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HOW TO WRITE A THESIS PAPER?

By Dr. Antonino F. Alejandro


Philippine Womens University Taft Avenue, Manila

These guidelines will:


Guide you of what a thesis paper looks like; Outline what goes in to each section; Show you how to make a logical development of a research questions; The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition (2010) or Concise Rules for APA Style (2010) should be consulted for all questions pertaining to form and style that are not addressed in this guide; The most important thing to keep in mind is:
A thesis/dissertation is a well told story, and each good story has a good plot, which is developed throughout the story, so STRUCTURE and QUALITY is key to a well-written thesis.

The Thesis Paper


The first part of your thesis writing will be your PROPOSAL stage. The proposal consists of the first 3 major chapters.

Chapter 1 - THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction - the introduction should describe the nature and purpose of the study, and explain the compelling reason why the particular study is worth pursuing. The introduction should provide readers with a brief summary of literature and research related to the problem being investigated, and should lead up to the statement of the problem. This section sets the context for your proposed research and must capture the reader's interest. In general, In general, the introduction begins with a broader perspective (general idea) of the problem and becomes narrower (specific idea) as the introduction proceeds. Background of the Study - This is another section in this chapter wherein the first paragraph should link to the last paragraph in the introduction section which relatively based on the researchers experiences. Afterwards, followed by stating the background of the research environment (SETTING OF THE STUDY), citing aspects related to the research problem.

Statement of the Problem - The problem statement is among the most critical parts of the research because it provides focus and direction for the remainder of the study. A well-written problem statement defines the problem and helps identify the variables that will be investigated in the study. The statements should capture the essence of your intended project and also help you to put boundaries around it. This section should also present the specific hypotheses to be addressed by the study, clearly relating these to lines of investigation and conjecture detailed in current literature. Statement of Hypothesis - Hypotheses emerge from the problem statement and operationalize it in terms of specific variables and relationships to be examined and reported. Hypotheses and research questions also suggest methodology for the study and serve as the basis for drawing conclusions in Chapter 5. The hypothesis should be based on the research question asked on the study.

Significance of the Study - The main paragraph should contain the expected knowledge the proposed study produce that we do not know and the reason why is it worth knowing. This section addresses the "so what" of the study. The reader must understand what previous studies were found and what this study can offer that is unique. Primarily, it discusses the contribution of your study to the intended beneficiaries on the outcome of the research, therefore, should identify the audience/beneficiaries and discuss how the results will be beneficial to them. Scope and Limitation of the Study - This section contains an overall description of the areas of the research, time frame, the objectives and purpose to investigate. Furthermore, it also cites the research approach, nature of the study and intended participants of the research paper. Limitations are factors, usually beyond the researcher's control, that may affect the results of the study or how the results are interpreted. Stating limitations of the study may be very useful for readers because they provide a method to acknowledge possible errors or difficulties in interpreting results of the study. Do not include results and discussion of results here.

Definition of Terms - Terms or phrase used through out the study which should be defined operationally and should be highlighted. The definitions should be expressed in complete sentences with the term as the subject sentence. The terms could be arranged alphabetically or follow the order in which terms were mentioned in the discussion flow from the first chapter to the last. Terms found in the title of the study, statement of the problem are usually defined.

Chapter 2 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES


Literature as used in this context refers to all recorded/published information related to the problem dimension of the research. Studies refer to published/unpublished studies from all sources covered on the dimension of the research. The details somehow have similarities or differences with your own study. Chapter 2 presents a critical analysis of prior scholarship related to the central questions of the thesis. 1. This section is a tedious and time-consuming activity, however, in research it is a necessity. The researcher must know what other researchers have discovered in the past. It demonstrates thorough understanding of the subject of the dissertation, through review and analysis of previous research; 2. The chapter includes discussion of principles, theories, ideas or opinions of experts conducted related to the problem being investigated which normally contained in books, periodicals, journals, pamphlets, working papers, unpublished thesis/dissertation and other authoritative printed sources of information.

