Writing Thesis using the Five-Chapter Model

This article is an excerpt from book titled, "Health Promotion and Education Research Methods Using the Five-Chapter Thesis/Dissertation Model,'' by Randall R. Cottrell and James F. McKenzie (2005, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.). I have used this excellent text book extensively as a reference during my PhD studies at Pakistan Navy Engineering College (PNEC), Karachi-Campus, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad. This book offers very useful and focused guidance covering all stages of the research work phase. This article provides first-hand knowledge to a well explained thesis writing model in order to motivate PhD students to start their journey. I have tailored a part of it for science and engineering areas. 

The preface clearly outlines the theme of the book. The writing of thesis is explained using a five-chapter model. "The purpose of writing a thesis or dissertation in graduate school is to teach students how to conduct a research project in a very systematic and prescribed manner ...'' Authors recommend students to consult their research committee chair and department for specific requirements. 

Once a student has identified his or her research area and ready to start writing, he or she begins writing literature review i.e. chapter II. An important point to note is that a written draft needs multiple revisions before it considered final. Therefore, patience is the key and keep writing is the pace. Next is the chapter I which explains research question and purpose with at least one closely related example. Data collection instruments are the focus of chapter III whereas chapter IV is about data analysis and results. The final chapter V discusses findings and makes recommendations.

The suggested guideline is to start by writing chapter II (literature review), chapter I (introduction), chapter III (data collection methods), chapter IV (data analysis and results), and chapter V (discussion on findings and suggest recommendations). Each book chapter starts by listing objectives and key terms. The book chapter ends with a summary, review questions, and references. In the following paragraphs, I explain these chapters further as outlined in this book.
"After literature has been collected, reviewed, and written in note format, it is time to begin writing the first draft of a thesis or dissertation's chapter II.'' The organization is the key here. Putting the first words on paper are sometimes difficult, so it is easier to begin writing a section of this chapter. This chapter is written in the past tense like telling a story. The objective is to analyze the relevant literature, sometimes in a critical manner. This a fairly complex task requiring considerable thought and deliberation. The draft should reflect a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the topic and demonstrate a through command on the area of study. Authors recommend to review several other theses and observe the style of writing. "... one of the most difficult tasks embedded in the larger research process is narrowing your research topic to a manageable project."
Chapter I begins with an introductory section which summarizes information concerning the thesis. The purpose and importance of research is supported by relevant literature. Establish who is susceptible to this serious problem accompanied by a brief history (not literature review) and short explanation. Explain the previous attempts to solve the problem before presenting the research question or problem. The introductory section is written in past tense within four to eight pages. "The research problem is typically written in a purpose statement,'' which clearly describes the focus of research. The use of appropriate words in problem/purpose statement is very important.
In public health and education research, chapters III and IV involve selection of data collection methods; and analysis and results, respectively. I translated it for science or engineering area as follows. Write development of algorithms and their implementation based on your (un)published research. In my case it refers to include extended versions of my publications carefully paraphrased with references to original publications. Describe data used as input to developed algorithm(s) with appropriate references. Need to write the complete procedure from input to output. The results are briefly summarized in chapter III and later discussed in detail and compared with recent approaches in chapter IV. In chapter IV, explain applications and limitations of developed algorithms or tools in a clear manner with examples.
Chapter V is about conclusions based on research findings and future recommendations. I removed discussions part as chapter IV has it. Comparatively, this is a shorter chapter and approximately half or less that of Chapter I. At this point remember to revise chapter I and abstract accordingly. There exists other pages in a thesis for example title, abstract, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, preface, acknowledgments, references, appendices, author's resume, etc. The final version include a completion certificate page, author's non-plagiarism assurance, publication rights, etc.
This article is written by Dr. Tariq Javid Ali Mughal, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, Heavy Industries Taxila Education City (HITEC) University, Taxila Cantt, Pakistan. A special acknowledgment to Engr. Idris Mala, Associate Professor, Usman Institute of Technology, Karachi, Pakistan for related discussion. [Creation date: 04 April 2013]