Dissertation
Thesis (from Greek θέσις position) is an intellectual proposition. A
thesis statement is the statement that begins a formal essay or
argument, or that describes the central argument of an academic paper
or proposition.
In academia, a thesis or dissertation
is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is
submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional
qualification.
The thesis is the main idea of one's research.
The thesis or dissertation is normally the culmination of a candidate's
research; submission of the thesis represents the completion of the
final requirement for the degree being pursued. In certain faculties
(such as fine or performance arts), the thesis may be a form of an
artistic performance, a written work (of music, or of fiction, for
example), or a painting or other artistic production. Such a work is
often termed a "creative thesis."
The length of the thesis
will vary depending on the specific degree. Theses submitted as part of
the requirements for an undergraduate degree are usually much shorter
than those submitted as part of a Ph.D. (or other research-oriented
doctorate). Length may be calculated in number of words, number of
pages, or, when the thesis is written in a character-based language
(such as Chinese or Japanese), number of characters.
Theses
are most often written in the main language of instruction at the
university granting the degree, but students of languages and
linguistics, or those undertaking research in foreign languages, are
sometimes permitted to submit the thesis in the language studied. In
some countries it is a requirement to include at least some material in
an international academic language; originally Latin and at one time
French or German, this nowadays almost always means English. In
countries where English is the predominant language of academic work,
especially in the sciences, for example in the Netherlands or
Scandinavia, an entire thesis may be submitted in English.
Procedure
Since
the thesis is normally the culmination of the student's work on a
particular degree, the writing typically begins when all coursework has
been completed. Thesising is the process of researching and writing a
thesis. In consultation with the primary supervisor, the student
decides on a general topic and undertakes appropriate research. When a
draft of reasonable completeness has been finished and approved by the
primary supervisor, the thesis is submitted for examination.
For a higher degree such as a PhD, the examination usually includes an
oral defense, described below. After the defense is completed and the
thesis approved, copies are made available in the university library.
In some countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, a considerable
number of copies are printed, and small publishing houses exist whose
sole function is to produce thesis in this way. In other countries,
such as USA and UK, only two or three copies are ever produced. In
either case, the accepted thesis counts as an academic publication,
that is, it is considered appropriate to cite in scientific literature.
Presentation style
A typical thesis has a title page, an abstract, a table of contents and
a bibliography. Other components might include an introduction,
materials and methods (in the case of scientific or technical thesis),
results, discussion, acknowledgments, a dedication, indices and
appendices, glossaries, lists of tables, images or figures, lists of
abbreviations, and so on.
