Text 3 How to Write a Master's Thesis

Students learning how to write a Master's Thesis will first learn that a central thesis question must be presented and subsequently answered. A Master's Thesis will be the most prominent piece of your graduate work, and a pertinent (уместный) thesis question that forms the spine (сущность) of this work elevates it from the prosaic to the significant. A judicious (разумный) question will also keep research focused, organized and interesting.

Steps:

1. Choose carefully the question for the Master's Thesis that will generate important research and answers for the members of the educational community and their clients. The candidate for a Master's Thesis must answer the thesis question with conviction and clarity in the written presentation submitted to complete a Master's degree. Make sure that your question and the answers provided will provide original content to the body of research in existence;

2. Prepare a clear statement of the central thesis question that you intend to answer with your research;

3. Review the literature and research currently available that is relevant to your Master's Thesis. This review of the literature must be exhaustive to ensure that your Master's Thesis will be important and not be redundant. Take notes on the background information on the people involved in the available material;

4. Conduct the research necessary to completely answer the central question of your Master's Thesis;

5. Prepare an outline (план, конспект) of your work that you will present to the faculty board before the degree is conferred;

6. Write up the results of your study and research according to the format preferred by your faculty board.

• Prepare a clear and concise introduction that presents the central question and its importance to the body of research in the subject matter.

• Summarize the previous research, questions and answers provided by peers (коллеги) and how your work adds to the knowledge on the subject.

• Describe the research completed and the answer to the question presented.

• Write a powerful conclusion which details the importance of this Master's Thesis to the subject community, and the direction that future researchers might follow to continue with relevant information on the subject.

• Provide background information on the references used in the work. Make sure that you provide these in accordance with the format adopted by your faculty board (совет).

• Add appendices at the end of your work in accordance with the format of your faculty board that are germane (уместны) to your work but tangential (касаются) to the central question of your Master's Thesis.

• Remember why you are writing a Master's Thesis and who will want to read and use the material. You write a Master's Thesis for members of your community so they will have extensive knowledge and experience before reading your work. Don't bore them with unnecessary material.

• An exhaustive (исчерпывающий) review of the literature and research available on similar topics will save you from time consuming revisions before presenting your work.

• Choosing the perfect question before starting research will prevent frustration and save time. Rigorous effort on finding the perfect question is probably the most important task when learning how to write a Master's Thesis.

• Consult other people who have done their thesis at Master’s Degree.