3. Literature and studies should be organized thematically wherein discussion is organized around major topics type as side headings. If you make a statement, back it up with your own data or a reference. Cited studies or literature should be integrated with the conceptual literature in the course of the discussion. 4. Synthesis of the study shall be discussed after the last part of the RRL. It is important that each study that is cited be described according to its relationship to the current theory formulated by the researcher. Do not cite studies that have no bearing on this study. When making a statement that is beyond your knowledge and authority, cite appropriate authorities and experts. This part contains the comparative analysis of your present study as compared to the related literature & studies cited. Discuss by stating the similarities and differences highlighting what makes your own study unique with other study?

5. The last part of the chapter is the theoretical or conceptual framework as the case may be. The conceptual framework is used when the researcher can not find a related theory applicable to the study. The framework should be illustrated by a RESEARCH PARADIGM. The conceptual/theoretical framework is the basis for the study. This framework determines how you will choose to study the topic and how you will ask and answer your research questions. It is difficult to estimate how long Chapter 2 should be. In some studies that rely on historical and extensively descriptive information, Chapter 2 may be the main focus of the whole research and quite long. The thesis must address all previous relevant researches on the topic in a coherent manner. It shouldnt just be a list of everything that has been written. Results from each study that are relevant to this one should be stated and evaluated within the context of usefulness to this paper. The purpose of the review of all relevant theses is to learn how to study the topic at hand, building upon previous studies, within a theoretical framework.

Chapter 3 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY


This section contains an overall description of your research method, materials, and procedures; what methods will be used? how will data be collected and analyzed? what materials will be used? include calculations, technique, procedure, equipment, and calibration graphs , and range of validity. Specifically, this part will contain the following:
1.

Research Design - Describes the type of research method used, whether descriptive, historical, comparative, experimental etc. Mention likewise the specific technique used, whether a survey, case study, documentary analysis, etc. Justify the use of the selected research design by explaining why it is appropriate to your study under investigation. You can cite specific literature by briefly discussing the specific link to your current study. Participants of the Study -This section describes the population used in the study and the process utilized in selecting a sample and explaining the sampling techniques used in the study. . Unless the population is extremely small, a sample usually will be drawn from the population. The sample should be small enough to provide a manageable volume of data, but the sample must accurately represent the population if any valid inferences are to be drawn from the sample results.

2.

3. Instrumentation - the two parts are consist of construction and validation. Construction - explains how the instrument was constructed based on the premise of the researcher in the usage of applicable information from different sources. This section describes the procedures used for developing an instrument to gather data from your selected population/sample. This generally includes sources of items for the instrument as well as a description of the instrument itself. Validation - Instrument reliability and validity data should be described in this section and explains the procedure of handling the instrument to proper / authorized persons with expertise to validate the prepared instrument.. Instruments developed by the researcher should always be pilot tested. This means that the survey would be offered to a similar group outside the area of the group to be surveyed or studied. 4. Data Gathering Procedure - describe in detail what are the researchers procedural undertakings in the conduct of the research by discussing the stages of the research from the written letter of request to conduct the study, the administration and retrieval of the instrument and how was the interview, general observation conducted.

This section describes in detail how the data will be/were (proposal/final thesis) obtained and the timelines involved in collecting the data. Information commonly provided in this section includes what materials will be/were distributed ---- the survey instrument, cover letter, instruction sheets, self-addressed stamped envelope, number and method/type of follow-ups. It should also include how they will be/were distributed --- mailed or e-mailed to each participant, mailed to someone who distributed them to each participant, etc. It should include how the address information for the survey participants will be obtained. 5. Statistical Treatment of Data - Explain in this part are the statistical tools used for each set of data by enumerating them in accordance with the expected sequence in analyzing the questions on the research problem. Moreover, the researcher should remember the type of statistics used will depend upon on the questions asked in the statement of the problem.

