Master’s Thesis Outline Example
A master’s thesis is a research project undertaken by students seeking to achieve a master’s degree. The students are required to present new knowledge and practices related to their fields of study. Writing a master’s thesis requires students to research new concepts and defend their meaning.
The following is a master’s thesis outline example:
Master’s Thesis Outline Example
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter should introduce and provide an overview of your research. It includes:
- An overview. Give a brief explanation about why you are undertaking the study and the main problems that you are going to address.
- Statement of the problem. Discuss the problem that you are going to address in the research. State the problem generally first, then state the specific problems that your research will address.
- Purpose. The purpose of a research is to acquire knowledge to address the problem or its certain aspects.
- Research questions. Research questions address problems of the study. Each question seeks answers to a specific problem situation described in your study.
- Significance of the study. Discuss the potential significance of the research. Significance comes from the uses that might be made of your results and how they might benefit your theory, knowledge, practice, policy and future research.
- Conceptual framework. Briefly summarize the conceptual framework derived from the literature review reported in chapter 2. Conceptual framework is the theoretical foundation that helps you understand the problem situation and its dynamics.
- Summary of methodology.
- Limitations.
- Definition of terms.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
The literature review should carefully examine previously conducted research which is thought to be relevant to the key aspects of your research. It addresses:
- The problem to be addressed in your study and its significance.
- The conceptual framework.
- The research questions.
- The research methodology.
This chapter includes:
- Introduction. The introduction should state the topics that you will cover and the purpose of the review. Briefly describe the methods of review.
- Description and critique of scholarly literature. Describe and briefly critique each major theoretical discourse and conceptual discussion. Identify both the strengths and weaknesses.
- Assumptions for forthcoming study. Analyze the individual sources that you have described. The assumptions could be about:
- The problem that you will address in your research and its significance.
- Possible research questions.
- Possible theoretical framework to be used.
- Possible research methodologies to be used.
- Conceptual framework for forthcoming study.
Chapter 3: Research and Design Methodology
The methods are the procedures that you will use to acquire evidence and analyze it for the purpose of answering research questions, testing hypotheses and examining foreshadowed problems. This chapter includes:
- Methodology
- Exploratory questions
- Research procedures
- Human participants and ethics precautions. Summarize potential risks to humans whom you collected your data from in your research and the precautions you have taken to ensure informed consent.
Chapter 4: Findings
Present important results in a table, graph or chart and the less important ones in a table. Report the results in sufficient detail to justify any subsequent conclusions and recommendations.
Chapter 5: Interpretation Conclusion and Recommendation
In this chapter, you provide meaning to the results by tying them to past theory, research, policy and partly tying them to future theory. It includes:
- A summary. Give a brief summary of your problem and the main results of your research.
- Conclusions.
- Interpretation.
- Recommendations.