CONTENTS OF VARIOUS PARTS OF THE THESIS
note there are some sections i chose to leave out in the struture because they are mostly optional or not neccesary. I will mainly discuss the ones in the structure

🔷TITLE PAGE
This section is the first page of the thesis. It contains:
Approved title of the thesis
▪️Author's name
▪️Department
▪️Degree to be attained and
▪️The School

🔹ABSTRACT
The abstract shall not be more than 200-300 words depending on the type of degree and shall contain the following:
▪️A brief statement of the specific objectives and envisaged contributions of the research work.
▪️ A brief statement of research methodology used (principles only) including methods of data analysis
▪️A brief straight-to-the-point summary of specific findings
▪️A statement of implications of the findings
NOTE: It may be placed at the top but it is written at the end of the work

🔹ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author shall acknowledge in his/her own words the assistance given by others during the research work and the preparation of thesis.

🔹TABLE OFCONTENTS
This shall contain a list of all the major component parts of the thesis and the respective pages on which they begin, starting with report.

🎓MAIN BODY🎓

⚜️CHAPTER 1️⃣ (Introduction)
This chapter shall be devoted primarily to justifying the research work. Accordingly, the chapter shall contain:
▪️A general overview of the background, concept, general objectives and scope of theresearch. This may include statementof the problem, significance/purpose of study.
▪️Specific objectives of the research work orworking hypothesis, as the case may be.
▪️Specific proposals (statements only) on how toachieve the specific research objective test the working hypothesis above
▪️Scope and limitation of the research

⚜️CHAPTER 2️⃣ (Literature Review)
This entails an exhaustive but incisive, coherent and up-to-date review of relevant literature in the research area. The candidate is expected to show a high proficiency in information retrieval and interpretation. The literature review shall be geared towards justifying the defined objectives of the research. Consequently, the style of presentation of retrieved information and their interpretation shall be purposeful, directed solely at establishing the premises for the research work

⚜️CHAPTER 3️⃣ (Methodology)
👉🏿This chapter shall contain a list of rare/highly specialized materials and a detailed description of the methods employed in the research work. In the Materials section shall be listed chemicals, reagents, living organisms and other biological materials, apparatuses/gadgets, and equipment that are not used routinely in the laboratory. General or routine laboratory materials used in the work shall be given within the context of
description of the methods. Candidates shall comply with current international conventions on nomenclature and identification of scientific materials in their sub- disciplines.

Under Method section shall be described all the experimental methods used in the work. Only new methods developed by the candidate shall be described in full. Where an established published method was used unmodified, candidate shall merely cite the relevant reference. However, where an established method
has been modified or adapted by the candidate, candidate shall describe the extent to which the method was modified or adapted. In describing the methods, candidate shall state all the special precautions taken in the course of applying the methods as well as the statistical methods used in analyzing the data.

👉🏿Irrespective of the disciplines where the method used was primarily library search or purely theoretical, there need not be a separate chapter on Method/Methodology. The description of the method can be incorporated into the introduction or literature review chapter as a section ​​⚜️CHAPTER 4️⃣ (Data Analysis/Results)
The outcome of research shall be presented and explained in this section. Significant and novel findings shall be identified. The findings shall be stated in prose and references made to tables, figures or

es in texts. Details of numerical results shall be given either in the text, in a tabular form or as graphs or any combination of these. However, if the subject of the thesis and the findings are primarily of a qualitative nature, the above guidelines need not be followed. The findings may be presented in the descriptive and analytical models appropriate to the discipline.

⚜️CHAPTER 5️⃣ (Discussion)
This section shall be devoted to giving a comprehensive account of the findings of the research and relating them to published works. Special attention should be given to significant or novel findings.

⚜️CHAPTER 6️⃣ (Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations)
This chapter shall high-light the major findings of the research work and the inferences made from them. It shall incorporate a section on recommendations, including suggestions on areas of further work.

🔷REFERENCES
All references cited in the text shall be collated at the end of the thesis ... learn to reference
i advise use of microsoft inbuilt reference tool

🔷APPENDIX
The appendix is optional and if provided may contain the following.
▪️Matters relatedto data collection e.g. sample of questionnaires and other test instruments.
▪️Raw data for thesis based on questionnaires.
▪️Copies of author’s publication(s) from the research work.
▪️ Computer program, especially if it was written or modified by the candidate, and the output.

