Components of thesis
1. Title:A good title should adequately describe the contents of the paper or thesis in the fewest possible words.
It should not be too long or too short generally, it should consist of 10–12 words.
should not include any unnecessary words, nor waste space with phrases such as “Observations on” or “A study of”.
It should not contain abbreviations
2. Acknowledgment:
contributions that need acknowledging but do not justify authorship, such as general support by a department chair; acknowledgement of technical help; acknowledgements of financial or material support, which should specify the nature of the support.
3. Abstract:
should be included at the beginning of the thesis.
Abstracts are generally written in the past tense.
it should not include references to literature or to figures and tables in the body of thesis.
should not include information that is not in the paper.
should not contain abbreviations or acronyms unless standard or very well known.
The abstract should state
the purposes of the study or investigation,
basic procedures (selection of study subjects or laboratory animals; observational and analytical methods),
main findings (giving specific data and their statistical significance, if possible)
and the principal conclusions.
It should emphasize the new and important aspects of the study or observations.
4.Introduction:
The introduction should:
• Tell the reader why the research was started, and make clear what question the research was designed to answer. It is designed with a specific question in mind.
• Raise the interest of the reader. The first few lines in the paper may attract or put off the reader.
The introduction should not:
Explain what can be found in any textbook in the field
Be over-referenced; it should give only strictly important references
include data or conclusions from the work being reported.
5.Methodes:
The methods section should provide a detailed exposition of the research design.
A methods section less than two double-spaced pages is probably inadequate.
The methods section should be organized under meaningful subheadings and describe techniques used in sufficient detail to allow others to replicate the study.
New or substantially modified methods should be clearly described, with reasons given for using them and with their limitations outlined
The methods section should not:
Refer to patients and animals as material; patients and animals are living things; not inanimate “material”. The term “material” should be used only if inanimate specimens have been used.
use proprietary names of drugs; generic names should be used.
Statistics:
statistical methods should be to standard works when possible
Any computer programs used should be identified.
Statistical terms, abbreviations, and symbols should be defined.
It is recommended to include the word “considered” in descriptions of statistical significance such as “a P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant”
6.Results
Results that do not relate to the research objective should not be mentioned.
Sufficient detail should be given to allow other scientists to assess the validity and accuracy of the results.
Tables:
A table should be readily understood without reference to the text.
A table should be cited in the text,
be numbered, and have a title which exactly describes the content of the table.
It should have short or abbreviated headings for columns and rows and, if necessary, a footnote for explanation of non-standard abbreviations that are used, and for identification of statistical measures of variations.
Columns should be arranged from left to right in a logical sequence.
Rows should be arranged from top to bottom in a logical order.
Illustrations
Graphs are used to illustrate relationships.
Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for illustrations not on the illustrations themselves.
Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text.
When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each one should be explained clearly in the legend.
7.Discussion
statement of principal findings, This should not normally be more than a few sentences.
strengths and weaknesses of the study
strengths and weaknesses in relation to other studies
meaning of the study, possible mechanisms and implications for clinicians and policymakers
unanswered questions and future research.
8.Conclusions
Should be linked with the goals of the study.
Should be limited to the boundaries of the study.
Avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by the data.
9.References
The number of references should be restricted to those that have a direct bearing on the work described.
In the Harvard system, the order of references at the end of the paper is strictly alphabetical, regardless of the chronology.
In Vancouver system references should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References in text, tables and legends should be identified by Arabic numerals in parentheses. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered in accordance with the sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or figure