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Software to draw illustrative figures in papers

I would like to have suggestions of good software for drawing illustrations in research papers. I already know about Xfig , but this works only on Linux and is at times, clunky when it comes to text. Moreover the resolution is not always perfect making it difficult to manoeuvre the objects. Besides it is tough to learn and master, with all its weird click procedures.

I would love to know about better alternatives. Not talking about graphs here, just block diagrams and explanatory illustrations.

• There are similar questions at math.SE: e.g. this one and the linked question. –  Martin Commented Apr 12, 2012 at 7:51
• And at physics.SE - physics.stackexchange.com/questions/401/… . –  Piotr Migdal Commented Apr 12, 2012 at 8:26
• See also this answer with more recent recommendations including gnuplot, matplotlib, and R/ggplot2 : academia.stackexchange.com/questions/131445/… –  henning no longer feeds AI Commented Jun 5, 2019 at 8:02

17 Answers 17

As drawing software, I use OmniGraffle which is much more modern that Xfig, but based on similar principles. It's only available for the Mac and is not free, as far as I know. With little effort, one can produce very attractive diagrams.

I also use Tikz/PGF . It produces very nice diagrams and is very flexible. On the other hand, it requires that you specify the diagram in LaTeX and it has a bit of a steep learning curve.

• 30 Tikz/PGF is really great, and I would advise to start directly by tweaking some existing examples, rather than learning it from scratch. –  user102 Commented Apr 12, 2012 at 7:36
• 2 I've given some arguments for the use of Tikz at the stats site as well, see here . Mainly Tikz is pretty simple for directed graphs, and that it is much easier to maintain a template between multiple diagrams in Tikz than it is with a WYSIWYG editor. –  Andy W Commented Apr 12, 2012 at 11:59

A free, fairly portable, and very complete tool for general illustration is Inkscape . It uses SVG as its native file format, and aside from attempting to be a decent drawing tool in its own right, one of its design goals was to provide complete coverage of the features available in SVG .

For block diagrams, flow charts, and other simple sketches of process and data flow there is Dia . It's primary design goal is to duplicate the features of Visio in free software. Like Visio, it uses a stencils and connections drawing model that works really well for diagramming relationships and flow, but gets tedious when attempting to do art.

For clean layout of directed or undirected graph diagrams, it is difficult to beat the Graphviz tools. They are primarily designed to be used from a textual description ( a concise intro here (PDF)) of the graph, but there are various GUI tools that can edit their .dot files.

I know that TikZ was mentioned already, but I think it deserve its own answer. It is different from Omnigraffle just like TeX is different from Word . But, if you're up for the effort, you'll enjoy the freedom of producing extremely high quality figures!

True, using TikZ for "heavy" diagrams can lead to lengthy compilations, but this can be solved using the externalize library of TikZ , or the Standalone class. See also this possible approach using make .

Although TikZ is not at all WYSIWYG, there are several editors, that enable the use to draw "by hand" the diagram and export it to a Tikz snippet. Personally, I don't have experience with this kind of combination.

Another advantage of TikZ , that as it is somewhat a programing language (after all TeX is turing-complete) you can program your diagram and use external data sources and visualize them. To that end, you can use a combination of TeX , lua or other languages of your choice.

Finally, and most important; TikZ provides an amazing live community which can help you with everything related to it. A perfect starting point would be the TeX.se .

PS: You can also have a look at pstricks . It implements a similar spirit like TikZ but... Well, I'm not using it so I cannot say much. I can say, that I saw amazing outputs of pstricks .

GeoGebra is free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for all levels of education that joins geometry, algebra, tables, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package. Constructions can be made with points, vectors, segments, lines, polygons, conic sections, inequalities, implicit polynomials and functions. All of them can be changed dynamically afterwards. Elements can be entered and modified directly on screen, or through the Input Bar. GeoGebra has the ability to use variables for numbers, vectors and points, find derivatives and integrals of functions and has a full complement of commands like Root or Extremum. Teachers and students can use GeoGebra to make conjectures and prove geometric theorems.

To add something that I personally liked a lot, it has the ability to generate TikZ code for any drawing made using the software! Also, the community recently completed a kick-starter campaign, in which they raised enough funds for an IPad version of the software, to be also available for free!

[EDIT] - The tablet app is available now, both in App Store and Google Play!

Mathematica is actually good for making all sorts of graphics. Think of it as vector graphics software, but that every control point/coordinate can be specified to the decimal.

Edit: The syntax is really clear, it is easy to procedurally construct graphics, and it has lines, arrows, bezier curves, and of course a bunch of nice builtin plot functions that one can add extra decorations to. Furthermore, it IS a programming language, so if you have multiple images, it is easy to share common components, so that a singe change affects all images (provided you use a good programming technique). It is also easy to get help with mathematica over at mathematica.stackexchange.

The included image was entirely produced via a few lines of mathematica code, for example:

I use Ipe almost exclusively. It's not well polished, and some things are non-intuitive, but it does those things I need well (simple sketches of math. structures with LaTeX formatted text). Also, LaTeX wiki book has some useful suggestions for alternatives.

The vector graphics language Asymptote is a very nice tool for both 2D and 3D images. From its website:

Asymptote is a powerful descriptive vector graphics language that provides a natural coordinate-based framework for technical drawing. Labels and equations are typeset with LaTeX, for high-quality PostScript output.

