Typical components

A typical thesis has a title page, anabstract, atable of contents, and abibliography. Other components might include acknowledgements, a dedication, indexes and appendices, glossaries, lists of tables, images or figures, lists of abbreviations, and so on.

Other names and practice of academic theses worldwide

The name for an academic thesis and the practice of its writing often vary across different countries and different academic degree obtained.

At English-speaking Canadian universities, writings presented in fulfillment ofundergraduatecoursework requirements are normally calledpapers, term papers or essays. A long paper presented for completion of an honours degree is sometimes called a major paper, or, more rarely, an undergraduate thesis or honours thesis. Major papers presented as the final project for a masters degreeare normally calledtheses; and major papers presenting the student's research towards a doctoral degreeare calledtheses or dissertations.

At Francophone Canadian universities, the procedure is roughly the same, however, the term applied to a study associated with masters work is referred to as a "mémoire," and one associated with doctoral work is referred to as a "thèse." Either work can be awarded a "mention d'honneur" (excellence) as a result of the decision by the examination committee, although these are rare.

A typical undergraduate thesis might be forty pages. Masters theses are approximately one hundred pages. PhD theses are usually over two hundred pages, and may reach nearly five hundred pages in exceptional cases.

UK

At UK universities, the term thesis is usually associated with a Ph.D.(doctoral) orM.Phil.degree, while dissertation is the more common term for the research project required for an undergraduate degree, although it is not always a necessity, and degrees can be certified for completing other equivalent work. They are often capable of swinging the mark the student may achieve due to their importance.

In recent years there has been a growth of websites which offer research help to students writing Dissertations especially in the UK where there is an emphasis on Coursework in terms of the marking and final degree grading. This has caused a great of media attention as Universities and Educators have suggested that they are used by 'cheats'.

US

In the majority of USdoctoral programs, the term "dissertation" can refer to the major part of the student's total time spent (along with 2–3 years of classes), and may take years of full-time work to complete. At some universities,dissertation is the term for the required submission for the doctorate and thesis refers only to the master's degree requirement. At many others, the word thesis is used for both.

Graduate students in many programs throughout the USare either required to write a thesis at the end of their studies or have opportunity to take a "thesis track" leading to graduation. Students who opt for the thesis route often are seeking to continue on for doctorates or are seeking employment where such an experience is valued.