Writing your thesis chapter by chapter

Writing your thesis:chapter by chapter

Roger Watson PhD FRCP Edin FAANProfessor of Nursing

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Advanced NursingEditor, Nursing Open

Your supervisor cannot read 5000 words while you sit there

Order of contents

TitleAbstractIntroductionBackgroundMethodsResultsDiscussionConclusionReferences

Title

Should be:

As short as possible

Clearly related to the topic of the thesis

Contain vital information at the beginning

Title

For example:

A systematic review of traditional Chinese medicine

NOT:

Traditional Chinese medicine: a systematic review

Title

For example:

A randomised controlled trial of traditional Chinese medicine versus conventional medicine

NOT:

Traditional Chinese medicine versus conventional medicine: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Structured (250-300 words)

• Aims and objectives• Background• Design• Methods• Results• Conclusions

Aims and objectives

For example:

Aim: The overall aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life of clients

Objectives:

• To provide a profile of quality of life in clients• To examine relationships between quality of life and

sociodemographic factors

Introduction

Places the study in context:

• Policy• Practice• Research• Education

Chapter 1: Introduction

Should contain a problem statement:

• What is the problem?• Why is the problem worth studying?• Why are you studying the problem?• Why would anyone be interested?

Chapter 2: Literature review

• Literature review

• Demonstrates what is already known about the topic and what gaps the thesis will fill

• Identifies questions to be addressed in the thesis

• Should end with research questions/hypotheses

Common features of systematic reviews

• Research question

• Defined parameters of review

• Search terms

• Date limits

• Inclusion and exclusion criteria

• Quality assessment

• Synthesis

• (Meta-analysis)

• Reporting

Research question

A clear statement in the form of a question of what you set out to investigate, eg:

• Are practice nurses better than GPs at removing ear wax?

• Does continuing professional development improve nurses’ management skills?

• Why do older nurses leave the profession?

Hypotheses

• There will be a relationship between X and Y

• There will be a difference between X and Y

• X will be better than Y at....

Chapter 3: Methods

Design

Methods:• Sample• Data collection• Analysis

Ethics

Design

• Quantitative:– RCT, survey

• Qualitative:– ethnography, grounded theory

• Type of design:– cross sectional, longitudinal

Sample

• Population from which it was drawn

• Inclusion/exclusion criteria

• Type of sampling

• Access to participants

Type of Sampling

• Random• Simple• Cluster• Stratified

• Sequential

• Convenience

• Sample size considerations

Data collection

• Instruments used (and why)

• Validity/reliability (quantitative)

• Criteria for ensuring rigour (qualitative)

• Translation process for questionnaires

Reliability

• Internal consistency

• Test-retest

• Intra-rater

• Inter-rater

Validity

• Construct

– Content

– Criterion

– Discriminant

– Factorial

Analysis

• Specify statistical tests used

• State which statistical packages were used

Chapter 4: Results

Just state the results don’t discuss them

• Descriptive statistics (demographics)• Inferential statistics (relationhsips)• Multivariate statistics (structures; causes)

Refer to all tables and figures

Tables and figures

• See how others present these

• Don’t use raw statistical outputs

• Be parsimonious

• Can you append or put material online?

Chapter 5: Discussion

• Discuss the findings to the research questions

• Include limitations of study

• Do not overstate findings

• Implications/recommendations (policy, practice etc)

• Relate back to aims of study: were they achieved?

Chapter 6: Conclusion

• Brief summary of what the thesis shows

• Main implications

• A statement on future lines of enquiry

• NO:• References• New ideas

• Use bullet points

Order of writing

• Title• Abstract• Introduction• Background• Methods• Results• Discussion• Conclusions• References

Order of writing

• Methods• Results• Background• Discussion• Conclusions• Introduction• Abstract• Title

r.watson@hull.ac.uk

0000-0001-8040-7625

@rwatson1955