@Sylvie Lacoste
HOW TO WRITE A
MASTER THESIS….
SOME ADVICE…
@Sylvie Lacoste
STRUCTURE OF YOUR THESIS
Table of Content
(List of Figures) & (List of Tables)
Executive Summary (summary your thesis on 1 to 2 pages)
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Empirical Part
Discussion (What are the main results? Comparison with the literature review)
Conclusion (managerial implications)
References
Appendix
@Sylvie Lacoste
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Imagine you are asked to hand over the executive summary to the CEO of a
company. He is interested in your thesis but does not have the time to read
50 pages.
Length:1-2pages
What to include:
Core findings
What was the problem – What did you do => main results
@Sylvie Lacoste
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
• Your introduction is what your audience will read first, so make sure it is a good one – First Impression!
• What you should include:
– Describe the relevant background
– Define important terms or concepts
– Is there a specific problem that you are interested in?
– Why is it relevant?
– Does there exist any knowledge in this area? (What do we already know?)
– Explain the specific focus of your thesis
– Structure – red thread
Your introduction must lead to your research question (s) (1 sentence)
Your research question must be analytical (why? How) and cannot remain at a descriptive level (what?)
• Your introduction should capture your audiences interest
@Sylvie Lacoste
LITERATURE REVIEW
• Use Kedge
database (the
ones which are
specific to
academic
literature):
@Sylvie Lacoste
HOW TO ANALYSE AN ACADEMIC PAPER
Read first, then write:
• Read the whole paper several times. Put it aside and write down the main findings in your own words.
Take notes
• While you read, take short notes.
Create a spreadsheet writing most interesting sentences that you may wish to use ( you will have to write
them within quotation marks in your thesis with the reference)
@Sylvie Lacoste
USING DIRECT QUOTATIONS
It is important to cite sources correctly.
• We differentiate between direct quotes and indirect quotes.
• In general, try to avoid direct quotes as much as possible.
• Except:
– You want to replicate a definition (if you fear that the meaning would be lost if you summarized the
passage with your own words).
– If you want to emphasize a particular historical language.
– If you want to make a strong point and emphasize the importance of a statement.
@Sylvie Lacoste
HOW TO USE QUOTATIONS
• “The importance a consumer attaches to worldly possessions. At the highest levels of materialism, such
possessions assume a central place in a person's life and are believed to provide the greatest sources of
sa8sfac8on and dissa8sfac8on.” (Belk 1984, p. 291)
• Materialism, generally understood as the importance consumers ascribe to worldly possessions (Belk 1984), to
many is an important goal that can be anchored in the individual’s value system (Burroughs & Rindfleisch 2002;
Richins & Dawson 1992; Rindfleisch, Burroughs, & Wong 2009).
• Scarcity implies that it requires a “large investment or physical ac8vity to either make or find it”
(Csikszentmihalyi & Rochberg-Halton 1981, p. 30).
• As a consequence, and “provided the audience is aware of its rarity” (Csikszentmihalyi & Rochberg-Halton
1981, p. 30) such an object will be “looked up to” and can leave the owner with feelings of uniqueness ,
dis8nc8veness, or superiority (Gierl & Huettl 2010; Heath & Potter 2004; Lynn & Harris 1997; Lynn & Snyder
2005; Potter 2010; Solomon 1983).
@Sylvie Lacoste
SEARCH WITH KEY WORDS
Refine your
search via the
left tabs to
select only
academic
articles,
define the
time span,
etc.
@Sylvie Lacoste
USE THE NUMBER OF CITATIONS TO SELECT HIGH
QUALITY ARTICLES
• Screen your selected articles via Google Scholar to get the number of citations
@Sylvie Lacoste
REFERENCES
Copy paste the
reference in APA
style in your
reference table
Click on the
quotation marks to
get the reference in
APA style
@Sylvie Lacoste
DIFFERENT TYPE OF LITERATURE FOR DIFFERENT
PURPOSES
To sustain your empirical
part
Blogs
professional websites
Practice-oriented journals
Literature review
ONLY ACADEMIC ARTICLES!
@Sylvie Lacoste
Some advice for good writing
• How to introduce a problem
– However, this theory/system/process/idea has its problems
– Nevertheless, the problem remains as to how...
– Despite this, little progress has been made in...
– The ques8on remains...
• Literature Review
– Many recent studies document that...
– Seminal studies include...
– Most researchers contributing to this body of work take the position that...
– According to Belk (1985) ...
– Venkatesh and Firat (1998)
• State that...
• Claim that...
• Argue that...
• Maintain that...
• Suggest that...
• Find that...