Checkout a gallery for samples. Just like TeX, you can "program" your image and obtain exactly what you want.

If you really care about typography, it is best to produce the figures and the text with the same layout engine. This is the only way in which you can be sure that fonts, stroke size and spacing match those of your text.

TikZ, already suggested in Dave Clarke's answer, solves this problem excellently for TeX. Although, like TeX, it can be difficult for a newcomer. Adobe InDesign is a WYSIWYG solution. MS Publisher is another one, although less powerful. Word has limited capabilities in this respect.

Most often, this requires access to the final article style of the journal, and is work for a typographer rather than a scientist. So it would be better left to the journal staff. However, it is an unfortunate truth that most journals try to reduce costs at the expense of quality when it comes to typography. Some of them offer "professional figure editing" as an extra paid service for authors. Some of them just take what is provided and do not care about fonts and stroke sizes.

TikZ/PGF is great when you get it to work. However, designing your stuff in this language can really be frustrating at times. If you want something a little bit easier to learn, but you still want to program your illustrations rather than drawing them yourself, check out Processing . There are a lot of excellent tutorials on this language, some of them specifically aimed towards people with no prior programming experience (for example this one ).

If you want to check out what some examples of what Processing is capable of (and how you can do it yourself), take a look at this page . As an added bonus, if you learn processing, you can later use it for creating animations, interactive applications, games, and similar things, some of which might be useful in a scientific context.

Some random examples of what Processing can do:

Also, check out this video for an example of an animation with Processing, and this video for a tutorial on how to use Processing for data visualization.

In general, if you intend to draw either mind maps or flow diagrams , you may use the conceptdraw tool. It serves both Mac and MS Windows users.

All ways that allow you to produce the graphic you want is what you should use. I have used many different software over the years. I have gradually abandoned ones when I found better alternatives.

I usually make "raw" data plots using Matlab and then use Adobe Illustrator to put the finishing touches to them (Inkscape or Corel draw would work equally well). The benefit of doing things this way is, for me, that I can add material from different sources or plots in layers and change them as I see fit. I am sure this can be accomplished in other ways but I have found my way to the final product. I also happen to like messing with graphics so that helps me to explore new ways.

I also use LaTeX and TikZ (which has been mentioned in replies) and so as I see it there is obviously no single way to generate the graphics but you need to chose the best ones. In my case: Illustrator (alt. Inkscape, Corela Draw), matlab, TikZ, and Photoshop (alt. Gimp) for photographic manipulation.

I really like using yEd for flow charts. You can easily arrange lot's of components, which is quite a pain if the tool does not provide functionality to do that (Inkscape does for example, but yEd does this even better). Also, the connections between components remain fixed, so rearranging a graph does not require you to redraw the connections. The tool is available for Linux, Mac and Windows.

To add to the mix, there are online diagramming tools available as well, namely Gliffy and LucidChart . Both have free subscriptions that allow limited use which is usually sufficient for simple diagrams. With these tools, you draw the diagram in your browser and can download it as PNG, PDF or JPEG. LucidChart allows a free upgrade if you register using a *.edu.* email address.

Another good offline tool is Microsoft Visio which works on Windows only. It is great for drawing flow charts and other simple diagrams. There are many Visio clones but none of them live up to the original. In fact, I stumbled upon the above online tools looking for Visio alternatives for Linux.

I used to use pstricks extensively, and now use TikZ/PGF . Both are excellent LaTeX packages and neither has any major advantage over the other, as far as I can tell. pstricks seems to be better at colour gradients, though possibly less accurate at colours for (.ps to) PDF output, whereas TikZ can be easier to use. Both are programming languages that allow you to use fairly sophisticated code to generate graphics, and TikZ in particular allows very helpful implicit calculations, such as "find the intersections between this curve and that curve".

Combined with other programs, these two packages can be really powerful. For more advanced pictures involving organic shapes and curves, I first draw a rough picture by hand, tidy it up with Inkscape , which is excellent vector-based graphics freeware. I then either export it to TikZ code and tidy that code up, or include the Inkscape picture as background image and manually trace over the outlined curves with TikZ. Either method involves some effort but the results are beautiful.

A second combination of methods is used when I want to show the output of computational research. After the computational work is completed, for instance by Python or C code, some further code can quickly create and compile LaTeX+TikZ code showing the output. This is particularly useful when updating a database or an Excel spreadsheet, and just running a Python script to update the associated TikZ-generated graphs and tables. It is even more useful for automatically generating high numbers of pictures, such as a large collection of heat maps to illustrate different data.

Maybe I missed it but for any workflow diagram (and not only, I do all kind of diagrams with it), I'd also mention draw.io (which is open source and can be installed from Flathub ), and its online version app.diagrams.net .

A rather new option for creating illustrations for geometric objects is Penrose . It is able to generate nice figures for different objects described in a mathematical notation. See the paper for examples and more explanation.

There are a lot of different options, as people have mentioned. For flowchart / block diagrams, I often use diagrams.net or sometimes Visio.

For further vector-image touchup I often turn to Affinity Designer, which has a commercial level of polish but is much less expensive than Adobe Illustrator.

