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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

Thesis Title: Examples and Suggestions from a PhD Grad

When you’re faced with writing up a thesis, choosing a title can often fall to the bottom of the priority list. After all, it’s only a few words. How hard can it be?!

In the grand scheme of things I agree that picking your thesis title shouldn’t warrant that much thought, however my own choice is one of the few regrets I have from my PhD . I therefore think there is value in spending some time considering the options available.

In this post I’ll guide you through how to write your own thesis title and share real-world examples. Although my focus is on the PhD thesis, I’ve also included plenty of thesis title examples for bachelor’s and master’s research projects too.

Hopefully by the end of the post you’ll feel ready to start crafting your own!

Why your thesis title is at least somewhat important

It sounds obvious but your thesis title is the first, and often only, interaction people will have with your thesis. For instance, hiring managers for jobs that you may wish to apply for in the future. Therefore you want to give a good sense of what your research involved from the title.

Many people will list the title of their thesis on their CV, at least for a while after graduating. All of the example titles I’ve shared below came from my repository of academic CVs . I’d say roughly 30% of all the academics on that page list their thesis title, which includes academics all the way up to full professor.

Your thesis title could therefore feature on your CV for your whole career, so it is probably worth a bit of thought!

My suggestions for choosing a good thesis title

• Make it descriptive of the research so it’s immediately obvious what it is about! Most universities will publish student theses online ( here’s mine! ) and they’re indexed so can be found via Google Scholar etc. Therefore give your thesis a descriptive title so that interested researchers can find it in the future.
• Don’t get lost in the detail . You want a descriptive title but avoid overly lengthy descriptions of experiments. Unless a certain analytical technique etc was central to your research, I’d suggest by default* to avoid having it in your title. Including certain techniques will make your title, and therefore research, look overly dated, which isn’t ideal for potential job applications after you graduate.
• The title should tie together the chapters of your thesis. A well-phrased title can do a good job of summarising the overall story of your thesis. Think about each of your research chapters and ensure that the title makes sense for each of them.
• Be strategic . Certain parts of your work you want to emphasise? Consider making them more prominent in your title. For instance, if you know you want to pivot to a slightly different research area or career path after your PhD, there may be alternative phrasings which describe your work just as well but could be better understood by those in the field you’re moving into. I utilised this a bit in my own title which we’ll come onto shortly.
• Do your own thing. Having just laid out some suggestions, do make sure you’re personally happy with the title. You get a lot of freedom to choose your title, so use it however you fancy. For example, I’ve known people to use puns in their title, so if that’s what you’re into don’t feel overly constrained.

*This doesn’t always hold true and certainly don’t take my advice if 1) listing something in your title could be a strategic move 2) you love the technique so much that you’re desperate to include it!

Thesis title examples

To help give you some ideas, here are some example thesis titles from Bachelors, Masters and PhD graduates. These all came from the academic CVs listed in my repository here .

Bachelor’s thesis title examples

Hysteresis and Avalanches Paul Jager , 2014 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group –  direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

The bioenergetics of a marine ciliate, Mesodinium rubrum Holly Moeller , 2008 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor –  direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Functional syntactic analysis of prepositional and causal constructions for a grammatical parser of Russian Ekaterina Kochmar , 2008 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

Master’s thesis title examples

Creation of an autonomous impulse response measurement system for rooms and transducers with different methods Guy-Bart Stan , 2000 – Bioengineering – Imperial Professor –  direct link to Guy-Bart’s bioengineering academic CV

Segmentation of Nerve Bundles and Ganglia in Spine MRI using Particle Filters Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2012 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist –  direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

The detection of oil under ice by remote mode conversion of ultrasound Eric Yeatman , 1986 – Electronics – Imperial Professor and Head of Department –  direct link to Eric’s electronics academic CV

Ensemble-Based Learning for Morphological Analysis of German Ekaterina Kochmar , 2010 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

VARiD: A Variation Detection Framework for Color-Space and Letter-Space Platforms Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2010 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist –  direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

Identification of a Writer’s Native Language by Error Analysis Ekaterina Kochmar , 2011 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

On the economic optimality of marine reserves when fishing damages habitat Holly Moeller , 2010 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor –  direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Sensitivity Studies for the Time-Dependent CP Violation Measurement in B 0 → K S K S K S at the Belle II-Experiment Paul Jager , 2016 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group –  direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

PhD thesis title examples

Spatio-temporal analysis of three-dimensional real-time ultrasound for quantification of ventricular function Esla Angelini  – Medicine – Imperial Senior Data Scientist –  direct link to Elsa’s medicine academic CV

The role and maintenance of diversity in a multi-partner mutualism: Trees and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Holly Moeller , 2015 – Ecology & Marine Biology – UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor –  direct link to Holly’s marine biology academic CV

Bayesian Gaussian processes for sequential prediction, optimisation and quadrature Michael Osborne , 2010 – Machine Learning – Oxford Full Professor –  direct link to Michael’s machine learning academic CV

Global analysis and synthesis of oscillations: a dissipativity approach Guy-Bart Stan , 2005 – Bioengineering – Imperial Professor –  direct link to Guy-Bart’s bioengineering academic CV

Coarse-grained modelling of DNA and DNA self-assembly Thomas Ouldridge , 2011– Bioengineering – Imperial College London Senior Lecturer / Associate Prof –  direct link to Thomas’ bioengineering academic CV

4D tomographic image reconstruction and parametric maps estimation: a model-based strategy for algorithm design using Bayesian inference in Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGM) Michele Scipioni , 2018– Biomedical Engineer – Harvard Postdoctoral Research Fellow –  direct link to Michele’s biomedical engineer academic CV

Error Detection in Content Word Combinations Ekaterina Kochmar , 2016 – Computer Science – University of Bath Lecturer Assistant Prof –  direct link to Ekaterina’s computer science academic CV

Genetic, Clinical and Population Priors for Brain Images Adrian Vasile Dalca , 2016 – Machine Learning for healthcare – Harvard Assistant Professor & MIT Research Scientist –  direct link to Adrian’s machine learning academic CV

Challenges and Opportunities of End-to-End Learning in Medical Image Classification Paul Jager , 2020 – Medical Imaging – DKFZ Head of ML Research Group –  direct link to Paul’s machine learning academic CV

K 2 NiF 4  materials as cathodes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells Ainara Aguadero , 2006 – Materials Science – Imperial Reader –  direct link to Ainara’s materials science academic CV

Applications of surface plasmons – microscopy and spatial light modulation Eric Yeatman , 1989 – Electronics – Imperial Professor and Head of Department –  direct link to Eric’s electronics academic CV

Geometric Algorithms for Objects in Motion Sorelle Friedler , 2010 – Computer science – Haverford College Associate Professor –  direct link to Sorelle’s computer science academic CV .

Geometrical models, constraints design, information extraction for pathological and healthy medical image Esla Angelini  – Medicine – Imperial Senior Data Scientist –  direct link to Elsa’s medicine academic CV

Why I regret my own choice of PhD thesis title

I should say from the outset that I assembled my thesis in quite a short space of time compared to most people. So I didn’t really spend particularly long on any one section, including the title.

However, my main supervisor even spelled out for me that once the title was submitted to the university it would be permanent. In other words: think wisely about your title.

What I started with

Initially I drafted the title as something like: Three dimensional correlative imaging for cartilage regeneration . Which I thought was nice, catchy and descriptive.

I decided to go for “correlative imaging” because, not only did it describe the experiments well, but it also sounded kind of technical and fitting of a potential pivot into AI. I’m pleased with that bit of the title.

What I ended up with

Before submitting the title to the university (required ahead of the viva), I asked my supervisors for their thoughts.

One of my well intentioned supervisors suggested that, given that my project didn’t involve verifying regenerative quality, I probably shouldn’t state cartilage regeneration . Instead, they suggested, I should state what I was experimenting on (the materials) rather than the overall goal of the research (aid cartilage regeneration efforts).

With this advice I dialled back my choice of wording and the thesis title I went with was:

Three dimensional correlative imaging for measurement of strain in cartilage and cartilage replacement materials

Reading it back now I’m reminder about how less I like it than my initial idea!

I put up basically no resistance to the supervisor’s choice, even though the title sounds so much more boring in my opinion. I just didn’t think much of it at the time. Furthermore, most of my PhD was actually in a technique which is four dimensional (looking at a series of 3D scans over time, hence 4D) which would have sounded way more sciency and fitting of a PhD.

What I wish I’d gone with

If I had the choice again, I’d have gone with:

Four-dimensional correlative imaging for cartilage regeneration

Which, would you believe it, is exactly what it states on my CV…

Does the thesis title really matter?

In all honesty, your choice of thesis title isn’t that important. If you come to regret it, as I do, it’s not the end of the world. There are much more important things in life to worry about.

If you decide at a later stage that you don’t like it you can always describe it in a way that you prefer. For instance, in my CV I describe my PhD as I’d have liked the title to be. I make no claim that it’s actually the title so consider it a bit of creative license.

Given that as your career progresses you may not even refer back to your thesis much, it’s really not worth stressing over. However, if you’re yet to finalise your thesis title I do still think it is worth a bit of thought and hopefully this article has provided some insights into how to choose a good thesis title.

My advice for developing a thesis title

• Draft the title early. Drafting it early can help give clarity for the overall message of your research. For instance, while you’re assembling the rest of your thesis you can check that the title encompasses the research chapters you’re included, and likewise that the research experiments you’re including fall within what the title describes. Drafting it early also gives more time you to think it over. As with everything: having a first draft is really important to iterate on.
• Look at some example titles . Such as those featured above!
• If you’re not sure about your title, ask a few other people what they think . But remember that you have the final say!

I hope this post has been useful for those of you are finalising your thesis and need to decide on a thesis title. If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to hear about future content (and gain access to my free resource library!) you can subscribe for free here:

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How to Write a Master's Thesis

• Yvonne N. Bui - San Francisco State University, USA
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“Yvonne Bui’s How to Write a Master’s Thesis should be mandatory for all thesis track master’s students.  It steers students away from the shortcuts students may be tempted to use that would be costly in the long run. The step by step intentional approach is what I like best about this book.”

“This is the best textbook about writing an M.A. thesis available in the market.” 

“This is the type of textbook that students keep and refer to after the class.”

Excellent book. Thorough, yet concise, information for students writing their Master's Thesis who may not have had a strong background in research.

Clear, Concise, easy for students to access and understand. Contains all the elements for a successful thesis.

I loved the ease of this book. It was clear without extra nonsense that would just confuse the students.

Clear, concise, easily accessible. Students find it of great value.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:             

• Concrete instruction and guides for conceptualizing the literature review help students navigate through the most challenging topics.        
• Step-by-step instructions and more screenshots give students the guidance they need to write the foundational chapter, along with the latest online resources and general library information.          
• Additional coverage of single case designs and mixed methods help students gain a more comprehensive understanding of research methods.           
• Expanded explanation of unintentional plagiarism within the ethics chapter shows students the path to successful and professional writing.       
• Detailed information on conference presentation as a way to disseminate research , in addition to getting published, help students understand all of the tools needed to write a master’s thesis.    

