Thesis Work: Your First Professional Project Exposing your Brain-Muscles Friday, October 5th 17, 2012 By: Mr. Zouhair El Aouni

Appetizer! “Think of your report as part of your investigation, not as a duty to be undertaken when your work is otherwise complete.” Barras (1993:136)

What is a thesis? An argument An exposition of an original piece of research Probably the largest, most self-indulgent piece of work you will do in your university life something that could potentially be published

Making a Smart Topic Choice What are you interested in? What are you good at? Are you proving something you believe in, or exploring a new area? Consider the data available

Typical thesis sections (1/4) Introduction Abstract Literature Review Methodology Data Analysis Discussions Conclusion Bibliography Reference Materials

Typical thesis sections (2/4) Abstract o This is a summary of the paper. o This must not be too long nor too short but should contain the very important parts like the nature of the subject, the methods and materials used in the research and the conclusion of the findings. Literature Review o This is the rationale behind the study made by the author. This is a review to make important points about the research and give the other authors a reason to research more about the subject.

Typical thesis sections (3/4) Methodology – This presents the methods used and the principles used to arrive to the solutions. It includes the materials used in the research or study. Data – The data is the gathered information to support the theories and findings made during the research. Analysis – This is the part when data is analyzed or evaluated. Discussions – The discussion includes the author’s interpretation of the study made and the conclusion drawn from the date gathered. Conclusion – The conclusion summarizes all the findings and resolves the problem presented. This could include recommendations based from the theories.

Typical thesis sections (4/4) Bibliography – Bibliography gives the list of materials related to the subject being studied. Reference Materials – The reference materials could be presented using different styles like APA or MLA which are the most common. As the author one must know how to make use of these two. – Your business related thesis will be more effective if you follow certain rules in doing the research work.

Writing your thesis (1/2) Planning writers If you prefer a highly structured approach to writing you may find it helpful to take the following approach. Under each chapter heading define a series of sections Break these sections into sub-sections and keep breaking these down until you are almost at the paragraph level This will give you a clear set of short sections that you can work methodically through as you work Once you have completed a section or chapter check that you have followed your plan.

Writing your thesis (2/2) Generative writers Some writers prefer to get ideas down on paper and then organize them afterwards. If this approach suits you try the following approach. Choose a chapter and just sit down and start typing Then you need to do some work to impose a structure Map out your writing by summarising each paragraph as a bullet point Use this summary to gain an overview of the structure that you have produced Re-order the writing and strengthen the structure by adding sub- headings and revising what you have written to make the argument clearer.

Highly important elements Step one: Thesis pertinence Step two: Ahead-of-time preparation Step three: Thesis writing Step four: Self-audit/evluation of the thesis Step five: Thesis submission Step six: Thesis preparation

Thank you for your active listening GO for it future Leaders !!! The materials used herein have been adapted from the Careers Advisory Services of the University of Kent – The UK’s European University