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10 Best Free Online Drawing Software – 2024

Free AI drawing tools online 2024

Free Online Drawing Software Tools 2024 : Diagrams are effective communication elements that can visualize and make others understand our concepts faster than anything else. There are hundreds of drawing tools available online but choosing the right diagrammatic tool to draw the figures in our thesis is quite complicated also a single tool cannot be more effective for all kinds of diagrams. with this intention, ilovephd covers the top 10 free online drawing tools for effective thesis diagrams.

• Autodesk SketchBook
• Adobe Illustrator Draw
• Gravit Designer

10 Best Free AI Online Drawing Software – 2024

• Adobe Fresco
• Adobe Illustrator
• Clip Studio Paint
• Corel Painter
• Adobe Photoshop

Best Free Drawing Software Tools Online

Biorender.com.

Biorender is one of the best scientific drawing tools for researchers . This simple web application helps you to draw effective figures in the fields of biotechnology, immunology, neuroscience, and more life science research areas.

• With Biorender you can create scientific diagrams 50x faster with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. Choose the required template from the thousands of pre-made templates.
• It supports all types of formats for publications, presentations, web, or print.
• Browse over 20,000 free icons from neuroscience, immunology, microbiology, and 30+ life science fields.
• Store and share illustrations in our secure web-based application with lab and team members.

Edrawsoft.com

Edrawsoft is a scientific illustration software to draws scientific diagrams easily with the help of examples and templates. Edraw provides various professional-looking diagrams such as flowcharts, organizational charts, mind maps, network diagrams, floor plans, workflows, fashion designs, UML diagrams, electrical diagrams, science illustrations, charts, and graphs.

Features of Edrawsoft

This scientific illustration software includes the diagram templates of physics, chemistry and mathematics. shapes are designed to take the commonly used visual notations such as molecular diagrams, chemistry test, physics illustrations, and circuit diagrams.

Physics: Circuit Diagrams, Mechanics physics, Lenses, Mirrors, and Prisms, Light Sources and Waves, Magnetism, Pulleys and Levers, and Vehicles.

Chemistry: Laboratory Equipment, Chemistry Equation, Molecular Model and Organic Compounds

Mathematics: 3-D Geometry, Analytical Geometry, Angles, Circles & Ellipses.

Edraw also supports all major operating systems like Windows, MAC, and Linux OS.

Inkscape.org

Inkscape is professional quality vector graphics open-source software to create scientific illustrations, icons, diagrams, maps, and web graphics. Inkscape uses the  W3C  open standard  SVG  (Scalable Vector Graphics) as its native format.

Features of Linkscape.org

Inkscape provides various tools to draw an effective high-quality vector graphic diagram. Some of the highlighted tools are given below.

• Drawing: pencil tool (freehand drawing with simple paths), pen tool (creating Bézier curves and straight lines), calligraphy tool (freehand drawing using filled paths representing calligraphic strokes)
• Shape tools: rectangles (may have rounded corners), ellipses (includes circles, arcs, segments), stars/polygons (can be rounded and/or randomized), spirals
• Text tool (multi-line text, full on-canvas editing)
• Embedded bitmaps (with a command to create and embed bitmaps of selected objects)
• Clones (“live” linked copies of objects), including a tool to create patterns and arrangements of clones

Inkscape.org also available on Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux operating systems.

4. Gimp.org

Gimp or GNU Image Manipulation Program is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows, and more operating systems. It is  free software , you can change its  source code  and  distribute  your changes. It is easy to draw scientific diagrams with Gimp.

Features of Gimp

• It provides the tools needed for high-quality image manipulation. From retouching to restoring to creative composites, the only limit is your imagination.
• GIMP is used for producing icons, graphical design elements, and art for user interface components and mockups.
• It is a high-quality framework for scripted image manipulation, with multi-language support such as C, C++, Perl, Python, and Scheme.
• Gimp was developed under the GNU General Public License – Creative Commons (CC).

TikZiT is a cross-platform application that allows the creation and modification of TeX diagrams written using the PGF/TikZ macro library. It is especially geared toward rapidly creating “dot”-diagrams for use in academic papers.

Ti k Z and PGF are TeX packages for creating graphics programmatically. Ti k Z is building on top of PGF and allows you to easy scientific diagrams for your research paper and thesis .

6. Draw.io (Free Drawing Software)

Draw.io is one of the famous online drawing tools from open source technology. It helps to create diagramming applications, illustrations, scientific diagrams, and flow charts.

draw.io Online is free and you can store your diagrams with your favorite cloud-sharing service(Google Drive, Onedrive, and Dropbox) or on your own device.

Features of Draw.io

• Create flow charts, processing diagram charts, organization charts, and UML diagram in an easy manner.
• Draw.io supports easy network diagram creation.
• You use it both online and Offline Mode .

7. Microsoft Visio (Free Drawing Software)

Using Microsoft Visio you can draw attractive flowcharts, diagrams, org charts, floor plans, engineering designs, and more, using modern shapes and templates with the familiar Microsoft Office experience.

