shortest master thesis

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PhD: Been There, Done That...

• The World’s Shortest PhD Dissertations

“David Lee Rector’s Ph.D. Thesis is just nine pages long plus bio and bibliography, not to mention double-spaced.” [Source & Photo Credit: Ali Almossawi ]

You have probably seen thick dissertations, too heavy to lift with one hand… but have you ever thought of how short a PhD dissertation can possibly be?

Well, John Edensor Littlewood once famously inquired “ whether a dissertation of 2 lines could deserve and get a Fellowship ” – and he seems to have meant it.

Interestingly, some of the world’s shortest PhD theses / dissertations also count among the most famous ones at the same time. Here are the Top 5 we could identify:

24 pages – John F. Nash: Non-Cooperative Games (1950)

17 pages – Albert Einstein: Eine neue Bestimmung der Moleküldimensionen (1905) / A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions (1906)

16 pages – Edmund Landau: Neuer Beweis der Gleichung (1899) / New Proof of the Equation (2007)

13 pages – Burt Totaro: Milnor K-Theory is the Simplest Part of Algebraic K-Theory (1992)

9 pages – David Lee Rector: An Unstable Adams Spectral Sequence (1966)

Please drop us a line if you know any shorter dissertations than the ones above!

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What is the shortest Ph.D. thesis? [closed]

The question is self-explanatory, but I want to make some remarks in order to prevent the responses from going off into undesirable directions.

It seems that every few years I hear someone ask this question; it seems to hold a perennial fascination for research mathematicians, just as quests for short proofs do. The trouble is that it has strong urban-legend tendencies: someone will say, "So-and-so's thesis was only $\epsilon$ pages long!" where $\epsilon \ll 1$ . It will often be very difficult to confirm or disconfirm such claims, since Ph.D. theses are often not even published, let alone readily available online. If you Google around for a while, as I did, you will find many dubious leads and can easily waste a lot of time on wild goose chases. Frankly, I'm a bit fed up with this state of affairs. I am therefore asking this question on MO in the hope that doing so will put this old question to rest, or at least establish provable upper bounds.

I would therefore request that you set yourself a high standard before replying. Don't post a candidate unless you're sure your facts are correct, and please give some indication why you're so sure. Read the meta discussion before posting. (Note that the meta discussion illustrates that even a MathSciNet citation isn't always totally definitive.) Include information about the content and circumstances of the thesis if you know it, but resist the temptation to gossip or speculate.

I'm not making this question community wiki or big-list because it should ideally have a definite answer, though I grant that it's possible that there are some borderline cases out there (perhaps there are theses that were not written in scholarly good faith, or documents that some people would regard as equivalent to a Ph.D. thesis but that others would not, or theses in subjects that are strictly speaking distinct from mathematics but that are arguably indistinguishable from mathematics dissertations).

Finally, to anticipate a possible follow-up question, there is a list of short published papers here (search for "Nelson"). Note that the question of the shortest published paper is not as urban-legendy because the facts are easier to verify. I looked up the short papers listed there myself and found them to be quite interesting. So in addition to trying to settle an urban legend, I am hoping that this question will bring to light some interesting and lesser known mathematics.

• ho.history-overview
• 9 $\begingroup$ I think it really should be CW. It makes no sense to me that the shorter the proposed candidate, the more reputation the proposer will get. It will also lower the temptation for people to post gossipy stuff. $\endgroup$ –  Alex B. Feb 8, 2011 at 15:31
• 3 $\begingroup$ The only reasonable interpretation of the question is extremely short theses in general, because there is more than one measure of the length of a thesis. Moreover in some cases it's debatable whether a particular document really is a thesis or the full thesis. It realy should be CW. $\endgroup$ –  Greg Kuperberg Feb 8, 2011 at 15:40
• 3 $\begingroup$ How would you like to count? Do all the cover pages, table of contents, abstract, etc. count? How about references? Or do you begin with the introduction and only include the content? $\endgroup$ –  Noah Stein Feb 8, 2011 at 16:33
• 5 $\begingroup$ -1. This question is terrible. I'm sure I could reformat my thesis in a silly font size to make it have a ludicrously small number of pages. $\endgroup$ –  Peter McNamara Feb 8, 2011 at 19:50
• 8 $\begingroup$ @Peter McNamara: you probably could, but I'm pretty certain that this is not the issue being discussed here. Anyway, most universities have specific formatting standards and would not let you submit it in this form. $\endgroup$ –  Thierry Zell Feb 8, 2011 at 20:05

9 Answers 9

David Rector's thesis ("An Unstable Adams Spectral Sequence", MIT 1966) is 9 pages, according to the record at the MIT library . I haven't seen the actual thesis for many years, but I'm pretty the actual mathematical content takes about 3 pages total, and is largely identical to the published version in Topology (1966, same title, doi link: https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-9383(66)90025-5 ), which is 3 pages plus bibliography. (Dan Kan, his advisor, likes short papers.)

• 2 $\begingroup$ Probably not a coincidence. $\endgroup$ –  Tyler Lawson Feb 8, 2011 at 20:25
• 3 $\begingroup$ Accepted provisionally. Enough people seem instinctively annoyed at this question that it seems likely to be closed soon (despite the fact that I'm asking it on MO in order to prevent its proliferation elsewhere). It doesn't seem likely that a stronger candidate will emerge before then. Ideally I'd like to examine the thesis myself before accepting the answer but I don't feel like purchasing it and it may be a while before my next trip to Boston. $\endgroup$ –  Timothy Chow Feb 9, 2011 at 15:56
• 4 $\begingroup$ Aside from the library copy, there should be a slightly more accessible copy in the MIT Math reading room. (They used to keep copies of theses there, and I assume they still do.) Maybe somebody reading this could wander down the hall and take a look. :) $\endgroup$ –  Charles Rezk Feb 9, 2011 at 18:55
• 31 $\begingroup$ I'm in the reading room now. Rector's thesis comprises a title page, an abstract page, a table of contents page, 7 pages of math, a bibliography page (8 refs.), and a biographical note page. The MIT library record's "9 leaves" exclude the title/abstract/contents, which are not numbered. Except for some trivial changes in wording in the intro, the mathematical part is indeed identical to the 4-page Topology paper, vol. 5 (1966), 343-346. The thesis occupies more space since it's manually typed; not including section titles, the 4 sections are respectively 18, 23, 42, and 36 typewritten lines. $\endgroup$ –  Timothy Chow Aug 19, 2011 at 18:44
• $\begingroup$ 119 typewritten lines! $\endgroup$ –  David Roberts ♦ Oct 14, 2022 at 10:53

John Nash's thesis was 26 pages, and had two references in the bibliography.

Edmund Landau's thesis was 13 pages long.

• $\begingroup$ There is an English translation here: arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0803/0803.3787v2.pdf That document is 17 pages (including title page, etc.). $\endgroup$ –  Zach N Feb 8, 2011 at 18:06
• 2 $\begingroup$ For a link to a scanned version of Landau's thesis see here gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/dms/load/img/?PPN=PPN317979566 The document has 18 pages, of which 2 are completely empty, indeed the catalogue of the libraries of Berlin gives 16 pages as lengths. (the French national library catalogue gives 18). Moreover, one page is a title page, one is a dedication, and one is a vita. So, depending on what one actually counts, 18, 16, or 13. According to library catalogues 16 or 18. $\endgroup$ –  user9072 Feb 8, 2011 at 18:15

I believe the shortest PhD thesis is of Burt Totaro "Milnor K-theory is the simplest part of algebraic K-theory", 12 pages.

Milnor K-theory is the simplest part of algebraic K-theory, Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1989; published as: K-Theory 6 (1992), 177-189 ( Portico archived version ).