🔷GLOSSARY
The glossary if any, shall contain a list and explanations of foreign, indigenous, obsolete or technical words used in the text. Internationally accepted standard abbreviations of scientific names not spelt out in the text may be explained here. All other abbreviations of scientific names must be spelt out in the text at the point of first mention.

What to avoid in your writing
💧Run-on sentences - a type of sentence in which 2 or more independent ideas are not separated by comas or full stops. Such sentences are messy and are generally considered a mistake typical for a primitive writing style.
💧Too short or too large paragraphs - each paragraph should not be less than 3 lines and should not exceed your other paragraphs. The amount of writing required to support your ideas should be more or less equal. The paragraphs should also not be too short since they all have to contain their own introductory sentence, body part and concluding sentence.
💧Huge citations - cite original sources only when it is really needed. Avoid useless citations intended merely to pour the water in your writing. Also, be sure to correctly format your citations according to chosen citation style. Remember to use specific format requirements for large citations.
💧Confused thoughts and ideas - it is important that your writing is easily understandable and ‘user-friendly‘. Whatever is the topic of your writing, it should be easy for reading. Avoid complicacy and rather simplify your thoughts.

9 BASIC WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR STYLE IN ACADEMIC WRITING

1️⃣ Use ACTIVE VOICE
Don't say: "The stepmother's house was cleaned by Cinderella." (Passive.)
Say instead: "Cinderella cleaned the stepmother's house." (Active voice.)
Passive voice construction ("was cleaned") is reserved for those occasions where the "do-er" of the action is unknown.
Example: "Prince Charming saw the glass slipper that was left behind."

2️⃣ Mix it up in terms of PUNCTUATION
Here are a few commonly misused punctuation marks that a lot of people aren't sure about:

🔷 The semi-colon (;) separates two complete sentences that are complementary.

Example: "She was always covered in cinders from cleaning the fireplace; they called her Cinderella."

🔷 The colon (:) is used...

▪️ preceding a list.
Example: "Before her stepmother awoke, Cinderella had three chores to complete: feeding the chickens, cooking breakfast, and doing the wash."

▪️ as a sort of "drum roll," preceding some big revelation.
Example: "One thing fueled the wicked stepmother's hatred for Cinderella: jealousy."

🔷 The dash (--) is made by typing two hyphens (-). No spaces go in between the dash and the text. It is used...

▪️ bracket off some explanatory information.
Example: "Even Cinderella's stepsisters-who were not nearly as lovely or virtuous as Cinderella--were allowed to go to the ball."

▪️ in the "drum roll" sense of the colon.
Example: "Prince Charming would find this mystery lady--even if he had to put the slipper on every other girl in the kingdom."

3️⃣ Vary your SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Don't say: "Cinderella saw her fairy godmother appear. She was dressed in blue. She held a wand. The wand had a star on it. She was covered in sparkles. Cinderella was amazed. She asked who the woman was. The woman said, 'I am your fairy godmother.' She said she would get Cinderella a dress and a coach. She said she would help Cinderella go to the ball."

Instead say: (there are multiple correct ways to rewrite this, but here's one) "Amazed, Cinderella watched as her fairy godmother appeared. The woman dressed in blue was covered in sparkles and carried a star-shaped wand. Cinderella asked the woman who she was, to which the woman replied, 'I am your fairy godmother." The fairy godmother would get Cinderella a dress and a coach; she would help Cinderella get to the ball."

4️⃣ Closely related to this, avoid CHOPPINESS
Don't say: "She scrubbed the floors. They were dirty. She used a mop. She sighed sadly. It was as if she were a servant ."

Instead say : (again, there are multiple ways to do this) "She scrubbed the dirty floors using a mop, as if she were a servant. She sighed sadly."

5️⃣ Avoid REPETITION.
Don't say: "The stepsisters were jealous and envious ."
Instead say : "The stepsisters were jealous ." (...or envious. Pick one.)

6️⃣ Be CONCISE
Don't say: "The mystery lady was one who every eligible man at the ball admired."

Instead say : "Every eligible man at the ball admired the mystery lady."