KEY FEATURES:  

• An advanced chapter organizer provides an up-front checklist of what to expect in the chapter and serves as a project planner, so that students can immediately prepare and work alongside the chapter as they begin to develop their thesis.
• Full guidance on conducting successful literature reviews includes up-to-date information on electronic databases and Internet tools complete with numerous figures and captured screen shots from relevant web sites, electronic databases, and SPSS software, all integrated with the text.
• Excerpts from research articles and samples from exemplary students' master's theses relate specifically to the content of each chapter and provide the reader with a real-world context.
• Detailed explanations of the various components of the master's thesis and concrete strategies on how to conduct a literature review help students write each chapter of the master's thesis, and apply the American Psychological Association (APA) editorial style.
• A comprehensive Resources section features "Try It!" boxes which lead students through a sample problem or writing exercise based on a piece of the thesis to reinforce prior course learning and the writing objectives at hand. Reflection/discussion questions in the same section are designed to help students work through the thesis process.

Sample Materials & Chapters

1: Overview of the Master's Degree and Thesis

3: Using the Literature to Research Your Problem

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How to write a masters dissertation or thesis: top tips.

It is completely normal to find the idea of writing a masters thesis or dissertation slightly daunting, even for students who have written one before at undergraduate level. Though, don’t feel put off by the idea. You’ll have plenty of time to complete it, and plenty of support from your supervisor and peers.

One of the main challenges that students face is putting their ideas and findings into words. Writing is a skill in itself, but with the right advice, you’ll find it much easier to get into the flow of writing your masters thesis or dissertation.

We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to write a dissertation or thesis for your masters degree, with top tips to consider at each stage in the process.

1. Understand your dissertation or thesis topic

There are slight differences between theses and dissertations , although both require a high standard of writing skill and knowledge in your topic. They are also formatted very similarly.

At first, writing a masters thesis can feel like running a 100m race – the course feels very quick and like there is not as much time for thinking! However, you’ll usually have a summer semester dedicated to completing your dissertation – giving plenty of time and space to write a strong academic piece.

By comparison, writing a PhD thesis can feel like running a marathon, working on the same topic for 3-4 years can be laborious. But in many ways, the approach to both of these tasks is quite similar.

Before writing your masters dissertation, get to know your research topic inside out. Not only will understanding your topic help you conduct better research, it will also help you write better dissertation content.

Also consider the main purpose of your dissertation. You are writing to put forward a theory or unique research angle – so make your purpose clear in your writing.

Top writing tip: when researching your topic, look out for specific terms and writing patterns used by other academics. It is likely that there will be a lot of jargon and important themes across research papers in your chosen dissertation topic. 

2. Structure your dissertation or thesis

Writing a thesis is a unique experience and there is no general consensus on what the best way to structure it is. 

As a postgraduate student , you’ll probably decide what kind of structure suits your research project best after consultation with your supervisor. You’ll also have a chance to look at previous masters students’ theses in your university library.

To some extent, all postgraduate dissertations are unique. Though they almost always consist of chapters. The number of chapters you cover will vary depending on the research. 

A masters dissertation or thesis organised into chapters would typically look like this: 

Write down your structure and use these as headings that you’ll write for later on.

Top writing tip : ease each chapter together with a paragraph that links the end of a chapter to the start of a new chapter. For example, you could say something along the lines of “in the next section, these findings are evaluated in more detail”. This makes it easier for the reader to understand each chapter and helps your writing flow better.

3. Write up your literature review

One of the best places to start when writing your masters dissertation is with the literature review. This involves researching and evaluating existing academic literature in order to identify any gaps for your own research.

Many students prefer to write the literature review chapter first, as this is where several of the underpinning theories and concepts exist. This section helps set the stage for the rest of your dissertation, and will help inform the writing of your other dissertation chapters.

What to include in your literature review

The literature review chapter is more than just a summary of existing research, it is an evaluation of how this research has informed your own unique research.

Demonstrate how the different pieces of research fit together. Are there overlapping theories? Are there disagreements between researchers?

Highlight the gap in the research. This is key, as a dissertation is mostly about developing your own unique research. Is there an unexplored avenue of research? Has existing research failed to disprove a particular theory?

Back up your methodology. Demonstrate why your methodology is appropriate by discussing where it has been used successfully in other research.

4. Write up your research

For instance, a more theoretical-based research topic might encompass more writing from a philosophical perspective. Qualitative data might require a lot more evaluation and discussion than quantitative research. 

Methodology chapter

The methodology chapter is all about how you carried out your research and which specific techniques you used to gather data. You should write about broader methodological approaches (e.g. qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods), and then go into more detail about your chosen data collection strategy. 

Data collection strategies include things like interviews, questionnaires, surveys, content analyses, discourse analyses and many more.

Data analysis and findings chapters

The data analysis or findings chapter should cover what you actually discovered during your research project. It should be detailed, specific and objective (don’t worry, you’ll have time for evaluation later on in your dissertation)

Write up your findings in a way that is easy to understand. For example, if you have a lot of numerical data, this could be easier to digest in tables.

This will make it easier for you to dive into some deeper analysis in later chapters. Remember, the reader will refer back to your data analysis section to cross-reference your later evaluations against your actual findings – so presenting your data in a simple manner is beneficial.

Think about how you can segment your data into categories. For instance, it can be useful to segment interview transcripts by interviewee. 

Top writing tip : write up notes on how you might phrase a certain part of the research. This will help bring the best out of your writing. There is nothing worse than when you think of the perfect way to phrase something and then you completely forget it.

5. Discuss and evaluate

Once you’ve presented your findings, it’s time to evaluate and discuss them.

It might feel difficult to differentiate between your findings and discussion sections, because you are essentially talking about the same data. The easiest way to remember the difference is that your findings simply present the data, whereas your discussion tells the story of this data.

Your evaluation breaks the story down, explaining the key findings, what went well and what didn’t go so well.

In your discussion chapter, you’ll have chance to expand on the results from your findings section. For example, explain what certain numbers mean and draw relationships between different pieces of data.

Top writing tip: don’t be afraid to point out the shortcomings of your research. You will receive higher marks for writing objectively. For example, if you didn’t receive as many interview responses as expected, evaluate how this has impacted your research and findings. Don’t let your ego get in the way!

6. Write your introduction

Your introduction sets the scene for the rest of your masters dissertation. You might be wondering why writing an introduction isn't at the start of our step-by-step list, and that’s because many students write this chapter last.

Here’s what your introduction chapter should cover:

Problem statement

Research question

Significance of your research

This tells the reader what you’ll be researching as well as its importance. You’ll have a good idea of what to include here from your original dissertation proposal , though it’s fairly common for research to change once it gets started.

Writing or at least revisiting this section last can be really helpful, since you’ll have a more well-rounded view of what your research actually covers once it has been completed and written up.

Masters dissertation writing tips

When to start writing your thesis or dissertation.

When you should start writing your masters thesis or dissertation depends on the scope of the research project and the duration of your course. In some cases, your research project may be relatively short and you may not be able to write much of your thesis before completing the project. 

But regardless of the nature of your research project and of the scope of your course, you should start writing your thesis or at least some of its sections as early as possible, and there are a number of good reasons for this:

Academic writing is about practice, not talent. The first steps of writing your dissertation will help you get into the swing of your project. Write early to help you prepare in good time.

Write things as you do them. This is a good way to keep your dissertation full of fresh ideas and ensure that you don’t forget valuable information.

The first draft is never perfect. Give yourself time to edit and improve your dissertation. It’s likely that you’ll need to make at least one or two more drafts before your final submission.

Writing early on will help you stay motivated when writing all subsequent drafts.

Thinking and writing are very connected. As you write, new ideas and concepts will come to mind. So writing early on is a great way to generate new ideas.

How to improve your writing skills

The best way of improving your dissertation or thesis writing skills is to:

 Finish the first draft of your masters thesis as early as possible and send it to your supervisor for revision. Your supervisor will correct your draft and point out any writing errors. This process will be repeated a few times which will help you recognise and correct writing mistakes yourself as time progresses.

If you are not a native English speaker, it may be useful to ask your English friends to read a part of your thesis and warn you about any recurring writing mistakes. Read our section on English language support for more advice. 

Most universities have writing centres that offer writing courses and other kinds of support for postgraduate students. Attending these courses may help you improve your writing and meet other postgraduate students with whom you will be able to discuss what constitutes a well-written thesis.

Read academic articles and search for writing resources on the internet. This will help you adopt an academic writing style, which will eventually become effortless with practice.

Keep track of your bibliography 

The easiest way to keep the track of all the articles you have read for your research is to create a database where you can summarise each article/chapter into a few most important bullet points to help you remember their content. 

Another useful tool for doing this effectively is to learn how to use specific reference management software (RMS) such as EndNote. RMS is relatively simple to use and saves a lot of time when it comes to organising your bibliography. This may come in very handy, especially if your reference section is suspiciously missing two hours before you need to submit your dissertation! 

Avoid accidental plagiarism

Plagiarism may cost you your postgraduate degree and it is important that you consciously avoid it when writing your thesis or dissertation. 

Occasionally, postgraduate students commit plagiarism unintentionally. This can happen when sections are copy and pasted from journal articles they are citing instead of simply rephrasing them. Whenever you are presenting information from another academic source, make sure you reference the source and avoid writing the statement exactly as it is written in the original paper.

What kind of format should your thesis have?

Read your university’s guidelines before you actually start writing your thesis so you don’t have to waste time changing the format further down the line. However in general, most universities will require you to use 1.5-2 line spacing, font size 12 for text, and to print your thesis on A4 paper. These formatting guidelines may not necessarily result in the most aesthetically appealing thesis, however beauty is not always practical, and a nice looking thesis can be a more tiring reading experience for your postgrad examiner .

When should I submit my thesis?

The length of time it takes to complete your MSc or MA thesis will vary from student to student. This is because people work at different speeds, projects vary in difficulty, and some projects encounter more problems than others. 

Obviously, you should submit your MSc thesis or MA thesis when it is finished! Every university will say in its regulations that it is the student who must decide when it is ready to submit. 

However, your supervisor will advise you whether your work is ready and you should take their advice on this. If your supervisor says that your work is not ready, then it is probably unwise to submit it. Usually your supervisor will read your final thesis or dissertation draft and will let you know what’s required before submitting your final draft.

Set yourself a target for completion. This will help you stay on track and avoid falling behind. You may also only have funding for the year, so it is important to ensure you submit your dissertation before the deadline – and also ensure you don’t miss out on your graduation ceremony ! 

To set your target date, work backwards from the final completion and submission date, and aim to have your final draft completed at least three months before that final date.

