bachelor thesis summary

Thesis Summary

Considering that you have finished writing your thesis, it is high time that you started working on your thesis summary or abstract as the last and final part of your research paper before submitting it to your instructor. Writing an abstract is actually the simplest way for your audience, the teachers and the panel of publishers (if you wish for it to be published) to know what your research paper is about without going through the bulk of your paper.

What is an Abstract?

According to an article found in the Simon Fraser University database, the abstract is deemed a critical part of your thesis and it is presented at the beginning of the thesis, as it is a summary of the whole thesis. The thesis summary is a substantive description of your work read by an external examiner by presenting all the major elements of your work in a highly condensed form.

Size and Structure

Normally, a thesis summary would only contain 120 or less (for undergraduate theses), 150 words (for Masters theses) and 350 words (for a doctoral dissertation).

• For doctoral dissertations, it is best to limit it to only 280 words with a format of one double-spaced page, to preserve visual coherence.
• The structure of the abstract should mirror the structure of the whole thesis, and should represent all its major elements.
• For instance, if your thesis has five chapters (rationale, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion), limit each chapter to only a sentence or two for each chapter in order to maximize some parts that need more substantial backing.

Clearly Specify Your Research Questions

• Research questions are important in making sure that the abstract is coherent and logically structured as they form the backbone to which other elements adhere; they should be presented near the beginning of the abstract.
• Depending on the length of your research paper, there is only room for one to three questions. If there are more than three major research questions in your thesis, try to rearrange them by reducing some to subsidiary status.

Don’t Forget the Results

• One of the most common mistakes in writing abstracts is the failure to indicate the results.
• The primary function of your thesis (and by extension your abstract) is not to tell readers what you did, it is to tell them what you discovered. Other information, such as the account of your research methods, is needed mainly to back the claims you make about your results.
• The final part of your thesis should be about summarizing your results as well as interpreting them.
• Although it is sometimes not necessary, you can choose to add keywords below your abstract as the most important terms that can be found in the thesis.

Listed below are some thesis summary examples:

This study aimed to analyze and identify the most frequent news category and rhetoric of the three local English dailies as well as assess whether they align to the readers’ news preference. These factors served as the sources of the data gathered by the researchers: ninety tertiary students, each local publication’s respective editorial board, and banner stories. Findings indicated that even though the editors would usually select their stories based on impact, the banner story content however focused more on news like crime and politics which are mostly conflict-based issues, instead of human interest stories that readers prefer the most. In conclusion, the respective editorial boards of each publication are not presenting the readers with their main interests in the banner story. Keywords: banner stories, news values, news categories, gatekeeping/gatekeepers, and readers’ preference

An example of a summary format The aim or goal or purpose of this graduation thesis (title) is to … (analyse, characterize, compare, examine, illustrate, present, survey, design, reconstruct) … The graduation thesis is composed of five chapters, each of them dealing with different aspect of … Chapter 1 is introductory and (defines, describes, reviews, deals with) … The chapter is subdivided into two parts. Part 1 describes … and explains … . Part 2 deals with … Chapter 2 examines … . The chapter consists of three parts. Part 1 focuses on … . Part 2 investigates … . Part 3 addresses the issue of … . Chapter 3 is subdivided into two parts and provides an outline of relevant … Part 1 illustrates … . Part 2 looks at … . Chapter 4 concentrates on problems resulting from … Part 1 describes …. Part 2 recommends changes to be made in legislation … Conclusions are drawn in Chapter 5. The main aim of the graduation thesis has been reached. The author suggests that …………………… should be changed/introduced/applied.

The aim of this graduation thesis entitled Development of Yamakawa Technologies to Ascertain the Existence of Cheese on the Moon is to test the use of Yamakawa technologies in ascertaining the existence of cheese on the moon. Yamakawa technologies have been successfully used to test the existence of water in Wakanda, but to date no further applications are known. For this reason the author decided to test further applications, with the aim of describing the technology’s suitability for further development. This thesis first examines the testing procedures for the water in Wakanda experiment, and presents the results. In a second stage several adaptations to Yamakawa for the testing of the existence of cheese on the moon are undertaken. Finally the technology is applied to the question of cheese on the moon, within a six-week testing phase. At the end of each week the testing apparatus is fine tuned, and experiment results are charted every twenty-four hours. The results of the experiment show that Yamakawa technologies are well suited to ascertaining the presence of water in Wakanda, but were unable to be sufficiently modified for the purpose of ascertaining the existence of cheese on the moon. The author recommends further modification to the technology before any other uses are considered.

After writing the said abstract in your research paper, then congratulations! You are now ready to move to the next step of your thesis journey, defending it. Just remember this, always know your thesis by heart. Believe me, if you do, you will not have a hard time and eventually, you will learn to enjoy it too. Good luck!

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Q: How can we write a summary of a thesis?

The question has been asked in view of PhD thesis writing .

Asked by VIBHASH SINHA on 08 Sep, 2017

A summary of a thesis is like an abstract of a research paper. Basically, the purpose of the summary is to give the reader an overview of the main points of your thesis. The summary should include the following points:

• What is the thesis about?
• What is the purpose of the thesis?
• What were the methods used to research the information?
• What are the results, conclusions, and recommendations that the thesis presents?

Generally, the summary is about 200-350 words long, but you should verify this with your supervisor. Also, it generally follows an introduction-body-conclusion structure. 

Related reading:

The basics of converting your PhD thesis into journal articles

Answered by Editage Insights on 13 Sep, 2017

• Upvote this Answer

Results indicate that the effects of peer smoking, drinking, and fighting on corresponding respondent delinquency are attenuated in schools with strict sanction policies for these behaviors.

Answered by Jhan Micho Molon on 28 Feb, 2019

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Guide On How To Write a Thesis Summary In 2023

So, you just found out that you need to write a thesis summary. In most cases, students who encounter this requirement for the first time start to panic. Frankly, not everyone knows what this thesis summary is. And let’s not forget that most students have no clue how to write one. Don’t worry about it too much though.

What is a thesis summary?

Why use a thesis summary, how to write an effective thesis summary in 2023, master thesis summary example.

A thesis summary is a document that summarizes the points of a longer essay, thesis, or dissertation. Readers will often find a summary to be helpful as it offers a succinct overview of the document’s contents. A Thesis Summary should not be confused with an abstract as they both refer to separate documents that serve different purposes.

The steps involved in writing a Thesis Summary depend on what type of thesis you are summarizing. If you’re summarizing a text-based thesis, then your first step should be to read the Thesis and make note of any major key points and conclusions made by the author(s). You then assemble your notes into one coherent paragraph detailing each one of the major key points. Keep in mind that this initial paragraph will serve as an introduction to your Thesis Summary; therefore, it should not contain the thesis’ main points. Once you’ve completed this step, use these Main Points (identified in your thesis) as a guide for writing the body of your document.

If you’re developing a summary thesis that’s math-related, then you’ll first need to take note of the main conclusions. Second, you must determine how these conclusions were reached by noting each step in the proof. Finally, you’ll have to explain why each step is true using logic statements and definitions from the thesis.

These are the two standard ways to write a thesis summary. However, you can also include your insights, opinions, and comments if you choose.

The steps for writing a ‘ Thesis Summary in 2023’ are just about the same as they’ve always been. They’re pretty much set in stone because this is how students have written thesis summaries for decades.

For both types of thesis summaries, you should include a final paragraph that ties everything together with a brief conclusion. This final paragraph should highlight the key points and conclusions made throughout your document as well as offer a brief statement about why these points matter.

Step 1: Read the Text

The very first thing you’ll want to do is read the entire text. When you’re reading, make note of any major key points and conclusions made by the author(s). If you’re summarizing a text-based thesis, then these major points will form the basis for your introduction paragraph. However, don’t include these points in this introduction.

Step 2: Get to Work

After reading the entire document, it’s time to get started! Begin by taking notes on what you’ve learned from the text and organize them into one coherent paragraph. Make sure that this introduction doesn’t contain the thesis’ main points. Next, use these Main Points (identified in your thesis) as a guide for writing the rest of your thesis summary.

Step 3: Proof it Out

If you’re summarizing a math-related thesis, then you’ll first need to take note of the main conclusions and purposes stated within the document. Next, determine how these conclusions were reached by noting each statement or step in the proof. Finally, complete your Thesis Summary by explaining why each step is true using logical statements and definitions from the thesis.

Step 4: Wrap it Up

Once you’ve finished writing the body of your Thesis Summary, include a final paragraph that ties everything together with a brief conclusion. This final paragraph should highlight the key points and conclusions made throughout your document as well as offer a brief statement about why these points matter.

The best reasons to use a thesis summary are that it will both summarize the relevance of the document and add relevance to an argument. If someone is looking for a specific point or conclusion from the original text, then a Thesis Summary provides them with a quick breakdown of what they can find in the document’s introduction.

You should include a thesis summary in your writings when you believe that there may be too many arguments within your writing. It will help you put together the important points from the different arguments into one concise section.

If you’re summarizing a math-related thesis, they will ensure that you proof every step of the proof given in your paper. It will make sure that you do not miss any details.

There are a few key things that you should keep in mind when writing an effective thesis summary.

• When you’re summarizing a math-related paper, make sure to highlight the main conclusions and how they were arrived at.
• Tell the reader why these conclusions matter by explaining each one with logical statements and definitions from the original document.
• Include a brief conclusion paragraph that ties everything together and highlights the key points covered throughout your work.
• If your thesis is text-based, make sure to include important points throughout the body of your work.
• Last but not least, remember that you are writing a summary so don’t use big words or complex sentence structures! Your goal is to be understood by anyone who reads it in the future.

This Thesis Summary sample is based on a text-based document. Please note, as far as the format and structure are concerned, there’s not much difference between a summary of a bachelor thesis example, an example of a Ph.D. thesis summary, and a thesis chapter summary from a Master thesis summary.

The introduction to the original document should be written as such:

“In this thesis, we’d like to introduce a new framework for understanding how we learn and teach math. The topic of learning and teaching should be the focus of mathematics education.”

Then, point out the main points and conclusions made throughout the body of your work:

“One conclusion that we’ve drawn from our research is that children’s conceptions should be taken into account when designing an appropriate math curriculum for them.”

“A second conclusion that we’ve drawn from our research is that children are more likely to develop their ideas about math if they are encouraged to think critically.”

Finally, make a brief statement about why these points matter using logical statements and definitions from the thesis:

“These conclusions highlight how important it is to focus on children’s conceptions when designing curricula because if we don’t take them into account, we miss out on our student’s potential.”

“These conclusions also show that we need to emphasize critical thinking as a means for children to develop their ideas about math.”

Now, you’ve successfully written an effective thesis summary! Keep in mind that your goal is to highlight the main points and conclusions of the original document as well as boast about their significance. To make this process easier for you, we hope that our tips come in handy.

You should now have a good idea about what a thesis summary or dissertation summary is, why you should use them, and how to write one.

A thesis summary is an overview of the main points and conclusions made in a text-based document or simply put, a summary of the research paper. A Thesis Summary should be included when you believe there are too many arguments within your writing, or if you’re summarizing math-related papers for proofing purposes. Key things to keep in mind while writing one include highlighting important concepts that were previously mentioned, explaining why these new ideas matter with logical statements and definitions from the original work, and providing a brief conclusion paragraph that ties everything together. If you want thesis help with any part of this process from reading or understanding complex texts to organizing them into coherent paragraphs let us know! Our team of thesis writers will be happy to help you complete your thesis summary!

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How to write an excellent thesis conclusion [with examples]

Restate the thesis

Review or reiterate key points of your work, explain why your work is relevant, a take-away for the reader, more resources on writing thesis conclusions, frequently asked questions about writing an excellent thesis conclusion, related articles.

At this point in your writing, you have most likely finished your introduction and the body of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper . While this is a reason to celebrate, you should not underestimate the importance of your conclusion. The conclusion is the last thing that your reader will see, so it should be memorable.

A good conclusion will review the key points of the thesis and explain to the reader why the information is relevant, applicable, or related to the world as a whole. Make sure to dedicate enough of your writing time to the conclusion and do not put it off until the very last minute.

This article provides an effective technique for writing a conclusion adapted from Erika Eby’s The College Student's Guide to Writing a Good Research Paper: 101 Easy Tips & Tricks to Make Your Work Stand Out .