7️⃣ Use the VOCABULARY that you know
Don't always feel you have to use big words. It is always better to be clear and use simple language rather than showing off flashy words you aren't sure about and potentially misusing them. This is not to say, however, that you should settle for very weak vocabulary choices (like "bad" or "big" or "mad").

8️⃣ But also work on expanding your VOCABULARY
When reading, look up words you don't know. See how they're used. Start a list. Incorporate them into your writing as you feel comfortable and as they are appropriate.

9️⃣ Keep language FORMAL and avoid language of everyday speech
Don't say: "Cinderella was mellow and good. She never let her stepmother get to her ."

Say instead: "Cinderella was mild-mannered and kind. She never let her stepmother affect her high spirits ."

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
👨🏽‍💻There has always been confusion among students as well as academic writers on whether to use the heading references or bibliography at the end of either an essay, report or a thesis. Here is the difference, bibliography represents all the materials that have been used in order to write the paper including some materials that have not been represented by in text citations in the document.

👨🏽‍💻References on the other hand refer to all materials represented by the in texts.
Due to these differences, tutors mostly prefer students to use references rather than bibliography since they will easily know the specific sections of the work that have been cited

NOW YOU ARE ON THE KNOW JUST USE REFERENCES AVOID BIBLIOGRAPHY

QUALITIES OF A GOOD ACADEMIC PAPER📄

🔹Content is of high quality

🔹Correctly formatted

🔹Content is 100% original

🔹All quotations are properly referenced and attributed

🔹Delivered on time

🔹Meets the given word count or page number

🔹Title and reference pages are not included into the word count

🔹Is saved in Microsoft Word formats, depending on the assignment

🔹Paper follows a citation style determined by the Customer (MLA, APA, Harvard, or Chicago etc)

🔹Proper margins are be set (1'' from each side)

🔹References and citations for ideas and / or information used are essential

🔹Footnotes and detailed or annotated bibliographies are prepared according to customer's demand

🔹Good grammar and punctuation is used

🔹Fomatted in the customer instructed font and spacing

​​The structure

There are some conventions that guide the structuring of dissertations in different disciplines. You should check departmental and course regulations.

Below is the commonly used structure
🔹Title page
🔹Abstract
🔹Acknowledgements
🔹Contents page(s)

1️⃣ Introduction
2️⃣ Literature review
3️⃣ Methodology
4️⃣ Results/ Findings
5️⃣ Discussion
6️⃣ Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

N.B. The main body of the thesis (i.e. Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion and Conclusion) shall be broken into Chapters

🔷 References
🔷 Appendices (if any)
🔷 Glossary (if any)

RESEARCH PROPOSAL STRUCTURE

Proposals can be put together in many ways, but they generally contain several set components. Always ask your supervisor about precise requirements, such as how long the proposal should be and which elements are mandatory

❇️Title page

This should be similar to the title page that you will eventually prepare for your dissertation. Include the following items:
▪️The document’s title (and subtitle, if relevant);
▪️The name of your school;
▪️Contact information for your academic supervisor(s);
▪️Date and place;
▪️Your name (and the name of any co-authors, if relevant).

❇️Table of contents
Use Microsoft Word’s table of content tools to generate this list so that it will be automatically updated whenever you amend your document.

❇️Chapter 1️⃣ INTRODUCTION: Background and context
This chapter should more thoroughly explain the problem or question you will look at. It’s particularly important to demonstrate why your research is relevant, which you can do by outlining the context of your project. Briefly explain the history, describe the current situation and highlight important recent developments. You should also introduce the organization you are looking at, if relevant.

After reading this introduction to your topic, people should understand why you will undertake your research and want to learn more. If the proposal itself is long, you can also use this section to briefly outline how the rest of the proposal is structured.

❇️Chapter 2️⃣ Problem statement and analysis
Use this chapter to present a clear outline of the problem or issue that you will address, including:
▪️Who has responsibility for the problem?
▪️What has already been done to try to solve it?
▪️What will happen if the problem is not solved?

In this chapter it’s also important to clearly state what is and is not part of your research design, as being explicit will help to avoid later conflict. Be sure to identify which part of an organization will be involved in the research, if appropriate.