Don’t leave your submission until the last minute – submit your work in good time before the final deadline. Consider what else you’ll have going on around that time. Are you moving back home? Do you have a holiday? Do you have other plans?

If you need to have finished by the end of June to be able to go to a graduation ceremony in July, then you should leave a suitable amount of time for this. You can build this into your dissertation project planning at the start of your research.

It is important to remember that handing in your thesis or dissertation is not the end of your masters program . There will be a period of time of one to three months between the time you submit and your final day. Some courses may even require a viva to discuss your research project, though this is more common at PhD level . 

If you have passed, you will need to make arrangements for the thesis to be properly bound and resubmitted, which will take a week or two. You may also have minor corrections to make to the work, which could take up to a month or so. This means that you need to allow a period of at least three months between submitting your thesis and the time when your program will be completely finished. Of course, it is also possible you may be asked after the viva to do more work on your thesis and resubmit it before the examiners will agree to award the degree – so there may be an even longer time period before you have finished.

How do I submit the MA or MSc dissertation?

Most universities will have a clear procedure for submitting a masters dissertation. Some universities require your ‘intention to submit’. This notifies them that you are ready to submit and allows the university to appoint an external examiner.

This normally has to be completed at least three months before the date on which you think you will be ready to submit.

When your MA or MSc dissertation is ready, you will have to print several copies and have them bound. The number of copies varies between universities, but the university usually requires three – one for each of the examiners and one for your supervisor.

However, you will need one more copy – for yourself! These copies must be softbound, not hardbound. The theses you see on the library shelves will be bound in an impressive hardback cover, but you can only get your work bound like this once you have passed. 

You should submit your dissertation or thesis for examination in soft paper or card covers, and your university will give you detailed guidance on how it should be bound. They will also recommend places where you can get the work done.

The next stage is to hand in your work, in the way and to the place that is indicated in your university’s regulations. All you can do then is sit and wait for the examination – but submitting your thesis is often a time of great relief and celebration!

Some universities only require a digital submission, where you upload your dissertation as a file through their online submission system.

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/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="ma thesis title"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Required sections, guidelines, and suggestions.

Beyond those noted on the Formatting Requirements page , the Graduate School has no additional formatting requirements. The following suggestions are based on best practices and historic requirements for dissertations and theses but are not requirements for submission of the thesis or dissertation. The Graduate School recommends that each dissertation or thesis conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field.

For both master’s and doctoral students, the same basic rules apply; however, differences exist in some limited areas, particularly in producing the abstract and filing the dissertation or thesis.

• Information in this guide that pertains specifically to doctoral candidates and dissertations is clearly marked with the term “ dissertation ” or “ doctoral candidates .”
• Information pertaining specifically to master’s candidates and theses is clearly marked with the term “ thesis ” or “ master’s candidates .”
• All other information pertains to both.

Examples of formatting suggestions for both the dissertation and thesis are available as downloadable templates .

Required? Yes.

Suggested numbering: Page included in overall document, but number not typed on page.

The following format for your title page is suggested, but not required.

• The title should be written using all capital letters, centered within the left and right margins, and spaced about 1.5 inches from the top of the page. (For an example, please see the template .)
• Carefully select words for the title of the dissertation or thesis to represent the subject content as accurately as possible. Words in the title are important access points to researchers who may use keyword searches to identify works in various subject areas.
• Use word substitutes for formulas, symbols, superscripts, Greek letters, etc.
• Below the title, at the vertical and horizontal center of the margins, place the following five lines (all centered):

Line 1: A Dissertation [or Thesis]

Line 2: Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School

Line 3: of Cornell University

Line 4: in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Line 5: Doctor of Philosophy [or other appropriate degree]

• Center the following three lines within the margins:

Line 2: Primary or Preferred Name [as registered with the University Registrar’s Office and displayed in Student Center]

Line 3: month and year of degree conferral [May, August, December; no comma between month and year]

Copyright Page

Suggested numbering: Page included in overall document, but number not typed on page

The following format for your copyright page is suggested, but not required.

• A notice of copyright should appear as the sole item on the page centered vertically and horizontally within the margins: © 20__ [Primary or Preferred Name [as registered with the University Registrar’s Office]. Please note that there is not usually a page heading on the copyright page.
• The copyright symbol is a lowercase “c,” which must be circled. (On Macs, the symbol is typed by pressing the “option” and “g” keys simultaneously. If the font does not have the © symbol, type the “c” and circle it by hand. On PCs, in the insert menu, choose “symbol,” and select the © symbol.)
• The date, which follows the copyright symbol, is the year of conferral of your degree.
• Your name follows the date.

Required?  Yes.

Suggested numbering: Page(s) not counted, not numbered

Abstract formats for the doctoral dissertation and master’s thesis differ greatly. The Graduate School recommends that you conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field.

Doctoral candidates:

• TITLE OF DISSERTATION
• Student’s Primary or Preferred Name, Ph.D. [as registered with the University Registrar’s Office]
• Cornell University 20__ [year of conferral]
• Following the heading lines, begin the text of the abstract on the same page.
• The abstract states the problem, describes the methods and procedures used, and gives the main results or conclusions of the research.
• The abstract usually does not exceed 350 words in length (about one-and-one-half correctly spaced pages—but not more than two pages).

Master’s candidate:

• In a thesis, the page heading is simply the word “ABSTRACT” in all capital letters and centered within the margins at the top of the page. (The thesis abstract does not display the thesis title, author’s name, degree, university, or date of degree conferral.)
• The abstract should state the problem, describe the methods and procedures used, and give the main results or conclusions.
• The abstract usually does not exceed 600 words in length, which is approximately two-and-one-half to three pages of correctly spaced typing.
• In M.F.A. theses, an abstract is not required.

Biographical Sketch

Suggested numbering: iii (may be more than one page)

• Type number(s) on page(s).

The following content and format are suggested:

• The biographical sketch is written in third-person voice and contains your educational background. Sometimes additional biographical facts are included.
• As a page heading, use “BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH” in all capital letters, centered on the page.
• Number this page as iii.

Required? Optional.

Suggested numbering: iv (may be more than one page)

The dedication page is not required and can contain whatever text that you would like to include. Text on this page does not need to be in English.

Acknowledgements

Suggested numbering: v (may be more than one page)

The following content and format are suggested, not required.

• The acknowledgements may be written in first-person voice. If your research has been funded by outside grants, you should check with the principal investigator of the grant regarding proper acknowledgement of the funding source. Most outside funding sources require some statement of acknowledgement of the support; some also require a disclaimer from responsibility for the results.
• As a page heading, use “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS” in all capital letters, centered on the page.

Table of Contents

Suggested numbering: vi (may be more than one page)

The following are suggestions.

• As a page heading, use “TABLE OF CONTENTS” in all capital letters and centered on the page.
• List the sections/chapters of the body of the dissertation or thesis. Also, list preliminary sections starting with the biographical sketch. (Title page, copyright page, and abstract are not listed.)
• For theses and dissertations, the conventional format for page numbers is in a column to the right of each section/chapter title. The first page of each chapter/section is stated with a single number. Table of contents usually do not include a range of page numbers, such as 7-22.
• The table of contents is often single-spaced.

Two-Volume Theses or Dissertations

If the dissertation or thesis consists of two volumes, it is recommended, but not required, that you list “Volume II” as a section in the table of contents.

List of Figures, Illustrations, and Tables

Suggested numbering: vii (may be more than one page)

• If included, type number(s) on page(s).

As described in the formatting requirements above, figures and tables should be consecutively numbered. The Graduate School recommends that you conform to the styles set by the leading academic journals in your field. The items below are formatting suggestions based on best practices or historic precedents.

Table of contents format:

• As a page heading, use “LIST OF FIGURES,” “LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS,” or “LIST OF TABLES” in all capital letters, centered on the page.
• There should be separate pages for “LIST OF FIGURES,” “LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS,” or “LIST OF TABLES” even if there is only one example of each.
• The list should contain enough of the titles or descriptions so readers can locate items using the list. (It may not be necessary to include entire figure/illustration/table captions.)
• The list should contain the page number on which each figure, illustration, or table is found, as in a table of contents.
• The list of figures/illustrations/tables may be single-spaced.

Page format:

• Figures/illustrations/tables should be placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text. They may be placed on a page with no text above or below, or placed directly into the text. If a figure/illustration/table is placed directly into the text, text may appear above or below the figure/illustration/table; no text may wrap around the figure/illustration/table.
• If a figure/illustration/table appears on a page without other text, it should be centered vertically within the page margins. Figures/illustrations/tables should not be placed at the end of the chapter or at the end of the dissertation or thesis.
• Figure/illustration/table numbering should be either continuous throughout the dissertation or thesis, or by chapter (e.g. 1.1, 1.2; 2.1, 2.2, etc.). The word “Figure,” “Illustration,” or “Table” must be spelled out (not abbreviated), and the first letter must be capitalized.
• A caption for a figure/illustration should be placed at the bottom of the figure/illustration. However, a caption for a table must be placed above the table.
• If the figure/illustration/table, not including the caption, takes up the entire page, the figure/illustration/table caption should be placed alone on the preceding page and centered vertically and horizontally within the margins. (When the caption is on a separate page, the List of Figures or List of Illustrations or List of Tables can list the page number containing the caption.)
• If the figure/illustration/table, not including the caption, takes up more than two pages, it should be preceded by a page consisting of the caption only. The first page of the figure/illustration/table must include the figure/illustration/table (no caption), and the second and subsequent pages must also include, at the top of the figure/illustration/table, words that indicate its continuance—for example, “Figure 5 (Continued)”—and on these pages the caption is omitted.
• If figures/illustrations/tables are too large, they may be reduced slightly so as to render a satisfactory product or they must either be split into several pages or be redone. If a figure/illustration/table is reduced, all lettering must be clear, readable, and large enough to be legible. All lettering, including subscripts, must still be readable when reduced 25% beyond the final version. All page margin requirements must be maintained. Page numbers and headings must not be reduced.
• While there are no specific rules for the typographic format of figure/illustration/table captions, a consistent format should be used throughout the dissertation or thesis.
• The caption of a figure/illustration/table should be single-spaced, but then captions for all figures/illustrations/tables must be single-spaced.
• Horizontal figures/illustrations/tables should be positioned correctly—i.e., the top of the figure/illustration/table will be at the left margin of the vertical page of the dissertation or thesis (remember: pages are bound on the left margin). Figure/illustration/table headings/captions are placed with the same orientation as the figure/illustration/table when they are on the same page as the figure/illustration/table. When they are on a separate page, headings and captions are always placed in vertical orientation, regardless of the orientation of the figure/illustration/table. Page numbers are always placed as if the figure/illustration/table was vertical on the page.

