the author surname and the publication year in the in-text citation.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Cartmel (2007)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Cartmel, 2007)

Reference list entry template and example:

The title of the thesis is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose the thesis and the institute awarding the degree inside brackets following the publication year. Then add the name of the database followed by the URL.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the thesis [Master’s thesis, Institute Name]. Name of the Database. URL

Cartmel, J. (2007). Outside school hours care and schools [Master’s thesis, Queensland University of Technology]. EPrints. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/1/Jennifer_Cartmel_Thesis.pdf

To cite an unpublished dissertation in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the author, year, title of the dissertation, and institute name. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of an online thesis, along with examples, are given below:

Author Surname (Year)

Averill (2009)

(Author Surname, Year)

(Averill, 2009)

The title of the dissertation is set in sentence case and italicized. Enclose “Unpublished doctoral dissertation” inside brackets following the year. Then add the name of the institution awarding the degree.

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Name of the Institute.

Averill, R. (2009). Teacher–student relationships in diverse New Zealand year 10 mathematics classrooms: Teacher care [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Victoria University of Wellington.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

• An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
• An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
• An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

• Explain the analysis of the college admission process
• Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

• Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

• Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to come up with a topic for your thesis

Finding a thesis topic

The easiest method to choose a thesis topic, how to choose a thesis topic that will get you a job, ask your supervisor for help, found my thesis topic, now what, further tips on finding a thesis topic, frequently asked questions about coming up with a topic for your thesis, related articles.

Depending on the level of your studies, you will be required to come up with a topic for your thesis by yourself or to choose from a list of broad topics. In either case, you will need to:

• Choose a specific scope
• Narrow it down as much as you can.
• Find a topic by considering specific debates or discussions that interest you.
• Choose a topic based on phenomenon, point of view, and context.
• Consider the relevance of your topic in relation to job market realities.
• Ask your supervisor for help and guidance, as needed.

Tip: Balance your own interests with what can help you grow in your field..

In any case, you can start by asking yourself if you’ve attended any lecture where you were particularly interested in a certain subject and go from there. The following questions might help you shine a light on personal topics of interest:

• What aspect of your studies holds a particular interest for you?
• Was something mentioned in a discussion that you found intriguing?
• Did you read about a theory or idea that spoke to you?

Ideas for a thesis can stem from many sources, so let your mind wander and see if anything tickles your curiosity. A thesis is a chance for you to spend some quality time with a certain aspect of your studies, so you better think of a topic that not only appeals to you but will also help you grow in your field.

Tip: Use phenomenon, point of view, and context to help you choose a balanced thesis topic.

We can all agree that choosing a topic for a thesis or any paper is one, if not the most, difficult steps in writing. However, according to Sahlman's How to Write a Master Thesis Fast , choosing a topic for your thesis is rather easy if you focus on the three following areas:

• Point of view

Focus on a specific phenomenon as the center of your thesis. For example, "queer rights" or "climate change". Next, you choose a point of view. From what perspective do you see the phenomenon? For instance, “American culture” or “legally/ financially”. Finally, you narrow it down to a particular context, such as “from 2000 to 2010” or “small German enterprises in 2017”.

By combining the examples of these three areas, we come up with two potential thesis topics:

The development of queer rights in American culture from 2000 to 2010

Emerging climate change regulations of small German enterprises in 2017

The topic doesn't need to be perfect at first. The idea is to brainstorm with the topics that most interest you in the beginning and slowly come up with with a compelling topic you can brag about at friends’ dinner parties. Here is a list of the top 100 research paper topics for some inspiration.

Tip: Think about how your potential topic can make an intervention into your field of study.

If you will be writing extensively about a specific topic it does not only have to meet the requirements of the academia but it should also expand your professional horizons. According to the article how to pick a masters thesis topic , you should be thinking beyond the completion of your degree.

The author states "use your time as a student to make yourself as attractive to employers as possible." In order to achieve this, make sure that at least one of the three components (phenomenon, point of view and context) is of interest in your desired professional field.

