Structuring a thesis

(based on the text from https://sokogskriv.no/en/writing/structure-and-argumentation/structuring-a-thesis/)

Summary and foreword

Most readers will turn first to the summary (or abstract). The summary should highlight the
main points from your work, especially the thesis statement, methods (if applicable), findings
and conclusion. However, the summary does not need to cover every aspect of your work.
The main objective is to give the reader a good idea of what the thesis is about.

The summary should be completed at the end, when you are able to overview your project as
a whole. Writing a good summary can be difficult, since it should only include the most
important points of your work.

Most commonly used structure: Introduction, Theory Section, Methodology Section

(Methods), Analysis (Results, Findings), Discussion, Conclusions (Summing up).

1. Introduction
Your introduction has two main purposes:
1) to give an overview of the main points of your thesis,
2) to awake the reader’s interest.

The introduction should include:

 The background and the motivation for your choice of theme,
 A discussion of your research question or the thesis statement,
 A schematic outline of the remainder of your thesis.

The sections below discuss each of the Intruduction elements.

1.1 BACKGROUND
The background should make a good impression and convince the reader, why the theme is
important and your approach relevant. Even so, it should be no longer than necessary.

What is considered a relevant background depends on your field and its traditions.
Background information might be historical in nature, or it might refer to previous research or
practical considerations.
If it is common in your discipline to reflect upon your experiences as a practitioner, this is the
place to present them.

Tip: Do not spend too much time on your background and opening remarks before you have
started with the main text.

1.2 DEFINING THE SCOPE OF YOUR THESIS

One of the first tasks of a researcher is defining the scope of a study, i.e., its area (theme,
field) and the amount of information to be included. Narrowing the scope of your thesis can
be time-consuming. It may seem surprising, but the more you limit the scope, the more
interesting it becomes. This is because a narrower scope lets you clarify the problem and
study it at greater depth, whereas very broad research questions only allow a superficial
treatment.

The research question can be formulated as one main question with (a few) more specific sub-
questions or in the form of a hypothesis that will be tested.

Some tips concerning formulation of the research question(s):

 Use interrogative words: how, why, which (factors/situations), in which ways, etc.
 Feel free to pose partially open questions that allow discussions of the overall theme,
e.g., “In what way …?”; “How can we understand [a particular phenomenon]?”
 Try to condense your research question into one general question – and perhaps a few
more specific sub-questions (two or three will usually suffice).

1.3 OUTLINE
The outline gives an overview of the main points of your thesis. It clarifies the structure of
your thesis and helps you find the correct focus for your work. A good outline shows how the
different parts relate to each other, and is a useful guide for the reader. It often makes sense to
put the outline at the end of the introduction, but this rule is not set in stone.

Below – the discussion concerning the other parts.

2. Theory section
The theory used in an empirical study is meant to shed light on the data in a scholarly or
scientific manner. It should give insights not achievable by ordinary, everyday reflections.
The main purpose of using theory is to analyze and interpret your data.

What kind of theory should you choose? Since the theory is the foundation for your data
analysis it can be useful to select a theory that lets you distinguish between, and categorize
different phenomena. Other theories let you develop the various nuances of a phenomenon. In
other words, you have a choice of either reducing the complexity of your data or expanding
upon something that initially looks simple.

How much time and space should you devote to the theory chapter? The nature of your
research should decide about it: Some studies do not require much theory, but put more
emphasis on the method, while other studies need a rich theory section to enable an
interesting discussion.

3. Methodology section
For students, this can be a difficult section to write, especially since its purpose may not
always be clear.

The methodology chapter should not iterate the contents of methodology handbooks.
For example, if you have carried out interviews, you do not need to list all the different types
of research interview. You also do not need to describe the differences between quantitative
and qualitative methods, or list all different kinds of validity and reliability.

What you must do is to show how your choice of design and research method is suited to
answering your research question(s). Demonstrate that you have given due consideration to
the validity and reliability of your chosen method. By “showing” instead of “telling”, you
demonstrate that you have understood the practical meaning of these concepts. This way, the
method section is not only able to tie the different parts of your thesis together, it also
becomes interesting to read!

Tips regarding the methodology section:

 Show the reader what you have done in your study, and explain why. How did you
collect the data? Which options became available through your chosen approach?
 Tell the reader what you did to increase the validity of your research. E.g., what can
you say about the reliability in data collection? How do you know that you have actually
investigated what you intended to investigate? What conclusions can be drawn on this
basis? Which conclusions are certain and which are more tentative? Can your results be
applied in other areas? Can you generalize them?
 You should aim to describe weaknesses as well as strengths. An excellent thesis
distinguishes itself by defending – and at the same time criticizing – the choices made.

4. Analysis (Results, Findings)

Your analysis, along with your discussion, will form the primary part of your thesis. This
section is sometimes titled “Results” or “Findings”. Finding out how best to organize and
present your findings may take some time. A good place to look for examples and inspiration
is repositories for master’s theses.

5. Discussion
In many theses the discussion is the most important section. Make sure that you allocate
enough time and space for a good discussion. This is your opportunity to show that you have
understood the significance of your findings and that you are capable of applying theory in an
independent manner.

The discussion will consist of argumentation. In other words, you investigate a phenomenon
from several different perspectives. To discuss means to question your findings, and to
consider different interpretations. Here are a few examples of formulations that signal
argumentation:

 On the one hand … and on the other …

 However …
 … it could also be argued that …
 … another possible explanation may be …

6. Conclusion (Summing up)

The final section of your thesis may take one of several different forms. Some theses need
a conclusion, while for others a summing up will be appropriate. The decisive factor will be
the nature of your thesis statement and/or research question.
Open research questions cannot always be answered, but if a definite answer is possible, you
must provide a conclusion. The conclusion should answer your research question(s).
Remember that a negative conclusion is also valid.

A summing up should repeat the most important issues raised in your thesis (particularly in
the discussion), although preferably stated in a (slightly) different way. For example, you
could frame the issues within a wider context.

Placing your thesis in perspective

In the final section you should place your work in a wider, academic perspective and
determine any unresolved questions. During the work, you may have encountered new
research questions and interesting literature which could have been followed up. At this point,
you may point out these possible developments, while making it clear for the reader that they
were beyond the framework of your current project.

 Briefly discuss your results through a different perspective. This will allow you to see
aspects that were not apparent to you at the project preparation stage
 Highlight alternative research questions that you have found in the source materials
used in the project
 Show how others have placed the subject area in a wider context
 If others have drawn different conclusions from yours, this will provide you with ideas
of new ways to view the research question
 Describe any unanswered aspects of your project
 Specify potential follow up and new projects

There should be a strong connection between your conclusion and your introduction. All the
themes and issues that you raised in your introduction must be referred to again in one way or
another. If you find out at this stage that your thesis has not tackled an issue that you raised in
the introduction, you should go back to the introduction and delete the reference to that issue.