Features of Microsoft Visio

• You can connect your flowcharts and diagrams to real-time data.
• Applied shape formatting automatically updates your flowcharts to reflect changes in the underlying data, either in Visio or through Office 365*.
• Draw a flowchart, map an IT network, build an organizational chart, or document a business process.
• You can draw advanced data visualization using Business Intelligence(BI) by connecting your diagrams with data sources.

8. Smartdraw.com

SmartDraw Software drawing and data visualization tool to visualize data in relational formats as tree flows, and timelines, automatically, without any human input. 

Features of Smartdraw

• Build and edit diagrams easily with the help of SmartDraw’s intelligent formatting engine.
• Automatic spacing, alignment, sizing, and color schemes for a professional finish.
• You can draw CAD-like drawing abilities with standard engineering scales.
• Chart-based diagrams, Graph-based diagrams, and Schematic diagrams are very simple with SmartDraw.

9. Gliffy.com

Gliffy is Diagramming software and a cloud-based application. GliffyIt is used to create UML diagrams, floor plans, Venn diagrams, flowcharts, and various other kinds of diagrams online. Diagrams from Gliffy are wonderful and very suitable for thesis printing and research papers.

Features of Gliffy

• Draw diagrams like flow charts, Venn diagrams, org charts, AWS architecture, UML diagrams, Network diagrams, and business process models.
• Drag and drop shapes or use templates and themes.
• Add visuals directly to Jira and Confluence
• Access previous versions in the revision history.
• Share diagrams via URL or embedding.

10. Cacoo.com

Cacoo is a cloud-based drawing application. with this, you can create, edit, and comment on diagrams in real-time to visualize and document every step of the diagram creation. Cacoo helps to draw powerful scientific diagrams and flowcharts with advanced features.

Features of Cacoo

• Track when a diagram was last edited, and save diagram versions to compare changes over time.
• Create graphs and charts using your data. Import from a spreadsheet or input directly into Cacoo.
• Get high-resolution diagrams with SVG, PDF, PowerPoint, and PostScript exporting options.
• Embed your diagrams in a wiki, website, or blog, and they will automatically update when edited in Cacoo.

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10 useful apps for phd scholars, 10 free plagiarism checker tools for thesis, how to write a thesis phd thesis format, video: 10 types of plagiarism.

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These tools would be helpful to science diagram makers, free scientific figure drawing software, scientific drawing software, scientific diagrams, and Science figure maker software to draw experimental setups, scientific diagrams online, figures, drawings, draw vector diagrams.

Also, some free figure maker scientific and drawing software for drawing biological diagrams can be an alternative for Biorender. With this, we can draw biological figures and biology figure drawings.

I Hope, these online diagrammatic tools may help you to create figures online to draw a graph for a research paper, make scientific flowcharts, and make diagrams with free figure drawing software. If you know of any other useful tool, do comment below. Thank you!

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a good tool for drawing figures and diagrams for thesis and research papers [closed]

I’m looking a good tool for drawing figures and diagrams for thesis and research papers.

According to my findings, it seems like inkscape is a good tool for that purpose. Do you have some better ideas?

3 Answers 3

It depends on what sort of diagrams you need, but Dia makes it easy to create various types of flowcharts, graphs, maps, etc.; is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux; and is free.

If you have Microsoft Office, then Visio is the perennial tool for this task.

• +1 for quick reply. Most of my diagrams are related to Artificial Intelligence. –  Upul Commented Aug 28, 2012 at 3:43

I think you can use Dia Diagram Editor it is a free software and you can download it from the link below.

http://dia-installer.de/

Within academia Latex is a very popular authoring tool for documents. A stackexchange site for Latex users is Tex - Stackexchange .

Within Latex a popular tool for making figures is Tikz . A site showing a wide range of Tikz figure is http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/ .

One of the examples from the site is shown below: (Source: http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/parameterized-plots/ )

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged diagrams .

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Home » Figures in Research Paper – Examples and Guide

Figures in Research Paper – Examples and Guide

Table of Contents

Figures in Research Paper

Figures play an essential role in research papers as they provide a visual representation of data, results, and concepts presented in the text. Figures can include graphs, charts, diagrams, photographs, and other visual aids that enhance the reader’s understanding of the research.

Importance of Figures in Research Paper

Here are some specific ways in which figures can be important in a research paper:

• Visual representation of data : Figures can be used to present data in a clear and concise way. This makes it easier for readers to understand the results of experiments and studies.
• Simplify complex ideas: Some concepts can be difficult to explain using words alone. Figures can be used to simplify complex ideas and make them more accessible to a wider audience.
• Increase reader engagement : Figures can make a research paper more engaging and interesting to read. They break up long blocks of text and can make the paper more visually appealing.
• Support arguments: Figures can be used to support arguments made in the paper. For example, a graph or chart can be used to show a correlation between two variables, providing evidence for a particular hypothesis.
• Convey important information: Figures can be used to convey important information quickly and efficiently. This is particularly useful when the paper is being read by someone who is short on time and needs to quickly understand the main points.

Types of Figures in Research Paper

There are several types of figures commonly used in research papers, including:

• Line graphs: These are used to show trends or changes in data over time.
• Bar graphs: These are used to compare data across different categories or groups.
• Pie charts: These are used to show proportions or percentages of data.
• Scatterplots : These are used to show the relationship between two variables.
• Tables : These are used to present large amounts of data in a structured format.
• Photographs or images : These are used to provide visual context or examples of the research being presented.
• Diagrams or schematics : These are used to illustrate complex processes or systems.