For example, the thesis topics mentioned above would be of great help to people interested in working in the field of human rights and climate change. By choosing a thesis topic related to your professional future, your chances of landing your desired job will be higher, as you could bring fresh and valuable knowledge to your field.

Tip: Ask your supervisor for advice early in the process.

If your topic is still not fully shaped, then take advantage of the greater wisdom of your supervisor and ask for guidance. Arm yourself with enough possible topics and pay your supervisor a visit. Explain what’s your specific point of view and/or context of interest and, luckily, they will steer you in the right direction.

It is certainly not enough to find a topic for your thesis. You also need to make sure that it is a relevant topic and that you will be able to develop it.

• 5 Tips for selecting a thesis topic
• How to come up with a thesis topic
• How to pick a Masters thesis topic

Choosing a topic for your thesis is easy if you focus on the three following areas:

Focus on a specific phenomenon as the center of your thesis. From what perspective do you see the phenomenon? Finally, narrow it down to a particular context . By combining these three areas, you can come up with several possible thesis topics.

Here is a list of the top 100 research paper topics for some inspiration.

The amount of time you need to choose a thesis topic depends on you. If you use the method we explained above, it can take very short time. If you doubt yourself too much, you might end up spending many days choosing a topic.

Here's a YouTube tutorial on How To Choose A Research Topic For A Dissertation Or Thesis (7 Step Method + Examples) by the Grad Coach.

The first person to ask for help if you have trouble finding a thesis topic is your supervisor. Take advantage of their greater wisdom and ask for guidance. Explain them your interests, and, luckily, they will steer you in the right direction.

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

Thesis Title: Examples and Suggestions from a PhD Grad

When you’re faced with writing up a thesis, choosing a title can often fall to the bottom of the priority list. After all, it’s only a few words. How hard can it be?!

In the grand scheme of things I agree that picking your thesis title shouldn’t warrant that much thought, however my own choice is one of the few regrets I have from my PhD . I therefore think there is value in spending some time considering the options available.

In this post I’ll guide you through how to write your own thesis title and share real-world examples. Although my focus is on the PhD thesis, I’ve also included plenty of thesis title examples for bachelor’s and master’s research projects too.

Hopefully by the end of the post you’ll feel ready to start crafting your own!

Why your thesis title is at least somewhat important

It sounds obvious but your thesis title is the first, and often only, interaction people will have with your thesis. For instance, hiring managers for jobs that you may wish to apply for in the future. Therefore you want to give a good sense of what your research involved from the title.

Many people will list the title of their thesis on their CV, at least for a while after graduating. All of the example titles I’ve shared below came from my repository of academic CVs . I’d say roughly 30% of all the academics on that page list their thesis title, which includes academics all the way up to full professor.

Your thesis title could therefore feature on your CV for your whole career, so it is probably worth a bit of thought!

My suggestions for choosing a good thesis title

• Make it descriptive of the research so it’s immediately obvious what it is about! Most universities will publish student theses online ( here’s mine! ) and they’re indexed so can be found via Google Scholar etc. Therefore give your thesis a descriptive title so that interested researchers can find it in the future.
• Don’t get lost in the detail . You want a descriptive title but avoid overly lengthy descriptions of experiments. Unless a certain analytical technique etc was central to your research, I’d suggest by default* to avoid having it in your title. Including certain techniques will make your title, and therefore research, look overly dated, which isn’t ideal for potential job applications after you graduate.
• The title should tie together the chapters of your thesis. A well-phrased title can do a good job of summarising the overall story of your thesis. Think about each of your research chapters and ensure that the title makes sense for each of them.
• Be strategic . Certain parts of your work you want to emphasise? Consider making them more prominent in your title. For instance, if you know you want to pivot to a slightly different research area or career path after your PhD, there may be alternative phrasings which describe your work just as well but could be better understood by those in the field you’re moving into. I utilised this a bit in my own title which we’ll come onto shortly.
• Do your own thing. Having just laid out some suggestions, do make sure you’re personally happy with the title. You get a lot of freedom to choose your title, so use it however you fancy. For example, I’ve known people to use puns in their title, so if that’s what you’re into don’t feel overly constrained.

