Writing Your Thesis

After your thesis proposal is approved you may begin writing your thesis.   It is important that you consult and work closely with your Academic Advisor and Advisory Committee members when developing your thesis. 

DEVELOPING YOUR THESIS
University of British Columbia: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/graduate-pathways-success/getting-started-your-thesis-or-dissertation

LITERATURE REVIEW
University of Toronto: http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/literature-review/

What knowledge and ideas have been established on your topic and what are their strengths.

THESIS OUTLINE (Organizational Tool)
The outline gives an overview of the main points of your thesis. It clarifies the structure of your thesis and helps you find the correct focus for your work. The outline can also be used in supervision sessions, especially in the beginning. You might find that you need to restructure your thesis. Working on your outline can then be a good way of making sense of the necessary changes. A good outline shows how the different parts relate to each other, and is a useful guide for the reader.
http://sokogskriv.no/en/writing/structure/structuring-a-thesis/#13_Outline  

• THESIS OUTLINE OR YOUR THESIS STRUCTURE

What is the purpose of a thesis outline

The thesis outline is the blueprint of your thesis and helps you in organizing your material, arguments, research, conclusions, etc.  An outline makes it earsier for most students to gather and organize their material and write their thesis.

SAMPLE:  Thesis Outline
http://www.duq.edu/Documents/education/_pdf/DCPSE/psychology/dissertation-outline.pdf 

ELEMENTS OF THE THESIS 

1. TITLE PAGE  (SAMPLE) 
2. TABLE OF CONTENTS  (SAMPLE)
3. THESIS ABSTRACT
   • What is the purpose of an Abstract
     An Abstract is the brief summary of your research allowing the reader to quick determine your paper's purpose. It should be a concise summary of key points of your research and should summarize your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions.
   • What are the elements of a thesis Abstract
     1. What is the overall purpose of the study -- What is being addressed
        • Explain the problems
     2. Explain your research methods
     3. Describe your results
     4. Give your conclusion and recommendations
4. MAIN PAPER
   1. INTRODUCTION
      State what you are trying to prove / disprove
   2. THESIS STATEMENT
      A thesis statement focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. It should present the topic of your paper and also make a comment about your position in relation to the topic. Your thesis statement should tell your reader what the paper is about and also help guide your writing and keep your argument focused.
      http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/thesis/
   3. BODY
      The body of your thesis should show that your argument/critique/analysis is moving in a certain direction (the direction outlined in your introduction)
   4. CONCLUSION
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY
   Lists ALL sources used or consulted in writing the thesis. The Bibliography is usually listed at the end of the thesis.  Please see below APA STYLE -- CITING INFORMATION
6. IMAGES & NON-TEXTUAL MATERIALS
   Univerity of Southern California Libraries, Research Guidelines
   http://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=235130&p=1560459

FGS FINAL THESIS GUIDELINES
  -- University Guidelines for Writing your Ph.D. Thesis

• FGS:  Thesis Guide & Information  
• FGS: Thesis Release Forms
• FGS: Thesis Checklist
• FGS: Thesis Guidelines
• FGS:  Thesis Title Page
  Your Title Page MUST look like this
• FGS:  Table of Contents  
  Your Title Page MUST look like this
• FGS:  Obtaining Copyright Permission
• 1-Year Restriction or Withholding Publication of a Thesis 
  The request must be submitted by your Advisor directly to FGS

THESIS STYLE: 

• REGULAR STYLE: 
  http://crscalprod1.cc.umanitoba.ca/Catalog/ViewCatalog.aspx?pageid=viewcatalog&catalogid=280&chapterid=3156&topicgroupid=18025&loaduseredits=False 
• SANDWICH STYLE  (grouped manuscript):
  ECE -- at the M.Sc. level a "Sandwich Thesis" is NOT PERMITTED
  http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/thesis/guidelines.html#manuscripts
  

WRITING STYLE:   When writing theses please remember that graduate students use the style recommended by the Faculty of Graduate Studies

• University Recommended Style:  APA (American Psychology Association)
• APA Style Guide:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/  
• Basic APA Tutorial:  http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx  
• Writing Research Papers:  http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/index.htm
• APA Writing Style Quick Guide:  http://www.ehow.com/apa-writing-style/
• Graduate Writing Kit:   http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/writing/kit/gradwritingkit.php  

APA STYLE -- USED IN WRITING THESES 

http://www.apastyle.org/

CITING INFORMATION -- APA STYLE

http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-book

PLAGIARISM & COPYRIGHTS

• University Penalties  
• University Copyright Office 
  • Copyright: REQUEST PERMISSIONS TO USE (template)
  • Copyrights Basics
• UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INTEGRITY
  
  • University Plagiarism Software:  iThenticate