Thesis Guideline
Abstract
This guideline covered different sections of the ISEM thesis including: introduction, literature review, research design and methodology, results, discussion of results, recommendation, and conclusion. The components of the introduction were all given: background, problem statement, purpose statement, research questions and objectives, theoretical framework, hypothesis(es), significance of study, definition of terms, ethical considerations, delimitation and limitation. In the literature review section, the topic must be operationalized to researchable headings, and existing literature on the headings sourced and critically examined to: build the proposal on a wider context, find gaps in literature, methods, and theories. The research design and methods section must convince readers about the research worldview, research design, research strategy, method of data collection, method of data analysis, population or unit of analysis, and sample (if needed). The result section must show the results of analyses of collected data. In the discussion of results section, the results are discussed based on existing literature, theories, and methodologies. Finally, recommendations and conclusions are included. If students follow the sequence in this course, they will be able to produce publishable and excellent theses.
Keywords: Thesis, Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methods and Design.
Different Sections of the Thesis. 5
Research Questions and Objectives. 7
Factors affecting the Study. 9
Research Design and Methodology. 11
Presentation of Quantitative Design Results. 13
Presentation of Qualitative Design Results. 14
Presentation of Mixed-Method Design Results. 15
Different Sections of the Thesis
The thesis has different sections including the following: The Front-Matter, Introduction, Literature Review, Research design and methodology, Results, Discussion of Results, Recommendation, and Conclusion. The thesis must also have sections on references and appendices. These sections of the thesis are discussed in this template. It is important that students understand each section, and write accordingly, to be able to meet the standards of an excellent thesis.
The Front-Matter
The front-matter are those sections of the thesis that are first seen by the audience. They include the following: the title page, abstract, table of content, list of tables, and the list of figures. These sections are very technical and must follow, as is in the other sections of the thesis, the APA style of writing. Technical mistakes could add noise to the thesis, and students must work hard to prevent this. Although, the front-matter is the first part of the thesis to be seen by the audience, it should be the last part to be written. For instance, since the abstract is the summary of the whole paper, there is no way you can write a good abstract at the beginning of the paper. The table of content shows the pages of the first level headings and the second level headings. There is no way this component of the thesis can be done if the thesis has been completed. Again, the front-matter should be the last aspect of the thesis to be completed.
The Title Page
The title page must have the following information: the title or topic of the thesis, the name of the author, the name of the university, a statement about the submission of the thesis (Thesis submitted to Dr. Stanley C Nwoji in fulfillment of GRAD 699), and the date of the submission of the thesis. All these statements must be centered in every direction of the paper. The title page must be in the APA style. The font must be New Times Roman, 12”. It must not be colored or bold. The font must be more than 12 points. There must not be any decorations or underlining.
The Abstract
The abstract is the summary of every aspect of the research in not more than 200 words. The abstract must include the problem statement, the research design, the research strategy, the method of data collection, the method of data analysis, the results, and the recommendation. Abstracts must end with keywords.
The Table of Content
The table of content directs the audience of the thesis to the pages containing the first level headings and the second level headings. Note that the second level headings in the table of contents are indented to the right, while the first level headings start from the margin of the paper.
List of Tables
Tables are made up of rows and columns. Graphics, in the thesis, which do not have columns and rows are figures. Labels must be on top of each table. These labels must explain the table. A list of tables must be provided, resembling a table of content, showing the pages where the tables are located.
List of figures
Figures are every graphic that do not have rows and columns. They could be maps, drawings, charts, etc. Labels for figures must be put after the figures, unlike, the tables where the labels are above the tables. The labels must explain the figure. A list of tables, resembling a table of content, must be provided. It must contain the pages where the figures are located.
Introduction
Background
This section should hook the reader. My preference is that the student should use statistical data or a scholarly story (a story that can be traced to a reputable article or magazine or news or …). The student must show how because of the statistics there is need to do the research.
Problem Statement
A problem is the difference between the actual and the desired (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016). I like to see students write about the desired, and then show how there is a gap between the actual and the desired. They then state the problem in such a way that no one can doubt that this is a problem. This section should end with the student showing that the research is set up to address this problem.
Purpose Statement
A purpose statement is not merely about writing a purpose. The elements of a purpose statement should be the following: the problem, the research design, research strategy, the method of data collection, the method of data collection, the variables, and the reasons for choosing the design (Creswell, 2014).