*This doesn’t always hold true and certainly don’t take my advice if 1) listing something in your title could be a strategic move 2) you love the technique so much that you’re desperate to include it!

Thesis title examples

To help give you some ideas, here are some example thesis titles from Bachelors, Masters and PhD graduates. These all came from the academic CVs listed in my repository here .

Bachelor’s thesis title examples

Hysteresis and Avalanches Paul Jager , 2014 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group –  direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

The bioenergetics of a marine ciliate, Mesodinium rubrum Holly Moeller , 2008 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor –  direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Functional syntactic analysis of prepositional and causal constructions for a grammatical parser of Russian Ekaterina Kochmar , 2008 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

Master’s thesis title examples

Creation of an autonomous impulse response measurement system for rooms and transducers with different methods Guy-Bart Stan , 2000 – Bioengineering – Imperial Professor –  direct link to Guy-Bart’s bioengineering academic CV

Segmentation of Nerve Bundles and Ganglia in Spine MRI using Particle Filters Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2012 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist –  direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

The detection of oil under ice by remote mode conversion of ultrasound Eric Yeatman , 1986 – Electronics – Imperial Professor and Head of Department –  direct link to Eric’s electronics academic CV

Ensemble-Based Learning for Morphological Analysis of German Ekaterina Kochmar , 2010 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

VARiD: A Variation Detection Framework for Color-Space and Letter-Space Platforms Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2010 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist –  direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

Identification of a Writer’s Native Language by Error Analysis Ekaterina Kochmar , 2011 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

On the economic optimality of marine reserves when fishing damages habitat Holly Moeller , 2010 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor –  direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Sensitivity Studies for the Time-Dependent CP Violation Measurement in B 0 → K S K S K S at the Belle II-Experiment Paul Jager , 2016 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group –  direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

PhD thesis title examples

Spatio-temporal analysis of three-dimensional real-time ultrasound for quantification of ventricular function Esla Angelini  – Medicine – Imperial Senior Data Scientist –  direct link to Elsa’s medicine academic CV

The role and maintenance of diversity in a multi-partner mutualism: Trees and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Holly Moeller , 2015 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor –  direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Bayesian Gaussian processes for sequential prediction, optimisation and quadrature Michael Osborne , 2010 – Machine Learning – Oxford Full Professor –  direct link to Michael’s machine learning academic CV

Global analysis and synthesis of oscillations: a dissipativity approach Guy-Bart Stan , 2005 – Bioengineering – Imperial Professor –  direct link to Guy-Bart’s bioengineering academic CV

Coarse-grained modelling of DNA and DNA self-assembly Thomas Ouldridge , 2011– Bioengineering – Imperial College London Senior Lecturer / Associate Prof –  direct link to Thomas’ bioengineering academic CV

4D tomographic image reconstruction and parametric maps estimation: a model-based strategy for algorithm design using Bayesian inference in Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGM) Michele Scipioni , 2018– Biomedical Engineer – Harvard Postdoctoral Research Fellow –  direct link to Michele’s biomedical engineer academic CV

Error Detection in Content Word Combinations Ekaterina Kochmar , 2016 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

Genetic, Clinical and Population Priors for Brain Images Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2016 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist –  direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

Challenges and Opportunities of End-to-End Learning in Medical Image Classification Paul Jager , 2020 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group –  direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

K 2 NiF 4  materials as cathodes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells Ainara Aguadero , 2006 – Materials Science – Imperial Reader –  direct link to Ainara’s materials science academic CV

Applications of surface plasmons – microscopy and spatial light modulation Eric Yeatman , 1989 – Electronics – Imperial Professor and Head of Department –  direct link to Eric’s electronics academic CV

Geometric Algorithms for Objects in Motion Sorelle Friedler , 2010 – Computer science – Haverford College Associate Professor –  direct link to Sorelle’s computer science academic CV .

