Part Six: Making sure you've completed all required sections of your thesis

Title Page. This seems simple, but it isn't. The title page must exactly follow the title page in the UCF Thesis and Dissertation Guide. It includes your title, your name, what it is, where it was written, the anticipated degree, the year, and the signatures of your entire committee, as well as the deans.

Copyright Page. Don't forget this. If you do, the library won't publish your thesis.

Abstract. The abstract is a brief description of your thesis. There should be no references, equations, or figures. It should be no longer than one page, and no more than 300 words. Most journals prefer abstracts of 100 to 200 words.

Acknowledgments. This is actually optional, but it is recommended that you acknowledge the people who helped you in the process of writing your thesis.

Table of Contents. Do this last. It may run more than one page; for this reason, it should be done in a separate document from the rest of your thesis. Be as exact as possible.

Lists. If you have illustrations, tables, appendices, or Greek letters (Greek letters are often used to denote constants or parts of formulae, mostly used in the hard sciences; b, for example, is the Greek letter "beta"), you can have individual pages listing where you can find these items and what they mean.

Introduction. Just what it says. Introduce what you're doing, why, and what you hope to accomplish. You don't necessarily have to have references here, but it couldn't hurt.

Literature Review. See Part Four of "Tackling a Thesis" for more on the literature review.

Hypotheses and/or Research Questions. Here, specifically enumerate what you are trying to support (or disprove), and what questions you are trying to answer. If you wish, justify each hypothesis or research question by referring to portions of your literature review.

Procedure. If you perform research, you'll need a section with detailed explanation of all your procedures. Remember that the experiment has "officially" taken place, even if you're not quite done with it, so this part should be written in the past tense.

Subjects. Tell the reader everything there is to know about the subjects in your study, or, if you are doing a case study, about the case or cases.

A word on Undergraduate Students as subjects in a study. Many researchers tend to use undergrads as subjects because they are a convenience sample. Sometimes, it is hard to justify this. If you are using a convenience sample, say so, and discuss further research using a true random sample in the conclusion. (For an example of researchers using undergraduate students and adequately explaining why, see Scheufele, D. A., Shanahan, J., and Lee, E. (2001). Real Talk: Manipulating the dependent variable in Spiral of Silence Research. Communication Research, 28(3), 304-324.)

Methodology. This part is for how you actually performed your study. Be as detailed as possible. Define and justify everything you do. Also tell the reader how you are going to statistically analyze your data (correlation, ANOVA, etc.).

Results and Discussion. This is the section where you tell the reader what you found and what it means. Use tables, graphs, charts, and diagrams if you think it will help. One method of organizing this section is to answer each of your research questions or show the level of support for each of your hypotheses individually, and then discuss the results for each.

Conclusions. The last big part of your thesis is the conclusion. Tie together everything you have shown, from the literature review through the results and discussion.

Limitations. Discuss any possible limitations in your thesis, including validity issues (external and internal).

Extensions. This is also called "Future Research." Offer suggestions as to how what you have done can be improved by other researchers. Make suggestions of places where another researcher can change what you have done to get more support for your hypotheses or more clearly answer your research questions. This is usually the final portion of the body of your thesis, so end with impact. Basically, tell the reader how what you have done has extended the body of research on your chosen topic, and how further research can continue your line of reasoning (or, in some cases, how further research would be unnecessary).

Appendices. You may not have any of these. However, if you have done a survey or have any other supplemental material (including cover letters), you should append them.

References. Depending upon your field, you may use APA, MLA, CBE, Chicago/Turabian, or some other citation format. However, you will have to have a reference list. Some fields require an annotated bibliography, while others just want the sources you used. Reference lists are usually both extensive and exhaustive, and they must be as exact as possible. This is because following the proscribed format further establishes your credibility, showing that you as the researcher are following the socially constructed "rules" of your field. Conversely, incorrect citations will cast doubt upon whatever findings or research your thesis reports on. The UWC can help you with citation formats, but a one-hour appointment is recommended for the reference list alone.

This Page Intentionally Left Blank. For some reason, the thesis printers over at the library want a blank page at the end of your thesis. Don't ask, just do.