Research Questions and Objectives
Questions should be derived from a well formulated theoretical framework (Marshall & Rossman, 2011). This section must have researchable questions, not merely a set of questions that have no link to any theoretical framework.
Theoretical Framework
In this section of the paper discuss the theoretical framework you designed. Take each variable and explain how they interact and iterate to cause or solve the problem being studied (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016; Lee & Lings, 2008).
Hypothesis
Based on the theoretical framework designed, formulate hypothesis or hypotheses for the research. Remember that hypotheses are intelligent conjectures that need to be accepted or rejected based on findings from inferential statistical analyses (Strauss & Corbin, 2014).
Significance of Study
This section must show that the research is important (Marshall & Rossman, 2011). To show that a study is important, it must demonstrate it has filled gaps in literature, gaps in methodology, and gaps in theory. It should also be shown that the study affects other areas of knowledge.
Definition of Terms
All terms contained in topic must be defined. Definitions must be scholarly; they must be extracted from journal articles and books (Creswell, 2014; Cooper & Schindler, 2011). They are to be critiqued, not merely written down. The preferred definition must be shown.
Ethical Considerations
Research must be done ethically (Walton, 2017; Todd, et al., 2017; Eriksen, 2016). This section of the paper is to show that the research proposed will be done in an ethical manner. Human subjects will not be involved without their consent. The risks of the research must be clearly shown to them. The researcher must be able to say how risks will be reduced.
Delimitation
Delimitations are demographic and other boundaries of the research (Cristina-Elena, 2017; Nitescu & Dobre-Baron, O, 2017). Criteria for inclusion and criteria for exclusion must be given.
Limitation
All the constraints of the research must be shown including time, financial constraints, and other constraints or problems associated with the research.
Literature Review
Topic must be operationalized to researchable headings. For example, the topic: “Remittances to Five English Speaking West African Countries” can be operationalized into the researchable headings, and those headings could then become second level headings.
Researchable headings
The researchable headings that must be included for this thesis topic are: Remittances, West African Countries, Remittances to West African Countries, English Speaking West African Countries, Remittances to 5 English Speaking West African Countries. These headings must be second-level headings, that is, they must be flushed to the left and made bold. You must look for articles that have been written on the headings and critically analyze them using other articles. Other headings that must follow are: factors affecting the study, review of theories, review of methodologies, and theoretical framework.
Factors affecting the Study
The isolation of variables (factors) affecting the study are very important because they will help construct a theoretical framework. They become the independent variables of the study. You must extract these factors from existing scholarly articles and books. In this study, our interest will be Factors affecting remittances sent to 5 English Speaking West African Countries.
Review of Methodologies
Existing methods for studying the topic (in this case, remittances) are reviewed and critiqued. For example, did existing scholars use quantitative or qualitative or mixed-method approaches? Why or why not? If there are gaps in methodologies, then, they must be shown.
Review of Theories
Theories explaining the topic (in this case, remittances) are reviewed, and critiqued. Each of the theories must be named, explained, and critiqued. If there are gaps in theories, then the gaps must be shown.
Theoretical Framework
A theoretical framework based on literature is formulated. A schematic diagram shown the model is given, and explained. Hypotheses are then carefully formulated based on the theoretical framework, and research questions are also derived from the framework.
Note
You should note that the topic: “Remittances to 5 English-Speaking West African Countries,” was used for an example. You must do the same with your topic. Each heading operationalized must be properly researched using scholarly articles from reputable journals, books, reputable trade journals, periodicals, conference proceedings, and reports. At this level of education, the use of websites as scholarly articles is prohibited.
Research Design and Methodology
Research Worldview
Is it post-positivism, or constructivism, or advocacy, or pragmatism (Creswell, 2014; Bisel & Adame, 2017). The chosen worldview must be explained, and the reason for choosing it must be carefully articulated.
Research Design
A research design that is aligned to the chosen worldview is given (Creswell, 2014 (Bornstein, 2017)). The chosen design is explained, and the reason for the choice given.
Table 1: Table explaining the relationship between research worldview, design, strategy, method of data collection and analysis.
| Research Worldview | Research Design | Research Strategy | Method of Data Collection | Method of Data Analysis |
| Post-positivism | Quantitative | Experiment and/or Survey | Close-ended questionnaire or observed experiment | Descriptive and Inferential Analyses |
| Constructivism | Qualitative | Grounded Theory, Case Study, Ethnography, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, etc. | Open-ended questionnaire, Interview, focus group, panel, observations, video, etc. | 3-level coding |
| Advocacy | Qualitative | Same as above, feminism, participatory strategy | Same as above | 3-level coding |
| Pragmatism | Mixed Method Approach | Concurrent, Sequential, and Transformative | Mixed: e.g. interview and close-ended questionnaire | Mixed: descriptive, Inferential, and 3-level coding. |
Research Strategy
See figure 1. A strategy must be chosen that aligns with the research worldview, and the research design. The strategy chosen must be explained, and the reason for the choice given.