Burt Totaro's webpage at Cambridge , including a pdf of the published version .

• 1 $\begingroup$ its complete thesis. I gave two references here, Milnor K-theory is the simplest part of algebraic K-theory, Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1989 and K-Theory 6 (1992), 177-189 $\endgroup$ –  J Verma Feb 8, 2011 at 17:43
• 2 $\begingroup$ I noticed, but the reference to the actual thesis does not have a page numbers (and it is somewhat surprising that the number of pages did not change from the thesis to K-theory's format) :) $\endgroup$ –  Mariano Suárez-Álvarez Feb 8, 2011 at 17:45
• 15 $\begingroup$ Totaro's 1989 thesis is titled "K-theory and algebraic cycles" and, according to ProQuest, is 20 pages. If your university library subscribes to ProQuest, you can see a PDF preview of the thesis by searching for "Totaro, Burt" in the Dissertations and Theses database. $\endgroup$ –  Zach N Feb 8, 2011 at 18:02
• 4 $\begingroup$ You can download it on mathscinet. It has 16 numbered pages, incl. 1 page of bibliography. Definitions start on page 1 though, not much of an introduction. $\endgroup$ –  fherzig Feb 9, 2011 at 2:58
• 1 $\begingroup$ I downloaded the thesis from ProQuest. It comprises a signature page, a title page, an abstract page, an epigram page, 15 pages of (TeXed) math, and a bibliography page. Short, but not as short as David Rector's thesis. $\endgroup$ –  Timothy Chow Aug 19, 2011 at 19:00

This is not really an answer because these PhD's were never actually written, but anyway: in his book A mathematicians miscellany (in the chapter on math with minimum raw material) Littlewood gave 2 examples that could have been 2-line PhDs:

(1) Cayley's projective definition of length

(2)Theorem: An integral function never 0 or 1 is a constant. Proof: $\exp(i\Omega(f(z)))$ is a bounded integral function. ($\Omega$ is inverse to the elliptic modular function.)

• 3 $\begingroup$ Richard, perhaps you overlooked that Gerry Myerson already gave this example on the meta discussion? $\endgroup$ –  Timothy Chow Feb 8, 2011 at 15:53
• 19 $\begingroup$ I don't think it is reasonable to expect people to have read all the meta discussion before posting on a regular thread. This is a sort of fluff question, so it doesn't matter much, but in general I think it should be fine to repost answers from meta, so that the main thread has the most complete record of answers to the question. $\endgroup$ –  David E Speyer Feb 8, 2011 at 16:52
• 7 $\begingroup$ While I agree with David Speyer in general, I also do not think this should have been posted as an answer to this particular question, given the questioner's emphasis on restricting the scope of the question. $\endgroup$ –  Charles Staats Feb 8, 2011 at 17:27
• 6 $\begingroup$ @David: I too would agree that in general it’s not reasonable to expect people to read meta discussions on questions before answering them. But this question specifically asks us to, and gives good reasons for it. $\endgroup$ –  Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine Feb 8, 2011 at 20:18
• $\begingroup$ (2) is a trivial corollary of Picard's little theorem. $\endgroup$ –  tst Jun 13, 2017 at 3:06

I already posted this on meta where there was some discussion of whether the page count was correct. My guess is that it is, so I will post it here too:

MR2615548 Martens, Henrik Herman Buvik A NEW PROOF OF TORELLI'S THEOREM. Thesis (Ph.D.)–New York University. 1962. 12 pp.

• 8 $\begingroup$ Compared to that, the thesis of his student Kristian Seip was a massive tome, weighing in at 30 pages. $\endgroup$ –  Harald Hanche-Olsen Feb 9, 2011 at 7:56

Kurt Gödel seems to be a good candidate for this "prize".

Let me quote from this review (see Page 74) of Kurt Gödel Collected Works.

The first three works of Godel in this volume are his dissertation of 1929 ( twenty-one pages in English ), a revised and substantially abbreviated version (eleven pages in English) published in 1930, and a brief abstract based on a presentation of Godel's results in Konigsberg on 6 September 1930. Of all of Godel's longer, published writings, his dissertation has been, until now, the most difficult to obtain, and is here translated for the first time into English, by Stefan Bauer-Mengelberg and van Heijenoort.

• 3 $\begingroup$ The original version of his thesis seems to have 33 pages; see permalink.obvsg.at/AC05181322 (the number next to "Umfangsangabe") $\endgroup$ –  user9072 Feb 8, 2011 at 16:59
• 2 $\begingroup$ I cannot say anything about the original version (my German skills are null, not almost null). But I have just checked my copy of the Collected Works (unfortunately I have not found any online library to link), and in pages 60-101 we can find Godel's dissertation (even pages match German, while odd ones match English). Thus, the description "21 pages in English" is accurate. $\endgroup$ –  boumol Feb 8, 2011 at 17:14
• 1 $\begingroup$ I did not want to imply your claim was not accurate. Only, as I understand the question, it is about the actual document the person submitted as a thesis. Thus, I supplemented this information, documenting it by the link to the entry of Goedels thesis in the joint library catalogue of Austrian (academic) libraries. It specifies title, author, year, lengths (that's the Umfangsangabe, S. abbreviates 'Seiten' i.e. pages), the type of document (thesis of University of Vienna (Wien)), and finally the specific libraries where it can be found. $\endgroup$ –  user9072 Feb 8, 2011 at 17:48

According to mathscinet, Eva Kallin's thesis was 14 pages.

• 3 $\begingroup$ This is promising, but as the question mentions and the meta thread shows, MathSciNet alone is not an authoritative reference. More documentation? $\endgroup$ –  Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine Feb 8, 2011 at 20:12

Barry Mazur's thesis on the proof of the Schoenflies conjecture (and introducing the method of infinite repetition in topology) is 5 pages long.

• 4 $\begingroup$ According to "Mathematical apocrypha redux" by Krantz, Mazur's thesis was 26 pages long. $\endgroup$ –  Michael Greinecker Feb 8, 2011 at 16:22
• 2 $\begingroup$ Mathscinet says his thesis is 30 pages. $\endgroup$ –  Jaikrishnan Feb 8, 2011 at 16:26
• 70 $\begingroup$ Well, it may not be the shortest but it surelyt appears to have the most variable number of pages! $\endgroup$ –  Mariano Suárez-Álvarez Feb 8, 2011 at 16:42
• 17 $\begingroup$ Let's please heed Timothy's call to do one's homework carefully. "Don't post a candidate unless you're sure your facts are correct, and please give some indication why you're so sure. Read the meta discussion before posting." $\endgroup$ –  Todd Trimble ♦ Feb 8, 2011 at 16:47
• $\begingroup$ Yikes. I had never looked at the thesis, but just the published version in the Bulletin of the AMS which is 5 pages long. $\endgroup$ –  Victor Miller Feb 23, 2011 at 22:12

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How to Write a Master's Thesis

Last Updated: June 1, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . 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 609,509 times.

Students learning how to write a Master's Thesis will first learn that a central thesis question must be presented and subsequently answered. A Master's Thesis will be the most prominent piece of your graduate work up to this point, and a pertinent thesis question that forms the spine of this work elevates it from the prosaic to the significant.