While the thesis introduction starts out with broad statements about the topic, and then narrows it down to the thesis statement , a thesis conclusion does the same in the opposite order.

• Restate the thesis.
• Review or reiterate key points of your work.
• Explain why your work is relevant.
• Include a core take-away message for the reader.

Tip: Don’t just copy and paste your thesis into your conclusion. Restate it in different words.

The best way to start a conclusion is simply by restating the thesis statement. That does not mean just copying and pasting it from the introduction, but putting it into different words.

You will need to change the structure and wording of it to avoid sounding repetitive. Also, be firm in your conclusion just as you were in the introduction. Try to avoid sounding apologetic by using phrases like "This paper has tried to show..."

The conclusion should address all the same parts as the thesis while making it clear that the reader has reached the end. You are telling the reader that your research is finished and what your findings are.

I have argued throughout this work that the point of critical mass for biopolitical immunity occurred during the Romantic period because of that era's unique combination of post-revolutionary politics and innovations in smallpox prevention. In particular, I demonstrated that the French Revolution and the discovery of vaccination in the 1790s triggered a reconsideration of the relationship between bodies and the state.

Tip: Try to reiterate points from your introduction in your thesis conclusion.

The next step is to review the main points of the thesis as a whole. Look back at the body of of your project and make a note of the key ideas. You can reword these ideas the same way you reworded your thesis statement and then incorporate that into the conclusion.

You can also repeat striking quotations or statistics, but do not use more than two. As the conclusion represents your own closing thoughts on the topic , it should mainly consist of your own words.

In addition, conclusions can contain recommendations to the reader or relevant questions that further the thesis. You should ask yourself:

• What you would ideally like to see your readers do in reaction to your paper?
• Do you want them to take a certain action or investigate further?
• Is there a bigger issue that your paper wants to draw attention to?

Also, try to reference your introduction in your conclusion. You have already taken a first step by restating your thesis. Now, check whether there are other key words, phrases or ideas that are mentioned in your introduction that fit into your conclusion. Connecting the introduction to the conclusion in this way will help readers feel satisfied.

I explored how Mary Wollstonecraft, in both her fiction and political writings, envisions an ideal medico-political state, and how other writers like William Wordsworth and Mary Shelley increasingly imagined the body politic literally, as an incorporated political collective made up of bodies whose immunity to political and medical ills was essential to a healthy state.

Tip: Make sure to explain why your thesis is relevant to your field of research.

Although you can encourage readers to question their opinions and reflect on your topic, do not leave loose ends. You should provide a sense of resolution and make sure your conclusion wraps up your argument. Make sure you explain why your thesis is relevant to your field of research and how your research intervenes within, or substantially revises, existing scholarly debates.

This project challenged conventional ideas about the relationship among Romanticism, medicine, and politics by reading the unfolding of Romantic literature and biopolitical immunity as mutual, co-productive processes. In doing so, this thesis revises the ways in which biopolitics has been theorized by insisting on the inherent connections between Romantic literature and the forms of biopower that characterize early modernity.

Tip: If you began your thesis with an anecdote or historical example, you may want to return to that in your conclusion.

End your conclusion with something memorable, such as:

• a call to action
• a recommendation
• a gesture towards future research
• a brief explanation of how the problem or idea you covered remains relevant

Ultimately, you want readers to feel more informed, or ready to act, as they read your conclusion.

Yet, the Romantic period is only the beginning of modern thought on immunity and biopolitics. Victorian writers, doctors, and politicians upheld the Romantic idea that a "healthy state" was a literal condition that could be achieved by combining politics and medicine, but augmented that idea through legislation and widespread public health measures. While many nineteenth-century efforts to improve citizens' health were successful, the fight against disease ultimately changed course in the twentieth century as global immunological threats such as SARS occupied public consciousness. Indeed, as subsequent public health events make apparent, biopolitical immunity persists as a viable concept for thinking about the relationship between medicine and politics in modernity.

Need more advice? Read our 5 additional tips on how to write a good thesis conclusion.

The conclusion is the last thing that your reader will see, so it should be memorable. To write a great thesis conclusion you should:

The basic content of a conclusion is to review the main points from the paper. This part represents your own closing thoughts on the topic. It should mainly consist of the outcome of the research in your own words.

The length of the conclusion will depend on the length of the whole thesis. Usually, a conclusion should be around 5-7% of the overall word count.

End your conclusion with something memorable, such as a question, warning, or call to action. Depending on the topic, you can also end with a recommendation.

In Open Access: Theses and Dissertations you can find thousands of completed works. Take a look at any of the theses or dissertations for real-life examples of conclusions that were already approved.

How to Write a Bachelor’s Thesis: A Step-by-Step Guide

The bachelor’s degree is an important milestone in your academic life, and creating a successful bachelor’s thesis is an essential part of this process.

Although it can be a challenge, with a structured approach and a clear timetable, a well-researched, informed, and organized bachelor’s thesis can be created.

In this article, we explain how to write a bachelor’s thesis.

11 Facts About Bachelor’s Theses

• The average length of a bachelor’s thesis is about 30-60 pages.
• Most bachelor’s theses are written in the field of economics.
• The average processing time for a bachelor’s thesis is 3-6 months.
• Typically, bachelor’s theses are supervised by a professor or lecturer.
• Most bachelor’s theses are still written and submitted on paper.
• A bachelor’s thesis is always written within the framework of a study program and is an important part of the degree completion.
• The topic selection for a bachelor’s thesis is usually free, as long as it falls within the field of study.
• Adherence to citation rules and source references is an important part of a bachelor’s thesis.
• Submission of a bachelor’s thesis is usually combined with an oral examination.
• The bachelor’s thesis is the first longer scientific work that a student writes during their studies and therefore represents an important hurdle.
• In 2021, approximately 260,000 students achieved their bachelor’s degree.

Scientific Formulations in Minutes Seconds

11 Tips for Academic Writing (Bachelor’s Theses)

• Start your bachelor’s thesis early to have enough time for research, writing, and revision.
• Choose an interesting and relevant topic that fits well with your field of study.
• Create a detailed work plan to keep track of your steps and deadlines.
• Use trustworthy and current sources to underpin your work.
• Write clearly and precisely, avoid using unnecessarily complicated sentences.
• Use a consistent citation style and pay attention to the correct source citation.
• Logically structure your bachelor’s thesis and ensure that the common thread is recognizable.
• Revise and polish your work multiple times to ensure that it is free from spelling and grammar errors.
• Have your work read by others and seek feedback to recognize areas for improvement.
• Consider publishing your bachelor’s thesis to make it accessible to others and to present your work.
• Have your text scientifically rephrased by Mimir. Sample input : Potatoes are healthy… ➔ Result : Potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals and can contribute to a balanced diet.

The Process of Writing a Bachelor’s Thesis: Step by Step Guide

The writing process of a bachelor’s thesis is a challenge for many students. In this section, we give an overview of the most important steps and tips to successfully master the process.

• Determine the topic of the bachelor’s thesis and discuss it with the supervisor.
• Conduct comprehensive research and collect relevant sources.
• Create an outline and divide the topic into individual sections.
• Write the main part of the paper by processing and summarizing the insights gained from the research.
• Compose the concluding part, summarizing the main findings of the work and outlining possible further steps or implications.
• Proofread the work and check for formal requirements.
• Submit and defend the bachelor’s thesis.

Choosing a Topic: How to Find the Perfect Topic for Your Bachelor’s Thesis

The first step in creating a bachelor’s thesis is selecting the topic. It’s important that your topic is specific and answers a clear research question. If your topic is too general, it will be harder to achieve meaningful results.

Why is the topic important?

An interesting and relevant topic not only captivates your readers but also gives you the motivation to successfully complete the work.

The topic of your bachelor’s thesis is crucial for the success of your work.

A difficult or boring topic, on the other hand, can lead to you finding the writing process frustrating and ultimately not successfully completing the work. Therefore, it’s important to think carefully about which topic you choose for your bachelor’s thesis.

If you have difficulty finding a topic, you can turn to your supervisors and present your ideas to them.

Research & Study: The Right Way to the Perfect Bachelor’s Thesis

Once the topic is set, it’s time to collect the necessary information. This can be done by searching through libraries and databases, reading specialist literature, and interviewing experts. It’s important to carefully organize and document the collected information so that it’s easily accessible when writing the work.

It’s also important that your sources are current, as research and opinions in your subject area are constantly changing.

Possible Sources

• Academic Publications
• Professional Journals
• Reputable Websites (you should consult your supervisor beforehand)

Structure: Setup and Organization of the Bachelor Thesis

It is important to have a clear structure for your bachelor thesis. This should include an introduction, a main part, and a conclusion. Within the main part, you can divide your arguments into different sections. This helps you to structure your thought process and ensure a smooth and logical flow.

Introduction

• Summary of the research thesis
• Definition of the main terms
• Explanation of the research question and area of interest
• Conduct literature research
• Develop arguments and hypotheses
• Draw conclusions and results
• Cite sources
• Summary of the results
• Comparison of hypotheses and results
• Explanation of the implications of the results
• Recommendations for further research

Writing: Tips and Tricks for the Writing Process

After you have completed your research and established your structure, it is time to write.

It is important that you write your work in simple, academic German/English.

Avoid using too many technical terms and ensure that each sentence conveys a clear thought.

Compose a clear introduction that explains your topic and presents your argumentation. In the main part of your work, you should provide your arguments and examples to prove your thesis. Make sure that your arguments are logical and understandable.

• Write a simple and clear introduction
• Compose the main part of your work
• Ensure that each sentence conveys a clear thought
• Provide your arguments and examples to prove your thesis
• Ensure logical and understandable argumentation
• Avoid too many technical terms
• Avoid vague formulations
• Avoid subjective opinions

Tip: Let Mimir formulate your bullet point ( Example input : Running is great ➔ Result (1/3) : Running is a healthy and effective form of physical activity that can contribute to improving cardiovascular fitness, mobility, and mental health.)

Formatting: How to Properly Format Your Bachelor Thesis

It is important that you adhere to your university’s guidelines when formatting your bachelor thesis. Check the requirements for margins, line spacing, font size, and font type prescribed by your university.

It is also important to format your work consistently to achieve a professional look.

• Adhere to your university’s guidelines
• Check margins, line spacing, font size, and font type
• Consistently format your work
• Create a professional layout

Citing and Referencing: Rules for Citing and Referencing in the Bachelor Thesis

When referring to the ideas of other authors in your work, it is important to cite and reference them correctly. There are various citation styles you can use, but most universities use the Harvard or APA style.

Make sure to properly cite and reference all sources you refer to, to avoid plagiarism.

• Use the Harvard or APA style
• Cite and reference all sources you refer to
• Avoid plagiarism

Proofreading: Error Sources and Tips for a Flawless Bachelor Thesis

After you have written your bachelor thesis, it is important to thoroughly review it. Check the content for correct grammar, spelling, and structure. Also ensure that your arguments are clear and logical and that your statements are supported by your research.

It is important to proofread and edit your work several times. Make sure to correct all spelling and grammar errors so that your work looks professional.

• Read your work aloud to detect errors in grammar, sentence structure, and pronunciation.
• Use a dictionary or an online proofreading program to find errors in spelling and punctuation.
• Have someone else read your work and ask for feedback to gain additional perspectives and suggestions for improvement.
• Carefully review and revise your work to improve its quality and content. This can be done by adding examples, removing unnecessary information, or refining arguments.

Tip: Have your text checked by Mimir (Unscientific words, gender conformity, and more…)

Submission: How to Safely Submit and Defend Your Bachelor Thesis

Writing a bachelor thesis can be a challenging task, but if you follow the steps mentioned above, you will complete your work in a professional manner.

Don’t forget to adhere to the guidelines of your university.

Once you have reviewed and revised your bachelor’s thesis, it’s time to submit it. Make sure your work meets the requirements of your examiner and contains the correct information. If possible, have a friend or family member review it before you submit it.

Earning a bachelor’s degree is a great achievement, and creating a successful bachelor’s thesis is an essential part of this process. Remember, choosing a topic, conducting research, and writing a bachelor’s thesis can be a laborious process. However, if you have a clear schedule and follow the steps mentioned above, you can create a well-researched, informed, and organized bachelor’s thesis.

