The thesis report is outlined and written according to the reporting instructions of Karelia UAS. The report should also follow the guidelines for good scientific practice of The Finnish National Board on Research Integrity. It is recommended to start writing at the early stage of the thesis process. Communication teachers and thesis supervisors give advice on reporting matters. The thesis report is submitted for comments to the thesis supervisor, and, if agreed, to the representative of the commissioning organisation. The student will edit the report with the help of the feedback.
The thesis report should include the following:
Make a draft of the outline and contents of your thesis as early as possible. Start writing right away by taking down notes and writing short text passages. Then add more text as you progress. Writing helps you process and organise your ideas and the contents of your thesis. During the process, writing functions as a tool for thinking.
Your report should progress logically from one topic to another and be structured by effective headings and subheadings. The contents page outlines the whole report and gives the general view of what it contains. Similarly, the reader is able to see the relation and extent of different topics chapter by chapter. Contents should be balanced and aligned, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Well organised text is a clear sign of a good writer.
Remember to cover everything that is essential for the reader to understand your report. However, do not include irrelevant aspects. Effective text is consistent and coherent with a logical progression of complete ideas.
Introduction
The purpose of the introduction is to lead the reader into the topic. It should arouse the reader’s interest and give him or her the background information of the thesis. The introduction should include the leading idea. Introduce the topic, objectives and the general decisions regarding your task or research. The introduction should never include results. If the introduction seems to be too long, it is worthwhile to consider if something can be moved to other chapters.
Knowledge Base
Constructing the knowledge base starts already when you are writing the literature review. The knowledge base refers to the theoretical background that is built with the help of relevant literature, such as research reports, articles, and other publications. Introduce relevant research and perspectives. Make sure that the knowledge base contains the important aspects of your thesis because later in the discussion you should relate your results to the prior knowledge on the subject.
In this section, you should also define the most essential concepts and terms that are important for understanding the thesis. Pay special attention to the unclear and ambiguous terms and concepts, so that the reader would know in which meaning they have been used. If there are many special terms, acronyms or abbreviations, you can create a separate list and place it after the contents page.
Methods
Describe the methods that you have used, as well as what you have done to accomplish the task and reach the objectives. If you are writing a research-based thesis, introduce the data collection methods, the target group or informants, your data and the analysis methods. If your thesis is practice-based, describe the action plan or development methods, operative environment, step-by-step process and your analysis methods.
Analysis
Introduce your data analysis or the actions and procedures that you have taken. In a research-based thesis, analyse your data in detail and organise your text according to the methods of the analysis. If your thesis is practice-based, describe how the different stages have been implemented.
Results
In the results section, you introduce the results or products of your thesis. Plan the order of the results so that the reader can easily find the relevant and most important results. Make sure that you present answers to all the questions that you have introduced at the beginning of the report and refer to the objectives and aims that you have set for your thesis. The results section provides the background for your discussion that follows.
Discussion
Discuss the implementation and results of your thesis in connection with the knowledge base and professional field. Likewise, consider how you have reached the objectives. Provide a critical evaluation of the chosen approach and methods. Discuss the ethical aspects, credibility and reliability as well. The discussion can also include a reflection on your professional development and learning process. It is good to conclude this section with future orientation and include possible ideas for further research or development. Additionally, it is wise to connect the discussion on the importance of the thesis to wider professional and societal contexts. Spend adequate time writing the discussion section and make use of the notes that you have written during your thesis process.