Layout Your Evidence

Having a ton of evidence is never an assurance that you will ace your thesis. You should know which evidence is necessary and which is expendable. More so, you should also know how to properly explain the gathered data to readers. Use the following guidelines and your evidences will make your thesis standout from the rest.

• Use evidences taken from primary sources. These could be journal articles or entire books devoted to the topic of your thesis. Secondary sources are also necessary, for they can help clarify your position and define the direction of your work. You, however, should remember that secondary evidences have to be scholarly as well. In gathering sources, check which ones are too broad, and which ones are too narrow.

• Of course, it is not enough to present your evidences; you also have to explain them. Readers will not simply believe your argument just because it is backed up by a slew of data, imagery, statistics, tables and selected quotes. Try explaining your evidences by using narration. Readers will understand your evidences more if you present them with a literary flair.

• You should never, except on rare instances, quote a secondary source. The purpose of your thesis is to convince people using your own words and not the words of other authors or historians. Better if you paraphrase the quote, and just cite its source.

• Quote only primary sources only if you need to provide specific evidence for your point of view, to add lively words to the narration, and to challenge or criticize the words of a famous person. Even then, quote only parts of the passage that are necessary and rephrase the rest.

• Repeating your assertions will not persuade anybody. Analyze your evidence and show readers how it supports your argument. There are also evidences that will contradict your point of view. Don’t ignore them. Use these objecting evidences to build your thesis; prove to professors that despite opposition, your argument is still more powerful.

Matters to be Discussed in the Preliminary Meeting

Your initial meeting with your thesis supervisor is a critical part of your project that it has to be done right before you could even begin researching. Here are some of the important topics that are usually tacked during the first meeting; these will help you meet the specific requirements of your thesis.

• Established laws on how to produce a good thesis
• Rules your university has on thesis writing.
• Guidelines on how to get your thesis topic approved.
• Planning and forming a thesis committee.
• Timeline for the writing and completion of the thesis
• Rules your university has on the use of its equipment or labs.
• Formulating the topic of your project
• Information gathering and analysis
• The frequency and purpose of your student-supervisor meetings
• If required, courses you need to take
• Trainings, workshops or seminars you need to attend
• Acknowledgement or publishing opportunities for your work
• Research ethics and plagiarism
• Presentation of the final work
• Where to get financial support

These are just some of the issues you can discuss with your supervisor during your initial meeting. More will arise as you move forward in your project.

Standards to Consider in Preparing a Manuscript

Your thesis, more than just having a compelling argument, needs to abide by the following format and technical standards in order to win the approval of professors.

Paper - Use a standard white 8 ½ x 11-inch paper.

Margin - The margin of the top, bottom and right side of the page should be 2.5 cm. Leave a 3.25 margin on the left side of the page for the binding.

Font - Use a font that is reader-friendly or commonly used by theses, like Times New Roman or Arial.

Spacing - Choose the double-spacing or 1.5 spacing between lines because they are easy on the eyes. To be sure, ask your professor if he has a specific preference.

Page Numbering - Before submitting your final copy, make sure the pages are properly numbered. Do not place a number on the title page, but consider it as a page on the table of contents. Pages after the title page until the page before the first chapter should be marked with Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, v…). Then, the rest of the pages have to be marked with Arabic numbers.

Illustrations – Make sure your illustrations, tables, graphs and images follow the specific layout of your discipline. To be sure, ask your professor or check the theses done by other students in your field of study about this layout. Your work will most likely be photocopied, so do not put graphs that are colored-dependent.

Printing - To have a clean and legible manuscript, use laser or high-quality printers. These printers will also make all the graphics, photographs and illustrations in your thesis clear and alive in color.

Avoid using the following materials as they can make your thesis look sloppy and photocopying difficult: adhesive tapes or rubber cements, colored papers (unless necessary in your discipline), and excessively large illustrations.