How to add Figures to Research Paper

Adding figures to a research paper can be a great way to visually convey important information to the reader. Here are some general guidelines for adding figures to your research paper:

• Determine the appropriate type of figure: Depending on the information you want to convey, you may want to use a graph, chart, table, photograph, or other type of figure.
• Label the figure: Give your figure a descriptive title and number it. Also, include a brief caption that explains what the figure shows.
• Place the figure in the appropriate location : Generally, figures should be placed as close as possible to the text that refers to them. For example, if you mention a figure in the middle of a paragraph, it should be placed within that paragraph.
• Format the figure appropriately: Ensure that the figure is clear and easy to read. Use consistent fonts and font sizes, and make sure the figure is large enough to be easily seen.
• Cite the source of the figure: If the figure was not created by you, you must cite the source of the figure in your paper. This includes citing the author or creator, the date of creation, and any relevant publication information.
• Consider copyright : Ensure that you have permission to use any figures that are copyrighted. If the figure is copyrighted, you may need to obtain permission from the copyright holder to use it in your paper.

How to Label Figures in Research Paper

Labeling figures in a research paper is an important task that helps readers to understand the content of the paper. Here are the steps to label figures in a research paper:

• Decide on the numbering system: Before labeling the figures, decide on the numbering system that you want to use. Typically, figures are numbered consecutively throughout the paper, with the first figure being labeled as “Figure 1,” the second figure as “Figure 2,” and so on.
• Choose a clear and concise caption: A caption is a brief description of the figure that appears below the figure. It should be clear and concise and should describe the content of the figure accurately. The caption should be written in a way that readers can understand the figure without having to read the entire paper.
• Place the label and caption appropriately: The label and caption should be placed below the figure. The label should be centered and should include the figure number and a brief title. The caption should be placed below the label and should describe the figure in detail.
• Use consistent formatting: Make sure that the formatting of the labels and captions is consistent throughout the paper. Use the same font, size, and style for all figures in the paper.
• Reference figures in the text : When referring to a figure in the text, use the figure number and label. For example, “As shown in Figure 1, the results indicate that…”

Figure 1. Distribution of survey responses

In this example, “Figure 1” is the figure number, and “Distribution of survey responses” is a brief title or description of the figure.

The label should be placed at the top of the figure and should be centered. It should be clear and easy to read. It’s important to use a consistent format for all figures in the paper to make it easier for readers to follow.

Examples of Figures in Research Paper

Examples of Figures in Research Papers or Thesis are as follows:

Line graphs Example

Bar graphs Example

Pie charts Example

Scatterplots Example

Tables Example

Photographs or images Example

Diagrams or schematics Example

Purpose of Figures in Research Paper

Some common purposes of figures in research papers are:

• To summarize data: Figures can be used to present data in a concise and easy-to-understand manner. For example, graphs can be used to show trends or patterns in data, while tables can be used to summarize numerical information.
• To support arguments : Figures can be used to support arguments made in the text of the research paper. For example, a figure showing the results of an experiment can help to demonstrate the validity of the conclusions drawn from the experiment.
• To illustrate concepts: Figures can be used to illustrate abstract or complex concepts that are difficult to explain in words. For example, diagrams or illustrations can be used to show the structure of a complex molecule or the workings of a machine.
• To enhance readability: Figures can make a research paper more engaging and easier to read. By breaking up long blocks of text, figures can help to make the paper more visually appealing and easier to understand.
• To provide context : Figures can be used to provide context for the research being presented. For example, a map or diagram can help to show the location or layout of a study site or experimental setup.
• To compare results : Figures can be used to compare results from different experiments or studies. This can help to highlight similarities or differences in the data and draw comparisons between different research findings.
• To show relationships : Figures can be used to show relationships between different variables or factors. For example, a scatter plot can be used to show the correlation between two variables, while a network diagram can be used to show how different elements are connected to each other.
• To present raw data: Figures can be used to present raw data in a way that is easier to understand. For example, a heat map can be used to show the distribution of data over a geographic region, while a histogram can be used to show the distribution of data within a single variable.

Advantages of Figures in Research Paper

Figures (such as charts, graphs, diagrams, and photographs) are an important component of research papers and offer several advantages, including:

• Enhancing clarity : Figures can help to visually communicate complex data or information in a clear and concise manner. They can help readers better understand the research and its findings.
• Saving space : Figures can often convey information more efficiently than text, allowing researchers to present more information in less space.
• Improving readability : Figures can break up large blocks of text and make a paper more visually appealing and easier to read.
• Supporting arguments: Figures can be used to support arguments made in the text and help to strengthen the overall message of the paper.
• Enabling comparisons: Figures can be used to compare different data points, which can be difficult to do with text alone. This can help readers to see patterns and relationships in the data more easily.
• Providing context : Figures can provide context for the research, such as showing the geographic location of study sites or providing a visual representation of the study population.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Online Drawing Tools for Thesis

Are you tired of text-heavy research papers? Try Online Drawing Tools for Thesis to add visuals.