Choosing a Topic

• To get a degree - topic should be difficult enough, but manageable too.
• To enjoy the work - topic that you are truly interested in, something that you will not grow bored of after a short period of time.
• To get a job afterward - if you know what specifically you want to do after your studies and/or for which company, it might be useful to choose a topic, that will help with this goal.
• To be useful - thesis might actually be useful to help to make the world a little better place.
• Try thinking about your favorite subject of study - it may be a particular author, theory, time period, etc. Imagine how you might further the study of that subject.
• You might consider skimming through papers you wrote for your graduate courses and see if there is any apparent topic that you tend to gravitate towards.
• Consult with faculty members, favorite professors. They might have some good suggestions to write about. Generally, you'll be required to meet with your thesis advisor at least once before you start working.
• Consider consulting with industry partners. Your favorite company might have some work to do which might be done as a master's thesis. This might also help you get a job within the company afterward and maybe even some money for the thesis.
• If you want to help the world to be a better place, you might want to consult with your local non-profits and charities or check the Internet for possible thesis topics to write about.
• 3 Choose the right topic. From the possible topics generated in the previous step, find the one which best fits the objectives from the first step, especially the objectives most important to you. Make sure that you have a clear, specific, and organized plan on how to write a master's thesis which you will be able to then defend.

• Make sure that your question and the answers provided will provide original content to the body of research in existence. A judicious question will also keep research focused, organized, and interesting.
• Once you've formulated your topic and direction of inquiry, try formulating 5-10 different questions around your intended research. This forces you to think flexibly about your topic and visualize how small changes in wording can change the trajectory of your research.

• Usually, your committee chair will be in place before you formally start your thesis. They can help guide you and provide input into your project, so the earlier you can get their commitment, the better.
• Nothing is more frustrating than your thesis progress being held up by a professor who has too many obligations to make time to meet with you.

Selecting Your Texts

• For example, a novel written by Ernest Hemingway or a scientific journal article in which new results are documented for the first time would both be considered primary sources.

• For example, a book written about Ernest Hemingway's novel or a scientific journal article examining the findings of someone else's experiment would both be considered secondary sources.

• Use the in-text citation format appropriate to your discipline. [3] X Research source The most common formats are MLA, APA, and Chicago.
• Create a coordinating works cited or reference entry for each source you cite in the text of your document or in a footnote.
• Consider using a citation management software such as EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero. These will enable you to insert and move citations within your word processor program and will automatically populate a works cited or reference page for you.

Planning an Outline

• Qualitative. This type of thesis involves completing a project that is exploratory, analytical, or creative in some way. Usually, students in the humanities will complete this kind of thesis.
• Quantitative. This type of thesis involves conducting experiments, measuring data, and recording results. Students in the sciences usually complete this kind of thesis.

• Signature page (with the completed signatures of your advising committee - usually attained at the defense, or after the project is deemed complete )
• Abstract - this is a short (one paragraph or so) description/summary of the work completed in your thesis
• Table of Contents (with page numbers)
• Introduction
• Body of paper
• Works Cited or Bibliography
• Any necessary appendices or endnotes

Moving through the Writing Process

• If you do not already have a review of literature written, it’s time to do your research! The review of literature is essentially a summary of all of the existing scholarship about your topic with plenty of direct quotations from the primary and secondary sources that you’re referencing.

Finalizing Your Thesis

• Many departments or programs provide a document template for theses and dissertations. If you have one of these, it may be easiest to use such a template from the beginning of your work (rather than copying and pasting your writing into it).

• Alternatively, ask a trusted colleague or friend to read over your thesis to help you catch any minor grammar/spelling/punctuation errors and typos.

• Some institutions require you to submit your thesis for a formatting check prior to uploading the document to ProQuest. Be sure to check with your department’s Director of Graduate Studies for specific instructions.
• Be aware of thesis submission deadlines, which are often well in advance of your graduation date. Late submission of your thesis may force you to push back your graduation date, which may affect your employment or continuing graduate studies.

Masters Thesis Outline

Expert Q&A

• Remember why you are writing a Master's thesis and who will want to read and use the material. You write a Master's thesis for members of your community, so keep in mind that they will have extensive knowledge and experience before reading your work. Don't bore them with unnecessary material. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Choosing the perfect question before starting research will prevent frustration and save time. Rigorous effort on finding the perfect question is probably the most important task when learning how to write a Master's thesis. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Consult other people who have completed a Master's thesis and obtained a Master's degree. It can be a long, grueling process, and having the support and advice of someone who has already done it can be very valuable. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://umb.libguides.com/PrimarySources/secondary
• ↑ https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/in-text-citation-styles/
• ↑ https://www.unk.edu/academics/gradstudies/admissions/grad-files/Grad%20Files/ThesisGdlnsFinal08.pdf
• ↑ https://u.osu.edu/hackingthethesis/managing-stuff/your-content/outline/
• ↑ http://www.imm.dtu.dk/~janba/MastersThesisAdvice.pdf

About This Article

To write a master's thesis, make it a goal to write 500 words every day, which will help you meet your deadline without having to rush at the last minute. It's also helpful if you work in 25-minute increments and take a 5-minute break in between, which will make your work sessions less overwhelming. Also, figure out a writing time that works best for you, whether it's in the morning or at night, and stick with it so you're more productive. For more help writing your master's thesis, like how to make an outline, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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

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Part 1: Initial Considerations

Who needs to write a master’s thesis.

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

What's Your Goal?

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

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

Major Types of Theses

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

Time and Energy Considerations

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

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

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

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

When to begin forming your initial thesis question.

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

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

What to Say to Your Supervisor

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

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

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

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

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

Part 3: Revise Your Thesis

Read everything you can get your hands on.

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

Seek Out Knowledge or Research Gaps

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

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

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

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

Part 4: Select a Proposal Committee

What proposal committees are and why they're useful.

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

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

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

How to Prepare for Committee Meetings

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

Part 5: Write Your Thesis

What to do once your proposal is approved.

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

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

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

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

How to Become More Comfortable with Presenting Your Work

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

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

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

What to Do If Your Relationship with Your Supervisor Sours

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

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

What to Do If a Crisis Strikes

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

Part 6: Polish and Defend Your Master's Thesis

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

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

Conclusion and Parting Thoughts

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

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

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

Image source: Falkenpost/Pixabay.com 

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July 27th, 2021

Writing your master’s thesis over the summer.

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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Three months to write a 10,000-word international history dissertation seems like a very long time. You’ve got the luxury of pondering your topic, doing endless readings, arranging to visit archives, meeting with your supervisor, finalising your arguments, structuring and then, eventually, writing, and THEN – editing. And maybe even publishing! Three months seems like ages, but if you don’t organise your time efficiently, the deadline can really creep up on you! 

A dissertation is a marathon, not a sprint, so it’s important to pace yourself and methodically approach your thesis. This is by no means the best way for everyone – some of my peers will see this and think, “this is  not how I work,”  but here’s my own advice to break up the summer to use it productively to smash that dissertation for the 1st of September deadline. 

Familiarise yourself with the requirements! 

It sounds obvious, but check and double-check the requirements. For example, your dissertation must use primary source material to write about a precise topic in international history. To clarify, international history dissertations have to be… international. It can’t just examine one limited area of history in a nation, but comparatively study or involve at least two states or societies. Furthermore, it must be based on primary sources, not secondary source research, and it must also not be a historiographical dissertation only. This compared to my undergraduate dissertation, so it was important, before starting off and planning my summer, to familiarise myself with the requirements!

Work out your topic

I changed my topic quite late in the semester, necessitating a lot of visits to the library to flesh out my own understanding of the existing historiography, the gaps in scholarship, and the existing primary sources. It took some time to really get to grips with the topic, so give yourself some time (several weeks) to really read and engage with the existing literature. It was important to be familiar with the topic so I could explain it to my friends and family, so that when it came to meeting with my supervisor, I had a clear idea. Furthermore, the better you know your topic, the easier it is to find an angle or a perspective to approach your dissertation.

Spend time on your sources

It’s important to work out if you’re using one source or a varied selection of different sources . This will help you work out your timings – if you’re going to spend more time on a limited set of sources, or less time on a larger range of sources. I’ve gone for the second approach, as I’m hoping to understand different perspectives of the Bangladesh conflict and make comparisons. However you choose to approach your international history, it’s important to spend a considerable amount of time thinking about how you’re going to use your sources within the body of your dissertation to support your argument.