Photographs should be treated as illustrations. To be considered archival, photographs must be black-and-white. (If actual color photographs are necessary, they should be accompanied by black-and-white photographs of the same subject.) Color photos obtained digitally do not need to be accompanied by a black-and-white photograph. Make a high-resolution digital version of each photograph and insert it into your electronic document, following the guideline suggestions for positioning and margins.

Optional Elements

List of abbreviations.

As a page heading, use “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, centered on the page.

List of Symbols

As a page heading, use “LIST OF SYMBOLS” in all capital letters, centered on the page.

Suggested numbering: xi (may be more than one page)

As a page heading, use “PREFACE” in all capital letters, centered on the page.

Body of the Dissertation or Thesis: Text

Suggested numbering: Begin page number at 1

• Text (required)
• Appendix/Appendices (optional)
• Bibliography, References, or Works Cited (required)

Please note that smaller font size may be appropriate for footnotes or other material outside of the main text. The following suggestions are based on best practice or historic precedent, but are not required.

• Chapter headings may be included that conform to the standard of your academic field.
• Textual notes that provide supplementary information, opinions, explanations, or suggestions that are not part of the text must appear at the bottom of the page as footnotes. Lengthy footnotes may be continued on the next page. Placement of footnotes at the bottom of the page ensures they will appear as close as possible to the referenced passage.

Appendix (or Appendices)

An appendix (-ces) is not required for your thesis or dissertation. If you choose to include one, the following suggestions are based on best practice or historic precedent.

• As a page heading, use “APPENDIX” in all capital letters, centered on the page.
• Place in an appendix any material that is peripheral, but relevant, to the main text of the dissertation or thesis. Examples could include survey instruments, additional data, computer printouts, details of a procedure or analysis, a relevant paper that you wrote, etc.
• The appendix may include text that does not meet the general font and spacing requirements of the other sections of the dissertation or thesis.

Bibliography (or References or Works Cited)

A bibliography, references, or works cited is required for your thesis or dissertation. Please conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field.

• As a page heading, use “BIBLIOGRAPHY” (or “REFERENCES” or “WORKS CITED”) in all capital letters, centered on the page. The bibliography should always begin on a new page.
• Bibliographies may be single-spaced within each entry but should include 24 points of space between entries.

Suggested numbering: Continue page numbering from body

If you choose to include a glossary, best practices and historic precedent suggest using a page heading, use “GLOSSARY” in all capital letters, centered on the page.

Suggested numbering: Continue page numbering from glossary

If you choose to include one, best practices and historic precedent suggest using a page heading, use “INDEX” in all capital letters, centered on the page.

Font Samples

Sample macintosh fonts.

• Palatino 12
• Garamond 14
• New Century School Book
• Helvetica 12 or Helvetica 14
• Times New Roman 12
• Times 14 (Times 12 is not acceptable)
• Symbol 12 is acceptable for symbols

Sample TeX and LaTeX Fonts

• CMR 12 font
• Any font that meets the above specifications

Sample PC Fonts

• Helvetica 12

Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings . In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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MA Thesis Examples

Recent graduate theses.

The subjects of MA theses have included studies of individual poets or dramatists, novelists or autobiographers, as well as explorations of literary movements, themes or periods. Some of our more recent titles are:

“The Bottom and the Orchard: Where Space and Place are Created, Controlled, and Maintained in Sula and Recitatif ” (2024 Anyabwile)

“The Great (Genre) Escape” (2024 Perrin)

“Modality and Sociality in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford ” (2024 Perry)

“‘Don’t Question the Experts’: Autistic Autobiographies, Expert Paratexts, and Epistemic Injustice” (2024 Thompson)

“Preracial Panem: Understanding Racial Identity in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games Trilogy and Prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ” (2024 Wooten)

“Parts of the Story: An Illustrated Short Story Collection” (2023 Beal)

“‘What lady wouldn’t wish to join causes with women who stood up for other women?’: Heroines’ Rivalries and Friendships in Popular Romance Novels” (2023 Bradford)

“Breaking Away: Some Essays on Influence” (2023 Ferrer)

“Posting to Engage: A Study of the Effects of Recovery-Oriented Rhetoric on Community Building for Individuals with Eating Disorders and Associated Symptoms on Instagram” (2023 Horton)

“Being Born: A Memoir of Self-Making in Four Parts” (2023 Langford)

“‘Widen the Lens and See’: Poetry, Photography, and the Act of Witness in Muriel Rukeyser’s ‘The Book of the Dead'” (2023 Marlow)

“Engaging Secondary Students Through Secondary Worlds: An Approach to Teaching Tolkien at the High School Level” (2022 Casey)

“The Religious and the Secular Mythology in Idylls of the King ” (2022 Kirkendall)

“‘…A Hideous Monster’: Social Repression and Rebellion in Gregory Corso’s ‘The American Way'” (2022 LeBey)

“Individualism, Materialism, and Sacrifice in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’ and Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Nightingale'” (2022 Nalbandian)

“Burying the Carnival” (2022 Overdurf)

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MA Thesis Rules and Procedures

DEPARTMENTAL THESIS GUIDELINES & REQUIREMENTS

The Department of Political Science and Law’s graduate program offers graduating MA students the opportunity to pursue either the Comprehensive Exam or a Thesis in their last semester of study. In offering students the ability to purse a thesis as a culminating activity, the Department of Political Science and Law’s graduate program strives to affirm its vocation of excellence and work with qualified students to achieve the scholarly goals that matter to them as they prepare to become the thinkers of tomorrow. A thesis is a very serious scholarly endeavor which Montclair State University’s Graduate School (TGS) defines as “ a permanent record of a significant contribution made by a student to a particular field of knowledge. It demonstrates the writer has the capacity for research, the ability to draw logical conclusions, and make interpretative claims .” TGS further stipulates that “ in the process of developing the thesis, students will be required to accomplish extensive readings and to demonstrate a significant knowledge of their discipline’s methodological approach to research .” Work resulting from a thesis is, thus, expected to be equivalent in quality to that of a peer-reviewed article and students who engage in thesis writing should expect a process that is not only intellectually demanding, but also rewarding.

This guide helps to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible and students and thesis committees are able to meet the crucial deadlines and timelines that would make it possible for them to pursue the thesis option. Theses are approved in the semester prior to the intended thesis semester. Students seeking to pursue a thesis should therefore begin in the process as early as possible and contact the GPC at least a semester prior to their intended thesis semester. As per TGS guidelines, registration into the thesis course shall not take place until all preliminary steps have been completed and students have earned a minimum of 18 semester hours (credits) of graduate-level courses within the student’s degree program.

IMPORTANT:  Students admitted to the MA as of Spring 2020 fall under the old Thesis rules, which required a 3.0 GPA. All students admitted into the MA in Fall 2020 or later fall under the rules spelled out below.

THESIS PROCESS: INITIAL STEPS

All thesis applications as well as Thesis Committee formation must be centralized through the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC), who vets thesis candidates and coordinates the thesis approval process with the student’s Thesis Committee members. Students seeking to do a thesis must adhere to the following processes:

STEP 1: At least one semester prior to the intended thesis semester, students must contact the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC), who will vet students meet departmental as well as Graduate School thesis requirements as laid out in this guide.  The GPC will determine a student’s thesis eligibility based on the following criteria:

• GPA:  Students seeking to do a thesis must have a  GPA of 3.8  to qualify for the thesis; this GPA requirement is an Honors Option that opens the thesis option only to those candidates who have generally shown excellence in their studies; students who do not meet the GPA requirement must be redirected to the Comprehensive Exam option;
• Research Methods or Writing Requirement:  Students seeking to do a thesis must have obtained a grade of at least  “A-”  in the  Research Methods  course   (LAWS 503) or the  Senior Research and Writing Seminar  course (JURI 496) if coming to the MA from the combined 5-year BA/MA track in Jurisprudence.
• Graduate School Requirements:  Satisfy all other existing requirements as per Graduate School rules

STEP 2: The GPC will help eligible thesis candidates secure a Thesis Committee. A Thesis Committee will be composed of three members : The Thesis Sponsor/Director , who will be the thesis director in charge of primary advising and coordinator of thesis work with the student, and two additional faculty members . To supervise a thesis, the Thesis Director/Sponsor must be a full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty with “graduate faculty” status (Always be sure to ask your presumptive director/director to check with the Dean’s office whether they are full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty and have “graduate faculty” status, as this will determine whether or not they are allowed to supervise MA theses. Faculty who are not tenured or tenure-track faculty and have no “Graduate Faculty” status cannot serve as Thesis directors. They can, however, serve as thesis committee members. Specifically:

• Qualifying students who meet departmental as well as Graduate School thesis requirements must first go through the GPC to discuss their topic of interest in the semester prior to their intended thesis semester (usually last semester of study);
• The students will be instructed by GPC to produce a 1-3-page initial project description/abstract, which will be in the form of a general topic statement summarizing clearly what it is that the student is intending to pursue (topic and rationale); this will help potential faculty decide whether they have expertise and interest to serve in the Committee being formed;
• GPC will contact, poll and consult potential thesis directors and committee members based on the students’ 1-3-page project description/abstract; students, at this stage, are not yet allowed to contact faculty directly; only the GPC does so as part of a process aimed at helping students form a committee; when needed, GPC may direct students to contact specific faculty who might be inclined to agree to a membership in a Thesis Committee, based on the1-3 page topic and rationale provided by the student;
• GPC informs student of faculty responses ; student advances to more formal thesis proposal stage when and if the full Thesis Committee of three is secured; students who are not able to secure a Thesis Committee of three must be redirected to the Comprehensive Exam option;
• Student engages in the production of the more formal 15-page thesis proposal, which must adhere to the Graduate School’s guidelines (consult GPC for specifics);
• Thesis projects/proposals must be finalized and approved by the end of the grading period in Spring (usually around May 15) or Fall (usually around December 25) ; the GPC gets Thesis Committee members to sign the Approval to Write a Master’s Thesis form authorizing submission of finalized proposal to Graduate School only if all Committee members think the proposal as it stands can proceed to formal thesis production and they are all convinced student has ability to go through the rigors of the thesis-writing process. Students who show inability to produce a coherent 15-page proposal within the timeframe delineated in this guide are denied the thesis option and must be redirected to the Comprehensive Exam option;

STEP 3: Students who are able to finalize their thesis proposal as per the timelines and guidelines set forth in this guide will be allowed to register for the thesis course (LAWS 698). Registration into the thesis course must be done in the semester prior to the student’s last semester of study.

THESIS APPROVAL TIMELINES

No thesis proposal shall be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator and/or faculty during the student’s last semester of study. For the thesis process to work smoothly, the thesis process must begin, at least, the semester before the student’s last semester. Fall thesis proposals must therefore be approved by the end of the grading period of the previous semester (usually around May 15) and Spring thesis proposals must be approved by the end of the grading period of the previous semester (usually around December 25). By contract, faculty cannot officially supervise theses over the summer months of July and August and all thesis supervision duties MUST be put on hold at the end of the grade submission period in the Fall and Spring semesters.

