Basic Elements and Format of the Thesis Manuscript
Preliminary Pages
Introductory pages for the Research Project include the following elements.
Title Page
The title should be a concise statement of the main topic and should identify the actual
variables or issues under investigation and the relationship between them (see APA, 2001, pp.
10-11). A good title should be fully explanatory when standing alone. Avoid words that serve no
useful purpose. Do not use abbreviations in the title; spell out all terms. The title should be no
longer than 12-15 words.
Approval Page
A University approved first page indicating that this is a thesis proposal presented to the
faculty of University with space for approval signatures by the Department Chair and the Thesis
Chair.
Abstract
The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the Research Project
you have prepared, including the derived conclusions and implications. It allows the reader to
attain a quick overview of the content and scope of your research. A good abstract is accurate,
self-contained, concise and specific, non-evaluative, and coherent and readable. An appropriate
length for the abstract is between 75-150 words, depending on the nature and complexity of the
work.
The abstract is a crucial part of your report as it may be the only section read by people at the
executive or managerial level who must make decisions based on what they read in your abstract.
When you include specific content, it is important to remember these readers are looking for the
information they need to make decisions.
The abstract is an overview that provides the reader with the main points and results, though it is
not merely a listing of what the report contains. It is a summary of the essence of a report. For
this reason, it should be crafted to present the most complete and compelling information
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possible. It is not a detective story building suspense as the reader hunts for clues, and should not
be vague or obtuse in its content.
The abstract should include

Why the work was done (the basic problem), the specific purpose or objective, and the
scope of the work if that is relevant. (College lab reports may not require this part of the
abstract.)

How the work was done, the test methods or means of investigation

What was found—the results, conclusions, and recommendations
The abstract should

Not make references to material in the text

Not lose the message by burying the methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations
in a sea of words

Not be written before the rest of the report
Therefore, a good abstract is

Complete

Concise

Specific

Self-sufficient
Table of Contents
This piece is self-evident. The List of Tables and List of Figures are optional depending
on whether tables and/or figures were used in the Research Project.
Chapter 1: Introduction
In Chapter 1, Introduction, a description of the problem under study is presented. The
intended research strategy is described. In this section of the Research Project, it is important to
establish not only what problem you intend to study but also why it is important or relevant and
how you intend to resolve the problem. Describe how your research is related to previous work
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in the area by briefly referring to the central arguments and/or available data which make your
research important and timely. If you have developed hypotheses or research questions with
regard to your research, this would be a good place to advance a formal statement and rationale
for each one. A good introduction leaves the reader with a clear picture of what is being done
and why.
1.1. Introduction
 The main purpose of this section is to tell the reader why you performed the study.
 It starts out broad and becomes more and more specific.
 what is the topic and why is it important?

How does the research approach of the paper relate to the issue in question?
 What are the theoretical implications of the study and how does the study relate to
previous work in the area?
 The introduction summarizes the relevant literature so that the reader will understand
why you were interested in the question you asked.
 End with a sentence explaining the specific question you asked in this experiment.
 Thus, this section should contain an absolute minimum of four paragraphs:
1- the general introduction,
2- the literature review,
3- the connection of the present study to the literature,
4- the explicit statement of purpose.
1.2. Statement of the problem
The researcher has the task of presenting and defining the problem so that it is clearly
understood, is not trivial, and can be investigated using the tools of commonly accepted research
methods.
This section introduces the reader to the general problem, also known as the research
concept. It tells the reader what the problem is. Subjective elements such as personal experience
or anecdotal materials may be used to illustrate the nature of the problem, its extent,
manifestations and seriousness. The idea is to get the reader interested and involved in the
general world of the problem. What is it that you are going to be studying? Is it child abuse,
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mental health, homelessness, adoption, or what? At the end of this section, the reader should
have a clear idea of what the problem is.
Commonly, this section has two purposes: (a) to begin the more specific about the problem,
and (b) to convince the reader that what you are studying is truly a problem. Use evidence and
logical arguments to assemble materials to document that what you are studying is in fact a
problem: where did it come from; how long has it been with us; how big is it; how extensive it is;
what are the costs of not resolving the problem, etc. It helps to relate your specific research
problem to a larger, more general problem; amass evidence to show that the more general
problem is indeed a problem; then show that your specific problem is a subset of the more
general problem. Do not take it for granted that the reader is automatically going to agree with
you that what you are studying is a problem. Cite sources from your library research and from
interviews with authorities having knowledge of the problem to document your assertions.
Note: A problem statement should be presented within a context, and that context should
be provided and briefly explained, including a discussion of the conceptual or theoretical
framework in which it is embedded. Clearly and succinctly identify and explain the
problem within the framework of the theory or line of inquiry that undergirds the study.
1.3. Significance of and justification for the study
Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or extend existing knowledge in the area
under investigation. Note that such refinements, revisions, or extensions may have either
substantive, theoretical, or methodological significance. Think pragmatically (i.e., cash value).
Most studies have two potential audiences: practitioners and professional peers. Statements
relating the research to both groups are in order.
This can be a difficult section to write. Think
about implications—how results of the study may affect scholarly research, theory, practice,
educational interventions, curricula, counseling, policy.
When thinking about the significance of your study, ask yourself the following questions:
What will results mean to the theoretical framework that framed the study?
What suggestions for subsequent research arise from the findings?
What will the results mean to the practicing educator?
Will results influence programs, methods, and/or interventions?
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Will results contribute to the solution of educational problems?
Will results influence educational policy decisions?
What will be improved or changed as a result of the proposed research?
How will results of the study be implemented, and what innovations will come about?
1.4. Definition of key terms
1.5. Limitation and delimitation of the study
Limitations are influences that the researcher cannot control. They are the shortcomings,
conditions or influences that cannot be controlled by the researcher that place restrictions on
your methodology and conclusions. Any limitations that might influence the results should
be mentioned. Limitations are those elements over which the researcher has no control.
In most instances, any assumption you make becomes a limitation.
When considering what limitations there might be in your investigation, be thorough. Consider
all of the following:

your analysis.

the nature of self-reporting.

the instruments you utilized.

the sample.

time constraints.
In qualitative research certain limitations might mean that the findings cannot be generalized to
the larger population. This is especially true when the definition of the population is broad
(ex: elderly women)
Delimitations are choices made by the researcher which should be mentioned. They describe the
boundaries that you have set for the study. This is the place to explain:

the things that you are not doing (and why you have chosen not to do them).

the literature you will not review (and why not).

the population you are not studying (and why not).

the methodological procedures you will not use (and why you will not use them).
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Delimitations define the parameters of the investigation. In educational research the delimitations
will frequently deal with such items as population/sample, treatment(s), setting, and
instrumentation. Limitations are those elements over which the researcher has no control. In
most instances, any assumption you make becomes a limitation.
Delimitations are those elements the researcher CAN control. Delimitations are those
characteristics selected by the researcher to define the boundaries of the study. The researcher
makes conscious exclusionary and inclusionary decisions regarding the sample (including such
information as geographic location), the variables studied, the theoretical perspectives, the
instruments, the generalizability, etc.
Chapter 2: Review of Literature
The purpose of Chapter 2, the Review of Literature, is to develop a comprehensive
background for the problem under study. Whereas in the Introduction, you have briefly referred
or provided an overview to the relevant arguments and data which caused you to be interested in
this area of study, in the Review of Literature, you are expected to demonstrate familiarity with
all relevant findings with regard to the problem under study. In a good Review of the Literature,
you should avoid references with only tangential or general significance. Instead, pertinent
findings, relevant methodological issues, and major conclusions are emphasized. In your
evaluation of the materials you present, be careful to avoid personal opinion and treat
controversial issues with objectivity. The goal is to demonstrate the logical continuity, that is, the
existing evidence and reasoning, between previous work and your present work. Begin this
Chapter with a clear statement of the problem which indicates the scope of the issues which you
will address.
Chapter 3: Methodology
In Chapter 3, the Method section, you describe in detail how the Research Project will be
conducted. Such a description enables the reader to evaluate the appropriateness of your methods
and the reliability and validity of your results. The information provided here should be
sufficiently detailed to allow other researchers to replicate the study if they so desire.
In descriptive, comparative, and experimental designs, the Method section is where you describe
the participants in your Research Project, Design of the investigation, Instruments, and
Procedure. Effect size estimates and the number of participants necessary to insure adequate
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power should be stated in the proposal. Descriptions of the measures should include
psychometric information, including validity and reliability. The Procedure is a narrative account
of exactly how each element of the research will be investigated. Except for the report of
previous validity and reliability findings, this section in the proposal is usually written in the
future tense.
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Discussion
For descriptive, comparative, and experimental designs, this chapter summarizes the
different analyses used for answering the research questions while reporting the necessary tables
and figures. If the research question is a qualitative one, the qualitative analyses of the data are
reported here. There is no need to interpret the results here.
In descriptive, comparative, and experimental designs, the Discussion section is where
you evaluate and interpret the results reported, especially in regard to your hypotheses. Here, you
are free to examine, interpret, and qualify the results, as well as draw inferences from them. This
is also a place for comparing your findings with those of the other studies where you can explain
the reasons for any contrast among them (so, discussion is a place that you relate the findings of
your study with the studies you have mentioned in your review of the related literature).
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Pedagogical Implications
This chapter includes a summary of the conclusions at the beginning. Then, we must
focus on the implications and the contributions of our study for the field, and finally, some
suggestions for other studies (according to the limitations and delimitations of our study) will be
proposed.
References
After Chapter 5, a list of sources (i.e., citations) is provided prior to the Appendices. This
list includes only those references cited in the text of your Research Project and is titled,
References. If you or your Faculty Advisor prefers to list a broader spectrum of literature than
that which is immediately relevant to your research, your list would be called a Bibliography.
That you provide a listing of sources is required; whether you call that list References or
Bibliography depends on the scope of the list.
Appendix/Appendices
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If you have documentary materials which would be awkward to include in the text of
your Research Project, you may include them in an appendix. Examples of such materials are:
(a) questionnaires, (b) instructions to participants, (c) descriptions of instrumentation, (d) raw
data,….. You can consult with your Advisor in regard to materials which would be appropriate
for an appendix to your Research Project. If you use an appendix, please remember to include the
title in your Table of Contents.
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