Thesis guides
Plain guides to the parts of a thesis that slow scholars down.
We wrote these guides for the places in a thesis where scholars keep getting stuck with us. One scholar is not able to begin the literature review chapter, another is confused which statistical test to run, and someone else wants to know the format his university is asking. Similarity report also confuses many people. On top of every guide you will see the date when we last checked it. Where a guide talks about a university rule, we have put the link of the official document there itself, so please open it and check once on your own.
The guides are kept in groups below, starting with the chapter writing ones. If you already know the topic, just type one or two words in the search box above, like “Cronbach” or “abstract”, and press search. It will list the matching pages for you. Many scholars are reading two or three guides together, for example the methodology one and the statistical test one, because both decide how your data part will go.
Writing your thesis
- GuideHow to write a PhD thesisThe whole thesis, chapter by chapter, in the order that works.
- GuideWriting the thesis introduction chapterWhat goes into Chapter 1, and why you finish it last.
- GuideWriting the literature review chapterA review organised by argument, not a list of summaries.
- GuideWriting the methodology chapterEvery method choice stated, with the reason behind it.
- GuideWriting the results chapterFindings in order, tables that stand alone, no opinions yet.
- GuideWriting the discussion chapterWhere your findings meet the literature.
- GuideConclusion and future scopeClosing the thesis by answering the questions it opened.
- GuideWriting a thesis abstractProblem, method, result and meaning, in a few hundred words.
- GuideWriting a thesis acknowledgementA short, sincere page that thanks the right people in the right order.
- GuideChoosing a thesis titleA title that tells an examiner exactly what you studied.
- GuideResearch gap and problem statementShowing that your question has not been answered yet.
- GuideResearch objectives and hypothesesObjectives you can test, and hypotheses that match them.
Master’s dissertations
- GuideMBA project report formatThe chapters and front pages most MBA reports follow.
- GuideM.Tech project thesis formatChapter order and layout for an M.Tech project thesis.
- GuideDissertation vs thesisTwo words that mean different things in different countries.
- GuideFinishing a dissertation in eight weeksA realistic week-by-week plan for a tight semester.
Research design & data
- GuideChoosing a statistical testFour questions that point to the right test for each objective.
- GuideQuestionnaire designBuilding a questionnaire that measures what you meant.
- GuideSample size for a thesisA sample size you can justify when someone asks why.
- GuideCronbach’s alphaReliability, run and reported properly.
- GuideAMOS vs SmartPLSTwo SEM tools, two different methods, and how to pick.
- GuideReporting SPSS resultsTurning SPSS output into clean tables and sentences.
- GuideQualitative analysis in NVivoFrom interview transcripts to themes you can defend.
Plagiarism & referencing
- GuideUGC plagiarism rulesThe four levels, the penalties and the exclusions, in plain words.
- GuideReducing similarity the right wayLowering the score by fixing the writing, not by hiding it.
- GuideTurnitin, DrillBit and OuriginalThree checkers, three different scores for the same thesis.
- GuideZotero vs MendeleyTwo free reference managers, compared for thesis use.
- GuideCitation styles: APA, IEEE and HarvardWhich style your subject uses, with examples of each.
Formatting & university rules
- GuideThesis formatting checklistThe checks to run before the thesis goes to the binder.
- GuideAnna University thesis formatAnna University’s layout rules for the PhD thesis.
- GuideUniversity of Madras PhD thesisMadras leaves most of the layout to your RAC. Here is what it does fix, and the steps to the viva.
- GuideBharathiar University PhD thesisThe 275-page ceiling, the thin cover and the 10% check, from synopsis to public viva.
- GuideVTU PhD thesis formatTemplate, colloquium, the paper rule by USN batch, and the 10% or 25% question at Belagavi.
- GuideBangalore University PhD thesisThe 2024 regulations’ layout, the colloquium, first-author papers and the open viva at Jnana Bharathi.
- GuideOsmania University PhD thesisThree seminars, two Scopus or WoS papers with your supervisor, and a 10% plus 20% AI limit.
- GuideJNTUH PhD thesis formatBookman Old Style, four papers with your name first, and a check that caps any one source at 3%.
- GuideUniversity of Kerala PhD thesisLayout, seminar, library check and hand-in papers for a Kerala University PhD.
- GuideKTU PhD thesis formatMirrored margins, A5 copies, the synopsis and the open defence under KTU’s 2023 rules.
Publishing
- GuideChoosing a Scopus journalFinding a real Scopus journal that fits your paper.
- GuideTurning a thesis chapter into a paperCutting a long chapter down to one clear paper.
- GuideReplying to reviewersA response letter that makes the editor’s decision easy.
- GuidePredatory journal warning signsThe signs that a journal will take your fee and your paper.
Viva & submission
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