Example 1 – January Graduation: Mary is looking to be a thesis student and write her thesis in Fall 2020 for a January 2021 graduation. Fall 2020 is Mary’s last semester. Mary’s thesis proposal/outline/prospectus must therefore be finalized and approved by the end of Spring 2020’s grading period (usually around May 15). If approved, Mary will be registered into the thesis course in Spring 2020 by the Graduate School so that Mary can become an official thesis student in Fall 2020 and start to officially work on her thesis. Mary’s Thesis Committee as well as the Graduate Program Coordinator must therefore sign the thesis approval form and send it to the Graduate School by the end of the grading period in May to get the thesis approved for Fall 2020. Note that the thesis proposal is not the thesis itself; the proposal simply helps to make the thesis project official so that the students can be registered into the thesis course and officially begin to work on their thesis during their last semester of study (See below for details).

Example 2 – May Graduation: John is looking to be a thesis student and write her thesis in Spring 2021 for a May 2021 graduation. Spring 2021 is John’s last semester. John’s thesis proposal/outline/prospectus must therefore be finalized and approved by the end of Fall 2020’s grading period (usually around December 20). If approved, John will be registered into the thesis course in Fall 2020 by the Graduate School so that John can become an official thesis student in Spring 2021 and start to officially work on his thesis. John’s Thesis Committee as well as the Graduate Program Coordinator must therefore sign the thesis approval form and send it to the Graduate School by the end of the grading period in December to get the thesis approved for Spring 2021. Note that the thesis proposal is not the thesis itself; the proposal simply helps to make the thesis project official so that the students can be registered into the thesis course and officially begin to work on their thesis during their last semester of study (See below for details).

THESIS COMPLETION TIMELINES

The timelines below assume student thesis project was approved in the semester prior and that students are equipped with the outline and preliminary research needed for beginning to write the thesis itself in their last semester of study. The following dates and deadlines must therefore be adhered to scrupulously:

FALL SEMESTER

• September 25: First thesis draft submitted to Thesis Committee
• October 20: Second thesis draft submitted to Thesis Committee; Committee makes decision by October 30 to let student continue thesis to completion in current semester, or works out a Thesis Extension to next semester, or redirects student to Comprehensive Exam option if student ultimately deemed incapable of producing acceptable work;
• November 15: Penultimate and final draft submitted to Committee for fast faculty feedback by November 25 and revisions made to ready final revised thesis for November 30 deadline;
• November 30: Final and Finished version submitted to Committee and GPC;
• December 7: Defense scheduled by December 7; at this time, Committee and GPC signatures secured testifying to completion of thesis and final thesis grade given by Thesis Sponsor/Director.

SPRING SEMESTER

• February 15: First thesis draft submitted to Thesis Committee
• March 15: Second thesis draft submitted to Thesis Committee; Committee makes decision by March 25 to let students continue thesis to completion in current semester, or works out a Thesis Extension to next semester with students, or redirects students to Comprehensive Exam option if student ultimately deemed incapable of producing acceptable work;
• April 15: Penultimate and final draft submitted to Committee for fast faculty feedback by April 25, and revisions made to ready final revised thesis for April 30 deadline;
• April 30: Final and Finished version submitted to Committee and GPC;
• May 7: Defense scheduled by May 7; at this time, Committee and GPC signatures secured testifying to completion of thesis and final thesis grade given by Thesis Sponsor/Direct.

THESIS DEFENSE

• Only grades of B, B+, A- and A are allowed for theses.
• No thesis defense should be scheduled without submission by student of the final revised version to the Thesis Committee and no Thesis Committee member will sign off on the thesis completion form until the corrected version of the thesis has been submitted to all Committee Members.

THESIS PROPOSAL

A typical proposal must include:

– A 5-10 page rationale: This rationale will include a thesis statement and rationale that clearly articulate the problem to be resolved or researched; this must also include a literature review of the field being explored. To make future efforts easier, students should seek to work this out as if this were already the introduction to their thesis, with the caveat that there must be an extensive literature review of the field that clearly articulates the link between the problem being researched and said literature: For instance, how does the literature/works/sources being used, cited, and discussed in the rationale/proposal (and later in the thesis itself) help to resolve or illuminate the problem being investigated?). Note: If a student does this well, this could almost straightforwardly stand later on as the introduction to their final thesis version and they would no longer have to work too hard on the introduction after that. While there is no page maximum for the pproposal, a 15-page proposal that would include the rationale (including the thesis statement and literature review), the outline (commented or not commented depending on the field and/or committee preferences), the bibliography (commented or not commented depending on the field and/or committee preferences) would be the required minimum. A 15-page proposal that is well put together would allow both the student and committee members to know exactly where the project is going and whether or not the topic as proposed is workable or too ambitious to be realistic.

– A Thesis Outline: The thesis outline is similar to a book’s table of contents. It shows the various anticipated segments/sections/chapters of the thesis and, thus, provides a skeletal overview of how the thesis is going to be articulated. The outline can be commented or not commented with bibliographical annotations, depending on the field and/or committee preferences. The outline is probably the most important item in a thesis proposal. The outline is what will guide the student’s work and progress after the proposal is approved by all committee members. It must therefore contain the various sections that will guide the arguments being used. Depending on your field, your director may ask you to comment your outline and/or bibliography.

– A Bibliography : The bibliography is where you list the works/sources you used and are planning to use to support your arguments. This is what is typically called the bibliography, works cited or sources section in academic research papers. Your bibliography should include the works you actually cited in the rationale and literature review, as well as additional works/sources that you plan to use in the finalized version of your thesis. You must therefore take some time to explore and do some research to find the books/sources needed before putting your ideas and proposal together. The thesis director and other committee members can help guide the student in the process of putting both the proposal and bibliography together.

– Formatting: Formatting of the proposal should ideally be done according to the formatting rules recommended by the Graduate School. Following Graduate School guidelines as to the format required for the thesis will make it easier for thesis candidates to simply continue to follow the same rules when they begin to write the actual thesis itself.

  FINAL PRODUCT

The finalized thesis will be 35 pages minimum and follow the Graduate School’s formatting guidelines.

GRADUATE SCHOOL’S THESIS GUIDELINES:

The Graduate School maintains a Thesis Manual/Guide that will give you the general expectations in terms of how to conduct thesis supervision. Please save that PDF file too and keep it for future reference in case you are approached by students who want to do a thesis. That file also contains all the forms needed for registering into the thesis course.

Thesis candidates or students seeking to do a thesis should consult with Graduate Program Coordinator as soon as possible to determine thesis eligibility or ask any questions they might have about the process.

GRADUATE PROGRAM COORDINATOR CONTACT INFO:

Dr. Daniel Mengara Graduate Program Coordinator Schmitt Hall 241G Phone: 973-655-5143 Email: [email protected] or Book Me: https://danielmengara.youcanbook.me/

  This policy is subject to change without notice. Last amended, March 2020, by departmental vote and approval.

Visit the Health Advisories website for the latest vaccination and mask information and to Report a Case.

Questions about FAFSA and CADAA?

Visit our Financial Aid and Scholarship Office for updated information, workshops and FAQs.

Department of English and Comparative Literature

M.A. Thesis Guidelines

The Thesis is optional in the M.A program. In other words, graduate students in the M.A. program are not required to write a thesis. You may therefore take your entire 30 units in course work and pass the comprehensive exam (Plan B). Alternatively, if you have a strong record and submit a strong proposal, you may be permitted to write a six-unit thesis as part of your 30-unit program (Plan A). 

Students planning to write a thesis should take note of the guidelines and plan ahead accordingly. In order to write a thesis, you need to do the following:

First, speak with a faculty member with expertise in the area in which you plan to write your thesis. If he or she agrees to direct your project, then write a thesis proposal with that faculty member's guidance. You will also need two additional faculty members to serve as readers on your thesis committee. When your project director is fully satisfied with your proposal, submit it to the Graduate Advisor along with a cover sheet signed by your thesis committee. Do this as early as possible in the semester prior to the semester you intend to enroll in English 299.

Ideally, you should do your preliminary research over the summer to identify your area/topic of interest so that you can discuss this with potential advisors/readers early in the fall semester in order to form your thesis committee and prepare your proposal for formal submission (usually by November 1). The proposal must be approved by the Graduate Committee. Approval is usually granted only to students who have achieved high grades in their graduate course work and who submit strong proposals.

If your proposal is approved, use the winter break to work on your thesis. In Spring, plan to submit your draft to your thesis director by February 1 and a revised draft to your 2nd and 3rd readers by April 1 to allow sufficient time for feedback and revision.  Follow the latest MLA Handbook as Graduate Studies will expect your thesis to be accurately and consistently formatted.  

Planning ahead and following the guidelines and timeline is critical to ensuring your thesis is of high quality and you are able to finish in time for May graduation.

You can find a sample proposal here. Sample MA Thesis Proposal  [pdf]

The Proposal

The proposal should have a coversheet [pdf] . The proposal itself should

• explain clearly what you want to write about and why your topic is important
• describe any previous work you've done in the field
• note what scholarly work has already been done on the topic and explain how your work will revise or augment this
• present a short, tentative outline indicating your main point and how you plan to demonstrate it
• include a brief, annotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources relevant to your topic, along with a non-annotated bibliography of works you expect to examine as you progress
• must follow the MLA format
• should be about 6 to 10 pages long, plus coversheet

The Graduate Committee understands that you can't know precisely what your argument will be until you have completed it. A proposal is simply a clear explanation of what you expect to achieve. In deciding which thesis proposals will be approved, the committee will look carefully at the quality of the writing in the proposal. This should be in every respect professional: clear, accurate, properly documented, etc.

When your project director is entirely satisfied with your proposal, bring it to the Graduate Advisor. When the advisor has also approved it, give the advisor ten copies of the proposal to be distributed to the Graduate Committee. Do this as early as possible in the semester prior to the semester you intend to enroll in English 299. (The committee will not consider proposals submitted in the last four weeks of the semester.) Remember, your proposal must be approved by the Graduate Committee, and approval will be granted only to students who have achieved high grades in their graduate course work and who submit strong proposals.

Writing the Thesis

After your proposal is approved, enroll for six units of English 299. You may take six units in one semester, or three units in each of two semesters. You will receive a Satisfactory Progress grade until you have completed the thesis; then your director will change the grade to Credit. If you fail to complete the thesis within two years, you must formally request an extension. Otherwise the grade will revert to No Credit and you will need to enroll in 299 again.

Consult frequently with your thesis director and show him or her drafts of your work as you proceed chapter by chapter or section by section. When your director decides the thesis is presentable, show your work to the second and third readers. Be sure to follow posted deadlines for consultation with readers and that you understand readers' comments before you complete a final draft.