And last but not least: Congratulations!

Two Practical Examples of the Process

To better understand the steps and tips mentioned above, here are two examples from different academic areas:

• A psychology student writes a bachelor’s thesis on the effects of social media on the mental health of adolescents. She chooses this topic because it combines her personal interest and her expertise in psychology. She gathers information by reading textbooks and conducting interviews with adolescents and experts. She creates an outline consisting of an introduction, three main chapters, and a conclusion, and writes her paper accordingly. She makes sure to use quotes and references and to adhere to the APA formatting requirements. Finally, she carefully corrects her work and has it read by her teacher and a fellow student for improvement suggestions.
• A computer science student writes a bachelor’s thesis on the development of a new algorithm for machine learning. He chooses this topic because it reflects his expertise in computer science and his curiosity about new technologies. He gathers information by reading academic articles and communicating with other experts in his field. He creates an outline consisting of an introduction, three main chapters, a section on results, and a conclusion, and writes his paper accordingly. He makes sure to use citations and references and to adhere to the IEEE formatting requirements. Finally, he carefully corrects his work and has it read by his supervisor and a reviewer from a professional journal for improvement suggestions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you start writing a bachelor’s thesis.

Before you start writing your bachelor’s thesis, you should first plan the topic and structure of the paper. This also includes researching relevant sources and creating an outline. Once you have an overview of the structure of the paper, you can start writing.

How quickly can you write a bachelor’s thesis?

The duration of writing a bachelor’s thesis can vary greatly and depends on various factors, such as the complexity of the topic, the size of the paper, and the time spent on research. However, you should generally plan several weeks or even months for the actual writing of a bachelor’s thesis.

How do you properly write a bachelor’s thesis?

1. Start by selecting an interesting and relevant topic for your bachelor’s thesis. 2. Create a clear and detailed research plan that outlines the goals, methods, and timeline for your work. 3. Gather comprehensive and reliable sources to support your arguments and substantiate your theses. 4. Compose a clear and structured introduction that highlights the topic and significance of your work. 5. Develop your arguments in the main chapters of your bachelor’s thesis and use examples and evidence to support your statements. 6. Conclude your findings and conclusion in a conclusive and detailed section that summarizes the significance and implications of your work. 7. Thoroughly correct and revise your bachelor’s thesis to ensure it is logical, coherent, and error-free.

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Thesis Summary: A Detailed Academic Writing Guide

A thesis summary is a highly condensed version of the longer paper. It highlights the main points that have been covered in the paper while concisely describing the content of the thesis. In most cases, the summary of a thesis and the abstract serve the same purpose. They provide an overview of all the major points of a thesis. Thus, a reader can quickly see the main content of your thesis when they read the summary. This enables them to determine whether they are interested in your work or not.

What is Included in a Thesis Summary?

When asked to summarize something, you’re simply required to condense the text to the main points. As such, a good summary of thesis research should include important elements only. It should capture the main idea in the paper and the supporting points that may be interwoven with content that is of lesser importance.

Many learners confuse a thesis statement summary with an analysis. An analysis is a discussion of the techniques, ideas, and meaning in the text. On the other hand, a summary does not entail responding or critiquing the ideas in the text. Analyzing a paper entails summarizing its content to establish the ideas that you will be analyzing. A summary does not substitute for analysis.

Here are some of the things that a Ph.D. or master thesis summary should include: A title that is similar to that of your thesis The main purpose of your thesis The main topic of your thesis The research methods used to gather the information The sub-sections of your thesis Recommendations, results, and conclusions

Essentially, a summary should present the points of the author in a straightforward structure. Therefore, read the thesis carefully to determine the major and minor components or points of the argument and summarize them in an organized manner.

A point that the author makes at the beginning and another one at the end should concisely be included in a summary of thesis to convey the main argument of the author. Thus, you should read, understand, and reconstruct the thesis into a more concise, shorter form.

How to Write an Executive Summary for Thesis

Perhaps, you have written a short thesis that is not longer than ten pages. In that case, follow these steps to write a summary thesis:

• Summarize every paragraph in one sentence
• Summarize the entire text in a single sentence
• Write a single paragraph that starts with a sentence that summarizes the entire text followed by a paragraph of summary sentences
• Rewrite and rearrange your paragraph to ensure that it’s concise and clear.
• Eliminate relatively minor and repetitive points and include transitions.

Make sure that the final summary is complete, coherent, and unified.

How to Write Summary of Ph.D. Thesis and Longer Texts

A longer text like a Ph.D. requires time to summarize. That’s because you have to read and understand the document before you summarize it. Here’s how to write a summary thesis for longer papers.

• Outline the thesis by breaking it down into different major sections. To do this, group the paragraphs that focus on a similar topic and then list down the supporting points for different sections.
• Write a sentence or two that summarizes every section.
• Create a single sentence that summarizes the entire text. Look for the topic sentence in the thesis to guide you.
• Write one paragraph or several to start the overall summary sentence. Follow it with sentences that summarize different sections.
• Rearrange and rewrite the paragraphs to make the text concise and clear while eliminating repetitious and relatively minor points. Also, include transitions in your summary.

The final summary should include the main supporting points of every idea. Make the final version coherent, unified, and complete.

When is the Summary of Findings in Thesis Necessary?

The summary and conclusion thesis serves the purpose of providing an overview of the paper. As such, students are required to write a summary in many instances. In some cases, an educator can assign learners to write a page or two after reading a paper or article. They can also be asked to come up with a summary of their text as part of their critique or response after reading a paper.

Students can also write article summaries as a part of their planning or note-taking process when writing a research paper. These summaries or their parts can be included in the final papers. When writing a research paper, an author can depend on the summary as their reference to source materials. A summary enables a writer to condense broad information so that they can explain and present the relevance of the sources that deal with a similar subject.

A paper can also be summarized in the introduction to present a precise and concise overview of the main ideas to be discussed in the rest of the text. The length of a summary should depend on the complexity and length of the paper. Additionally, the purpose of a summary should determine whether it will be a few sentences, a shorter paragraph, or even several paragraphs. You can even come across a thesis summary sample that looks like an entire paper.

Qualities of a Good Summary Thesis Sample

When learning how to write summary and conclusion in thesis, many students use samples as their guides. But, how do you know that you’re using a good thesis summary example? Here are the qualities to look for:

• Comprehensiveness : A good summary should be comprehensive. All important points should be isolated from the original passage and noted down in a brief list. These are the ideas that should form the summary because they are indispensable to the development of the thesis.
• Conciseness : An ideal summary should be free of repetitions. Do not repeat the same points even if they have been restated in the main document. The summary should be shorter while providing a brief overview of the paper. Therefore, avoid repetition of the main point and supporting ideas.
• Coherence : A good summary makes sense. It’s not a piece that looks like it’s been taken from the main document. It should also not sound like a collection of disjointed sentences from the main document that is being summarized.
• Independence : When writing a summary, your work is not to imitate the main text’s author. Instead, you are expected to showcase your style and voice in the summary. Thus, you should not just quote the main text’s author. Instead, express how you understand the document in your words. A summary should be based on your understanding and interpretation of the main ideas or points of the writer. Nevertheless, a good summary does not create distortion or misrepresentation through the introduction of criticisms or comments.

It’s also crucial to note that a good summary thesis example uses a structure that features an introduction, the body, and a conclusion. It presents the goal or purpose, results, and conclusion or recommendations. What’s more, it features logical connections of the included information without adding new information.

To write a great summary, work on this part after completing your thesis. Make sure that you’re guided by the main points of your thesis. What’s more, use a good executive summary for thesis sample to guide you. The length of your summary should depend on its purpose and the length of the main document. Once you have written the summary, read it carefully, and eliminate all errors when proofreading and editing it. Alternatively, ask our thesis editors to proofread the summary for you.

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Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our dissertation mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project. 

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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• How to Write a Bachelor Thesis - Comprehensive Guide

What Makes a Bachelor Thesis Important?

Bachelor thesis structure and components, how to pick a cool thesis topic, how to write a successful bachelor thesis.

Are you about to write a bachelor thesis? Congratulations - you are on the home straight and need to take the very last but important step to earn a bachelor’s degree. You have successfully handled all academic assignments; however, it doesn’t make bachelor thesis writing any easier. Writing a thesis takes a lot of time and requires real dedication to your theme in full.

Being one of the most important parts of your academic career, this assignment is to highlight your experience and knowledge in the chosen field of study. Therefore, it should be approached properly. Otherwise, you risk crapping all your academic achievements. Do not want this to happen to you? Then you need to plan your efforts properly or use writing thesis service  with professional writers to do the assignment for you. In the latter case, you can be sure that the paper you get is of top quality and meets academic writing standards at 100%.

The purpose of a bachelor’s thesis is to give students an opportunity to independently work on a complex assignment, demonstrate their ability to formulate a thesis topic , select relevant literature, and process the data. However, it is not all you need to do in order to produce a quality project. In order to deliver an all-covering paper, you are to conduct in-depth topic research, data analysis, apply relevant methodologies, make critical assessments, and present answers to questions raised in the problem statement. 

Thus, a bachelor’s thesis is far from being a purely writing assignment. It is more of a research nature and requires critical thinking from a student. Being the final task in your academic career, thesis writing is aimed at:

• Teaching you to give an independent and clear treatment of a certain topic, discipline, or area of study;
• Training you to independently identify and analyze a problem, find solutions, and predict outcomes;
• Sharpening your skill to independently acquire and handle academic knowledge;
• Cultivating your ability to evaluate and account for the key elements in a large literature base.

As you can see, bachelor thesis writing is a complex task that requires a step-by-step approach and proper planning of your actions. So what should you know about this type of writing? What should you take into account when coping with the task? And what makes a thesis good?

Your thesis is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve done so far, and it can be intimidating to know where to start. There is no general rule here. Not all dissertations follow the same thesis structure . Your discipline, topic, and research approach - these are what will determine paper formatting and structure. For example, theses in Humanities are often structured similarly to a long essay - with a central statement and arguments to support it. Paper chapters are organized around different themes or case studies bringing more details to help you with formulating research problem .

The situation is completely different when it comes to empirical research in scientific disciplines. In this case, your dissertation should generally contain the following components:

• Title page;
• Thesis acknowledgment ;
• Abstract in dissertation ;
• Table of contents;
• List of tables / figures;
• List of abbreviations;
• Vocabulary;
• Thesis introduction ;
• Literature review ;
• Dissertation methodology ;
• Discussion in research ;
• Thesis conclusion .

All these are intended to have thesis material structured in a proper way, ease its perception, and prove the relevance of your key research statement. If you are not a skillful scientist or writer and do not know what to start your writing with, then we strongly recommend that you develop a paper outline. Use it as the information backbone for your project, and you will never miss out on a single argument, paragraph, or a critical piece of research data.

Choosing a topic for your thesis can feel like a daunting point, but it can be an exciting thing to do. Picking the right theme for your thesis is a great chance for you to dive deep into a topic of interest to you and to contribute something new to your field. By the way, selecting your topic can ease thesis writing and make it a success with no special effort or labor on your end. So how choosy to be in order to pick a winning topic for your main academic project? Here are some points for your evaluation:

• List your main interests related to your area of study;
• Go through your past successful academic assignments;
• Check gaps in current research related to your field;
• Eliminate reserch topic ideas  that don’t promise avenues for new exploration;
• Do preliminary research to estimate the scope of literature you can use as the source of information.

When picking a topic for your thesis, the main task you have is to make sure that it is acute, scientifically valuable, interesting to you, and provides you research perspectives.

Do not know what topic to go with? Need help with proper topic formulation? Or maybe you need someone to do the proofreading job for you? Let us do the service for you and polish your paper to make your thesis shine.

Thesis writing can be an easy task if you have a clear plan of action. We have done it for you, so you just need to stick to the following steps:

• Research the topic;
• Formulate the key statement based on research findings;
• Build a thesis research design ;
• Group the data around the key subject;
• Develop an outline of your piece;
• Write a paper draft (start your writing attempts with the discussion section of a project);
• Edit a paper (pay attention to key formulations and content of your piece);
• Fix formatting, punctuation, and spelling errors;
• Run a plagiarism check and make sure that all quotes and references are properly cited.