Yet, as we voyage through this narrative realm, a persistent difficulty emerges: How can we illuminate our text-heavy documents? How can we, as academic explorers, illustrate our ideas and findings in a manner that’s both clear and captivating?

Table of Contents

These online marvels offer more than just drawing capabilities. They are the bridges connecting the islands of your thoughts, enabling you to draw powerful scientific diagrams and evocative illustrations.

#1. Canva: Best for Simple Infographics and Illustrations

Canva, with its simple drag-and-drop interface, is a haven for anyone looking to add a sprinkle of visual flair to their thesis. Whether it’s a minimalist infographic or a vibrant illustration, this scientific illustration software delivers.

How much does it cost?

Source: https://www.canva.com

#2. Microsoft Visio: Best for Complex Flowcharts and Diagrams

For comprehensive and intricate diagramming, few tools can match the robust capabilities of Microsoft Visio.

#3. Lucidchart: Best for Collaborative Diagramming

Lucidchart is a cloud-based oasis for academics who crave real-time collaboration. It allows multiple users to work on diagrams simultaneously, a much-needed feature in group research projects.

Source: https://www.lucidchart.com

#4. Sketchboard: Best for Quick Concept Sketches

What are the benefits of Sketchboad?

#5. Vectr: Best for Basic Vector Graphics

Vectr is a beacon of hope for those looking for a straightforward tool to create basic vector graphics. With its intuitive interface and accessible functionalities, this free drawing software simplifies the process of creating visually striking diagrams for your thesis.

#6. Creately: Best for Versatile Diagramming Needs

Source: https://creately.com

#7. Draw.io (diagrams.net): Best for Simple and Quick Diagramming

When you’re racing against the clock and require a diagramming tool that’s quick on the draw and easy to manage, Draw.io comes to your rescue. 

#8. Cacoo: Best for Real-Time Collaborative Editing

With its shared workspace and real-time updates, Cacoo becomes the perfect match for those brainstorming sessions with your team. It adds that interactive spark to your thesis creation process.

#9. Gliffy: Best for Creating and Sharing Flowcharts and Network Diagrams

#10. smartdraw: best for detailed diagrams.

SmartDraw empowers you to craft compelling visuals that enrich your academic work and present your findings in a clear, understandable manner.

#11. Adobe Illustrator: Best for Professional Vector Illustrations

For those seeking professional-grade visuals, Illustrator’s advanced features and capabilities enable you to create intricate, high-quality graphics that can elevate the visual appeal of your thesis.

#12. Google Drawings: Best for Simple, Web-Based Diagramming

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

#13. Inkscape: Best for Open-Source Vector Graphics Editing

What are the benefits of Inkscape?

#14. Gravit Designer (now Corel Vector): Best for Comprehensive Vector Design Across Platforms

Gravit Designer marks its territory as a comprehensive solution for vector designing across different platforms. Its versatility, coupled with an array of features, makes it an ideal choice for those needing high-quality vector illustrations for their academic work.

Source: https://cloud.gravit.io

#15. Venngage: Best for Professional Infographics and Reports

Leave a comment cancel reply.

• Library Catalogue

Formatting your thesis: Tables, figures, illustrations

On this page

Tables, figures, illustration requirements and tips, table specifications, figures and other image specifications, image resolution and formatting, using images and objects from other publications.

• Include captions/titles/headings for tables, figures, and other illustrations as paragraph text. This allows captions and headings to be populated into the Table of Contents (ToC) or the lists that appear after the ToC.
• The maximum width for objects on a portrait page is 6 inches (15.24 cm).
• Text wrapping should be set to “In Line with Text” (no wrapping).
• notes, if any
• Source notes or footnotes for tables/figures/illustrations are inserted manually. Insert the note in the paragraph directly below the table or figure.
• Font: Arial Narrow 11pt (default), Arial Narrow 10pt [minimum size].
• To change the font or line spacing for tables see the Thesis Template Instructions .
• Font: Text in image files should follow the overall Font Specifications and be large enough to be read when inserted into the document. The font in images should appear  to be the same size as the text in your thesis.
• For example, an image 6 inches wide should be 1800 pixels wide to produce an equivalent resolution of 300 ppi. 6 inches X 300ppi = 1800px.
• ​ For best results, insert images as flattened .tif, .png, or high quality .jpg files.
• ​ Crop as closely as possible around the image to remove blank space and maximize the size. This can be done in Word or in an image editor like Photoshop or Fireworks.
• Landscape images on a portrait page should be rotated with the top of the image to the left.

If your thesis incorporates images, photos, maps, diagrams, etc., not created by you, copyright permission must be obtained from the copyright holder of those works to use their content within your thesis.  A copy of each permission must be uploaded to the Thesis Registration System.

See  Copyright at SFU  for instructions on how to obtain copyright permissions.

How to Create Precise Graphs, Diagrams or Images in a Research Paper

According to the American psychologist Howard Gardner, human intelligence can be divided into seven categories: visual-spatial, bodily kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. This implies our intelligence strengths can be different in each (so-called) intelligence profile and that everybody can be intelligent in many different ways.

Gardner says these differences “challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to test student learning.” The truth is that we learn and understand things differently, and these differences affect the manner we read academic papers. A research paper is usually a combination of written and visual information. We can assume that those who have a predominant linguistic intelligence would focus on written information, whereas those with a visual-spatial intelligence would feel more comfortable focusing on graphs, diagrams, or images. How to combine both to achieve a paper that engages readers with different intelligence profiles at par?

