To be a thesis, or not to be - The term "thesis" is a common word in academia and tertiary education. Another companion term to "thesis" is the term "dissertation". These two terms are often confused, and dictionaries are not helpful.
The interchangeable use of these terms causes even more confusion, as colleges and universities also get them confused. Making it even more confusing, departments in the same institution sometimes use the terms differently. The terms also have different meanings to different people. An instruction to write a thesis by one supervisor may mean something quite different to another supervisor.
It is no surprise that students find it difficult to understand what is a thesis, and what is a dissertation. What we know is that the word thesis and dissertation are used mostly for documents that students write to obtain a master’s or doctoral degree, with this final document sometimes referred to as the Capstone project to the degree.
Depending on which side of the Atlantic you live, the terms thesis and dissertation are often used differently. In the United States, for example, a thesis is most often written by a master’s student, and a dissertation by a doctoral candidate.
In Europe and other parts of the world, including South Africa, a thesis is completed by a doctoral candidate and a dissertation by a master’s student.
To confuse matters even further, you might be asked to write a "thesis statement" as part of an essay or project and wonder how all these terms relate to one another.
When embarking on postgraduate studies and to avoid confusion, it is important to understand exactly what is expected of your writing for a master's qualification or a doctorate. Irrespective of the names given to the documents, it is therefore important you consult your academic supervisor for clarity.
The word "thesis" originates from the Greek word "tithenai", which means "to place or position". Later, this evolved to the Latin word ‘thesis,’ which has two meanings, "an abstract question" and "to put something forward".
The word dissertation originates from the Latin word "dissertare", which means "to continue to discuss". The Latin word "disserere" means to "examine and discuss".
The meanings of the words "thesis" and "dissertation" in academia have become quite confounded. They are used in different ways by different people, bringing about much confusion to postgraduate students. But let us try to sort out their sounder meanings.
The modern definition of a thesis is "to propose an argument or hypothesis". In terms of a postgraduate academic document, a thesis is a document in which you make a proposition which is maintained by an argument. A dissertation, on the other hand, is simply defined as a lengthy, formal academic document. One can probably understand why thesis and dissertation can be used interchangeably. Both are lengthy academic documents written towards a postgraduate qualification. It is therefore important that, through discussions with your academic supervisor, you obtain a clear understanding of what is expected of your document so that you can be awarded a degree at your institution.
When the term "thesis" is combined with the term "statement", the meaning is about defining your argument in a short statement. In layman's terms, a "thesis statement" is a short introduction to your academic document, in which you frame your argument or claim. It can be used in many different academic documents. A good thesis statement would consist of a few short sentences making a claim that is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence to produce your academic document.
To avoid the confusion that exists between the words, thesis, and dissertation, let us rather refer to these documents simply as academic documents.
The pinnacle of academic studies and proof that you are an expert in a topic comes in the form of a PhD or Doctorate and with prestige. Towards completing a PhD, you need to complete a long-form document. This document is like a Master’s document but is substantially longer and is generally written to put forward the results of original research.
Similarities between doctoral and master’s academic documents:
- Both are research papers.
- Both are written as part of achieving higher degrees.
- Both are similar in structure.
Differences between doctoral and master’s studies
- Scope
- Assessment
- Duration of study
- Length of the document
- Word count of the document (varies greatly)
Working towards a doctorate usually requires a master’s degree as a prerequisite. However, not all master’s degrees require an academic document as a final Capstone project. Therefore, before you embark on a master’s programme, first establish if a long-form final document is required, and make sure that you are willing to do the work required for such a degree.
A master’s programme that requires an academic document will generally take longer to complete and for good reason. There are several advantages to submitting an academic document for your qualification.
During your research, you will dive deeply into a topic and learn several new skills. You will experience a feeling of satisfaction once you have successfully completed the difficult and comprehensive task of doing the research and writing up your results.
Your final academic document is something to show with pride and could become the springboard to your future career. Particularly with employers who often prefer job applicants who have completed a master’s degree. A master’s degree is a showcase of your skills and demonstrates your authority on a topic. Top master’s graduates often publish their research in academic journals giving them an even higher level of credibility and prestige.
Master’s and doctoral academic documents have the same basic format, which also has similarities with published research articles. Because examiners have expectations when grading documents, it is important to avoid deviating too much from the expected structure.
A master’s document should reveal that you understand the research process and is substantially shorter than a doctoral document. In a doctoral academic document, you should demonstrate that you are an expert on a topic in a specific disciple, besides showing that you can do research.
A postgraduate document, whether a thesis or dissertation, should include the following basic sections.
The introduction of your document explains the topic and central argument you plan on making. It should present the reasons for choosing the topic, the aims of your research and the scope. You should also summarise your methodology and provide a brief summary of the structure of your document.
In your literature review, you should review the current body of knowledge and pre-existing research on your chosen topic. This would include looking at research papers, relevant studies, journal articles or any other relevant area of information you might find on the topic.
In your literature review, you are expected to identify gaps and weaknesses in the existing research that supports your claims and arguments.
In your methodology section, you should refer to the strategy and rationale of your research project. This section should include the methods that you used and the theories or principles that support them.
You should clearly show your approach to the development of your objectives, being the steps you took to execute your research. Methods are the specific tools and procedures used to collect and analyse your data (experiments, surveys, and statistical tests).
After completing your research, you need to present the results and findings. Typically, you should simply present and describe your data and not discuss the meaning. This is where you present your analysed data using graphs, graphics, or tables. The discussion of their meaning is usually presented in the discussion section. However, some supervisors may expect you to combine the results and discussion into one chapter.
Now that you have presented your results, you need to interpret and explain the meaning. It is important to connect your research to your current understanding of the topic by relating your results to the work of other scholars in the field. Finally, state your conclusions and suggest potential future research.
How your thesis or dissertation is graded and assessed varies from department to department and from institution to institution. When you embark on your studies, your academic supervisor should provide you with details on the grading process and grading requirements.
The most common grading process involves a group of examiners who will read your document and grade it according to the specifications of your institution. If you are being graded for a doctorate, at some institutions you could also be expected to present your research in person to a committee of academic scholars. This oral presentation is commonly referred to as a viva. The viva is a form of academic panel interview where you present your research and scholars can ask you questions.
The process of taking on a master's or doctoral qualification and writing up your research in a thesis or dissertation can be daunting and very overwhelming. Unfortunately, help and guidance may be limited at your institution. There is no need to let the stress and fear cause you such distress and compromise your choice of doing postgraduate studies.
There is help available, you only need to go looking for it. You could ask for help from your peers or from external consultants that are academic writing coaches and mentors.