Bibliography
List of references or information, ideas, concepts, text, data the are not your own should be cited. all references cited in the text must be listed and do not use footnotes
A. B.

C. D.

Books Periodicals (includes newspaper articles, magazines, journals and other publications that are issued at certain period of time) Unpublished Materials (includes theses and dissertations) Others (all other sources that do not belong to A,B and C (electronic resources)

The thesis must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or Concise Rules for APA Style format. Publications should be during 2008 to date are preferred.

The researcher, after completing the three chapters can proceed to the PROPOSAL DEFENSE. The proposal paper should have the sample written letter of request to conduct the study, letter to the respondents and the proposed instrument to be used in the research investigation as attachments or as part of the appendices section.

After successfully passing the proposal defense, the researcher may proceed in completing the remaining Chapters 4 and 5 of the thesis paper. GOODLUCK !

Chapter 4 - PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA


The chapter provides results of data analyses and findings of the study. (Please note that Chapter 4 is limited to reporting findings and results, and is not the proper place for conclusions or discussion of the findings.) This chapter begins with an introduction (as do all chapters), which delineates the major sections to be included in the chapter. While there is no one "correct" format for dividing Chapter 4, information regarding response rate and respondent demographics (when relevant) is usually reported first, followed by reporting of results of data analysis for each hypothesis/research question. Findings The remainder of Chapter 4 reports finding related to the research questions being answered and hypotheses being tested. A specific section heading should be used for each section in Chapter 4 that reports findings resulting from data analysis. Summary (Optional) This final section provides a summary of the highlights of the findings from Chapter 4 and provides a transition to Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 - SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION


This section provides a brief recap of the entire study and may include a restatement of the research problems enumerated in Chapter 1. Generally, this section summarizes the introduction, problem statement and hypotheses/research questions, literature review, methodology, and findings. Someone reading this section would have a good overview of why the study was done, the specific purpose of the study and hypotheses/research questions, what the literature relates about the problem under investigation (very briefly), the methods used to gather data for the study, and the specific findings emerging from analysis of the data. Note that the SUMMARY OF FINDINGS are part of the summary and are not included in a separate section.

CONCLUSIONS
This section presents conclusions drawn from the findings and results of the data analysis. Findings from the present study should provide the primary information for drawing conclusions. Frequently, conclusions provide answers to hypotheses or research questions posed in Chapter 1. While conclusions may be written in narrative form or listed one at a time, listing them one at a time is generally easier for readers to follow and helps maintain clarity of focus for each conclusion. Conclusions are not the same as findings and should not simply be restatements of findings from Chapter 4. A conclusion should be broader and more encompassing than a specific finding, and several findings may be incorporated into one conclusion. While several findings may be used to support one conclusion, it is also possible that one finding might give rise to several conclusions (although this is somewhat less common).

RECOMMENDATIONS
The final section of Chapter 5 contains recommendations that emerge from the study. Generally, recommendations are of two distinct types; recommendations for action or practice (based on the study's findings and conclusions, and sometimes headed Recommendations from the Study or Recommendations for Practice), and Recommendations for Further Study. Recommendations for practice are generally prescriptive in nature and address what could or should be done by practitioners or members of the intended audience in terms of professional practice and policy. Recommendations for further study contain suggestions regarding follow-up studies or replication studies. These recommendations usually acknowledge limitations or delimitations that the study included and which further studies could help explain or clarify. These might include different methodologies, expanded populations or samples, or changes in the instrument itself.

Attachments

Bibliography Proposed Output of the Study Appendices Exhibits Curriculum Vitae

A FINAL NOTE
The ultimate form and content of the proposal and complete thesis will be determined by the doctoral advisor, committee members, and the researcher. Each student, therefore, should work closely with their advisor and committee members and clarify any questions or problems as soon as they arise.

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CONGRATULATIONS !

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