As you follow the above approach, your thesis writing efforts reach your main target and will bring you recognition in your field of study. 

Selecting a good thesis topic might be a real nightmare to many college students since you are expected to write about something new although nobody expects that you make some groundbreaking discovery. If you are stuck with formulating the key theme for your thesis project, we will share with you so...

To successfully come up with your thesis acknowledgement, read this helpful guidance article or contact our pro writers to get dissertation help. How to write an acknowledgement for a thesis? This section should be presented only to express your sincere gratitude to individuals who helped you in you...

When you write a thesis, you should pay exceptional attention to the introduction. The reader will start your thesis from the introduction, and he will make up his view and understanding of the problem, your ideas, professionalism and writing skills based on the introduction. Your introduction is an...

How to Write a Thesis Summary in a Clear and Concise Manner

Mar 21, 2023 | 0 comments

Mar 21, 2023 | Blog | 0 comments

Writing a thesis summary is essential in completing your research paper, dissertation, or PhD thesis. A thesis summary is a highly condensed version of your thesis, providing a brief overview of the main points of your thesis. Writing a good thesis summary requires the ability to summarize the entire text coherently and logically. In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write a summary of a thesis that highlights the key points of your thesis. We will also answer some frequently asked questions related to thesis summaries and provide a thesis summary example to illustrate the steps for writing a good summary.

So, let’s get started.

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Step 1: Read the Thesis

Step 1 in writing a clear and concise thesis summary involves reading the entire thesis carefully, taking notes, highlighting important sections, and marking any questions. Understanding the author’s argument, abstract, research questions, methodology, conclusions, and recommendations is crucial. It’s also important to understand the author’s writing style and tone and use their words and phrases to highlight the most important points in the summary. A comprehensive understanding of the work can be obtained by thoroughly reading the thesis, which is necessary to create a summary that accurately reflects the author’s ideas while being concise and easy to understand for the reader.

Step 2: Highlight the Main Points

Step two in writing a clear and concise thesis summary is to highlight the main points of the thesis. This step involves identifying the thesis statement or main argument of the thesis and the supporting points that the author uses to develop and support their argument. You should also highlight any research questions, methods used, and conclusions made by the author. By focusing on the main points, you can avoid including unnecessary details and create a concise summary that focuses on the most important information. It’s essential to avoid including minor details, anecdotes, or examples that do not contribute significantly to the author’s argument. Highlighting the main points will help you create an outline for your summary and ensure that you cover all the essential information comprehensively and logically.

Step 3: Write a Single Sentence Thesis Statement

The third step in summarizing a thesis is to write a single-sentence thesis statement that conveys the thesis’s main argument or central idea. This statement should be concise and specific, using key concepts and themes related to the main argument and supporting points identified in the previous step. It should not be confused with a topic sentence . Instead, it should summarize the entire thesis and provide an overview of the main points while demonstrating the summarizer tool to understand the text. Writing a thesis statement helps to create a roadmap for the rest of the summary and ensures that it accurately reflects the author’s work.

Step 4: Write an Overview of the Main Points

Step 4 involves writing an overview of the main points of the thesis. This section should concisely summarise the key ideas and supporting arguments presented in the thesis. The overview should begin with a restatement of the thesis statement and then proceed to summarize the main points in the order in which they were presented in the thesis.

To ensure that your overview accurately reflects the author’s work, it is important to use your own words and avoid copying phrases or sentences from the original text. This will also help you to condense the information and make it easier to read and understand.

In writing the overview, it is important to highlight the most important points and supporting arguments while avoiding unnecessary details. This will help you to create a comprehensive but coherent summary of the entire thesis.

Step 5: Include Important Supporting Points

Step 5 in summarizing a thesis involves including the important supporting points. This step is critical to developing a comprehensive and well-structured summary. Supporting points are ideas, evidence, or examples that help to explain and support the thesis statement. These points should be significant and relevant to the main argument of the thesis. To identify the supporting points, it’s important to review the thesis carefully and look for evidence, arguments, and examples that the author uses to support their main argument. Once you have identified these points, you can include them in your summary, providing enough context and detail to help the reader understand their significance. By including the important supporting points in your summary, you can help the reader to understand the author’s argument and how they arrived at their conclusions. It also helps to provide evidence for the thesis statement and demonstrates that you understand the text well.

Step 6: Conclude with a Comprehensive and Coherent Summary

The final step in creating a thesis summary involves concluding it with a comprehensive and coherent summary that accurately represents the author’s work. This requires including all essential information from the thesis, ensuring the summary is organized logically and contradictions-free. Additionally, the summary should be concise and avoid unnecessary details while providing a critical evaluation of the thesis. By doing so, you can demonstrate your ability to analyze and interpret complex academic texts while contributing to the academic conversation.

What is the Structure of a Thesis Summary?

The structure of a thesis summary typically includes an introduction, a brief overview of the research methods used, a summary of the key findings and results, and a conclusion.

• Introduction: The introduction should provide a brief overview of the thesis, including the topic, research questions, and main argument. It should also provide context for the work and explain the importance of the research.
• Research Methods: In this section, the author should describe the research methods used to conduct the study, including the research design, data collection methods, and analysis techniques. The author should also explain why these methods were chosen and how they contribute to the research.
• Key Findings and Results: This section should summarise the main findings and results of the study. It should highlight the most important results and explain how they support the thesis argument. The author should also discuss any limitations of the study and suggest areas for future research.
• Conclusion: The conclusion should provide a final overview of the thesis and its contributions to the field. The author should restate the main argument and summarize the key findings and results. The conclusion should also critically evaluate the work and discuss its implications for future research.

It’s important to note that the structure of a thesis summary may vary depending on the academic institution’s requirements or publication. However, the above structure is a common framework that can be used as a guide for writing a clear and concise thesis summary.

What are the Qualities of a Good Thesis Summary?

A good thesis summary possesses qualities that effectively convey the author’s main argument and supporting points to the reader.

• Comprehensiveness: A good thesis summary should be comprehensive enough to capture all the essential information from the thesis, including the main argument, supporting points, research questions, methods used, and conclusions made by the author. This ensures that the reader gets a full picture of the author’s work and can understand the author’s point of view.
• Conciseness: While a good thesis summary should be comprehensive, it should also be concise. This means the summary should avoid unnecessary details or information that do not contribute significantly to the author’s argument. A concise summary is easier to read and understand, ensuring that the reader remains engaged throughout the summary.
• Coherence: A good thesis summary should be coherent and well-organized, with each point building upon the previous one. This ensures that the summary is logical and easy to follow, and it helps the reader understand the author’s argument clearly and concisely. A coherent summary demonstrates the writer’s ability to analyze and interpret complex academic texts.
• Independence: A good thesis summary should be independent of the writer’s opinions or biases. It should present the author’s work objectively and accurately, without any personal interpretation or evaluation. This ensures the summary is credible and trustworthy, allowing the reader to form opinions based on the author’s work.

Thesis Summary Example #1:

The bombing of kindergartens and the potential of WWIII threatens the world’s peaceful future. Through quantitative and qualitative research methods, this study analyzes the threat of these events and provides insight into how they can be prevented. The main points of this thesis include an overview of the current threat, an analysis of the potential consequences, and recommendations for preventing these events. By providing a comprehensive overview of the research, this thesis highlights the importance of understanding the relevance of these threats and provides a guide on how to avoid them.

Thesis Summary Example #2

In her thesis, “The Effects of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health,” Smith explores the relationship between social media usage and mental health among adolescents. Through a literature review and empirical study, she finds that excessive social media use can lead to negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. She also identifies factors that can mitigate these effects, including parental involvement and positive online interactions. Smith’s research highlights the need for further education and intervention strategies to promote healthy adolescent social media use. Her thesis provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between social media and mental health and offers practical recommendations for parents, educators, and mental health professionals.

Get Help With Your Thesis Summary

Are you struggling with writing an effective thesis summary? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Our team of expert writers is here to provide you with the assistance you need. Whether you need help crafting a concise and compelling summary or refining an existing one, our experienced professionals will ensure that your thesis summary accurately reflects the essence of your research. Don’t hesitate to place your order today by clicking the “ORDER NOW” button above and receive top-notch writing help from our experts.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, writing a thesis summary clearly and concisely is crucial for effectively communicating a thesis’s main argument and supporting points. Following the steps outlined in this article, including reading the thesis carefully, highlighting key points, creating a thesis statement, including supporting points, and concluding with a comprehensive summary, one can create a well-organized and informative summary. It is important to remember that a thesis summary should be written in your own words and should accurately reflect the author’s work. By mastering the art of summarizing a thesis, one can contribute to the academic conversation and enhance their research skills.

FAQs on Thesis Summary

What is a thesis summary.

A thesis summary is a highly condensed version of your thesis that provides a brief overview of the main points of your thesis.

Why is a thesis summary important?

A thesis summary is a highly condensed version of a research paper or dissertation that provides an overview of the main points and insights gained from the research.

How do I write a good thesis summary?

To write a good thesis summary, read the thesis carefully, highlight the main points, write a single-sentence thesis statement, write an overview of the main points, include important supporting points, and conclude with a comprehensive and coherent summary.

Should a thesis summary be longer than ten pages?

No, a thesis summary should be highly condensed and not exceed a single paragraph of summary sentences.

What should a good thesis summary include?

A good thesis summary should include important supporting points, a clear thesis statement, an overview of the main points, and insight gained from the research.

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• What is a College Thesis and How Do You Write a Thesis / Dissertation

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Thesis Guideline

Phase 0: finding a topic and application.

• Topic selection
• Look at our available topics for Bachelor’s Thesis, Master’s Thesis, Project Studies, or IDP at the Chair for Strategy and Organization
• Choose your own topic

In case you want to apply with your own topic, directly proceed to the application. However, make sure that the topic is aligned with our research.

• Application
• Application for a topic offered by the CSO

Please send your complete application as described on the respective offer page to the contact person stated. Usually, this includes your CV and a current transcript of records . If required, also include a tentative research idea (exposé) including the research question, hypotheses, data, methods, and possible outcomes with a tentative outline.

• Application with your own topic

Please send the application to a supervisor that fits your research idea. Include your CV and a current transcript of records as well as an exposé with the tentative research idea, including the research question, hypotheses, data, methods, possible outcomes, and a tentative outline. Please note that your proposed topic should be in line with one of the research topics of the CSO. Inform yourself and integrate a clear argument on why your topic fits with the CSO in your exposé.

Further information can be found in the guidelines on how to write a research proposal:

• Acceptance / Rejection

We will usually come back to you within 2 weeks. If you do not hear anything, please kindly remind us of your outstanding application by email.

Phase 1: Registration

• Once your application is approved, your supervisor will send you the link to the application form. We will then register you in the online portal of the TUM School of Management. By filling out the application form, you accept the ❗ Non-Disclosure Agreement .
• The official thesis registration  is approved by grade management  - not by our chair - it will take up to four weeks. If you have not received a confirmation after two months, please briefly contact Mrs. Eva Pongracz ( [email protected] ). However, you can already start working on it!

Phase 2: Writing the thesis

Thesis seminar.

It is compulsory for all students to study the materials in the thesis seminar of our chair when writing your thesis here. If you have questions beyond the provided material, you can attend the monthly Q&A sessions.

No registration is necessary for the thesis seminar as you will not receive extra ECTS credits Furthermore, no attendance is required for the Q&A sessions and you do not need to present your thesis.

You can find all information about the thesis seminar here:

Regular updates to your supervisor

In our team and in collaborations, we highly value conscientiousness, autonomy, and proactivity. Please send regular (about once per month) updates per email which concisely and shortly summarize the following points:

• what are you working on right now
• are you within your predefined timeline
• what challenges do you face at the moment
• what will you be working on until the next update
• questions that only your supervisor can answer

As a format we suggest attaching a PowerPoint presentation or Notion page so that we can effectively make comments.

Important milestones for updates are typically the following:

• Topic definition (if not specified through predefined topics)
• After you have read and know the literature:
• summary of what we already know about this topic
• what we don’t know about this topic and why it would be important to know
• your research question
• Your research model and empirical approach (that is: how do you want to answer your research question) . If you work (quantitative) empirical, your research model, hypotheses, and empirical approach.
• Your results and conclusions

For all other questions, please ask them in the Q&A sessions of our  thesis seminar .