Meet with your supervisor before structuring/writing

Not everyone will feel the need to do this, but start off with a strong structure and idea, and then you can tweak it as you go along. It’s a nightmare to have structured and written a chunk of your work to be told later on that it’s not strong enough. It’s also really helpful to get fresh perspectives from your supervisor to develop a robust framework. Your supervisor may make suggestions, whether you agree with them or not, but it’s always useful to confer and discuss, so make the most of meeting with your supervisor when you can!

Sit down and MIND MAP! Think about the table of contents and list of abbreviations, your introduction, chapters, conclusion, any appendices, and any pictures you wish to include. What is absolutely key information you must  include? What is interesting but ultimately does nothing for your argument? What is unhelpful, or a distraction from your thesis? 10,000 words isn’t a lot, especially counting footnotes, so being concise and selective is an important skill when thinking about the structure of your dissertation. This part of any essay always takes me a particularly long time, and involves a lot of printing and differently coloured highlighters, so stock up and get your head down. 

Writing and editing 

If you have a solid structure that you’ve worked out with your supervisor, it’s time to start writing. Personally, writing takes me the shortest amount of time. However, editing, proofing, sending to family members to proofread and check grammar and spelling, takes the longest amount of time. Save yourself a solid 2-3 weeks to do this stage of the dissertation! Writing your bibliography will take some time too – don’t make the mistake I made in my undergraduate degree when I decided to start compiling the bibliography the evening before my paper was due. 

Work with others

Refuelling with pasta

Now that we are able to meet with others, it’s so important to have a sense of solidarity and work with your peers who are also working on their dissertations. I sometimes need to be held to account, so having friends to work with is a huge morale and productivity booster. It’s not a competition, and everyone will work on their essays differently to you, but it’s great to be able to bounce around ideas, support, motivate, (and also complain!) about how hard it is to write a dissertation without the structure of seminars and other essays.

Take breaks, go on holiday, do non-dissertation related work!

Hyde Park sunshine

Three months of flat-out dissertation work? No, thanks. I spent a week in Brighton to get out of London and enjoy a change of scenery, and to passively reflect on my topic rather than actively engage with it constantly. If you can’t go on holiday, take some days off to rest your brain. Also, going back to your work with fresh eyes can do wonders. This is also why I’d suggest setting yourself an earlier deadline than the 1st of September, so you can print, read, mark, edit, and then re-print your work before it’s submitted.

Keep going, have faith, ask for help when you need it. Talk to your peers, your professors, your family, your pet. One of the most helpful ways I’ve managed to stay on top of things is by talking out loud to other people, it really helps to visualise and process. To my fellow Master’s students currently writing their dissertations, good luck!

About the author

I'm a Master's student living in London and studying MSc Empire, Colonialism and Globalisation at the LSE.

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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

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What is a thesis | A Complete Guide with Examples

Table of Contents

A thesis is a comprehensive academic paper based on your original research that presents new findings, arguments, and ideas of your study. It’s typically submitted at the end of your master’s degree or as a capstone of your bachelor’s degree.

However, writing a thesis can be laborious, especially for beginners. From the initial challenge of pinpointing a compelling research topic to organizing and presenting findings, the process is filled with potential pitfalls.

Therefore, to help you, this guide talks about what is a thesis. Additionally, it offers revelations and methodologies to transform it from an overwhelming task to a manageable and rewarding academic milestone.

What is a thesis?

A thesis is an in-depth research study that identifies a particular topic of inquiry and presents a clear argument or perspective about that topic using evidence and logic.

Writing a thesis showcases your ability of critical thinking, gathering evidence, and making a compelling argument. Integral to these competencies is thorough research, which not only fortifies your propositions but also confers credibility to your entire study.

Furthermore, there's another phenomenon you might often confuse with the thesis: the ' working thesis .' However, they aren't similar and shouldn't be used interchangeably.

A working thesis, often referred to as a preliminary or tentative thesis, is an initial version of your thesis statement. It serves as a draft or a starting point that guides your research in its early stages.

As you research more and gather more evidence, your initial thesis (aka working thesis) might change. It's like a starting point that can be adjusted as you learn more. It's normal for your main topic to change a few times before you finalize it.

While a thesis identifies and provides an overarching argument, the key to clearly communicating the central point of that argument lies in writing a strong thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement?

A strong thesis statement (aka thesis sentence) is a concise summary of the main argument or claim of the paper. It serves as a critical anchor in any academic work, succinctly encapsulating the primary argument or main idea of the entire paper.

Typically found within the introductory section, a strong thesis statement acts as a roadmap of your thesis, directing readers through your arguments and findings. By delineating the core focus of your investigation, it offers readers an immediate understanding of the context and the gravity of your study.

Furthermore, an effectively crafted thesis statement can set forth the boundaries of your research, helping readers anticipate the specific areas of inquiry you are addressing.

Different types of thesis statements

A good thesis statement is clear, specific, and arguable. Therefore, it is necessary for you to choose the right type of thesis statement for your academic papers.

Thesis statements can be classified based on their purpose and structure. Here are the primary types of thesis statements:

Argumentative (or Persuasive) thesis statement

Purpose : To convince the reader of a particular stance or point of view by presenting evidence and formulating a compelling argument.

Example : Reducing plastic use in daily life is essential for environmental health.

Analytical thesis statement

Purpose : To break down an idea or issue into its components and evaluate it.

Example : By examining the long-term effects, social implications, and economic impact of climate change, it becomes evident that immediate global action is necessary.

Expository (or Descriptive) thesis statement

Purpose : To explain a topic or subject to the reader.

Example : The Great Depression, spanning the 1930s, was a severe worldwide economic downturn triggered by a stock market crash, bank failures, and reduced consumer spending.

Cause and effect thesis statement

Purpose : To demonstrate a cause and its resulting effect.

Example : Overuse of smartphones can lead to impaired sleep patterns, reduced face-to-face social interactions, and increased levels of anxiety.

Compare and contrast thesis statement

Purpose : To highlight similarities and differences between two subjects.

Example : "While both novels '1984' and 'Brave New World' delve into dystopian futures, they differ in their portrayal of individual freedom, societal control, and the role of technology."

When you write a thesis statement , it's important to ensure clarity and precision, so the reader immediately understands the central focus of your work.

What is the difference between a thesis and a thesis statement?

While both terms are frequently used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings.

A thesis refers to the entire research document, encompassing all its chapters and sections. In contrast, a thesis statement is a brief assertion that encapsulates the central argument of the research.

Here’s an in-depth differentiation table of a thesis and a thesis statement.

Now, to craft a compelling thesis, it's crucial to adhere to a specific structure. Let’s break down these essential components that make up a thesis structure

15 components of a thesis structure

Navigating a thesis can be daunting. However, understanding its structure can make the process more manageable.

Here are the key components or different sections of a thesis structure:

Your thesis begins with the title page. It's not just a formality but the gateway to your research.

Here, you'll prominently display the necessary information about you (the author) and your institutional details.

• Title of your thesis
• Your full name
• Your department
• Your institution and degree program
• Your submission date
• Your Supervisor's name (in some cases)
• Your Department or faculty (in some cases)
• Your University's logo (in some cases)
• Your Student ID (in some cases)

In a concise manner, you'll have to summarize the critical aspects of your research in typically no more than 200-300 words.

This includes the problem statement, methodology, key findings, and conclusions. For many, the abstract will determine if they delve deeper into your work, so ensure it's clear and compelling.

Acknowledgments

Research is rarely a solitary endeavor. In the acknowledgments section, you have the chance to express gratitude to those who've supported your journey.

