Mika Alavaikko and Arja Suikkala
The drafting of reports for research and development projects and the reading of such reports with a critical mindset require important development and innovation competences of social and health care professionals (see Sosiaalialan ammattikorkeakoulutuksen kompetenssit [Competences in social care education in universities of applied sciences; only in Finnish] 2016; Eriksson et al. 2015). Reports are written in accordance with relatively well-established principles. Understanding the principles helps you to write your reports as well as to adopt a critical attitude towards the reports of others. This article discusses the structure of monographs and theses consisting of several separate parts. However, the structure presented here is not the only possible structure for a report. The structure may also follow the IMRAD model (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) (Day 1989) or the Problem-Solution Model (Morton i.a.).
The thesis report continues to develop during the entire thesis process. Even if a thesis is structured of individual publications created during the thesis process, the author or the group of authors always needs to write a report at the end. An extensive article in a professional publication or a refereed article in a scientific publication, written by the author(s), forms the exception.
The thesis report usually consists of the beginning, the treatment and the conclusion. This structure is slightly different for research-oriented and development-oriented theses even though development work follows the same principles as research. The beginning section consists of the cover followed by the title page and the abstract in Finnish and English. The treatment includes the introduction, the theoretical and conceptual definition of the subject area, the implementation, the description of the research and development methods applied in the implementation, the presentation of the results or outputs, and the discussion. The report ends with sources and appendices. (Kananen 2012.) The instructions concerning the style, language and reference practices in thesis reports are available in this guide in Implemantation of Written Works.
The following presents the structure of monographs (TABLE 1), then proceeds to the structure of theses consisting of several separate parts (TABLE 2).
TABLE 1. Structure of a monograph
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1. INTRODUCTION
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2. THEORY AND KEY CONCEPTS
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3. METHODS
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4. PROCESS DESCRIPTION Research-focused theses describe the research environment, the target group, data acquisition and data analysis. The elements of the research and its progress must be reported so that they can be reiterated: in principle, a critical reader should be able to repeat the research and study the appropriateness and reliability of the methods. Development-oriented theses describe the ways in which the development project, event or output was planned, implemented and assessed. The process, especially the critical process phases, must be documented with care so that their reporting in writing is made possible. |
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5. RESULTS Results are presented through mirroring the outputs of the thesis process (part 4 above) to the theory and key concepts (part 2 above). What results did the thesis produce or what results will it produce? The results of a research-oriented thesis are qualitative and/or quantitative research results. The possible outcomes of a development-oriented thesis process include new products, projects, services and business ideas. If the outcome is a product, it must be appended to the thesis report. If this is not possible, the thesis should have an appendix that describes the product in an appropriate way, e.g. at the level of the headings. The outcome may consist of an increased public awareness of the subject area; or it may consist of a new procedure taking root in the practice of a professional community, in some other community or in society. |
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6.CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION AND ASSESSMENT
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TABLE 2. Structure of a thesis consisting of several separate parts
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1. INTRODUCTION
For a thesis that consists of separate parts, the subject and goals must be defined with a view to the entire thesis. |
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2. THEORY AND KEY CONCEPTS
For a thesis that consists of separate parts, the theory and concepts must cover the entire thesis, not only the individual parts. |
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3. DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS, METHODS APPLIED, RESULTS Relating to each part, include a description of:
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4. CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION AND ASSESSMENT
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The thesis structure described above does not depict the report writing process in a time order. For example, the section Theory and key concepts may change during the process. The theoretical and conceptual approach documented in the planning phase may well be made more specific in the later phases of the process. Similarly, the research questions and goals may change and be made more specific as the thesis process moves on. During the reporting phase, it is good to look back on the process and ask the same basic questions that were presented in the planning phase (see Thesis Plan Instructions in this publication). Has the thesis process reached the goal that was set for it? Is the intended product now ready? Does the collected data provide the answer for the research questions posed at the beginning of the process? Has the work process been improved as planned?
A good thesis report describes clearly what the goal of the thesis is, what steps have been taken to reach that goal, and whether or not the goal has been reached. The report cannot include everything that took place during the process. All parts of the report must work well in relation to all the others, and their contents must be interrelated. For example, part 2 cannot discuss a subject matter different from part 4.
If the thesis is a functional one (such as an event) or a product, it is important to note that the key element is the process which gives rise to the event or product. In such a case, the data acquisition must focus on the development process that results in the event, service or product as well as the phases of that process; the targets of data acquisition may include e.g. the memos and other recordings from the relevant meetings and workshops. The description of the process focuses on the issues most essential for the end result.
The conclusions, discussion and assessment may bring up interesting ideas and observations that are not related to the key questions of the thesis but, nevertheless, deserve to be mentioned in the report.
It is important to pay attention to documenting the entire thesis process. The thesis writer must make notes of the process during the various process phases (brainstorming, planning, implementation, assessment). They are necessary for the writing of the report. The notes must provide at least diary-like basic information (what was done, with whom, where and when). In some cases, more detailed notes are well founded. For example, if you present an abstract or poster of your own, you should jot down detailed observations immediately after your presentation. It is also possible that one of the authors presents a poster and the other authors record their observations about the situation so that these notes may be made use of in reflective assessments.
When a thesis implementation consists of partial achievements, the process-like quality of the work becomes emphasised. Notes help in this case as well. Often, the decisions made at the beginning of the process influence the later phases of the process. A thesis process consists of decisions and choices. To report on these decisions and choices, you need notes.
For secrecy classifications of theses, see Diak Degree Regulations.