Geometrical models, constraints design, information extraction for pathological and healthy medical image Esla Angelini  – Medicine – Imperial Senior Data Scientist –  direct link to Elsa’s medicine academic CV

Why I regret my own choice of PhD thesis title

I should say from the outset that I assembled my thesis in quite a short space of time compared to most people. So I didn’t really spend particularly long on any one section, including the title.

However, my main supervisor even spelled out for me that once the title was submitted to the university it would be permanent. In other words: think wisely about your title.

What I started with

Initially I drafted the title as something like: Three dimensional correlative imaging for cartilage regeneration . Which I thought was nice, catchy and descriptive.

I decided to go for “correlative imaging” because, not only did it describe the experiments well, but it also sounded kind of technical and fitting of a potential pivot into AI. I’m pleased with that bit of the title.

What I ended up with

Before submitting the title to the university (required ahead of the viva), I asked my supervisors for their thoughts.

One of my well intentioned supervisors suggested that, given that my project didn’t involve verifying regenerative quality, I probably shouldn’t state cartilage regeneration . Instead, they suggested, I should state what I was experimenting on (the materials) rather than the overall goal of the research (aid cartilage regeneration efforts).

With this advice I dialled back my choice of wording and the thesis title I went with was:

Three dimensional correlative imaging for measurement of strain in cartilage and cartilage replacement materials

Reading it back now I’m reminder about how less I like it than my initial idea!

I put up basically no resistance to the supervisor’s choice, even though the title sounds so much more boring in my opinion. I just didn’t think much of it at the time. Furthermore, most of my PhD was actually in a technique which is four dimensional (looking at a series of 3D scans over time, hence 4D) which would have sounded way more sciency and fitting of a PhD.

What I wish I’d gone with

If I had the choice again, I’d have gone with:

Four-dimensional correlative imaging for cartilage regeneration

Which, would you believe it, is exactly what it states on my CV…

Does the thesis title really matter?

In all honesty, your choice of thesis title isn’t that important. If you come to regret it, as I do, it’s not the end of the world. There are much more important things in life to worry about.

If you decide at a later stage that you don’t like it you can always describe it in a way that you prefer. For instance, in my CV I describe my PhD as I’d have liked the title to be. I make no claim that it’s actually the title so consider it a bit of creative license.

Given that as your career progresses you may not even refer back to your thesis much, it’s really not worth stressing over. However, if you’re yet to finalise your thesis title I do still think it is worth a bit of thought and hopefully this article has provided some insights into how to choose a good thesis title.

My advice for developing a thesis title

• Draft the title early. Drafting it early can help give clarity for the overall message of your research. For instance, while you’re assembling the rest of your thesis you can check that the title encompasses the research chapters you’re included, and likewise that the research experiments you’re including fall within what the title describes. Drafting it early also gives more time you to think it over. As with everything: having a first draft is really important to iterate on.
• Look at some example titles . Such as those featured above!
• If you’re not sure about your title, ask a few other people what they think . But remember that you have the final say!

I hope this post has been useful for those of you are finalising your thesis and need to decide on a thesis title. If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to hear about future content (and gain access to my free resource library!) you can subscribe for free here:

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UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this community https://hdl.handle.net/2152/4

This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.

Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].

Some items in this collection may contain offensive images or text. The University of Texas Libraries is committed to maintaining an accurate and authentic scholarly and historic record. An authentic record is essential for understanding our past and informing the present. In order to preserve the authenticity of the historical record we will not honor requests to redact content, correct errors, or otherwise remove content, except in cases where there are legal concerns (e.g. potential copyright infringement, inclusion of HIPAA/FERPA protected information or Social Security Numbers) or evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety or well-being.

This policy is in keeping with the  American Library Association code of ethics  to resist efforts to censor library resources, and the  Society of American Archivists code of ethics  that states "archivists may not willfully alter, manipulate, or destroy data or records to conceal facts or distort evidence." Please see UT Libraries'  Statement on Harmful Language and Content  for more information.

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