The Perfect Combination

The first thing we must understand is that, no matter how much visual support they have, papers are written works. Filling pages with unnecessary images, graphs, diagrams or any other kind of visual material is never a good idea. Remember that you are writing a professional academic paper and, therefore, your capacity to discern which material is important. Once this is clear, it is time to discern which information is likely to be visually demonstrated .

Some main ideas would help you to decide when to use graphs. Choose only information that can be clearer if explained visually, and only if it is so important that you desire the reader to keep focus on it more than in other parts. Besides, this piece of information must be qualitatively or quantitatively measurable.

Images can also be used to summarize; plenty of information can be perfectly summed up in a single graph. Lastly, another reason to use images is comparison. Graphs and diagrams are great tools to indicate the differences between two agents.

Do not fill up your images with too much information because it would complicate the readers’ understanding. Images combine or support the written words, but should not be used to replace them. A good combination of words and images can ease the paper’s general understanding.

Thinking Visually: How to Choose?

It is important to know the possibilities each tool offers. Graphs, for example, are good to express the mathematical relationship or statistical correlation between data. Line graphs are useful to present an evolution, circulant graphs are better to indicate proportional parts and column graphs are commonly used to compare different elements.

Researchers and academics are supposed to have a good command of graphs usage . However, the capacity of selecting which data is most likely to be shown this way makes the difference. Indeed, achieving a good command of these tools is quite difficult, but is possible with experience.

Last but not least, it is always helpful to consider the final goal of an academic paper: communication . Thus, if the graph clearly points to one of the research’s main statements, do not doubt in using it.

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• All About Thesis Methodology Flowcharts

Methodology flowchart thesis illustrations show how you plan to do your research. They help you understand your research goals and guide you in choosing the right questions, selecting samples, collecting data, and analyzing it.

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When writing a thesis, dissertation, or academic article, you need to present information in a structured way. To do this, researchers use different methods and approaches to gather and analyze data. The methodology section of a thesis is important because it explains what you did and how you conducted your research. This helps readers evaluate the accuracy and trustworthiness of your work.

Most researchers employ methodology flowchart thesis presentations to strategize, structure, portray, and conceptualize their research methodologies. This article demonstrates the importance of thesis methodology flowcharts through real-life thesis flow chart examples and a practical way to construct them.

In this article

• Importance of Thesis Research Methodology Flowcharts
• EdrawMax- A One-Stop Solution to Thesis Methodology Flowchart Designing Needs!
• How to Craft a Detailed Thesis Methodology Flowchart Using EdrawMax?

Part I: Importance of Thesis Research Methodology Flowcharts

The research thesis methodology flowcharts show how you will tackle your research questions, making your research more successful. Creating a thesis flowchart involves studying the theories and ideas that guide the procedures in your field and organizing your activities in a step-by-step order.

Research methodology flowcharts are very important because they provide a clear plan that helps researchers stay focused and makes the process efficient and manageable. It ensures that your conclusions are based on scientific principles and gives your research credibility.

Part II: EdrawMax- A One-Stop Solution to Thesis Methodology Flowchart Designing Needs!

Creating a structure for your dissertation takes a lot of time. You need to organize your ideas and have strong supporting details. If you don't arrange things in order, your ideas can become confused and unclear. To avoid this, you need a modern diagramming tool that can help you save time and focus on writing your dissertation.

EdrawMax helps you bring your ideas to life when designing thesis flowcharts. It has many useful features like a wide range of symbols, the ability to create multiple pages, helpful alignment tools, easy customization options, and various ways to export your work. Whether you're a student, researcher, teacher, or anyone in education, EdrawMax is a complete solution for all your drawing needs.

Visual Illustration of a Thesis Methodology Flowchart

Consider this practical methodology flowchart thesis example to gain insights into how a well-structured thesis methodology flowchart seems:

When you conduct research, it's important to follow a step-by-step process to ensure accurate and reliable results. This process involves discovering, collecting, evaluating, and presenting ideas in a specific order. By following this standardized procedure, your thesis will be reliable and won't have any incorrect findings. Here is the methodized step-by-step process to help you formulate your thesis research methodology:

Preliminary Strategizing

Before starting your research, it's important to plan ahead. This involves choosing the location, field, and community where you will conduct your research. It's also important to get permission from the community to conduct your research, as it's an ethical concern.

Next, you need to set a clear objective for your thesis and come up with a logical research question. You can do this by observing, studying, or analyzing a situation. Observations can be intentional, where you purposely observe a specific behavior in a community. Sometimes, research questions arise from analyzing current situations, like the coronavirus, pollution, or poverty in a certain town.

Data Collection

Collecting data is an important step in research. It involves observing or measuring things in a systematic way. Before you start collecting data, you need to clearly define your goals. You can do this by explaining the problem you want to address. For example, you might collect data on bomb blast victims or people with aggressive behaviors.

There are two types of data: primary and secondary data. Primary data is information that you collect directly from original sources. Secondary data, on the other hand, is information that has already been gathered or processed by someone else.