This might include advisors, peers, institutions, or even personal sources of inspiration and support. It's a personal touch, reflecting the humanity behind the academic rigor.

Table of contents

A roadmap for your readers, the table of contents lists the chapters, sections, and subsections of your thesis.

By providing page numbers, you allow readers to navigate your work easily, jumping to sections that pique their interest.

List of figures and tables

Research often involves data, and presenting this data visually can enhance understanding. This section provides an organized listing of all figures and tables in your thesis.

It's a visual index, ensuring that readers can quickly locate and reference your graphical data.

Introduction

Here's where you introduce your research topic, articulate the research question or objective, and outline the significance of your study.

• Present the research topic : Clearly articulate the central theme or subject of your research.
• Background information : Ground your research topic, providing any necessary context or background information your readers might need to understand the significance of your study.
• Define the scope : Clearly delineate the boundaries of your research, indicating what will and won't be covered.
• Literature review : Introduce any relevant existing research on your topic, situating your work within the broader academic conversation and highlighting where your research fits in.
• State the research Question(s) or objective(s) : Clearly articulate the primary questions or objectives your research aims to address.
• Outline the study's structure : Give a brief overview of how the subsequent sections of your work will unfold, guiding your readers through the journey ahead.

The introduction should captivate your readers, making them eager to delve deeper into your research journey.

Literature review section

Your study correlates with existing research. Therefore, in the literature review section, you'll engage in a dialogue with existing knowledge, highlighting relevant studies, theories, and findings.

It's here that you identify gaps in the current knowledge, positioning your research as a bridge to new insights.

To streamline this process, consider leveraging AI tools. For example, the SciSpace literature review tool enables you to efficiently explore and delve into research papers, simplifying your literature review journey.

Methodology

In the research methodology section, you’ll detail the tools, techniques, and processes you employed to gather and analyze data. This section will inform the readers about how you approached your research questions and ensures the reproducibility of your study.

Here's a breakdown of what it should encompass:

• Research Design : Describe the overall structure and approach of your research. Are you conducting a qualitative study with in-depth interviews? Or is it a quantitative study using statistical analysis? Perhaps it's a mixed-methods approach?
• Data Collection : Detail the methods you used to gather data. This could include surveys, experiments, observations, interviews, archival research, etc. Mention where you sourced your data, the duration of data collection, and any tools or instruments used.
• Sampling : If applicable, explain how you selected participants or data sources for your study. Discuss the size of your sample and the rationale behind choosing it.
• Data Analysis : Describe the techniques and tools you used to process and analyze the data. This could range from statistical tests in quantitative research to thematic analysis in qualitative research.
• Validity and Reliability : Address the steps you took to ensure the validity and reliability of your findings to ensure that your results are both accurate and consistent.
• Ethical Considerations : Highlight any ethical issues related to your research and the measures you took to address them, including — informed consent, confidentiality, and data storage and protection measures.

Moreover, different research questions necessitate different types of methodologies. For instance:

• Experimental methodology : Often used in sciences, this involves a controlled experiment to discern causality.
• Qualitative methodology : Employed when exploring patterns or phenomena without numerical data. Methods can include interviews, focus groups, or content analysis.
• Quantitative methodology : Concerned with measurable data and often involves statistical analysis. Surveys and structured observations are common tools here.
• Mixed methods : As the name implies, this combines both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The Methodology section isn’t just about detailing the methods but also justifying why they were chosen. The appropriateness of the methods in addressing your research question can significantly impact the credibility of your findings.

Results (or Findings)

This section presents the outcomes of your research. It's crucial to note that the nature of your results may vary; they could be quantitative, qualitative, or a mix of both.

Quantitative results often present statistical data, showcasing measurable outcomes, and they benefit from tables, graphs, and figures to depict these data points.

Qualitative results , on the other hand, might delve into patterns, themes, or narratives derived from non-numerical data, such as interviews or observations.

Regardless of the nature of your results, clarity is essential. This section is purely about presenting the data without offering interpretations — that comes later in the discussion.

In the discussion section, the raw data transforms into valuable insights.

Start by revisiting your research question and contrast it with the findings. How do your results expand, constrict, or challenge current academic conversations?

Dive into the intricacies of the data, guiding the reader through its implications. Detail potential limitations transparently, signaling your awareness of the research's boundaries. This is where your academic voice should be resonant and confident.

Practical implications (Recommendation) section

Based on the insights derived from your research, this section provides actionable suggestions or proposed solutions.

Whether aimed at industry professionals or the general public, recommendations translate your academic findings into potential real-world actions. They help readers understand the practical implications of your work and how it can be applied to effect change or improvement in a given field.

When crafting recommendations, it's essential to ensure they're feasible and rooted in the evidence provided by your research. They shouldn't merely be aspirational but should offer a clear path forward, grounded in your findings.

The conclusion provides closure to your research narrative.

It's not merely a recap but a synthesis of your main findings and their broader implications. Reconnect with the research questions or hypotheses posited at the beginning, offering clear answers based on your findings.

Reflect on the broader contributions of your study, considering its impact on the academic community and potential real-world applications.

Lastly, the conclusion should leave your readers with a clear understanding of the value and impact of your study.

References (or Bibliography)

Every theory you've expounded upon, every data point you've cited, and every methodological precedent you've followed finds its acknowledgment here.

In references, it's crucial to ensure meticulous consistency in formatting, mirroring the specific guidelines of the chosen citation style .

Proper referencing helps to avoid plagiarism , gives credit to original ideas, and allows readers to explore topics of interest. Moreover, it situates your work within the continuum of academic knowledge.

To properly cite the sources used in the study, you can rely on online citation generator tools  to generate accurate citations!

Here’s more on how you can cite your sources.

Often, the depth of research produces a wealth of material that, while crucial, can make the core content of the thesis cumbersome. The appendix is where you mention extra information that supports your research but isn't central to the main text.

Whether it's raw datasets, detailed procedural methodologies, extended case studies, or any other ancillary material, the appendices ensure that these elements are archived for reference without breaking the main narrative's flow.

For thorough researchers and readers keen on meticulous details, the appendices provide a treasure trove of insights.

Glossary (optional)

In academics, specialized terminologies, and jargon are inevitable. However, not every reader is versed in every term.

The glossary, while optional, is a critical tool for accessibility. It's a bridge ensuring that even readers from outside the discipline can access, understand, and appreciate your work.

By defining complex terms and providing context, you're inviting a wider audience to engage with your research, enhancing its reach and impact.

Remember, while these components provide a structured framework, the essence of your thesis lies in the originality of your ideas, the rigor of your research, and the clarity of your presentation.

As you craft each section, keep your readers in mind, ensuring that your passion and dedication shine through every page.

Thesis examples

To further elucidate the concept of a thesis, here are illustrative examples from various fields:

Example 1 (History): Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807 by Suchait Kahlon.

Example 2 (Climate Dynamics): Influence of external forcings on abrupt millennial-scale climate changes: a statistical modelling study by Takahito Mitsui · Michel Crucifix

Checklist for your thesis evaluation

Evaluating your thesis ensures that your research meets the standards of academia. Here's an elaborate checklist to guide you through this critical process.

Content and structure

• Is the thesis statement clear, concise, and debatable?
• Does the introduction provide sufficient background and context?
• Is the literature review comprehensive, relevant, and well-organized?
• Does the methodology section clearly describe and justify the research methods?
• Are the results/findings presented clearly and logically?
• Does the discussion interpret the results in light of the research question and existing literature?
• Is the conclusion summarizing the research and suggesting future directions or implications?

Clarity and coherence

• Is the writing clear and free of jargon?
• Are ideas and sections logically connected and flowing?
• Is there a clear narrative or argument throughout the thesis?

