Thesis structure
A thesis will usually contain most or all the following sections:
- Title page
A clear title or research question
- Abstract
A short overview of the reasons for and the aims of the research.
- Acknowledgements (Optional)
You may wish to acknowledge any significant contributions to the research from others
- Contents page(s)
Examples will be provided.
- Introduction
Here you should provide context for the study, briefly outline the methods of the study and establish the overall and specific objectives. The reader should clearly understand what they will learn.
- Literature review
Review all the literary materials and sources you plan to use in your research, establishing how they will provide a foundation to support the enquiry and enable the study to reach viable findings and fulfil the research objectives.
- Methodology
This section should review approaches and methods applied to develop findings, including any not covered in Literature review. This might include literary comparison, case studies, surveys, interviews, experiments, exhibitions and events. It should explain how these methods will generate relevant findings or results.
- Themed topic chapters
This will form the main part of the discussion and the number of topics /chapters will vary. Main chapter headings should be clearly labelled e.g., Chapter 1. Contexts in Animated Documentary.
Chapter subtitles should be labelled as e.g., 1.1 Enactment and Re-enactment of Documentary, 1.2 Interview and Animated Documentary
- Results/or Findings (Optional)
This section will present findings and discuss the implications. Consider the practical value your findings will provide to practitioners, educators, and other academics in your field, any ways your work can challenge existing theories and assumptions in your field.
- Conclusions
Conclude the study by evaluating and reviewing the implications of the study identifying any policies that could be impacted by your findings, problems your work can potentially help to fix, or how your work might contribute to current or future research. Identify any limitations and recommendations for future research.
- Reference list
List all the sources cited in your thesis. Arrange your references alphabetically by author surname.
- Bibliography
List books that you have consulted but not cited. Arrange your references alphabetically by author surname. You may also require a filmography
- Image list
For academic referencing, visuals are categorised as either:
Illustrations (artwork, photos, screenshots, film stills, charts, graphs etc.) or,
Tables (numbers or text in columns and rows)
- Appendices
Materials such as letters or relevant documents can be presented here.