Formatting guidelines

Being able to format your thesis according to the given specifications is an important skill. Therefore, we will not provide you with a word template or similar. Here are our guidelines:

For everything not specified, please refer to the APA Manual:

The cover page should look like this:

Template for declaration of authorship:

  https://www.ie.mgt.tum.de/fileadmin/w00cem/tim/Abschlussarbeiten/8_Declaration_of_Authorship_Master_s_Thesis.pdf

Optionally, a template for LaTeX incorporating the guidelines of our chair is available here: Thesis Template Chair for Strategy and Organization (APA7). To create a project, you have to log in with your TUM-ID (e.g. "ab12asdf") and your password. Documentation is available under  https://sharelatex.tum.de/learn .

Thesis Template Chair for Strategy and Organization (APA7) - LaTeX Template

An online LaTeX editor that’s easy to use. No installation, real-time collaboration, version control, hundreds of LaTeX templates, and more.

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Phase 3: Submission

The faculty has allowed solely digital submissions!

On the day of the submission deadline , send your thesis to [email protected] by 23:59 pm at the latest (and CC your supervisor). Of course, you are allowed to submit your thesis before the deadline. If the submission date falls on a public holiday or a weekend, you may submit your thesis on the next working day.

The following documents should be added to the submission:

• Signature to the page Declaration of Authorship
• Filled form Permission to View My Final Thesis

The subject of the email should be Thesis Submission Name/Matriculation Number: xxxxxx . You may choose the file names for the thesis and all the other documents. You can find more information in the information sheet in the download center on the website of TUM School of Management ( https://www.mgt.tum.de/download-center ).

All other supplementary files (codes, excel lists, power point slides, etc.) should be sent directly to the supervisor : Discuss with your supervisor how these files should be submitted.

Here is a list of all documents required to submit for your thesis:

• Final Thesis : Thesis (as word and pdf)
• All data, articles/chapters, statistics, literature, etc. – thus the whole input and all sources and references you used
• References of scientific literature compiled in an Excel-File
• Your project file from the literature management software, such as Citavi, Endnote, Mendeley, etc.
• Executive summary * : a short summary of your thesis (3-5 pages) (as word and pdf)

Optional: Prepare your executive summary as an article on medium ( https://medium.com/ , or any other free publication medium) and include a word document with the link to the article in the shared folder.

• Presentation on your thesis topic  (as ppt)
• Infographic on your thesis topic* (as ppt and PDF/JPEG)
• Notion page on your thesis topic* (should also contain your infographic and a link to the article if available)

For more details about submissions 2 to 5, please refer to the  thesis seminar.

Designation of documents:

• All non-literature documents (Word, Excel, PPT, etc): YYYYMMDD_name (e.g. 20200301_Mustermann_Report.ppt)
• Literature: Author(s)_(Year)_ Journal abbreviation_Title keyword (more than 2 Authors: 1. Author and et al.: e.g. Mustermann et al. .pdf)

In case some files are too large, you can send them via Dropbox, LRZ Sync&Share, Wetransfer or similar. Submit the files marked with a star (*) in addition  to this form:  https://forms.gle/qJBv4adescNZfEQn9

Please make sure to adhere to the formatting guidelines.

Phase 4: Assessment and next steps

Once you have submitted your thesis, we will grade it as soon as possible. The supervisor / examiner has 2 months to grade your thesis. We will enter your grade in the online portal of the TUM School of Management. Once your examiner has confirmed the grade in the portal, you are informed of the grade by the portal. After that, grade management will be publish you grade in TUMonline within 3-5 working days. The grade management will contact you regarding all further actions.

Congratulations!

What’s next?

If you wrote an excellent thesis, please consider publishing your thesis in Junior Management Science   in consultation with your supervisor . You can find more information at  https://jums.academy/ .

Please also consider the following resources that reward prices for excellent theses:

• GfHf-Nachwuchspreis  (Gesellschaft für Hochschulforschung)
• Preise der GI (Gesellschaft für Informatik), z.B.  der Fachgruppe Bildungstechnologien
• Nachwuchspreis GP  (Gesellschaft für Prozessmanagement)
• Diploma Thesis Award der SERES Unit  (Area: Enterprise Systems)
• Stiftung Industrieforschung  (Scholarship for theses)
• Schmalenbach Gesellschaft
• Global Student Innovation Challenge  by PDMA
• MLP Nachwuchspreis VHB  (Verband der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft)
• Additional  TUM Information on prices and awards

You can download a suggested cover page and the Declaration of Authorship form from our website on http://www.wi.tum.de/programs/downloads/.

If the title of your thesis changes significantly while you are writing it, agree with you supervisor on a new title and get his/her agreement to the change. Once you got your supervisor’s agreement, write an e-mail to Grade Management (CCing you supervisor) where you inform them about the change of the title. If the change in title is only minor, you do not have to write to the Grade Management. Remember that the title of your thesis as per your original registration document will otherwise be printed on your final certificate.

• Fill in the registration form (Anmeldung_Fakultät_Formular.pdf)
• Send the registration form for final approval to your adviser at the Chair for

Strategy and Organization

• Hand in the signed registration form to the office management the Chair for

Strategy and Organization.

• After the successful registration you receive a registration mail by the TUM

School of Management (this process may take up to 4 weeks).

Yes. The Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) (NDA_Formular.pdf) should be read carefully, signed, and brought to the first or second meeting at the latest. Note that signing the NDA is required for a collaboration with our chair.

Our chair’s general rule is that it is not forbidden to use AI within your thesis – but: AI is an aid you are using and therefore you have to label for what you used AI. Please cite the AI in your text and clarify in the Appendix of your work, how you got that result from the AI (e.g., by sharing the link to your chat with ChatGPT or by sharing the prompts you used and the outcome the AI generated). But when you plan to use AI, please talk to your supervisor, if he/she allows that and if he/she wants a different documentation of your AI usage than stated here - your supervisors specifications are deciding if and how you can use AI.

Formal Requirements :

We would like to point out that in the background of the general internationalization of science and the economy, we highly recommend you write your thesis in English. Check with your supervisor if a German thesis is possible in your case.

• Most important information regarding the format and layout is included in the official guidelines of our chair and the thesis guidelines.
• Use the font style Times New Roman (font size 12) for the text. Write with a line spacing of 2.0. All margins should be 1 inch.

You should use the citation guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) in your thesis. You can access the APA Publication Manual in the library.

• Bachelor thesis 30 (+/- 10%) pages of written text (not including tables, cover sheet, references, graphs, pictures, and appendix).
• Master thesis 50 (+/- 10%) pages of written text (not including tables, cover sheet, references, graphs, pictures, and appendix).

Following APA, a table of content is not necessary. However, we ask you to include a table of contents in your final thesis.

The thesis begins with a cover sheet, followed by an abstract, which is followed by your actual text. After the text follow the references, figures and tables and then possibly the appendix. At the very end you should attach your declaration of authorship. Current samples for the cover page and declaration of authorship can be found in the download

area of the faculty homepage (Guidelines_ScientificManuscripts.pdf).

Submission :

You can submit your thesis digitally to the Grade Management Team. A printed version is not required.

No. A scanned signature is not valid.

Yes, you are allowed to submit your thesis before the deadline.

If the submission date falls on a public holiday or a weekend, you may submit your thesis on the next working day (Monday to Friday) at the latest.

• Please check the respective mail address of the Grades and Examinations Office
• Printed copies may be handed in: At the Service Point of the TUM School of Management (room 1554). Mon - Fri from 9 am – 12:30 pm & 1:30 – 4 pm. On no account should you hand your thesis in to your supervisor, office management or the Examination Office. The Grade Management Team will pass on copies to your supervisor.

Please put it in a suitable envelope and hand it in at the main gate on Arcisstrasse 21, Munich. Use the address label which you can obtain on request from the Service Point or via mail from the relevant person in the Grade Management Team. In advance, get a “Permission to view this thesis" declaration form from the relevant person at the Service Point or in the Grades and Examinations Office, fill it in, and put it in the envelope together with your thesis.

Yes. A special authorization is not required.

Yes, but we advise you to hand it in digitally. If you do submit by post, you should send your thesis to the following address:

Technische Universität MünchenTUM School of Management Grade Management Bachelor or Master Arcisstrasse 2180333 Munich

Further FAQs from the TUM and the faculty:

Formales - TUM

cms.mgt.tum.de

Only for archival purposes:

© Chair for Strategy and Organization, Technical University of Munich

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Typical Structure of a Bachelor's or Master's Thesis

Most thesis are structured as shown below. Each part may be split into several chapter. For example, the part introduction may have two separate chapters for a the general introduction to the topic and the research question. But the parts commonly appear in the following order:

• Acknowledgement (Optional)

Table of Contents

1. introduction, 2. literature review, 3. data collection, 4. analysis, 5. conclusions, list of references, statement of independent work.

• Appendix (Optional)

TUM provides a template for theses that is recommended to use. You can download this template in Word or LaTeX format (login with your TUM account required to access).

There is no mandatory length of a thesis. Most well-written master's theses have between 50 and 80 pages, Bachelor's theses typically have between 40 and 60 pages. However, depending on your topic and your writing style, more or fewer pages may be appropriate. Be aware that your thesis will only be evaluated based on the written document and the defense. If you did some nice work (that you might have shown to your adviser at some point) and forget to add it to your written document, it cannot be evaluated.

The title page should include the following information:

• Technical University of Munich Logo
• Title of the thesis
• Subtitle of the thesis (optional)
• Full author name
• Name of advisers

It is also nice (but optional) to add a pretty graphic from your research to the title page.

Acknowledgement

In this part, you acknowledge any support you may have gotten while preparing your thesis. For example, if an agency provided you with data, you definitely should thank them here. It is also not uncommon to offer personal thank to friends and/or family who supported the thesis. You may also mention your adviser if (s)he was helpful, but that is optional of course.

If you received a scholarship that supported you during the time you wrote your thesis, you definitely should acknowledge that support here as well.

The summary is a key part of your thesis and part of what is evaluated by your thesis committee. Make sure to reserve sufficient time at the very end to write a very good summary. The summary should be about one page long and include your research question, describe the data you used, briefly describe the methodology applied and (very important) also summarize the results you found.

The table of contents lists all chapters and subchapters of your thesis and provides the page number where each chapter starts. Word and LaTeX offer automated functions to create a table of contents if you defined headers properly. Make sure to update the table of contents before you print to ensure that all page numbers are correct.

Following the table of contents, you also need to provide a list of figures and a list of tables. Likewise, these lists also provide the page number where the figures and tables can be found. Again, word and LaTeX provide automated functions for creating such lists.

The introduction shall provide the reader with an entryway to your topic. Commonly, the introduction is not too technical and provides the reader with a very general introduction why the topic of the thesis is relevant. Empirical examples are particular popular in introductions (make sure to provide citations), such as:

Thesis Topic: Managing Freight Flows to Reduce Highway Maintenance Costs

The first sentence of introduction could be: Freight flows largely define the costs for maintaining infrastructure, as the rear axles of a typical 13 ton van cause 1,000-times the structural damage of a car (Small, Winston, and Evans 1989: 11).

The introduction should also provide at least one research question that you try to answer. Last but not least, the introduction should also introduce the structure of the thesis (i.e., which chapters the reader should expect) in one paragraph.

The literature review is a core element of your thesis and shows that you are capable of working scientifically. As you explain what other researchers have found on your topic, the reader will realize that you know this topic extremely well. This will build trust that you can provide a piece of work yourself that is scientifically relevant.

Equally important, you will need to identify a gap in the literature that you intent to fill. This is how you justify your thesis, and it helps the reader to assess the importance of your work. This gap may be methodological ("I will develop a new method that is able to answer my research question, which previously applied methods cannot as well."), use new data ("Other researchers used database X, but I will use data retrieved by Y."), or a new application ("This method has never been applied to the city of Munich.").

Describe in detail which data you use and how you collect these data. This may include qualitative data ("I analyze these in-depth travel behavior surveys."), or statistics you use, or data you collect yourself. The description should be as detailed that a very good fellow student in your field would be able to more or less reproduce your work.