Submit the Thesis

See Graduate Studies' General Instructions for Master's Theses and follow its required format scrupulously. Check posted deadlines for submission of theses to the Graduate Studies Office.

When your thesis has been signed by all readers, remind your director to submit the necessary form to change your 299 units to Credit.

Forms & Worksheets

Thesis Proposal Coversheet [pdf]

Completed MA Theses

Available in King Library (some in electronic form available to SJSU students only).

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The Thesis Title – What It Takes to Create a Good One

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 Definition: Thesis Title
• 3 Thesis Title: Main Components
• 4 Examples of Thesis Titles
• 5 Tips for your Title
• 6 In a Nutshell

Definition: Thesis Title

A thesis title is a statement that frames the argument you are presenting in an academic paper. It is a short phrase that tells the audience what the content is about. Readers should be able to get a glimpse of the study from the thesis title. It is why you have to invest time in coming up with an excellent one. Think of the title as the packaging to your thesis.

It has to be pretty enough to attract the right audience. The thesis title should comply with certain requirements. Different disciplines have varying formats for academic writing . MLA, APA and PPA are three of the common styles. These formats determine elements like capitalisation, abbreviations and quotations.

The title of a thesis is the first real contact that readers will have with a piece of academic writing , and therefore, it has to be compelling enough. A thesis title sets the pace for the content. It can entice the audience to proceed with the rest of the material or pass it over. This article explores some elementals of a good thesis title.

What is the best title for a thesis?

An exceptional title for a thesis must accomplish several things. It has to reflect the content in the paper. Readers should know at first glance, what your thesis topic is. For this reason, a thesis title should be concise, precise and relevant. The best titles are brief. Too many words can discourage some readers. In the same breath, it shouldn’t be too short. Thesis titles thrive on specificity, and that requires using more than four words.

Can a thesis title be a question?

Yes. You can structure the title of your academic paper as a question. Questions are catchy and go a long way in capturing attention. They incite curiosity and get the reader to want to know more. For a question to work as a thesis title, it must reflect the tone of the paper and predict the content. It should also be closely linked with your thesis statement . Readers should not left wondering what the piece is about after they’ve read the title.

How long can a thesis title be?

The length of a thesis title is not definite because it’s an element that depends on many factors. A thesis advisor might have a specific range for students. For example, a professor might ask a paper to have 15 to 25 words in the title. 10 to 15 is a great number to work with for a thesis title. Never have a title that is less than 5 words.

Tip: If you’re having trouble getting the words from your brain onto the paper, you may be struggling with writer’s block . Head over to our blog post to read about how you can escape from the clutches of writer’s block.

What is a research title?

The research title shows the main idea of your study. The reader should have an idea of the thesis formatting after reading the thesis title. If the title states ‘case study’ for example, then the reader will expect an abstract. It is possible that you are using the fewest possible words needed to describe the purpose of your research paper. It is important that the research title predicts content, reflects tone, includes important keywords and is interesting.

What are important steps for creating a thesis title?

During the beginning of the writing phase, you should have a ‘working title’. This doesn’t have to be the final title and it will probably be altered as you develop your thesis statement , but the working title can help to keep you on the right track. You can also include a subtitle to explain additional content.

Thesis Title: Main Components

Thesis titles are as distinct as the research they describe. However, several fundamental factors exist in every thesis title. Whether its social sciences, economics or political science, these elements always apply. They are the drivers that help writers create titles that are worth reading.

Area of Interest

The objectives of the study are a huge part of a thesis title. What you are looking to accomplish with your research sets the tone for everything that happens. A good title should be a reflection of that. The area of interest provides the broad scope of the paper, but you also have to factor in the specifics. For example, a study on the effects of social media marketing on the buying process offers a wide range to work with. However, your study might be on specific networks such as Twitter and Instagram. The title should, therefore, mention the exact social media sites. Use the area of interest as a rough guide to what the thesis title should be about.

Internal Consistency

An effective title should not just be precise and attractive; it must remain consistent internally. Any decent title should reflect the study as accurately as possible. When readers see the thesis title, they have a clue of what the paper contains. If the thesis title says ‘a case study approach,’ the readers will expect to have an abstract, introduction , methodology, and so on. A lack of consistency can generate a disconnect that will push the audience away. Be cautious about the language and style of writing to avoid losing or misleading the reader along the way.

Never submit a thesis without checking that the title adheres to the required formatting standards. Not every academic paper needs formatting. Styles vary depending on disciplines and institutions. The formatting requirements matter because they determine how to write quotations and citations. A writing style also dictates the organisation of the piece. Writers might have specific instructions about the tone of the thesis. Consider all these elements carefully when crafting a thesis title. Don’t forget about the rules of capitalisation of a title.

Examples of Thesis Titles

Here are two examples of thesis titles:

‘Estimation of the Effects of Climate Change: The Case of the Deforestation of the Amazon’

As you read earlier above one of the main components of a thesis title is the area of interest . The first part of the thesis title ‘Estimation of the Effects of Climate Chance’ isn´t enough because the range is to wide.

Therefore it is important to add the second part of the thesis title ‘The Case of the Deforestation of the Amazon’. This gives the reader the exact information what your academic paper is about.

Here are a few other examples of thesis titles:

‘How Mobile Money is Banking the Unbankable in Third World Economies’

‘The Correlation Between Social Inequalities and Poor Voting Habits’

‘How the Mobile Phone Disrupts Sleep Patterns’

‘Jumping on the Cryptocurrency Bandwagon: A Study in the Evolution of Digital Currency’

In this example you can see that there is internal consistency because it shows the reader what the paper comprises.

The formatting of the thesis title depends on institutions. So there are more possibilities of how your layout could look like. Furthermore the thesis title in this example is still brief enough which is very important. The length of 10 to 15 words is a good number of words.

Tips for your Title

A missed punctuation mark, too many words or too much jargon are some aspects that can easily ruin a thesis title and consequently, the entire paper. You can avoid common mistakes like these by focusing on these simple tenets:

• Purpose of the study
• Scope of the study
• Techniques used for the study
• Tone of the study

Before crafting the final title for your academic paper, have a working thesis title. A working title is a loose topic that you need to help direct your study. It’s easy to lose track of your research when you don’t have a concrete anchor.

Bear in mind that the final thesis title comes after the completion of the research. You should know how much ground the content covers to develop a proper thesis title.

Thesis printing & binding

You are already done writing your thesis and need a high quality printing & binding service? Then you are right to choose BachelorPrint! Check out our 24-hour online printing service. For more information click the button below :

Thesis Printing & Binding

In a Nutshell

What to take away about writing a captivating thesis title:

• Be clear about the subject of the research and its scope while ensuring that the title reflects the study accurately.
• The thesis title should be concise, engaging, descriptive and explanatory without being informal or cute.
• Avoid too much jargon, abbreviations, initials, acronyms and redundant words unless the requirements specify it.
• Capitalise all the necessary words, including all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.

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MA Thesis Guideline

• MA in Public Policy
• Erasmus Mundus Masters Program in Public Policy
• Master of Arts in International Public Affairs
• Master of Public Administration
• Specializations
• PhD in Political Science, Public Policy Track
• Non-Degree/Exchange Programs

General Overview

One-year MAPP students are required to complete a master’s thesis worth 7 credits.  All theses must address an appropriate research topic, which includes a defined field of research and a number of researchable questions to investigate.

Theses should demonstrate a good knowledge of the literature in the wider field of policy studies and political science (comparative politics, political economy, etc.) and contribute to the study of the field through original research and/or by relating the subject studies to the broader academic literature and demonstrate analytic ability through the careful and critical use of relevant concepts and approaches.

Thesis Requirements 

All students should begin to think about their thesis topic during the Fall term. One-year MAPP students should submit a short description (Thesis Topic and Area of Specialization) of the planned work to the Student Affairs Coordinator (electronic copy by January 24, 2021).

Thesis Topic and Area of Specialization 

This short proposal (two paragraphs to one page) should outline the topic, the preliminary research question, and the methodological approach, in particular if it is likely that the method would require specific forms of faculty support. Based on these research proposals, a supervisor will be assigned to the students , taking into account faculty members’ research interests and expertise.

The supervisor is the student’s primary contact during the research and thesis writing period. Supervisors will provide general guidance, meet the student for consultations, and provide feedback on drafts of (parts of) the thesis/thesis report (please note that supervisors can only comment on full drafts if you allow sufficient time for them to do so). Students will be informed about their assigned supervisors by February 14.

Thesis writing workshop (1 credit)

The Thesis Writing Workshop (1 credit) is a mandatory part of the thesis component for One- year MAPP students. The workshop is meant to help to further develop and shape the MA thesis. Coursework in this seminar will be assessed with a pass/fail grade. To earn a `pass’ students need to regularly attend the class and participate actively. While there are no or very few and short assigned readings, students are expected to submit short pieces of writing related to specific sections of their thesis and topics discussed in class prior to the relevant sessions.

Failing to regularly attend the class and comply with the requirements will be noted in the degree transcript and may result in a reduction of the thesis grade (by 0.2 grades).

The exact format and precise schedule of the workshop will be communicated at the beginning of the winter term.

MA Thesis Research Grants

CEU offers small grants to support master’s thesis research. If interested, students should submit their application to Zoltan Wagner by the following deadline: March 12, 2021.

PLEASE NOTE: These funds are limited and we cannot guarantee that funding will remain available for the second round. 

The application must contain the grant application form, a summary of the project, the research timetable (days and location), a summary of advanced preparations undertaken, the supervisor’s recommendation, and a detailed budget. After the completion of their research, grantees should be prepared to send the empirical raw material (field notes, interview transcripts, etc.) to   Zoltan Wagner . Applicants must also submit a travel grant report and original invoices for all expenses to the CEU Grants Management Office within 30 days of the completion of their research. If the master’s thesis grant is not used according to the budget that was submitted, the University may insist that the grant be refunded.

For further details please visit  https://www.ceu.edu/funding-fees/grants-enrolled

You will also receive emails from the CEU Grants Management Office with additional information about the application requirements for these MA Thesis Research Grants.

Thesis Deadlines

The deadlines for submitting the thesis and the thesis report are strictly observed. Late submission will result in a reduction of the final grade of 0.2 points per business day. Note that an extension of the deadline can only be granted in events  that are beyond the control of the student. Students must apply for an extension of the deadline to the Thesis Supervisor and the Program Director. Students who submit the thesis/thesis report late because of illness need to provide a medical certificate. Practical problems that may have been encountered will not be accepted as a valid excuse for failing to meet the deadline. Please make sure that you submit your thesis well in advance of the deadline in order to avoid potential difficulties.

