The importance of a thesis as a published work is
in decline, particularly in science. How often have you seen references
to a thesis in papers?
Concentrate instead on publishing papers. This is what will be read.
In the course of an M. Sc., you should complete a paper
or two.
In the course of a Ph. D., you should complete three to five
papers.
The thesis will then consist of these papers, sandwiched between the introduction and
conclusions chapters.
Write up and submit these papers early, as soon as each study is completed and while the
data is fresh in your mind. There is nothing like a thesis composed of refereed
published papers to give it credibility!.
Before starting to write your thesis here at Western, see the "Guide for the Preparation of Theses". At
UWO, you can choose from two formats; traditional and manuscript. The
manuscript format is outlined below. It requires that each paper, as well as the
conclusions chapter, have its own bibliography. Also the student is
expected to be first author in each of the papers. Sometimes students
mistakenly think that if a chapter consists of a published paper, this
chapter can no longer be changed. This is wrong. You may always make it
better.
Abstract.
Acknowledgments:
Thank your supervisor, other faculty and colleagues who have been
particularly helpful.
Acknowledge people who performed parts of the work clearly defining their
contributions.
Thank those who may have emotionally or financially been supportive (your
spouse, parents etc.).
Introduction:
Here one tries to motivate to reader to read the rest by stating clearly
what the question is and why it might be interesting.
To do this one must first provide just enough background
information so that so that the question can be understood by someone not in the immediate
field.
Then establish what facts are known (the historical background), what is
not known, and what you hope to discover.
Papers:
See "Parts of a Paper". Note that each chapter has its own methods and bibliography.
Conclusion:
Include a summary, an overall conclusion, implications, and suggestion
for future studies.