If you conduct a case study, the study area needs to be introduced here.

Obviously, here you describe in great detail the actual analysis you conducted. The level of detail should be sufficient to allow a very smart fellow student in your field to reproduce more or less your research.

The most important at the beginning: The chapter Conclusions does not contain a summary of your thesis! The summary is provided in the abstract of the beginning of your thesis, but not here.

Instead, the conclusions shall do what the title suggests: Synthesize your findings and conclude what we learn from that. It will be useful to refer to your research question(s) and discuss if those were confirmed or rejected by your research. You may also refer back to you literature review and compare your findings with the findings that others have published.

This is also a good place to talk about limitations of your research. By clearly stating what your research is not able to do well, your thesis becomes stronger. If you show that you understand what your methodology misses, you show the reader that you understand very well what you research has accomplished, and what may need further research.

Which brings us to another topic you should touch on in your conclusions: What are future research needs? If a fellow student of you wanted to build on your research, what would be the next logical step that (s)he should try to address?

Last but not least, you may also assess if your findings have practical implications. Examples: Should waste water engineers use an additional test to assess water quality? Should transportation planners use different data to assess the level of service?

Here you list all references that were cited in your work, and only those references. References you read but did not cite do not appear here. After all, they were not relevant enough for this thesis to be cited, so they do not belong in your list of references.

If you use a reference management system (highly recommended), the list of references is created automatically. LaTeX also nicely integrated with Bibtex to automatically create a list of references. TUM offers Citavi and Endnote for free to students (access here , log in required), and there are a number of other systems that also may work well for you (see this list on wikipedia).

Finally, you need to provide a statement that reads as follows:

In German: Ich versichere hiermit, dass ich die von mir eingereichte Abschlussarbeit selbstständig verfasst und keine anderen als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel benutzt habe.

Or in English: I hereby confirm that this thesis was written independently by myself without the use of any sources beyond those cited, and all passages and ideas taken from other sources are cited accordingly.

Appendix (or Appendices)

You may provide additional information in appendices. Some researchers are of the opinion that if something is important it should go into the main body of the thesis; and if it doesn't deserve being in the main body of the thesis, it should not be provided at all. Others say that is may be useful to provide extensive tables, mathematical proofs or series of graphics in the appendix if they are not required to understand the main text but useful for the interested reader.

It is very uncommon to provide a single graphic or a single table in the appendix. Those usually work better in the main body of the text. Commonly, only material that covers several pages would go into the appendix, it it distracts the reader if all those materials were shown in the main body of the thesis.

Extensive appendices may be left out in the printed version and only be provided on a CD or a thumb drive. Note, however, that some advisers refuse to open any files stored on a CD or a thumb drive while evaluating your thesis. As a rule of thumb, your thesis needs to be understandable without reading any appendices.

Do not include words like a, and, for, the, etc.

Advanced Query Syntax

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2024 NHFP Fellows

Meet the 2024 nasa hubble fellowship program fellows, jaren ashcraft.

Host Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara

Proposal Title: Optimizing the Vector Field for Next-generation Astrophysics

Jaren Ashcraft grew up on the Big Island of Hawai'i. He earned his bachelor’s degree in optical engineering from the University of Rochester in 2019, and master’s in optical sciences from the University of Arizona in 2022. Jaren is currently pursuing his doctorate in optical sciences at the University of Arizona supervised by Dr. Ewan Douglas, and will graduate in the summer of 2024.

As a Sagan Fellow at UCSB, Jaren will study how optical polarization can limit the ability of next-generation observatories to directly image Earth-like exoplanets. This phenomenon, known as polarization aberration, is particularly problematic for the ground-based 30-meter Extremely Large Telescopes and the future space-based Habitable Worlds Observatory. Jaren will construct integrated optical models to assess the sensitivity of coronagraphs to the polarization aberrations of these observatories. He will then explore strategies to mitigate the influence of polarization aberrations on astronomical observations, including investigating novel technologies like metasurfaces and liquid crystals to serve as compensators.

Vishal Baibhav

Host Institution: Columbia University

Proposal Title: Dancing with Black Holes: Harnessing Gravitational Waves to Understand the Formation of Black Holes

Vishal Baibhav grew up near New Delhi, India. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati in 2016. In 2021, he earned his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University under the supervision of Professor Emanuele Berti. His research focused on black hole spectroscopy and gravitational-wave astrophysics. Currently, he is a CIERA postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University.

Despite breakthrough detections of compact-object mergers by LIGO, Virgo, and Kagra detectors, the birthplace and the origin of these compact objects remain unknown. Vishal's research is focused on fundamental questions such as how, when, and where these binaries form, and what physics drives their evolution. He is interested in understanding the life of stars that evolved into merging black holes and the environments that nurtured them. With future gravitational-wave detections, Vishal aims to address key questions about the formation of compact objects, specifically how black holes and neutron stars acquire their spins. As an Einstein Fellow, he will explore whether these spins are inherited from progenitor stars, or if stochastic processes and natal kicks during core collapse play a significant role in shaping them.

Kiersten Boley

Host Institution: Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory

Proposal Title:  Identifying the Key Materials for Planet Formation and Evolution

Kiersten Boley grew up in Rome, Georgia. She earned her associate’s in physics at Georgia Highlands College before transferring to Georgia Institute of Technology where she earned her bachelor’s in physics in 2019.  Kiersten earned a master’s degree in astronomy at The Ohio State University in 2021. She spent 2022 as an IPAC visiting graduate student at Caltech, working with Dr. Jessie Christiansen. Currently, Kiersten is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at The Ohio State University where she will earn her doctorate in astronomy in May 2024, advised by Professor Ji Wang, Professor Wendy Panero, and Dr. Jessie Christiansen.

Kiersten’s research investigates how elemental abundances impact planet formation and interior evolution through planet detection and interior modeling. Her interdisciplinary research aims to determine the materials required for planet formation by planet type and how their mineral compositions may impact the long-term evolution and habitability of rocky planets. As a Sagan Fellow, Kiersten will continue to study exoplanets through population studies focused on unraveling the dependence of planet formation on galactic location and stellar abundance using observational data. Additionally, she will investigate the long-term evolution and water cycling on rocky planets using theoretical interior models based on experimental data.

Michael Calzadilla

Host Institution: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Proposal Title: A Multiwavelength View of the Evolving Baryon Cycle in Galaxy Clusters

Michael Calzadilla grew up in Tampa, Florida. As a first-generation college student, he earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of South Florida in 2015. He subsequently crossed the pond to complete a master’s degree in astronomy as a Gates Cambridge scholar under the guidance of Professor Andrew Fabian at the University of Cambridge. Michael will complete his doctorate in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May 2024 with his advisor Professor Michael McDonald.

Michael’s work focuses on multiwavelength observations of galaxy clusters to study the baryon cycle that drives the evolution of all galaxies. The largest galaxies residing in these clusters grow via material cooling from their hot atmospheres, which is balanced by feedback from star formation and active galactic nuclei. As part of the South Pole Telescope collaboration, Michael’s work is among the first to leverage recent Sunyaev-Zeldovich-based detections of galaxy clusters to observe this cycling of material out to unprecedented redshifts.

As a Hubble Fellow, Michael will develop machine learning techniques for characterizing the thousands of galaxy clusters being discovered by next-generation cosmological surveys resulting in clean, unbiased samples of the earliest galaxy clusters. Using synergies with large X-ray, optical, and radio datasets, he will seek to answer when galaxy clusters first dynamically relaxed, and how the effectiveness of supermassive black hole feedback has changed over time. He will also use new observatories for more targeted follow-up to investigate the role of feedback-induced turbulence in regulating galaxy growth.

Sanskriti Das

Host Institution: Stanford University

Proposal Title: Where the Energetic Universe Meets the Hot Universe

Sanskriti grew up in India and earned her bachelor’s in physics at Presidency University Kolkata in 2015, and her master's in physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2017. She earned her doctorate in astronomy from The Ohio State University, USA in 2022. Since then, she has been an independent postdoctoral fellow at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University.

Sanskriti is interested in the co-evolution of galactic disks and the circumgalactic medium (CGM) through multiphase gas cycles between the disk and the CGM. Faint diffuse CGM signals tend to hide behind bright, variable, and complex backgrounds. Sanskriti devises innovative observing strategies and develops novel data reduction and analysis techniques to extract that signal. Using millimeter and X-ray telescopes, she looks for the hot CGM, the reservoir of baryons, metals, and energy missing from the stars and interstellar medium (ISM). She studies cold CGM using radio telescopes, looking for the accreting raw material for star formation that is missing from the ISM. She uses multiwavelength (radio, UV, optical, IR, and X-ray) data to study the corresponding galactic disks and connect their properties with the CGM. She is passionate about the history of astronomy and is actively involved in mentoring, outreach, and resolving gender inequity in astronomy as well.

As a Hubble Fellow, Sanskriti is excited to unravel the integrated impact of galactic feedback on the CGM using multiwavelength observations, and inform the next generation of millimeter and X-ray missions.

Jordy Davelaar

Host Institution: Princeton University

Proposal Title: Unraveling the Physics of Accreting Black Hole Binaries

Jordy Davelaar was born and raised in The Netherlands in a small country village called De Klomp. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics and astronomy at Radboud University in Nijmegen. In 2020, Jordy earned his doctorate in astrophysics from Radboud, where he worked under the supervision of Monika Mościbrodkza and Heino Falcke. After graduation, he has been a joint postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University and the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics.

Jordy’s primary research focus is modeling the emission produced in the accretion flows of supermassive black holes. To this end, he combines high-performance computing magnetofluid simulations with radiation transfer methods. His work on black hole accretion flows is used to interpret millimeter, near-infrared, and radio observations, e.g. the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. More recently, Jordy started developing binary black hole models, aiming to predict electromagnetic signatures of Laser Interferometer Space Antenna targets with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Athena.

A critical component to understanding where and how black holes merge and how they shape galactic evolution is host galaxy identification, which relies on electromagnetic observations. However, the field is still debating major theoretical uncertainties regarding the interaction of the binary with its environment and the potential signatures it might produce. As an Einstein Fellow at Princeton University, Jordy will develop novel accretion flow simulations of merging black hole binaries to identify tell-tale electromagnetic signatures and unravel the physics of accreting black hole binaries.

Alexander Dittmann

Host Institution: Institute for Advanced Study

Proposal Title: Bridging the Gap in Supermassive Black Hole Binary Accretion - From Simulation to Observation

Alexander Dittmann grew up in northern Virginia. He earned undergraduate degrees in physics and astronomy from the University of Illinois in 2018, after which he joined the Astronomy Department at the University of Maryland. He has also worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Center for Computational Astrophysics, and will complete his doctorate under the guidance of Cole Miller in April 2024.

Following his broad interests in high-energy astrophysics and fluid dynamics, Alexander has studied a variety of astrophysical topics from the origins of planetary spins to the final moments of binary supermassive black holes. He has also used data from NASA’s NICER telescope to measure the radii of neutron stars, gleaning insight into the enigmatic nature of matter within their cores. As an Einstein Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, he will leverage cutting-edge simulations and his experience in astrostatistics to connect theoretical studies of binary black holes to the forthcoming bounty of time-domain observations of active galactic nuclei. 

Cristhian Garcia-Quintero

Host Institution: Harvard University

Proposal Title: Phenomenological Modified Gravity in the Non-linear Regime and Improving BAO Measurements with Stage-IV Surveys

Cristhian Garcia-Quintero was born and raised in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa in 2017. While still an undergraduate student, Cristhian was selected for an internship program, co-funded by the U.S. embassy in Mexico, allowing him to conduct research at The University of Texas at Dallas, where he returned to pursue his doctorate in physics in 2018 under the guidance of Professor Mustapha Ishak.

Cristhian's research is focused on large-scale structure analyses to improve our understanding of cosmology using ongoing and upcoming galaxy surveys. Cristhian is interested in testing the standard model of cosmology using current and future cosmological data while particularly emphasizing phenomenological modified gravity tests and data-driven approaches. Cristhian is heavily involved in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) where he has contributed to the Baryons Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) analysis. Cristhian is also working towards performing cosmological analyses based on cross-correlations between DESI and other surveys.