Method of Data Collection
See figure 1. A data collection method that aligns with the research worldview, the research design, and the research strategy must be given. The chosen method of data collection must be explained. The reason for choosing this method of data collection must be defended.
Method of Data Analysis
See figure 1. A method of data analysis that aligns with the research worldview, the research design, the research strategy, and the method of data collection must be given. The chosen method of data analysis must be explained and defended.
Population
The population must be explained. Who are they? Their demographic boundaries must be properly explained as well. The reason for choosing this population must also be shared. Are there some peculiarities about them that must be discussed? Are they too large for this research?
Sample
If they are too large, then a sample must be chosen. How the sample was chosen should be discussed. Validity and reliability must be supported.
Results
The presentation of your result is extremely important. Many scholars will argue with you to understand if your research is valid and reliable. It is therefore very important that you show your results to be accurate, valid, and reliable. In this section of the template, students will be shown how to present results for quantitative, qualitative and mixed method designs. It is important to note the differences between the presentation of results of the different designs. Recall that research is very systematic, and when the system is followed, and excellent work results.
Presentation of Quantitative Design Results
There are two important components of the quantitative design, and both must be present in this section of the thesis. These two components are: Results of Descriptive Analyses and Results of Inferential Analyses. The Results of the Descriptive Analyses will describe the results using statistical summaries, tables, and charts. The Results of the Inferential Analyses will show results from tests of hypotheses.
Results from Descriptive Analysis. Descriptive analysis will result in frequencies, measures of central tendencies (mean, median, and mode), measures of dispersions (range, standard deviation, variations), numerical measures of relative standing (z-scores, rank, quartiles, percentiles), and cross-tabulations. It is important to note that descriptive analysis can only summarize data; it does not lead to the acceptance or rejection of hypothesis. It does prepare the data for inferential analysis. “Descriptive statistics are limited in so much that they only allow you to make summations about the people or objects that you have actually measured. You cannot use the data you have collected to generalize to other people or objects (i.e., using data from a sample to infer the properties/parameters of a population). For example, if you tested a drug to beat cancer and it worked in your patients, you cannot claim that it would work in other cancer patients only relying on descriptive statistics (but inferential statistics would give you this opportunity)” (Laerd Statistics, 2013).
Results from Inferential Analysis. Whereas descriptive analysis describes and summarizes data collected, inferential analysis makes generalized inferences about the data collected. This means that through inferential analysis, the hypothesis propounded, is accepted or rejected using statistical inferential models. The conclusions from inferential analysis extends beyond collected data to a larger population. Examples of inferential tests include: t-tests (one sample t-test, paired sample t-test, and independent group t-test), ANOVA (One-Way ANOVA, and Two-Way, ANOVA), Correlations (Pearson and Spearman), and Regressions (Simple Linear, Multiple-Linear, and Logistic). Data can show a parametric or non-parametric distribution. Non-parametric distributions have alternative inferential analytical models. It is important, therefore, to: (1) show if your distribution is parametric or non-parametric (2) understand and use the right inferential model for your thesis. The results of these analyses must be presented using tables and charts and explaining them.
Intelligent Tools can help. There are intelligent tools like MS-Excel, SAS, and R, which are able to help students do descriptive and inferential analysis with the click of the mouse. The added advantage is that these tools can produce the tables and charts you need for your result section.
Presentation of Qualitative Design Results
The best way to present results of a qualitative research is to divide the results into concepts, categories, and themes. First, show a table of concepts. Second, show a table of concepts, categories and themes. Finally show the triangulation of the themes into theoretical constructs. Each table must be explained.
Concepts. Participants responses must be coded into concepts. As a researcher, take careful notes of participants responses. These responses must be read over and over again to understand all the concepts within the participants’ responses. These concepts must be written down. A table of the concepts can be shown in the results.
Categories. Concepts, certainly, will be too many to grasp. They must, therefore, be put into categories. This means that related concepts must be combined (or coded) into categories to reduce the large number of concepts. This will lead to better understanding of the concepts within the participants’ responses.