❇️Chapter 3️⃣ Objective and final outcomes
This chapter should clearly identify what will come out of your research, which ensures that you and everyone involved in your thesis have the same expectations. It will also help to clarify what you are working towards. Include the following components:
▪️Objective: Note any targets you aim to achieve through your research.
▪️Final outcomes Describe any specific end products that you will create on the basis of your findings (e.g., for the organization you are studying). Examples include a website, model or strategy.

❇️Chapter 4️⃣ Conditions and risk analysis
Use this chapter to discuss any constraints that may be associated with your project.

Conditions
Describe what you will need in order to undertake the project. For instance:
▪️Money: How much money do you need to conduct the research?
▪️Location: Are there any requirements related to where you will conduct your research (for example, a workstation)?
▪️Materials: What materials do you need for the research?
▪️Expertise: What experts do you need access to?
▪️Time: How much time do you need for your research?
▪️Expert and participant availability: Will individuals be accessible and free when you need them (e.g., to be interviewed or complete a survey)?

Risk analysis
Identify any possible risks that may be associated with the project and the measures you will take to avoid them.

❇️Chapter 5️⃣ Approach
This chapter should outline the steps you will take to achieve your desired objectives and outcomes. You should also include your general planning calendar, to clarify what you will do when.
Example of a time schedule is attached below👇🏿👇🏿

❇️Sources/reference list
Be sure to identify the sources of any information you use in your plan.

❇️Appendices
A research proposal generally doesn’t have too many appendices, but you can use them if you have important items that are too long to include in the document’s main body. Examples include a market share table that helps to justify the study’s relevance and a more detailed planning calendar.

HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY ESSAY
There are two basic types of summaries: a reader summary, that you compose to develop a better understanding of what you have read, or a summary essay, which is written for others and is an overview of an original text. The point of writing a summary essay is to convey an understanding of the essence of a source text to readers, without them having to read it in its entirety.

STEPS

1️⃣ Thoroughly read and study the original text. When you read it, get a feeling for the author’s style, tone and mood, and try to identify the main ideas expressed.

2️⃣ Divide the text into several sections, and sketch a rough outline. Breaking the text into several parts will make the material easier to grasp. Then read each part once more, but this time highlight some of the key points. Mark areas you want to refer to in your summary, as well as those that shouldn’t be included in your essay.

3️⃣ When you have a clear understanding of the information in each part of the source, write down the main idea in each section in the form of a short overview.

4️⃣ Write an introduction. It should briefly present the main ideas in the original text. The introduction should include the name of the author, the title of their work, and some background information about the author, if needed.

5️⃣ In the main body paragraphs, state the ideas you’ve chosen while reading the text. Expand on them by including one or more examples from the original text. Include important information only and avoid describing minor, insignificant points.

6️⃣ After you have summarized the main ideas in the original text, your essay is finished. A conclusion paragraph should be added if your teacher specifically tells you to include one.

SUMMARY ESSAY TOPICS
You can write a summary essay on a scientific work, an interesting article, a novel, or a research paper. This type of essay can be on any subject. For example, you might want to write a summary essay on:

🎞 Mad Max: Fury Road (film)
📓 Moby Dick (book)
📙 A novel by Danelle Steel
🗞 An article in The New York Times
📰 A blog post of a famous journalist

KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER

1️⃣ One of the most important aspects about a summary essay is its connection to the source. Keep in mind that your interpretation of the source can mislead your readers or even distort the meaning of the original text.

2️⃣ Your summary essay should serve as a substitute for the original source; by reading your summary essay, a reader should be able to develop an understanding of the original work.

3️⃣ This type of essay is about summarizing the original text, not criticizing it.

DO AND DONT

✅ Do cite the author’s words if you need to use them. Otherwise, it may look like plagiarism.

✅ Do write in present tense, even if the author of the original text has passed away a long time ago.

✅ Do understand the original source completely. If you have doubts about the meaning of certain terms, clarify them before you start to write.

✅ Do make sure you’ve said exactly what the author did when citing their words.

✅ Do revise your paper when it’s ready. You may find a nice place to insert a new quotation, correct some mistakes, and make other improvements. You can also give your essay to a friend or a colleague to read to see if they can grasp the main idea of the source after reading your summary essay.