Getting the first words down on paper for your thesis can be quite difficult. What should a thesis look like? How do others do it? Thesis examples offer you something concrete to hold on to, and give an idea of the possible thesis structure used in your academic field. Curious about what an example looks like? Discover in this article where you need to go to find a good one..
Why is a thesis example useful?
When you are about to start with your thesis, you are preparing to encounter all kinds of things. You have to make a plan of action, delve into existing literature, formulate a research question, determine the method for your research, etc. You probably received a document with guidelines from your study program. However, taking in that much information all at oncecan all be a bit much. So, where do you start?
A few good thesis examples can help. By seeing how other students have approached it, you get a better idea of the end result. Or, at least how it could be done, since every thesis is unique.
From the examples, you may be able to draw inspiration for your research design or gain insight into the structure. In addition, the bibliography may be of some use to you, asthere may be articles referenced that are also interesting for your research.
Please note: every thesis is different
Getting inspiration is a good idea, but it is better not to rely entirely on one thesis written by someone else. No thesis is the same. For example, hbo theses often look different from university theses. Each study program also has its own thesis requirements.
While writing, be sure to follow the instructions of your thesis supervisor and study program. Read our article about writing a thesis for a helpful step-by-step plan to properly tackle the writing process.
For more information, see our explanation of the common thesis structure. In it, you can read which parts your thesis should contain and what should be included in each of them.
Thesis examples: University
For thesis examples written by university students, you can go to the databases of the various universities. It is best to look for thesis examples from your university. Also, look at the assessment that a thesis has received. A thesis by someone who graduated cum laude is more useful than a thesis that has been assessed with a meager pass mark.
Thesis examples written by university students can be found in the databases below. Here, you can download various university theses in PDF format.
● Delft University of Technology
● Eindhoven University of Technology
Thesis examples: hbo
Scriptie-voorbeelden hbo
Are you looking for thesis examples specifically for hbo? Then it is best to take a look at the hbo knowledge base. This knowledge base provides an overview of many theses written at Dutch universities of applied sciences.
Examples of theses:Law
Law is a popular study program, so it is not surprising that a lot of people specifically search for examples for a thesis on Law. For this, it is best to filter for Law in the database of your university. Then, you will only see examples of Law theses.
Beware of plagiarism
Have you found a thesis example that will help you a lot? Be careful not to copy segments. That would be plagiarism. Include the thesis in your source list if you derive interesting findings from it and use them in your thesis. Are you referring to information from the theoretical framework of that thesis? Then, read the articles yourself first. This prevents you from copying information incorrectly.
Doe de plagiaatcheck
Do you want to make sure that you have not committed plagiarism by mistake? Complete our plagiarism check, and find out in a few minutes.
Tip: choose a thesis example from your field
It is a good idea to ask your thesis supervisor for a thesis example from your field. Many supervisors do have an example available. Do they not have any available?
Then, you can search the various databases for theses that have previously been written within your field.
Have you found a thesis example yourself? If so, it is smart to first present that example to your supervisor. This way, you know for sure whether this thesis is suitable as an example.
What else is useful for a good thesis start?
Getting off to a flying start with your thesis requires more than a few thesis examples. Everything starts with good preparation. For example, make a well-considered choice about your thesis topic, provide a clear problem statement and delve into the existing literature. It also helps to think about the research design in advance. For example, are you going to conduct an experiment or conduct surveys?
In our helpful step-by-step plan, we will let you know exactly how you can start with your thesis.
Want to have your thesis double-checked?
Writing a thesis is quite the process. While writing, you can quickly lose track of the common thread or overlook language errors. That's why AthenaCheck's editors are here. We are happy to do the final check for you,possibly even within 24 hours!