Thesis submission details

• Electronic version of the entire thesis IN ONE WORD DOCUMENT FILE submitted via email to the Academic Curriculum Coordinator (saved in the following format: student’s family name_ MA Thesis)
• Electronic version of the entire thesis entered in the Electronic Thesis Database (ETD)
• A signed declaration of authorship attached to every printed copy of the thesis and a typed and signed version saved after the title page of each electronic file (for a sample declaration please see  Appendix VI )
• A printed, one sided, copy of the thesis delivered in a sealed envelope (library copy)

Notes : The Computer Center will offer short courses on thesis editing and using the Electronic Thesis Database (ETD) in the Spring term. For more information contact Erika Máthé at [email protected].

The CEU Copy Shop can copy and bind your thesis. It is located on the Ground floor of Oktober 6 street 12. However, due to their heavy workload, they cannot always handle immediate requests. There are also numerous copy services available in Budapest.

Thesis Format  

The total length of the thesis must be 12,000 words (+/– 10%) and include: the title page, copyright notice, table of contents, list of figures, list of abbreviations, acknowledgments, references, abstract (maximum 200 words), footnotes, bibliography and appendices. Tables and figures may be excluded from the word count.

Submitted theses must follow the CEU Thesis Guidelines .  Term papers and theses must follow the referencing system of the Chicago Embedded Style, the most important elements of which are addressed in the Academic Writing for Public Policy course. For detailed information on correct citation please consult the 7th Edition of Turabian’s  A Manual for Writers (available in the library). For a sample cover page see Appendix IV.

Dissertations must include footnotes and a full bibliography of sources that were consulted. Arguments and information drawn from books and articles that were consulted must be acknowledged. Direct quotations should be clearly indicated through the use of quotation marks (“ ”), or through the use of indirect quotations; copying another author’s writing in the text without proper citation is plagiarism and will be penalized.

CEU’s Policy on Plagiarism details plagiarism and related penalties.

Other cases of academic dishonesty are regulated by CEU’s Code of Ethics    

It is recommended that students use a bibliography software to organize references. For more information see: http://www.personal.ceu.hu/comp/endnote.htm.

Thesis Evaluation and Grading  

Two SPP faculty members will read and evaluate the thesis. The thesis grade will be determined based upon their two written evaluations. There will be no oral defense  after thesis submission. The MA Thesis Evaluation Form including the final grade and comments on the dissertation will be provided within four weeks of the submission date for those who submit by the deadline. (For a sample MA Thesis Evaluation Form please see Appendix V . ) For appeals, please see the handbook's section on Appealing a Grade .

The thesis will be graded in line with the University’s thesis grading policy. The following criteria is offered as a guideline for how thesis grades are determined:

The thesis shows originality and a high degree of conceptual sophistication along with critical examination of theoretical and empirical knowledge.

 “A–,” “B+”

The thesis contributes to the existing literature in the field; it shows a complete knowledge of the subject matter and relevant theoretical material, and it demonstrates a clear analytic ability.

“B,” “B–,” “C+”

The thesis has the attributes of a “Pass with Honors” thesis, but at an adequate rather than an excellent level.

Fail / Resubmit

The thesis lacks a thorough knowledge of the subject matter, and it does not relate to the broader academic literature. It neither applies research methods properly, nor demonstrates any analytic ability. The student may be invited to write a new thesis. The maximum grade possible in this circumstance is a Retake Pass (RP in the value of C+).

Fail for academic dishonesty

The thesis work is not original: the thesis (or substantial parts of it) has either been submitted to fulfill the requirements of another degree at CEU or another university or parts of the thesis are plagiarized, and are not the original work of the author.

In case of serious offenses the thesis is graded Fail (F).

In some cases, the thesis may be graded Retake Pass (RP in the value of C+) and the transcript will be flagged for academic dishonesty.

Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a master's thesis in MLA

To cite a master's thesis in a reference entry in MLA style 9th edition include the following elements:

• Author(s) name: Give the last name and name as presented in the source (e. g. Watson, John). For two authors, reverse only the first name, followed by ‘and’ and the second name in normal order (e. g. Watson, John, and John Watson). For three or more authors, list the first name followed by et al. (e. g. Watson, John, et al.)
• Thesis title: Titles are italicized when independent. If part of a larger source add quotation marks and do not italize.
• Year of publication: Give the year of publication as presented in the source.
• University: Give the name of the institution.
• Degree: Type of degree.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a master's thesis in MLA style 9th edition:

Author(s) name . Thesis title . Year of publication . University , Degree .

Take a look at our works cited examples that demonstrate the MLA style guidelines in action:

A psychology master's thesis with one author

Bauger, Lars . Personality, Passion, Self-esteem and Psychological Well-being among Junior Elite Athletes in Norway . 2011 . U of Tromsø , Master's Thesis .

A master's thesis with one author

Aube, Kyle Eric . A Comparison of Water Main Failure Prediction Models in San Luis Obispo, CA . 2019 . Cal Poly , Master's Thesis .

This citation style guide is based on the MLA Handbook (9 th edition).

More useful guides

• MLA 8th ed. Style Guide: Dissertations, Theses
• MLA, 8th Edition: Master's Thesis or Project
• How do I cite a dissertation in MLA style?

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Enjoy a completely custom, expertly-written dissertation. Choose from hundreds of writers, all of whom are career specialists in your subject.

Guide for Writing a Thesis Title

A thesis title refers to a paper’s short header comprising of two parts. The first section comprises the information regarding the work’s topic while the second part covers the research methods. The primary objective of a title is to capture the reader’s attention while briefly describing the paper. Consequently, students should know how to compose a good title when writing a dissertation.

Ideally, thesis titles express the arguments and subjects of the papers. Therefore, researchers should write titles after writing their theses. That’s because they know the course of their arguments after completing their theses. Remember that this title is the first thing that readers see upon receiving the paper. Therefore, this section should provide a concise topic view that the paper addresses.

To ensure your thesis title captures the reader’s attention and effectively describes your paper, consider seeking the assistance of a professional dissertation writer . Our experts will help you craft a compelling and informative title that accurately reflects the content of your dissertation. With the guidance of a professional dissertation writer, you can enhance the impact of your research and make a strong impression on your readers.

Why a Thesis Title Matters

As hinted, a dissertation title is the text’s hallmark. It reveals the essence of your paper while framing the central argument in an academic paper. While it’s a short phrase, it tells your audience more about the content. This section of the text should give readers a glimpse of your study. That’s why you should invest your time in creating a brilliant title of your paper. Ideally, you should think about this part for your paper as its packaging.

The title should be sufficiently pretty to capture the right audience’s attention. What’s more, the topic should meet certain requirements, depending on the academic writing format of your paper. Thus, whether you’re writing an APA, MLA, or PPA paper will determine aspects like quotation, abbreviation, and capitalization.

Since a title enables you to make your first contact with your readers, make it sufficiently compelling while using it to set the pace for your content. It can also entice your audience to read the entire paper.

Primary Components of a Dissertation Title

The topic of your thesis paper should be as distinct as the text it describes. However, a good title exhibits certain fundamental factors. Whether it is political science, economics, or social sciences, these elements apply to this part of a paper. And they should guide you when writing titles for the theses that the audiences find worth reading.

• Formatting: Students should never submit their thesis without checking to ensure that their titles meet the formatting standards of their academic writing styles. While not all academic papers require formatting, styles differ, depending on institutions and disciplines. Formatting requirements are essential because they influence how learners write citations and quotations. What’s more, your writing style dictates how you organize the piece. Your educator might also specify the instructions to follow regarding your thesis’ tone. Therefore, consider such elements carefully to write a brilliant title. Also, remember capitalization rules when writing your topic.
• Interest areas: Your study’s objectives are a significant part of the title. What you want to accomplish with the study should set a tone for your paper. Therefore, make sure that your title reflects those objectives. Your interest areas should give your paper its broad scope. However, factor in your specifics. For instance, if writing a thesis about social media marketing’s impacts on the purchasing process provides a broad scope to work with. Nevertheless, you can focus on specific networks like Instagram and Twitter. Therefore, your title should mention specific social media websites. Thus, your interest area should provide a rough guide regarding your title.
• Internal Consistency: Effective thesis titles are not just attractive and precise. They are also internally consistent. Your title should accurately reflect your study. When a reader sees your title, they should get a glue of the content of your paper. If your title is about a case study approach, readers expect to find an introduction, abstract, and methodology section in the paper. Lacking consistency can create a disconnect that may push some readers away. Therefore, pay attention to the style and language of your writing to avoid misleading or losing your audience along the way.

The best dissertation titles are precise, concise, and relevant. They are also brief because many words discourage some audiences. However, a good title is not too short. Instead, it comprises over four words while thriving on specificity.

How to Title a Thesis

The title of your thesis paper should summarize your study’s main idea. It should also comprise as few words as possible, while adequately describing the purpose and/or content of the research paper. Most people read the title first and the most. If it’s too long, it will have unnecessary words. And if it’s too short, it uses too general words. Therefore, focus on creating a title that provides information regarding the focus of your work.

If your goal is to learn how to write a thesis title, these parameters should help you formulate a suitable topic.

• Your research objectives or purpose
• Your paper’s narrative tone, typically defined by your research type
• Your research methods

Always remember to focus your title on capturing your audience’s attention while drawing their interest to the research problem that you intend to investigate.

Write the final title after completing your research to ensure that it accurately captures what you did. That means you can have a working title that you develop early during the research process. That’s because your working title can anchor the focus of your study the way a research problem does. Essentially, you should consistently refer to your working title to avoid forgetting the main purpose of your study. That way, you can avoid drifting off on the tangent when writing. Final thesis titles have several characteristics that make them effective.

These include:

• Accurate indication of the study subject and scope
• Wording that stimulates the reader’s interest while creating a positive impression
• They do not use abbreviations
• They use the current study field’s nomenclature
• A revelation of the paper’s organization
• Identification of independent and dependent variables
• A suggestion of a relationship between the variables that support the primary hypothesis
• A limit to substantive words
• Can be in a question or phrase form
• Correct capitalization and grammar with capital last and first words

The title of a thesis is the only aspect that readers will find when searching indexing databases or search engines. Therefore, it should be persuasive and clear to tell leaders what your research is about.

Sample Dissertation Titles

Using samples is a great way to master the art of writing brilliant titles. And the internet is awash with dissertation title examples. An ideal title should summarize your manuscript’s main idea while informing the readers about your dissertation’s nature and main topic. It can also mention your research’s subjects, location, and methodology. It may also specify theoretical issues or variables you investigated and their relationship. Often, a title should indicate your discovery.

Effective titles have eloquent and interesting wording that provides precise and necessary details. Their vocabulary can also bear relevant allusions and nuances. However, they are short and informative. Universities, departments, and style guides set strict character or word limits for titles. For instance, the APA’s publication manual limits a title to 12 words.

Since search engines use titles, words that lack a specific relationship with research become extra baggage. Thus, such titles might not work in bringing the right audience. As such, there are reasons to avoid unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Essentially, use them sparingly to maximize your title’s effect. Words like methods, study, and methods are extraneous. However, some titles identifying the study type and dissertation methodologies can include such words.