As an Einstein Fellow, Cristhian will extend his work on modified gravity to explore tests of gravity beyond the linear regime. Additionally, Cristhian will work towards improving the BAO measurements for DESI year 5 analysis and perform analyses that can benefit from synergies between Stage-IV surveys.

Amelia (Lia) Hankla

Host Institution: University of Maryland, College Park

Proposal Title: Explaining Radio to X-ray Observations of Luminous Black Holes with a Multizone Outflowing Corona Model

Lia Hankla grew up in Lafayette, Colorado. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and a minor in oboe performance from Princeton University in 2017 and then spent a year in Heidelberg, Germany as a Fulbright Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. In 2018, Lia returned home to Colorado for her doctorate in physics, where she collaborated with Jason Dexter, Mitch Begelman, and Dmitri Uzdensky with the support of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. After completing her doctorate in the summer of 2023, Lia joined the University of Maryland, College Park as a Joint Space-Sciences Institute Postdoctoral Fellow and a Multimessenger Plasma Physics Center Fellow.

Lia is interested in anything involving plasmas and black holes, especially accretion disks and their surrounding coronae. Although these plasmas just outside the event horizon hold the key to unraveling how black holes evolved over time, they remain poorly understood because of the difficulty connecting small-scale particle processes to the global scales of the entire accretion disk and corona. Interpreting observations of radio to X-ray emission from around luminous black holes requires understanding how and where magnetic energy dissipates into plasma particle energy.

As an Einstein Fellow, Lia will decipher how these dissipation processes, including turbulence and magnetic reconnection, can further our understanding of nonthermal particle acceleration and winds in accretion disks and coronae. Her research aims to shed light on recent spectral timing and X-ray polarization observations of both stellar-mass and supermassive black holes, and to resolve long-standing questions regarding these mysterious objects in our universe.

Cheng-Han Hsieh

Host Institution: The University of Texas at Austin

Proposal Title: A Deep Dive into the Early Evolution of Protoplanetary Disk Substructures and the Onset of Planet and Star Formation

Cheng-Han Hsieh grew up in Taichung City, Taiwan, and earned his undergraduate degree in physics from National Tsing Hua University in 2018. He stayed at Yale for his graduate studies and will complete his doctorate in the summer of 2024 under the supervision of Professor Héctor G. Arce.

Cheng-Han’s research focuses on using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to characterize the substructure evolution within protostellar disks, where young stars and planets are forming. These substructures manifest varied natures - some potentially sculpted by pre-existing planets, while others, such as dense rings, may act as nurseries for the formation of planetesimals and subsequent planet generations. In particular, he is interested in pinpointing the early formation of disk substructures, which traces the onset of planet formation. As a Sagan Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, Cheng-Han will undertake a comprehensive statistical study of disk substructures around the youngest protostars, discerning the relationship between circumstellar disk properties and the primordial conditions of planetary systems. Ultimately, he aims to chart the full trajectory of giant planet formation.

Proposal Title: The Role of Magnetic Fields in Galaxy Cluster's Diffuse Structure Formation

Yue Hu grew up in Yuxi City, Yunnan, China. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in automation engineering from Tongji University and the University of Bologna in 2018. Yue is poised to earn his doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in spring 2024, supervised by Professor Alexandre Lazarian. During his doctorate, he developed innovative techniques for tracing 3D magnetic fields across various astrophysical conditions.

Yue's research focuses on the ubiquitous turbulence and magnetic fields in astrophysics, bridging the gap from the microscopic physics of cosmic rays to the macroscopic evolution of galaxy clusters. His work employs a blend of MHD turbulence theories, numerical simulations, and physics-informed machine-learning approaches. He has mapped the megaparsec-scale magnetic field in the El Gordo cluster using the synchrotron intensity gradient technique and MeerKAT radio observations.

As a Hubble Fellow, Yue will explore the role of magnetic fields in the evolution and formation of galaxy clusters, using cosmological simulations, and radio observations from VLA, LOFAR, and MeerKAT, alongside X-ray observations from Chandra and XMM-Newton. He aims to deepen our understanding of the magnetized galaxy clusters, which are among the universe's largest gravitationally bound structures. The research will also facilitate predictive models for the Square Kilometre Array and the Lynx X-ray observatory.

Wynn Jacobson-Galán

Host Institution: California Institute of Technology

Proposal Title: Final Moments: Uncovering the Rate of Enhanced Red Supergiant Mass-loss in the Local Volume

Wynn Jacobson-Galán grew up in Los Angeles where he attended Santa Monica Community College before completing a bachelor’s degree in physics at UC Santa Cruz in 2018. Wynn was an IDEAS Fellow at Northwestern University where he earned a master’s degree in 2021. Wynn is currently an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at UC Berkeley under the supervision of Professor Raffaella Margutti and will finish his doctorate in summer 2024.

Wynn’s research focuses on combining multi-wavelength observations (radio to X-ray) of a variety of supernova types to create a complete picture of the final stages of stellar instability and mass-loss before explosion. His primary interest is the utilization of ultra-rapid observations of young supernovae in order to bridge the gap between stellar life and death. As a Hubble Fellow, Wynn will probe the late-stage evolution of red supergiant stars through observations and modeling of type II supernovae. Using transient sky surveys, he will construct the first volume-limited, spectroscopically-complete sample of type II supernovae discovered within days of explosion in order to constrain the final evolutionary stages of red supergiant stars in the local universe. Additionally, Wynn will utilize ultraviolet spectroscopy/imaging of both young and old core-collapse supernovae to constrain the physics of circumstellar shockwaves and the mass-loss histories of red supergiants in the decades-to-centuries before explosion.

Rafael Luque

Host Institution: The University of Chicago

Proposal Title: Understanding the Origin and Nature of Sub-Neptunes

Born in Priego de Córdoba (Spain), Rafael Luque earned his bachelor’s in physics from the University of Granada (Spain) in 2015 and his master’s in physics in 2017 from the University of Heidelberg (Germany). He earned his doctorate in 2021 thanks to a Doctoral INPhINIT Fellowship from the European Union and “la Caixa” Banking Foundation, having worked with Professor Enric Palle and Dr. Grzegorz Nowak at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (Spain). Currently, Rafael is a "Margarita Salas" Fellow at the University of Chicago, working with Professor Jacob Bean.

Rafael's research aims to understand the origin and nature of sub-Neptunes. This class of planets has no counterpart in the solar system, but they exist in (approximately) every other star in the Galaxy. Several theories and models can explain their existence and demographic properties, but they make opposing predictions about their internal structure, location at birth, evolution history, or atmospheric composition. As a Sagan Fellow, Rafael will exploit the synergies between ground- and space-based observatories to build a sample of sub-Neptunes with precise and accurate measured properties (such as radius, mass, and atmospheric composition) that break the modeling degeneracies inherent to this class and help us infer a unique answer about their properties.

Madeleine McKenzie

Host Institution: Carnegie Observatories

Proposal Title: Uncovering the Unknown Origins of Globular Clusters

Madeleine McKenzie is an Aussie from Perth, Western Australia. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and computer science from the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2018. In 2020, she earned her master’s in astrophysics at UWA and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) working on hydrodynamical simulations of globular cluster formation. For her doctorate, she transitioned from theory to observations to work with Dr. David Yong on the chemical abundance analysis of globular clusters at the Australian National University and is set to graduate at the end of 2024.

Following her passion for these ancient collections of stars, Madeleine has set the lofty goal of redefining what is and is not a globular cluster. With next-generation telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope discovering dense stellar structures in the early universe, understanding the different formation channels of the star clusters and dwarf galaxies in our backyard is becoming more important. As a Hubble Fellow, she will utilize kinematic and chemical element abundance variations, particularly that of iron peak and neutron capture process elements, to characterize the diversity of star clusters around our Milky Way. Using the Magellan Telescopes operated by the Carnegie Observatories, she will undertake an ambitious observing program to identify which balls of stars are masquerading as globular clusters using a combination of high-precision chemical abundances and isotopic analysis. The outcomes from her project will help improve our understanding of fields such as star formation, nucleosynthesis, stellar evolution, and the accreted halo of our Milky Way.

Jed McKinney

Proposal Title: The Role of Dust in Shaping the Evolution of Galaxies

Jed McKinney grew up between Old Greenwich, CT and Brussels, BE. He achieved his bachelor’s degree at Tufts University in 2017, and his doctorate in astronomy from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2022. During his studies Jed was an IPAC Visiting Graduate Fellow at Caltech.  He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin.

Jed’s research focuses on understanding the lifecycle of galaxies through the lens of dust. Dust, a by-product of star formation like interstellar pollution, is a small component of galaxies by mass but plays a transformative role in how we observe, interpret, and model them. Jed’s research uses both observations and simulations to directly test and contextualize the nuanced role of dust in galaxy formation. 

As a Hubble Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, Jed will combine detailed spectroscopic surveys using James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA with large multi-wavelength imaging programs and simulations. Jed will measure directly the properties of dust grains in distant galaxies to uncover the relationship between dust, star- and supermassive black-hole formation out to early times in the history of the universe. This will enable a new and unbiased perspective on the mechanics of galaxy formation, one that is rooted in a comprehensive census of dust.

Keefe Mitman

Host Institution: Cornell University

Proposal Title: Decoding General Relativity with Next-Generation Numerical Relativity Waveforms

Keefe Mitman was raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Columbia University in 2019 and his doctorate in physics from the California Institute of Technology in 2024. At Caltech, he studied black holes, gravitational waves, and numerical relativity with Professor Saul Teukolsky and the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) Collaboration.

Keefe’s research largely focuses on utilizing results from the gravitational wave theory community to improve contemporary numerical relativity simulations of binary black hole coalescences. One such example of this was using these simulations to calculate and model an intriguing and not-yet observed prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity called the gravitational wave memory effect. This effect corresponds to the permanent net displacement that two observers will experience due to the passage of transient gravitational radiation and is of immense interest to those working on testing general relativity, probing the fundamental structure of spacetime, and understanding the enigmas of quantum gravity.

As an Einstein Fellow at Cornell University, Keefe will continue his work with the SXS Collaboration to build models of the gravitational waves that can be observed by current gravitational wave detectors. In particular, he will focus on constructing waveform models that contain the memory effect to help observe this perplexing phenomenon, as well as others, for the first time.

Sarah Moran

Host Institution: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Proposal Title: From Stars to Storms: Planetary Cloud Seeding with Sulfur-Based Hazes

Sarah Moran grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned her bachelor’s degree with a major in Astrophysics and a minor in Science and Public Policy at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York in 2015. She earned her doctorate in planetary sciences from Johns Hopkins University in 2021, having worked under Sarah Hörst and Nikole Lewis. During her graduate studies, she also served as a Space Policy Fellow with the Space Studies Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Sarah is currently the Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory with Mark Marley.

Sarah’s research combines laboratory astrophysics and atmospheric modeling to understand the aerosols that form in substellar atmospheres, from solar system worlds to exoplanets to brown dwarfs. Aerosols act as tracers of the physics and chemistry of these atmospheres, giving insight into the processes that shape the observable spectra of these objects. As a Sagan Fellow, Sarah will experimentally investigate the effect of sulfur species in forming atmospheric hazes and examine whether such particles enhance or inhibit exotic exoplanet cloud formation. These studies will help interpret ongoing and future observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and next-generation observatories.

Andrew Saydjari

Proposal Title: Inferring Kinematic and Chemical Maps of Galactic Dust

Andrew Saydjari grew up in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and bachelor’s and master’s in chemistry at Yale University in 2018, with a thesis on organometallic catalysis. Andrew then moved to Harvard University as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and will complete his doctorate in physics spring 2024, advised by Douglas Finkbeiner.

Andrew’s work focuses on combining astrophysics, statistics, and high-performance coding to study the chemical, spatial, and kinematic variations in the dust that permeates the Milky Way. Dust is an important building block in matter assembly, and a driver of the interstellar environment and galactic foreground. As a Hubble Fellow at Princeton, Andrew will use new, unbiased measurements of near infrared diffuse interstellar bands to precisely map the kinematics and chemistry of galactic dust. He strives to constrain feedback processes shaping the interstellar medium and improve compositional constraints on dust. He will develop the rigorous statistical machinery necessary to combine spectroscopic surveys with upcoming photometry from SPHEREx and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to answer his motivating questions: “What is dust made of, where is it, and how is it moving?”