Themes. The categories must also be coded into themes, which means that related categories will be combined into themes. This is the final level of the analysis.
Themes must be triangulated. The themes must be triangulated into theoretical constructs. This means that each theme must be related to the dependent variable of the research so that a theoretical framework or construct is modeled.
Intelligent tools can help. There are qualitative analytical tools that can help students analyze qualitative data. They include the following: Nvivo, MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, and Dedoose.
Presentation of Mixed-Method Design Results
The presentation of mixed-method design results is a combination of the quantitative and the qualitative. There must be a section showing the quantitative results, then, followed by the qualitative or vice versa. A section that compares the two results must be present.
Note
The result section of the thesis does not discuss the result; it simply shows and explains the results. It does not share any opinions about the result. It does not relate the result to existing literature or theories. It simply states the result as it is and adds nothing to it. Results cannot be tampered with. There is a section of the thesis that is dedicated to the discussion of the results.
Discussion of Results
Results must be discussed, not merely shown. There are many ways to discuss results. First, discuss whether the results solved the problem of the research. Second, show how the results have answered the various research questions posed by the research. In quantitative research, acceptance or rejection of hypotheses can help support your answers. Third, discuss how the results relate to existing literature. For instance, do the results agree with existing literature or do they disagree? Do they modify existing assumptions and literature? Fourth, do the results agree with existing theories? Why? How? Fifth, discuss new discoveries made by the research. Are there gaps in literature, theories, and methodologies that the research has filled? Sixth, discuss the significance of these findings.
Recommendations
The thesis must have a section for recommendations. Recommendations can be prescriptive. Prescriptive recommendations suggest things that must be done to solve the problem of the research. These prescriptive recommendations must be based on the findings of the research and supported by existing literature.
Recommendations, however, must not be merely prescriptive. They must include recommendations for future research. In fact, in a thesis, the recommendation for further research is more important than prescriptions. Every research is a template for further investigations. It is not academic to see a thesis as being terminal. It must be programmatic; it must lead to more research.
Conclusions
The conclusions must summarize the whole research and all the findings of the research. The conclusion being a summary should not be more than 500 words. It should include: the problem statement, the research questions, the research design, the research strategy, the method of data collection, the method of data analysis, the results of the research, and the recommendations of the research.
Back-Matter
The back-end of a thesis must include the references and the appendices. The reference must have a matching list of all in-text citations. The appendices must include all the important documents and tables not included in the body of the thesis.
References
Every literature cited in-text must be included in a reference list at the end of the thesis. This reference list must follow the APA style. See the reference list in this template to understand how to present an APA styled reference list.
Appendices
Appendices will include all materials that were not included in the body of the thesis but are important for understanding the thesis. Examples are: consent forms, questionnaires, pictures, important tables and diagrams, etc. Appendices must be labeled using alphabets: Appendix A, Appendix B, … Appendix N.
References
Bisel, R. S., & Adame, E. A. (2017). Post-Positivist/Functionalist Approaches. In University of California, & Arizona State University, The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication (pp. 1-22). Hopoken, NJ: Wiley.
Bornstein, M. H. (2017). Parenting in acculturation: two contemporary research designs and what they tell us. Current Opinion in Psychology, 15, 195-200.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business Research Methods. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches2014. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Cristina-Elena, M. (2017). Conceptual Delimitations Regarding School Show Choreography. Young Scientist, 43.1(3.1), 16-19.
Eriksen, C. (2016). Research Ethics, Trauma and Self Care: reflections on disaster geographies. Australian Geographer, 1-6.
Laerd Statistics. (2013). FAQs – Descriptive and Inferential Statistics. Retrieved November 13, 2017, from Laerd Statistics: https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/descriptive-inferential-statistics-faqs.php
Lee, N., & Lings, I. (2008). Doing Business Research: A guide to theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2011). Designing Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Nitescu, A., & Dobre-Baron, O. (2017). Theoretical Delimitations Regarding the Management of Start-up Business. Calitatea, suppl. , 354-357.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (2014). Basics of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Todd, M. E., Torrence, B. S., Watts, L. L., Mulhearn, M. S., Connelly, S., & Mumford, M. D. (2017). Effective Practices in the Delivery of Research Ethics Education: A Qualitative Review of Instructional Methods. Accountability in Research, 24(5), 297-321.
Walton, N. (2017). What is Research Ethics? Retrieved May 31, 2017, from Research Ethics.ca: https://researchethics.ca/what-is-research-ethics/