Reading and analyzing quality samples can help you learn how to make a dissertation title. Nevertheless, check samples that fit in your study field to understand what educators in your area look for in titles.

Sample Dissertation Titles Law Students can Use

Educators require law students in the US and UK universities to write dissertations or theses at some point. In most cases, this task is the last hurdle for learners before graduating from law graduate schools. The requirement evokes horror and excitement in equal measures. But, this task provides a chance for learners to interrogate their interest area academically. Nevertheless, completing this task is a monumental responsibility. Here are dissertation titles samples that law students can use as their guide when writing this paper.

• A comprehensive evaluation of female and male rape legislations: How do they differ?
• Analysis of lie detectors usage in criminal justice: Are they effective?
• Challenges that parties face in Vienna Convention on Contracts application for international sales
• A comparison of human right law gaps in different countries
• How family law has changed over the years
• What are the repercussions for females vs. males involved in domestic violence?
• A literature review of religion and employment laws convergence in the US
• Evaluating sexual harassment at the workplace
• Assessing corporate social responsibility and its mediating role in companies performance
• How do medical law and ethics coexist?

Dissertations are long papers. Therefore, their topics are crucial because they determine the difficulty or simplicity of completing them. Use these samples to guide you when creating a topic for your thesis if you’re a law student.

Sample PR Dissertation Titles

When writing dissertations, public relations students should make reasonable arguments and answer research questions. Their hypotheses should provide evidence to serve as their basis. And educators expect learners to time collecting and documenting the evidence. An ideal title can make this task simple and interesting. Therefore, students should select titles that align with their developing practice area. Here are sample topics that PR students can consider exploring in their studies and writing about.

• How fake and truth news change the operations of public relations offers
• How essential is storytelling versus truth?
• How should public relations practitioners ensure that their messages resonate well in the current fake news era?
• How transparency looks like in public relations
• Analyzing effective reputation and crisis management in the mobile and social media’s world
• How public relations has changed- The shifting skillset for modern public relations practitioners
• How mobile has affected public relations
• Inbound marketing and public relations- Can PR be inbound?
• How public relation practitioners are adapting to social media
• Public relations monitoring and measurement- How to determine PR ROI

Public relations students can use these topic samples as their guide for creating value-adding and industry-relevant topics. However, learners should develop topics they are passionate about to enjoy their writing process.

Sample Dissertation Titles Sociology Students will Love

Several issues in social science can be a good foundation for a sociology dissertation topic. If looking for the best title for your sociology thesis, here are sample topics to consider.

• Analyzing the differences in gender and sexual issues between males and females
• How religious beliefs vary according to the practices and customs of a country
• How modern social science studies link education and religion
• How social change is taking over the world- The link between religion and social change
• What are the effects of education’s sociological policies after World War II?
• How immigrants’ foreign culture affects the practices and values of the indigenous people
• Examining counterculture’s shifting fundamentals
• How Japan’s culture compares to that of the UK
• Examining the dimensions and trends of gender voting in British and American political systems
• Examining the influence and power of minority interests in a society

These ideas can help you come up with a title for your thesis. However, create a title you will find interesting to research and write about. That’s the only way you will enjoy working on your thesis.

Sample Med Dissertation Titles

If pursuing medical studies, you’ll need a good topic for your dissertation at some point. Medical studies present a broad field. However, your topic should capture specific objectives and goals of your research. Here are sample topics that medical students can explore.

• How to manage and take care of patients suffering from acute pain
• Medical management and psychological treatment of prisoners with drug dependence problems
• How midwives can improve the pregnancy outcomes
• How midwives can help in high-risk pregnancies improvement
• Occupational health psychology in stress management
• How to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses
• How to prevent the side effects of mineral fertilizers on plant workers and the environment
• How emergency doctors’ mental health and their life quality relate
• How to ensure personnel mental health in a security company
• Occupational safety- Why is it essential for factory workers?

Whether you need an undergraduate or a Ph.D. thesis title, each of these ideas can provide a basis for formulating your topic. Nevertheless, make sure that you will be comfortable working with your title.

Sample Dissertation Titles for Business Management

A business management dissertation can cover different areas in business studies. When writing this paper, a student should focus on answering specific questions. Here are sample topics that students majoring in business management can explore in their papers.

• How remote workers affect business management
• How businesses can manage collaborations and communications with remote workers
• Effect of wages changes on business costs
• How investing in artificial intelligence enables business managers to satisfy their customers
• Risk management by companies and focusing performance on the competitive advantage mediating role
• Effective management models for the tourism sector
• An empirical investigation of cost-leadership, business performance, and market orientation
• Why intellectual capital management matters in business
• Hyper-competitiveness in modern business environments- What is it about?
• How banks can enhance their international connectivity with enterprise customers

This category has brilliant undergraduate thesis title samples. However, learners should take their time to identify topics they can confidently and comfortably work on. That way, they can enjoy their dissertation writing process.

Sample Interior Design Dissertation Titles

When pursuing interior design studies, your educator might ask you to write a dissertation. If allowed to select your title, consider exploring these ideas.

• Why interior design is not for the wealthy people only
• The interior design concept for people with tight budgets
• How long interior design should take when working on a standard house
• Benefits of terracotta tiles combined with woven rugs
• Effects of modern trends on interior design
• How to rework a retirement home from an interior designer’s perspective
• The link between fashion and interior design- How each borrows ideas from the other
• Why you should use your kitchen floor mats for your home’s design
• How a building’s design affects the owner’s mental health
• How a good design can help in managing workplace distractions

This category has some of the best titles that interior design students can explore in their papers. But like with the other categories, learners should settle on topics they can comfortably research and write about.

Sample Primary Education Dissertation Titles

Education is among the broadest study fields. The purpose of dissertation assignments in this field is to help learners explore and understand different learning approaches and education types. Here are sample topics to explore in this study field.

• How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected primary education
• How to maintain social distance in primary schools
• How the COVID-19 pandemic has increased online primary education
• The practice and theory of primary education games as tools for enhancing learning
• How the learning ability of children affect their performance
• How to create efficient learning settings for enhancing early childhood education
• Factors enhancing and inhibiting creativity in primary schools
• How primary education can develop life skills among pupils
• Effective ways teachers can evaluate and monitor students in primary schools
• How computer-based programs can enhance learning in primary schools

Primary education is compulsory in most developed and developing countries. This education helps in establishing foundations in mathematics, geography, history, social sciences, and science. Students that want to become primary teachers can explore these ideas when writing dissertations.

Sample Art History Dissertation Titles

Art history entails studying the objects that humans have made for aesthetic pleasure purposes. And this study field is varied and wide. If looking for a thesis title example in this field, here are brilliant ideas to consider.

• How humans have exemplified their desire to touch and see God in art
• How Gothic architecture is more than pointed arch
• Describe the change in Egyptian art over time
• How does the Gertrude Stein picture by Picasso marks his development as an artist?
• Examining Picasso from the perspectives of social and political movements of his time
• Describe Miro’s contribution to a surrealist movement
• Discuss biomorphic in 20 th -century painting
• How humans have appropriated sculpture for political display
• Did the British architectural style provide a basis for the Delhi center?
• How necessary is aesthetic and art appreciation?

If pursuing art history, consider any of these ideas for your dissertation, but make sure that it’s a topic you will be happy to research and write about.

Sample Globalization Dissertation Titles

When writing globalization dissertations, learners have a wide range of topic ideas they can use as the basis of their work. Here are sample topics to consider for your globalization thesis.

• How globalization can affect your identity
• Effects of globalization in sports
• How trade relates to globalization
• How globalization affects economic growth
• Analysis of workers’ interests from a globalization perspective
• The Cold War globalization
• Is globalization bad or good for mankind?
• How water scarcity affects globalization
• How globalization affects the poor
• Globalization and feminism

These are brilliant ideas to explore when writing a globalization thesis paper. Nevertheless, students must research their topics to come up with excellent papers about these topics.

Sample LLM Dissertation Titles

LLM dissertations topics cover the subject areas that students pursue during LLM program modules. This paper can tackle doctrinal, theoretical, policy, and jurisprudential issues that are relevant in modern legal and policy affairs. Here are sample titles for LLM dissertations.

• Speech freedom and privacy right in the media and press- Should governments restrict it?
• What are the weak and strong points of the judicial review process?
• How to justify civil liberties restriction for public safety’s sake
• How effective are anti-corruption laws in a country?
• Precautions for preventing mistakes and abuse of assisted suicides legalization
• National and international law- Which one should prevail?
• Migrating with a minor- What legal gaps do people face when relocating?
• Dividing assets after divorce- Is the law fair for the involved parties?
• Effective legal mechanisms for preventing child labor
• How to ease conflict when protecting trade secrets within the business law

If pursuing legal studies, you can find a title of thesis your educator will find interesting to read. But pay attention to select an interesting topic you’ll be glad to research and work with.

Sample Ph.D. Thesis Titles

A title for a Ph.D. thesis should tell the readers what you examined during your research. Thus, it should summarize your work and indicate the topic. Here are examples of attention-grabbing and catchy titles for Ph.D. theses.

• Small business strategies and how to adjust them to globalization
• Human resource management and strategies in non-profit organizations
• Risks and benefits of international joint revenue
• Outsourcing as a practice in business
• Gender equality in business- Effective management approaches
• Working remotely versus modern workplaces
• How mentoring influences individual success
• How business size impacts financial decisions
• Financial risks for modern businesses
• How to reduce risks at the workplace

These are brilliant thesis titles to explore when writing a Ph.D. dissertation. However, you can tweak your preferred title to make it unique and suitable for your study field.

Tips for Creating Thesis Titles

Even with the above samples, some learners can have difficulties creating titles for their thesis. These tips will make creating the best thesis title for high school students, undergraduates, masters, and Ph.D. learners easier.

• Select the words to use in your title carefully
• Seek advice from the professor, a friend, or classmate
• Follow the format specified by your department or school
• Write the final title after writing the paper
• Make your title informative, brief, and catchy
• Avoid abbreviations, initials, and acronyms

To ensure the creation of an exceptional thesis title, consider seeking the assistance of a professional dissertation writers . Experts have the experience and expertise to guide you in selecting the most appropriate words and crafting an informative, brief, and catchy title. Additionally, they can help you follow the format specified by your department or school while avoiding the use of abbreviations, initials, and acronyms.

Final Thoughts

The title of your thesis should indicate the subject and scope of your research. It should be engaging, concise, explanatory, and descriptive. Also, avoid abbreviations, jargon, acronyms, initials, and redundant words. Additionally, follow the requirements of your academic formatting styles and use examples to create a good title for your thesis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Richard Ginger is a dissertation writer and freelance columnist with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the writing industry. He handles every project he works on with precision while keeping attention to details and ensuring that every work he does is unique.

Succeed With A Perfect Dissertation

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