Writing
a thesis is a must
Writing
a thesis or project work is a requirement for the award of a diploma,
undergraduate degree, post graduate degree or any higher academic qualification
you are pursuing. Writing a thesis could sometime be hectic depending on the
nature of the topic, information resources available, period allowed for the
work and other technical know how’s.
When
and where to start
Whiles
you approach you final year, you should look for a topic that you are familiar
with depending on your program of study. For example the topic “factors
contributing to low case detection of tuberculosis in Sub-Saharan Africa” would
be a good topic for a student studying health related programs because there
will be familiarity of words and terms which an engineering student may find
difficult. You can have a number of topics to write about and it is up to you
to decide which one is the most convenient.
Organize
yourself
Now
take a pen and a piece of paper and organize your work before you even open a
book or browse the Internet for information; ask yourself the following
questions:
1. What
kind of information do I need? The information should be related to your topic of study
2. Where
will I get such information from? You can get information from textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, journals, newspapers, public talks, TV programs,
and magazines and of course the internet
3. Do
I know how to use the source? Know how to use Catalogues, indexes and the computer. You should also know their advantages and disadvantages as well.
Know
the your faculties text format
Familiarize
yourself with your faculty’s texting format. A typical APA format of the
College of Health and Well-Being Kintampo would look like the following:
|
Chapter
|
Heading
|
Content
|
|
Cover Page
|
Name of
college
|
Research
topic, Award type
|
|
Front matters
|
Declaration,
Abstract, Acknowledgement,
Dedication,
Table of Content, List of Tables,
List of
Figures, List of Abbreviations
|
|
|
Chapter
One
|
Introduction
|
Background
to the Study , Problem Statement , Objectives, Significance of the Study,
Limitations
of the Study
|
|
Chapter
Two
|
Literature
Review
|
Depends on
your objectives
|
|
Chapter
Three
|
Methodology
|
Study
Design, Study population
Sample
Size, Sampling Technique
Variable
Studied, Instrument for Data Collection, Pretesting, Data Collection
Technique,
Data
Presentation and Analysis,
Ethical
Consideration
|
|
Chapter
Four
|
Results
And Discussion
|
Results,
Discussion
|
|
Chapter
Five
|
Summary,
Conclusion And Recommendation
|
Summary,
Conclusion Recommendation, References, Appendix
|
Follow
the rules
Some
students turn to copy other people’s works and present them as their own for an
award. The reasons why they do this among other things are to maintain high
grade point average; they don’t have time because they are busy with heavy
class loads, multiple part-time jobs and social activities. Other students take
topics that are not directly related to their program of study whilst others
are ignorant of plagiarism.
Avoid
plagiarism
You
should know that taking other peoples work and presenting it as your own is
stealing and lying. You are also cheating and this is against any college or
university rules. Your work will be rejected and you won’t graduate. Avoid this
at all cost.
