Thesis has also been referred to as a dissertation. A thesis is a written paper presenting a writer’s research findings, discussion, results, and conclusion. A thesis is submitted to the relevant department in support of application of a professional qualification or academic degree. The term thesis has also been used in some higher learning institutions as part of their master’s or bachelor’s degree program. However, the term dissertation has been generally used to refer to a doctorate program. Thesis has also been used as the focal argument for various written works such as an essay or research paper.

The term thesis originates from the Greek culture, and refers to an intellectual or academic proposition. The classical thesis structure and presentation style entails a title page, a table of contents, an abstract, body paragraphs entailing different chapters (introduction, thesis statement, review of literature, findings, discussion, results, and conclusion), an appendix, and a reference or bibliography section. Thesis papers also differ in their structure and presentation style in line with different fields of study such as social sciences, humanities, are, sciences, technology, and many more that have huge variations between them. Thesis papers generally report on a research initiative.

The structure and presentation style of a thesis paper is supposed to give clear details of the purpose of the study, the methodology used, as well as the findings of the research project. Accordingly, different institutions may regularly determine their own presentation style that students will follow when writing a thesis work. On the other hand, there are national, regional, and international standards and principles for presenting a thesis paper, such as ISO 7144 and ISO 2145.