Research quality

• Is the research question significant and relevant?
• Are the research methods appropriate for the question?
• Is the sample size (if applicable) adequate?
• Are the data analysis techniques appropriate and correctly applied?
• Are potential biases or limitations addressed?

Originality and significance

• Does the thesis contribute new knowledge or insights to the field?
• Is the research grounded in existing literature while offering fresh perspectives?

Formatting and presentation

• Is the thesis formatted according to institutional guidelines?
• Are figures, tables, and charts clear, labeled, and referenced in the text?
• Is the bibliography or reference list complete and consistently formatted?
• Are appendices relevant and appropriately referenced in the main text?

Grammar and language

• Is the thesis free of grammatical and spelling errors?
• Is the language professional, consistent, and appropriate for an academic audience?
• Are quotations and paraphrased material correctly cited?

Feedback and revision

• Have you sought feedback from peers, advisors, or experts in the field?
• Have you addressed the feedback and made the necessary revisions?

Overall assessment

• Does the thesis as a whole feel cohesive and comprehensive?
• Would the thesis be understandable and valuable to someone in your field?

Ensure to use this checklist to leave no ground for doubt or missed information in your thesis.

After writing your thesis, the next step is to discuss and defend your findings verbally in front of a knowledgeable panel. You’ve to be well prepared as your professors may grade your presentation abilities.

Preparing your thesis defense

A thesis defense, also known as "defending the thesis," is the culmination of a scholar's research journey. It's the final frontier, where you’ll present their findings and face scrutiny from a panel of experts.

Typically, the defense involves a public presentation where you’ll have to outline your study, followed by a question-and-answer session with a committee of experts. This committee assesses the validity, originality, and significance of the research.

The defense serves as a rite of passage for scholars. It's an opportunity to showcase expertise, address criticisms, and refine arguments. A successful defense not only validates the research but also establishes your authority as a researcher in your field.

Here’s how you can effectively prepare for your thesis defense .

Now, having touched upon the process of defending a thesis, it's worth noting that scholarly work can take various forms, depending on academic and regional practices.

One such form, often paralleled with the thesis, is the 'dissertation.' But what differentiates the two?

Dissertation vs. Thesis

Often used interchangeably in casual discourse, they refer to distinct research projects undertaken at different levels of higher education.

To the uninitiated, understanding their meaning might be elusive. So, let's demystify these terms and delve into their core differences.

Here's a table differentiating between the two.

Wrapping up

From understanding the foundational concept of a thesis to navigating its various components, differentiating it from a dissertation, and recognizing the importance of proper citation — this guide covers it all.

As scholars and readers, understanding these nuances not only aids in academic pursuits but also fosters a deeper appreciation for the relentless quest for knowledge that drives academia.

It’s important to remember that every thesis is a testament to curiosity, dedication, and the indomitable spirit of discovery.

Good luck with your thesis writing!

Frequently Asked Questions

A thesis typically ranges between 40-80 pages, but its length can vary based on the research topic, institution guidelines, and level of study.

A PhD thesis usually spans 200-300 pages, though this can vary based on the discipline, complexity of the research, and institutional requirements.

To identify a thesis topic, consider current trends in your field, gaps in existing literature, personal interests, and discussions with advisors or mentors. Additionally, reviewing related journals and conference proceedings can provide insights into potential areas of exploration.

The conceptual framework is often situated in the literature review or theoretical framework section of a thesis. It helps set the stage by providing the context, defining key concepts, and explaining the relationships between variables.

A thesis statement should be concise, clear, and specific. It should state the main argument or point of your research. Start by pinpointing the central question or issue your research addresses, then condense that into a single statement, ensuring it reflects the essence of your paper.

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12 Most Famous PhD Theses In History

I have compiled a very solid list of the 12 most famous PhD theses (plural of thesis) in history. Do realize that this list includes ‘PhD Theses’ and not books/volumes (so Principia by Newton doesn’t count). 

This list is based entirely upon my general knowledge, so pardon me if I am limited in my insight. Also, do note that the list is by no means exhaustive or  in order . Have a look.  You can click titles to read the theses. Enjoy, oh and forgive me for the complexity of the content. I couldn’t help it.

1. Recherches sur les substances radioactives  (1903)

  In English, this translates to “Research on Radioactive Substances”. Marie Curie’s thesis   is perhaps one of the most famous scientific document of the 20th century. The thesis documents her discovery of radioactivity materials such as radium and polonium, for which she was awarded 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, and subsequently formed the core of her future research. She also won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. 

2. A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits  (1937)

Claude Shannon’s thesis is said to be the most significant thesis of the 20th century, because it laid down the foundations of everything that has to do with ‘digital technology’. It is in here where Claude Shannon, at the ripe age of 21, proved how Boolean Algebra could become the building block of computers. The concept of using binary properties of electrical switches is at the core of all digital circuit design. Put it simply, Shannon’s thesis showed how a bunch 0s and 1s could do magic!

3. Non-cooperative games (1950)

John Nash. You must remember him from the movie A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe. Nash’s thesis, titled “Non Cooperative Games” formed the building block for the Nash equilibrium, and his subsequent Nobel Prize in Economics (1994). His 28 page thesis is online and I’ve linked it in. I challenge you to read a few pages of it without getting dizzy. Nash’s handwriting is too messy. Nash still lives.

4.  Recherches sur la théorie des quanta   (1924)

De Broglie. The name is cool, plus he’s got swag (just look at that pose). De Broglie was one of the great theoretical physicists of the 20th century. His 1924 thesis, “On the Theory of Quanta” laid down the revolutionary idea of wave-particle duality, as applied to electrons. This idea is one of the principle ideas of quantum mechanics. De Broglie’s thesis is 70 pages long, which I believe is a short space to describe such an powerful and majestic concept. This thesis was the reason he won the Nobel Prize in Physics a mere five years later.

5.  The Principle of Least Action in Quantum Mechanics (1942)

 Richard Feynman’s 1942 thesis “The Principle of Least Action in Quantum Mechanics” laid down the foundation of path integral technique and the famous Feynman diagrams. Feynman diagrams are used by physicists all over the world to pictorially represent the behavior of subatomic particles with mathematical expressions. Although his thesis wasn’t the reason he won a Nobel Prize for Physics, it is very popular in the physics community. After all it’s the work of Master “Feynman”.

6. A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions (1906)

How can a history list be complete without the evergreen Albert Einstein? Einstein’s doctoral thesis “A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions” was instrumental in the sense that Einstein ended up with a very accurate value for the Avogadro’s number. The value was in compliance with what he and Planck had found earlier from black-body radiation. Einstein’s thesis laid down the framework for his next breakthrough work on Brownian Motion. Einstein’s doctoral thesis is his most cited work to date.

7.  The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature (1841)

Karl Marx’s 1841 thesis titled “The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature” is a landmark work. In his thesis, Marx argues the differences between two schools of thought that originated from Ancient Greek polymaths namely Democritus and Epicurus. It is in here where Marx debates between “freedom and determinism”. For the philosopher in you, do check the link to his original thesis I’ve added on top.

8.  The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905)

Max Weber is considered to be one of the founders of sociology. Weber is known for his 1905 thesis titled “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” in which he combines economic sociology  and the sociology of religion. Weber’s thesis discusses key issues about market-driven capitalism, cultural influences on religion and key concepts of social stratification (when groups are segmented based on their social conditions).

9.  Sketchpad: A man-machine graphical communication system (1963)

Ivan Sutherland’s 1963 PhD thesis is a landmark paper in computer science and human computer interaction. As part of his thesis, Sutherland created Sketchpad, the world’s first graphical user interface or GUI program. GUI is at the core of digital computing today and how we interact with computers has become more intuitive, because of Ivan’s genius work. His thesis was not only a pioneering work in HCI (Human Computer Interaction) but it also gave birth to OOP (Object Oriented Programming), a new paradigm to creating better software.