Peter Senchyna

Proposal Title: Bridging the Gap: Bringing the First Galaxies into Focus with Local Laboratories

Peter Senchyna grew up in rural Venersborg / Battle Ground, Washington, and earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington. He earned his doctorate working with Dan Stark at the University of Arizona in 2020. Since then, Peter has held a Carnegie Fellowship at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Pasadena.

Peter's research is focused on understanding the first generations of massive stars and the galaxies for which they laid the foundations. Our understanding of how the universe was reionized and the earliest phases of galaxy assembly are inextricably bound-up with uncertainties in the physics of metal-poor massive stars, including the potentially profound but uncertain role of binary mass transfer. As a Hubble Fellow, Peter will bring new James Webb Space Telescope observations into conversation with several unique datasets in the local universe. These include extraordinarily deep ultraviolet continuum spectroscopy of nearby extremely metal-poor blue compact dwarf galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope, and a large Magellan narrowband imaging campaign dissecting dwarf irregulars at the edge of the Local Group. Peter aims to unite these observations spanning from our cosmic backyard to redshift ~10 to cast light on both the nature of galaxies at cosmic dawn and massive star evolution under (near-)primordial conditions.

Raphael Skalidis

Proposal Title: Magnetic Fields in the Multiphase Interstellar Medium

Raphael Skalidis grew up in Rethymno, Crete, Greece. He obtained his doctorate from the Department of physics at the University of Crete in 2022, and later moved to the California Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow. His research focuses on the interstellar medium (ISM).

Observatories such as LOFAR and the Planck satellite have revealed that a coherent magnetic field permeates the different phases of the ISM, challenging some common conceptions. As a Hubble Fellow, Raphael aims to develop theories about the role of magnetic fields in shaping the multiphase ISM. He will follow a multifaceted approach that will include comparisons between synthetic data and observations, analytical calculations, and numerical simulations. Raphael’s research promises to advance our knowledge of the magnetized ISM which is critical for understanding galaxy evolution and star formation.

Adam Smercina

Host Institution: Space Telescope Science Institute

Proposal Title: A Portrait of the Triangulum: Advancing a New Frontier of Galaxy Evolution with Resolved Stars

Adam Smercina is a native of Northwest Ohio, growing up in the small town of Oak Harbor near the shore of Lake Erie. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, with a concentration in astrophysics, from the University of Toledo in 2015. He then moved north to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he ultimately earned his doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics in August 2020, advised by Eric Bell. Adam was supported during his doctorate work by a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Since 2020, he has worked with Julianne Dalcanton and Ben Williams at the University of Washington as a postdoctoral scholar.

Adam's research focuses on reconstructing the evolutionary histories of galaxies by resolving them into their constituent stars. We are in an exciting new era where the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope operate simultaneously, providing better access to the resolved stellar populations in individual nearby galaxies than ever before. These galaxies' constituent stars are tremendously information-rich, providing an archaeological record of their host galaxy's evolution. As a Hubble Fellow at STScI, Adam will use these stars to chart the evolution of structure, star formation, and interaction in galaxies throughout the Local Volume, including a targeted study of the Triangulum Galaxy, M33. The first large galaxy with panchromatic Hubble+Webb observations across its disk, M33 is among the most important members of the Local Group, and exists at a mass where the physics driving the evolution of spiral galaxies is poorly understood. This work will establish a foundational blueprint for a new era of studying resolved stellar populations in large galaxies from space, setting the benchmark for future facilities studying more distant, cosmologically-representative populations of galaxies.

Shangjia Zhang

Proposal Title: Probing Young Planet Populations with 3D Self-Consistent Disk Thermodynamics

Shangjia Zhang was born and raised in Beijing, China. He earned bachelor’s degrees in astronomy and physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2018. He is currently completing his doctorate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, under the guidance of Professor Zhaohuan Zhu.

Shangjia's research interests focus on several aspects of protoplanetary disks, including constraining dust properties and disk thermal structure, and inferring potential young planet populations from disk substructures. As a Sagan Fellow, he will use state-of-the-art radiation hydrodynamic simulations to self-consistently study disk thermodynamics. By deepening our understanding of disk physics, his goal is to provide better explanations for disk images and kinematics obtained from radio interferometers and giant telescopes. By bridging theory with observations, he aims to distinguish substructures’ planetary and non-planetary origins and uncover more young planets.

Host Institution: University of Chicago

Proposal Title: Enabling Radial Velocity Detection of Earth-Twins Through Data-Driven Algorithms and Community Collaboration

Lily Zhao grew up in west Philadelphia. She earned bachelors’ degrees in biology, mathematics, and physics from the University of Chicago in 2016. Lily was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Yale University, where she earned her doctorate in astronomy in 2021 under the supervision of Professor Debra Fischer. Since 2021, Lily has been a Flatiron Research Fellow at the Center for Computational Astrophysics.

Lily's research advances precision spectroscopy with a focus on dynamical discovery and characterization of lower-mass exoplanets. She is the project scientist for EXPRES, an ultra-stabilized optical spectrograph. Lily also leads the Extreme Stellar Signals Project, a community-wide collaboration with over 40 members working together to mitigate stellar signals, which are now the largest source of scatter in precision radial velocity measurements. As a Sagan Fellow at the University of Chicago, Lily will develop empirical methods for mitigating stellar signals using the full spectral format and continue coordinating community efforts.

Sebastian Zieba

Proposal Title: Characterization of Rocky Exoplanet Surfaces and Atmospheres in the JWST Era

Sebastian Zieba grew up in Salzburg, Austria. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Innsbruck in 2017. He remained in Innsbruck to pursue his master’s degree, during which he discovered transiting comets orbiting the exoplanet host star Beta Pictoris. After completing his master’s in 2020, he moved to Heidelberg, Germany to pursue a doctorate in astronomy under the supervision of Professor Laura Kreidberg, which he will complete in the summer of 2024.

During Sebastian’s doctorate research at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, he has pushed the boundary of atmospheric characterization down to small, rocky exoplanets. He has used space-based telescopes like the Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and James Webb Space Telescope to cover an extensive temperature range, from lava worlds with outgassed rock vapor atmospheres caused by scorching temperatures exceeding 2000 Kelvin to terrestrial planets with temperatures around 400 K, more comparable to our own inner solar system.

As the Principal Investigator (PI) of two accepted Cycle 2 Webb proposals, Sebastian will characterize the surfaces of hot, airless planets, measure their surface roughness, and explore the transition region between rocky and gaseous planets. As a Sagan Fellow, he will analyze these upcoming observations to unravel the geological history of rocky exoplanets and determine the conditions under which these small worlds retain atmospheres.

Contact the NHFP

[email protected] NASA Hubble Fellowship Program

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• Dissertation

How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction

Published on September 7, 2022 by Tegan George and Shona McCombes. Revised on November 21, 2023.

The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation , appearing right after the table of contents . Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic .

Your introduction should include:

• Your topic, in context: what does your reader need to know to understand your thesis dissertation?
• Your focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
• The relevance of your research: how does your work fit into existing studies on your topic?
• Your questions and objectives: what does your research aim to find out, and how?
• An overview of your structure: what does each section contribute to the overall aim?

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Table of contents

How to start your introduction, topic and context, focus and scope, relevance and importance, questions and objectives, overview of the structure, thesis introduction example, introduction checklist, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about introductions.

Although your introduction kicks off your dissertation, it doesn’t have to be the first thing you write — in fact, it’s often one of the very last parts to be completed (just before your abstract ).

It’s a good idea to write a rough draft of your introduction as you begin your research, to help guide you. If you wrote a research proposal , consider using this as a template, as it contains many of the same elements. However, be sure to revise your introduction throughout the writing process, making sure it matches the content of your ensuing sections.

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Begin by introducing your dissertation topic and giving any necessary background information. It’s important to contextualize your research and generate interest. Aim to show why your topic is timely or important. You may want to mention a relevant news item, academic debate, or practical problem.

After a brief introduction to your general area of interest, narrow your focus and define the scope of your research.

You can narrow this down in many ways, such as by:

• Geographical area
• Time period
• Demographics or communities
• Themes or aspects of the topic

It’s essential to share your motivation for doing this research, as well as how it relates to existing work on your topic. Further, you should also mention what new insights you expect it will contribute.

Start by giving a brief overview of the current state of research. You should definitely cite the most relevant literature, but remember that you will conduct a more in-depth survey of relevant sources in the literature review section, so there’s no need to go too in-depth in the introduction.

Depending on your field, the importance of your research might focus on its practical application (e.g., in policy or management) or on advancing scholarly understanding of the topic (e.g., by developing theories or adding new empirical data). In many cases, it will do both.

Ultimately, your introduction should explain how your thesis or dissertation:

• Helps solve a practical or theoretical problem
• Addresses a gap in the literature
• Builds on existing research
• Proposes a new understanding of your topic

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Perhaps the most important part of your introduction is your questions and objectives, as it sets up the expectations for the rest of your thesis or dissertation. How you formulate your research questions and research objectives will depend on your discipline, topic, and focus, but you should always clearly state the central aim of your research.

If your research aims to test hypotheses , you can formulate them here. Your introduction is also a good place for a conceptual framework that suggests relationships between variables .

• Conduct surveys to collect data on students’ levels of knowledge, understanding, and positive/negative perceptions of government policy.
• Determine whether attitudes to climate policy are associated with variables such as age, gender, region, and social class.
• Conduct interviews to gain qualitative insights into students’ perspectives and actions in relation to climate policy.

To help guide your reader, end your introduction with an outline  of the structure of the thesis or dissertation to follow. Share a brief summary of each chapter, clearly showing how each contributes to your central aims. However, be careful to keep this overview concise: 1-2 sentences should be enough.

I. Introduction

Human language consists of a set of vowels and consonants which are combined to form words. During the speech production process, thoughts are converted into spoken utterances to convey a message. The appropriate words and their meanings are selected in the mental lexicon (Dell & Burger, 1997). This pre-verbal message is then grammatically coded, during which a syntactic representation of the utterance is built.

Speech, language, and voice disorders affect the vocal cords, nerves, muscles, and brain structures, which result in a distorted language reception or speech production (Sataloff & Hawkshaw, 2014). The symptoms vary from adding superfluous words and taking pauses to hoarseness of the voice, depending on the type of disorder (Dodd, 2005). However, distortions of the speech may also occur as a result of a disease that seems unrelated to speech, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study aims to determine which acoustic parameters are suitable for the automatic detection of exacerbations in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by investigating which aspects of speech differ between COPD patients and healthy speakers and which aspects differ between COPD patients in exacerbation and stable COPD patients.

Checklist: Introduction

I have introduced my research topic in an engaging way.

I have provided necessary context to help the reader understand my topic.

I have clearly specified the focus of my research.

I have shown the relevance and importance of the dissertation topic .

I have clearly stated the problem or question that my research addresses.

I have outlined the specific objectives of the research .

I have provided an overview of the dissertation’s structure .

You've written a strong introduction for your thesis or dissertation. Use the other checklists to continue improving your dissertation.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

• Survivorship bias
• Self-serving bias
• Availability heuristic
• Halo effect
• Hindsight bias
• Deep learning
• Generative AI
• Machine learning
• Reinforcement learning
• Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem

and your problem statement

• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an overview of the paper

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.

They summarize the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .

Scope of research is determined at the beginning of your research process , prior to the data collection stage. Sometimes called “scope of study,” your scope delineates what will and will not be covered in your project. It helps you focus your work and your time, ensuring that you’ll be able to achieve your goals and outcomes.

Defining a scope can be very useful in any research project, from a research proposal to a thesis or dissertation . A scope is needed for all types of research: quantitative , qualitative , and mixed methods .

To define your scope of research, consider the following:

• Budget constraints or any specifics of grant funding
• Your proposed timeline and duration
• Specifics about your population of study, your proposed sample size , and the research methodology you’ll pursue
• Any inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Any anticipated control , extraneous , or confounding variables that could bias your research if not accounted for properly.

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George, T. & McCombes, S. (2023, November 21). How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/introduction-structure/

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