In order to receive a master’s degree, a student must prepare and defend a final term paper. We will tell you about the stages of writing a master’s thesis so that you can properly plan the process.
Stages of Work on the Master’s Thesis
The sequence of stages in the preparation of a master’s thesis often depends on the specialty and topic of the thesis. They are quite complicated to carry out and each stage must be approached responsibly. We will tell you about the main stages of the master’s thesis, common for all students.
Work on the master’s thesis includes the following stages:
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selection of the topic.
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preparation of the plan.
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study of sources.
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carrying out the research.
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shaping and formalizing the work.
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getting a review.
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preparing a presentation.
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defense.
Now more about each stage.
Choice of subject
The first and most important stage of the master’s thesis is the choice of research theme. It must be actual, contain scientific novelty, have theoretical and practical importance, and the main thing – interesting for the graduate student. And now we will give some general advice:
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use your previous works (you can deepen the topic of your diploma or term paper);
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consult with the supervisor;
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study current publications, you can find interesting ideas there.
Making a Plan
The plan is the framework of your master’s thesis, which determines further work. It should definitely be agreed with the supervisor, he will help you form the correct structure of the thesis. It usually consists of such parts:
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title page;
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content;
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introduction;
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theoretical section;
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practical/analytical chapter;
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conclusions:
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list of literature;
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appendices.
Source Analysis
Once the student has chosen a topic and made a plan, he begins to work with sources: literature, normative documents, scientific articles, and electronic resources. it is important not just to study them, but to make extracts that will become the basis for the theoretical chapter of the thesis.
Conducting Research
An important stage of research in a master’s thesis is the preparation of the practical section. Its peculiarities depend on the direction the student is studying: some conduct experiments, do calculations or design, etc.
Formation and design of the work
The final stage of writing a dissertation is the formation of a coherent text of all the structural parts. Once it is ready, do not forget to check compliance with the basic requirements for the design:
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Times New Roman font 14 pt;
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One-and-a-half line spacing;
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alignment on the width;
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the paragraph indent 1.25 cm;
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margins – 2 cm at the top and bottom, 3 cm on the left, and 1 cm on the right.
After this stage, be sure to send your work for review to your supervisor. He will point out the mistakes that need to be corrected before the defense.
Obtaining a review
The review of a master’s thesis is prepared by the supervisor or an external reviewer – a faculty member from another institution of higher education. This is a review of the work, which outlines its essence, key strengths, and weaknesses.
Creating a presentation
After the thesis is approved by the supervisor, you can prepare for the defense. To do this, you need to prepare a presentation of the master’s research: reflect on the slides its topic, purpose, object, subject, and the essence of the work. Do not forget about the illustrations: the presentation should be as clear as possible and give a complete picture of the Master’s thesis.
You can also send your presentation to the supervisor for review: he will advise how well it is made, or give recommendations on how it can be improved. When the presentation is ready, write a speech for the defense. Keep in mind that your presentation should not take more than 15 minutes.
Defense
The final stage of the master’s thesis is its defense in front of the committee members. The student presents the results of the research to the professors and answers their questions. If you have worked well before, the defense will go without problems: the teachers will appreciate the student’s interest in the topic of work and a competently made presentation.