10.  Molecular Machinery and Manufacturing with Applications to Computation (1991)

Kim Drexler’s 1991 thesis on Molecular Nanotechnology is a pioneering work for a PhD student. Well, he essentially invented the field of molecular nanotechnology with his thesis, which is a really big deal. Kim Drexler’s thesis is so influential that it gave birth to an entirely new concept of mechano-synthesis. It is in here that the idea of “nano-factories” was first proposed. Kim’s thesis has changed the way we look at nanotechnology and perhaps altered the course of how it should be used. Imagine nano robots being manufactured in your body to defeat cancer cells. Marvelous!

11. Logical-Philosophical Treatise (1921)

Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractus Logico-Philosophicus (Logical-Philosophical Treatise) 1921 Cambridge thesis is perhaps his more foremost work. The examiners at Cambridge said, “This is far more superior of a work than that is expected by a PhD candidate”. Bertrand Rusell called him “a true genius that he has never seen before”. Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of 20th century’s greatest philosophers and logicians. His masterpiece 78-page thesis “Tractus”, now published as a book was his only published piece ever. “Tractus” discusses all kinds of things that might seem odd at first, but they are thought provoking – for example, things like the limits of science, the relationship between language and reality. I’ve linked in his thesis and you should read it. It is fun because it is in the order of declarative statements (such as 1, 1.1, 1.1.x and so on) instead of arguments.

12. On the Hypotheses which lie at the basis of Geometry (1868)

Bernhard Riemann’s 1868 thesis gave birth to Riemannian geometry. His work was well received and turned into a landmark work in geometry just two years after he died. Riemann was a student of Gauss, the great Swiss mathematician. Riemannian geometry is of critical importance, as it was used by Albert Einstein to explain the concept of relativity. This is because Riemannian geometry introcued geometrical objects called tensors which describe how much bent or curved is a point in space. A century and half later, Riemannian geometry was used by Grigori Perelman to solve one of the hardest problems in mathematics, the Poncaire Conjecture.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my list. Share and comment.

About Ali Gajani

Hi. I am Ali Gajani. I started Mr. Geek in early 2012 as a result of my growing enthusiasm and passion for technology. I love sharing my knowledge and helping out the community by creating useful, engaging and compelling content. If you want to write for Mr. Geek, just PM me on my Facebook profile.

Ali Gajani Lists 9

Woulda been nice to see schopenhauer’s thesis, ‘on the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason’

What’s it about? Never heard of him though, but it’d be nice to know his impact.

How did you choose the most famous the second most famous, and so on Building on polls for example or what

If you read clearly, it’s not in order, just numbered like that.

Pingback: Quora ()

I cannot wait to see a business scholar make the list. Vargo & Lusch’s (2004) work on service, markets and their formation may well become the first to receive a Nobel Prize in the field of economics from a business scholar.

Now that no one mentioned it, Google was also a product of a PhD thesis.

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• Summer 2024

DESIGN 700 A: Master's Thesis

Juan Garcia Bonilla and Elise Scheers recognised for outstanding master thesis

During the VSV symposium: ‘Defying the dark’ in March 2024, two students were honored with awards for their exceptional master's theses. Juan Garcia Bonilla received the Heinz Stoewer Space award 2024 for his research on solar sails, while Elise Scheers received the NVvL Hans Wittenberg Prize 2024 for her work on integrating hybrid-electric aircraft design with strategic airline planning. Both students receive a certificate and €1000 in recognition of their achievements.

The Heinz Stoewer Space Award was initiated in 2018 by Prof. Stoewer when he received the prestigious Space Engineering IEEE Simon Ramo Medal. To encourage and congratulate master's students on their research, he has decided to donate his prize money to promote the visibility of work with great social relevance. In that line, Bonilla has allocated a portion of his award funds to treat teachers and students from his former school in Spain with fun and inspiring space merchandise, as a gesture of gratitude for their support.

Heinz Stower Space Award 2024

Juan Garcia Bonilla's thesis, titled "Uncertainty Quantification for Solar Sails in the Near-Earth Environment," earned him the Heinz Stoewer Space Award 2024. Solar sails are a novel form of space propulsion that utilises radiation pressure from the Sun. These systems are relatively new, which means there is still a lot unknown about their behaviour. Bonilla’s work aims to identify and quantify the effects of the key sources of uncertainty in Solar Sails missions around the Earth. This allows mission designers to design robust systems capable of success amidst uncertainty.

“Juan’s thesis represents one of the few studies ever to investigate the effect of dynamical uncertainties in solar sailing. Despite the complexity of the topic, Juan delved into it in a completely autonomous manner, employing novel methods far beyond the level of an MSc student. The results he found allowed for a significant enhancement of our understanding of solar sailing around the Earth, to the extent that they were used to support the design of NASA’s upcoming ACS3 solar-sail mission”. – Ir. Livio Carzana (Supervisor)

“The main challenge, for me, was that I had to learn a lot of statistics. Before coming to Delft, I wouldn't have said that I liked this branch of mathematics. However, a compelling class on Monte Carlo methods taught by Prof. L.E. Meester inspired this thesis and the methods employed. I had to learn a lot of statistics, which I ended up enjoying”. - Juan Garcia Bonilla, MSc

Bonilla's findings could directly support mission designers, particularly for the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) mission that was used as the main case study for the research. He also demonstrated some uncertainty propagation methods that are applicable to the wider astrodynamics community, some of which he is using in his current job as a simulation software developer.  Bonilla works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a research center managed by Caltech and funded by NASA, where he develops digital twins for future robotics space missions.

The opportunity to work at NASA for the scientific exploration of space is a dream come true. While I may consider returning to Europe, or try to become a professor in the future, I envision myself in California for the foreseeable future. Juan Garcia Bonilla

Hans Wittenberg Prize 2024

Elise Scheers received the Hans Wittenberg Prize 2024 for her thesis titled: "Coupled Hybrid Electric Aircraft Design and Strategic Airline Planning". Her research focuses on integrating hybrid-electric aircraft design with strategic airline planning, aiming to develop a methodology for optimizing a hybrid-electric aircraft fleet's design while considering its impact on airline operations and network emissions.

“Elise has managed to successfully couple the disciplines of conceptual aircraft design and strategic airline planning, for hybrid-electric aircraft. Her work directly contributed to a conference paper that won two best-paper awards!” – Dr. Maurice Hoogreef (supervisor)

“The greatest challenge for me arose from integrating my background in flight performance, which primarily focused on aircraft design and optimization, with a fleet-and-network model from an operational standpoint. This was a novel endeavour for me”. – Elise Scheers MSc

Scheers currently works as a Research and Development Modelling and Simulation Engineer at the Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR), where she focuses on modelling conceptual aircraft designs with alternative, more sustainable powertrain systems. She investigates the potentials for more sustainable aviation by assessing the performance and feasibility of these innovative technologies.

The award provides valuable recognition, enhancing my involvement and collaboration within the aerospace community. My aspiration is to continue contributing to disruptive technologies in the aerospace industry. I am really excited to see the possibilities that these innovations hold and hope to see them become reality in the future. Elise Scheers

The NVvL Hans Wittenberg Prize is awarded to the best aviation graduation report from Delft University of Technology, InHolland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences or the Netherlands Defense Academy. Named after Hans Wittenberg, who passed away in 2003 and was professor at TU Delft from 1961-1991 and board member of the NNvL from 1959 to 1975, the prize honours outstanding achievements in aviation research by students.

