We explain what a thesis is and how the structure of this research work is. In addition, some topics for thesis and what is a thesis.
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What is a thesis?
Thesis, in the academic world, is understood as a research work usually monographic or investigative , which consists of a dissertation and testing of previously established hypotheses , to demonstrate an analytical capacity and the management of research procedures.
Most academic degrees are awarded after the preparation, defense and approval of a thesis. Its elaboration usually involves months of research work in a specific area of knowledge, set out in a document of about one hundred to one hundred and fifty pages, where the procedure is detailed and the results are shown, using graphics or support material if necessary .
However, in a thesis there is also room for the author’s own opinions and elaborations , so that it is an original written work, which makes a specific contribution to the field of organized knowledge.
Its name comes from the Greek word for “proposition,” thesis . With that name the scientific arguments were known in the past, and it is preserved today even though the appearance of the scientific method during the European Renaissance forever modified the way we conceive of science and knowledge .
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Structure of a thesis
Although its characteristics vary according to the field of research addressed, a thesis is usually structured as follows:
- Preliminary . Everything that precedes the research itself, such as the cover, the summary of the research (for references), the content indexes, the dedication, acknowledgments and, finally, a general introduction to the topic that is being addressed.
- Background . A contextual explanation regarding the state of the matter at the time of initiating the research work, attending to what was said by previous authors and results of previous investigations.
- Methodology used . Where they explain what data and sources were used, what methods of research or experimentation, depending on the field, and what is the theoretical framework or central hypothesis of the research.
- Results . Here the author’s own results are presented, with their respective analyzes to know what they mean, what they say, and a discussion that eventually leads to conclusions.
- Conclusions and limitations . Where the contributions of the research to the field of specific knowledge are explained, and the warnings for future researchers.
- References . Here are the books and materials consulted throughout the investigation with all their complete editorial data.
- Appendices . All tables, graphs, images, tables, etc. are ordered in this segment. that help to understand the results.
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Topics for thesis
The choice of a thesis topic is the first essential step to carry it out. A researcher must be very clear about the north to which he points and the hypotheses he intends to question or demonstrate. For this, the most usual recommendations are:
- A passionate topic . This is elementary: if your thesis topic bores you, the more it will bore you for a hundred pages, and the more it will bore those who read it. Passion and commitment are indispensable when making a thesis.
- Narrow the subject well . Defining what is going to be studied is vital. The subjects can be very wide and diverse, and the generalities do not serve to step on firm.
- Check the background well . It may be that a previous investigation has already done what you propose, but different, or that it gives you a novel approach to the subject, or that it shows you that it is not really what you want. The first thing is to see what there is about it.
- Consider the professional contribution . You should be able to talk about your future thesis topic, without feeling that you wasted your time or that it was a whim that has nothing to do with your future professional development.
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Thesis and thesis
Both theses and theses are research expressed in writing through a monographic document and with the aspiration to contribute something to the field of studies or at least demonstrate the knowledge acquired and its implementation.
The thesis, however, is usually much less demanding, complex and extensive than a thesis , devoid of the demonstration needs step by step of the procedure, and with a much more limited approach. An ordinary thesis does not exceed twenty or thirty pages, while a thesis easily exceeds one hundred.