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Scottie Scheffler wins the 2024 Masters Tournament, joining select group of golfers who have earned the title twice

Scottie Scheffler has won the 2024 Masters Tournament, joining the select group of 17 golfers who have earned the title twice in their careers.

With Sunday's victory, Scheffler is the fourth-youngest golfer to win multiple green jackets, behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros.

Scheffler is living in rarefied air. He finished the 88th Masters at 11-under and won by four strokes. The victory made it three wins in his last four events and his second major victory in his previous three trips to Augusta.

Masters debutant Ludvig Åberg finished second at 7-under. Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood finished in a tie for third at 4-under.

Scheffler went off as the betting favorite at +400. Since 1985, only one golfer (Tiger Woods in 2005) had gotten off at +450 odds or shorter and went on to win the Masters.

The week was not without drama and possibly unprecedented circumstances for the world No. 1. In the final weeks of her pregnancy, Meredith Scheffler was unable to make the trip with Scottie. He went as far as to mention that should she go into labor during the tournament, he would leave at a moment’s notice.

Despite an early tournament weather delay Thursday, gusting winds through the weekend and impending fatherhood, Scheffler was able to remain dialed in and gain over four strokes total to the field, a feat with which he is all too familiar. He has gained at least four strokes to the field more often than anyone else in the world this season.

With the win, Scheffler earned 100 world ranking points, 600 FedEx Cup points, his second green jacket and $3.6 million.

Here's how Scheffler's win and the final day of the Masters played out:

The final pairing of the final round is off the first tee. Scheffler and Morikawa each hit picturesque opening drives Sunday afternoon.

If Morikawa were to claim his first green jacket, it would be his third major championship and leave him a U.S. Open title away from achieving the career Grand Slam.

Cam Smith has closed to within five shots of Scheffler. He is -2 for the day and -3 overall through three holes. Farther down the leaderboard, Tom Kim carded a final-round 66 to finish at +5 for the tournament.

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Åberg birdied the second with a smooth 22-foot putt. Sitting at +600 on the live odds board, Åberg aims to become the first debutant to win the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Shortly after Åberg and Homa birdied the second, Scheffler (+100) saved par on No. 2, maintaining his one-stroke lead over Morikawa and Homa. Xander Schauffele (+2500), now 1-under on his round, is another contender just four back of Scheffler.

Scheffler (now -140 odds to win) birdies No. 3 and leads Morikawa (+400) and Homa (+500) by two shots. Åberg (+700) has played well tee to green thus far in the final round but has missed a few putts and sits at -5 overall. Tommy Fleetwood (+4000) is 2 under par for the day through seven holes to join the party. He is now 3-under along with Bryson DeChambeau (+4000), the 2020 U.S. Open winner, who has birdied holes 4 and 5 after having bogeyed two of the first three holes.  

Morikawa gets up and down at No. 4 to save par, while Scheffler (-105) fails to convert the par save. Now just one back from the world No. 1, Morikawa is +400 to win the Masters. Phil Mickelson finishes this year’s tournament with a 2-over 74 round and 8-over overall, earning him the Top Senior honors. 

Scheffler (-110) misses a shortish birdie putt on No. 5 but remains the leader by one shot over Homa (+400) and Morikawa (+330). Fleetwood (+8000) is trying to make a Sunday charge. He is 2-under for the day and 3-under for the tournament through 8. Tyrrell Hatton (+150000) is 5-under through 14 and 2-under for the tournament.

Defending champion Jon Rahm (+750 per tournament odds) concludes his trip at Augusta. The LIV superstar failed to get anything going this week and finished outside the top 40. Shortly after the conclusion of Rahm’s round, Scheffler left his long birdie bid on No. 6 short. He remains one stroke ahead of Morikawa (+400) and Homa (+500). But Åberg (+400) just stuck his approach on seven; he’s inching closer toward history.  

Tree trouble for Scheffler on the seventh hole results in another missed green for the 2022 champion and, ultimately, a bogey . Scheffler (+115) is now tied with Morikawa (+360) and Åberg (+230). Morikawa has put himself consistently in position to score Sunday afternoon but has been unable to cash in on a handful of birdie putts. Homa (+550) is now back within a shot with Fleetwood (+9000), and DeChambeau (+5500) is within 3.

Homa (+400) cleans up his short birdie putt on eight and now moves to 6 under par for the tournament. He was briefly tied for the lead before Scheffler (-110), who has a bounce-back birdie or better percentage of 43% this season, and Morikawa (+230), who had not made a birdie since No. 8 Saturday, both birdied the eighth.

A three-shot swing in the final pairing as world No. 1 Scheffler (-175) follows up his birdie on No. 8 with another on No. 9 while Morikawa (+1800) makes double bogey after failing to make it out of a greenside bunker. Åberg (+260) sits alone in second just a single shot behind Scheffler. 

After an untimely double bogey on No. 9, Morikawa (+2500) failed to bounce back with a birdie. The two-time major champion finds himself four back of Scheffler (-250), who just drained a seven-foot birdie putt for his third straight birdie. Meanwhile, Fleetwood’s (+15000) nice 3-under round has him in solo fifth place.

Pars are in short supply all of a sudden as the four players atop the leaderboard have each made a bogey or worse in the last 10 minutes. Åberg (+850) started the parade with a double bogey at 11. Scheffler (-550) followed with a bogey at 11. Morikawa (+9000) doubles No. 11, and minutes later Homa (+1100) double bogeys No. 12. Fleetwood (+15000) is the beneficiary, as he is making pars and making up ground, sitting now at -4 through 15 holes. Scheffler leads at -8. Åberg and Homa are tied for second at -5, followed by Fleetwood.

The carnage continues through Amen Corner; however, Scheffler (-500) was able to find the green on No. 12 and finish the hole with a par, maintaining a three-stroke lead over Åberg (+400) and Homa (+1200). After he failed to convert the birdie attempt, the window for Morikawa (+20000) is closing. With just six holes to play, mistake-free golf is the recipe for the leader, Scheffler.

Nobody is playing better late in the day than Fleetwood, but his putter has not heated up on the back nine as required if he is to put on the green jacket at day’s end. With only No. 18 remaining, he sits at -4, five shots behind Scheffler (-750 to win), who just birdied the par-5 13th hole. Åberg has climbed back within striking distance and is 7-under through 14 following back-to-back birdies. 

Scheffler is dialed in right now. With a two-stroke lead over Åberg, he stuck it within a foot on No. 14. Make that back-to-back birdies for the Texas native. He now moves three clear of Åberg and is an overwhelming -3500 favorite. Amid all the action, on 15, Åberg found the trees off the tee and was forced to lay up on the reachable par 5. Holes are running out for those trailing. It almost feels like Scheffler’s tournament to lose.

Scheffler began the Masters as an overwhelming favorite, and he is delivering as advertised. Closing in on his second Masters championship, he is now three holes from victory following a par on the 15th hole to maintain his three-stroke advantage over Åberg. Homa and Morikawa sit five shots off the pace. Fleetwood has posted a round of 69 to finish the tournament at 4 under par.  

After a solid approach on 16, Scheffler took a long look at the leaderboard as he walked toward the green. Soaking it in with three holes remaining and a three-stroke lead, it must now start to feel real. He is inching closer to history and joining the select group of multi-major winners. That moment didn’t faze him in the least. Scheffler stood over his lengthy putt and dropped it right down the center of the cup. He’s standing on No. 17 with a four-stroke lead and the betting odds taken off the board.

On Sunday, the back nine at Augusta is supposed to bring golfers to their knees. Not the case with the leader, Scheffler. The world No. 1 has been dominant on the closing nine with four birdies and is in control, sitting at 11 under par through 17 holes. He is a couple of swings away from another major championship.

Brad Thomas is an NBC Sports Betting Analyst