Data Processing

After collecting data, the next step is to decide how to process and analyze it. Data processing is when you take the collected data and turn it into useful information that can be used by others. This information can help support or disprove theories, make decisions, or bring about positive changes in a community.

To choose the right data processing method, consider the nature and type of your research and think about your thesis research question. It's important not to get too specific at this stage and avoid discussing any results. Focus on finding a suitable technique that will help you process and analyze your data effectively.

Data Analysis

Researchers use data analysis to make sense of their research findings by organizing, combining, summarizing, and categorizing the data. This helps them identify patterns and themes in the information they have collected.

In the thesis methodology flowchart example mentioned above, the data analysis techniques used are lean and Six Sigma concepts . These methods follow a series of steps, including defining, measuring, analyzing, categorizing, and improving the data to make it more meaningful and valuable.

Evaluation Phase

Data evaluation is a way to check if data is trustworthy, thorough, and consistent. It involves comparing data with specific goals, finding any missing information, and discovering trends, patterns, and connections. Another name for data evaluation is data mining because it uses statistical analysis to uncover valuable insights and generate better information.

Report Writing

Once you have finished your research, it's time to organize and present the information you have gathered. Report writing involves putting all the information together, drawing conclusions based on your findings, and providing recommendations based on the results. It's important to consider who will be reading your report, as the audience plays a significant role in how you present your information.

Part III: How to Craft a Detailed Thesis Methodology Flowchart Using EdrawMax?

EdrawMax is a user-friendly and affordable tool that helps people create detailed diagrams quickly. It's accessible to both small and medium-sized users, making it easy for everyone to make complex diagrams in just a few minutes. Let's see how you can use EdrawMax to create a fantastic flowchart for organizing your thesis.

Download and launch "EdrawMax" on your device for thesis methodology flowchart creation.

Click the "New" tab in the left pane, hover over the "Basic Flowchart" tab, and click the "Create New" button.

Sketch the skeleton of your thesis methodology flowchart by drawing all the required shapes on the canvas at accurate locations.

Embed relevant information in each box to portray your details in exact sequence; you can also rescale the shapes to accommodate larger texts.

Join all the shapes to develop a flow in your thesis methodology flowchart; for this, navigate to the "Connector" tab in the "Home" menu.

You can also personalize the outlook of your thesis research methodology flowchart for enhanced understanding; to do so, navigate to the "Design" tab and apply your desired changes.

To customize an individual item or multiple items simultaneously, select those items and perform your preferred modification.

Click the "Export" option at the top and choose your desired format to save your research thesis methodology flowchart.

Benefits of Using EdrawMax for Thesis Methodology Flowchart Designing

Before using a diagramming application , it's important to consider its features, price, compatibility, and other important factors. Doing thorough research on these aspects will help you make an informed decision and avoid the inconvenience of switching between multiple tools because they don't have the right features for your needs.

EdrawMax is an excellent platform for designing methodology flow chart thesis projects because it offers a wide range of tools that suit everyone's needs. We have listed several reasons why EdrawMax is the best choice for creating your academic diagrams.

• EdrawMax has a Templates Community where you can find ready-made templates to save you the trouble of starting from scratch. It also has a variety of symbol libraries to create different types of flowcharts, making it more fun and expressive.
• With EdrawMax, you can add multiple pages to your thesis flowchart project, keeping your ideas organized and avoiding complexity. You can also enhance your flowcharts by adding pictures, hyperlinks, charts, tables, icons, and other elements to make them insightful and expressive.
• The user interface of EdrawMax is easy to use, with a quick toolbar that allows you to customize shapes and text with just one click. Even the free version of EdrawMax offers customization options like fill and border color, border style, width, rescaling, background type, connector type, and font customization.
• EdrawMax also supports real-time collaboration, which is helpful when you need to discuss and refine your methodology flowchart with your research supervisor. Additionally, you can export your methodology flowchart thesis file in various formats such as PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, and Visio.
• Overall, EdrawMax provides a user-friendly and versatile platform for creating and customizing methodology flowcharts for your thesis.

Writing a thesis requires careful attention to analyzing and presenting research findings. The methodology you choose for your dissertation plays a crucial role in how you collect data, analyze it, and present your results. Whether you're conducting qualitative or quantitative research, the methodology you use has a significant impact on your entire dissertation.

To make your research more organized, you can create a thesis methodology flowchart . This flowchart helps you outline and visualize the step-by-step process of your research, from selecting techniques and approaches to analyzing data and presenting results. This article offers a detailed guide on how to create a practical and visually appealing thesis methodology flowchart to enhance your research process.

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Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to structure a thesis

A typical thesis structure

1. abstract, 2. introduction, 3. literature review, 6. discussion, 7. conclusion, 8. reference list, frequently asked questions about structuring a thesis, related articles.

Starting a thesis can be daunting. There are so many questions in the beginning:

• How do you actually start your thesis?
• How do you structure it?
• What information should the individual chapters contain?

Each educational program has different demands on your thesis structure, which is why asking directly for the requirements of your program should be a first step. However, there is not much flexibility when it comes to structuring your thesis.

Abstract : a brief overview of your entire thesis.

Literature review : an evaluation of previous research on your topic that includes a discussion of gaps in the research and how your work may fill them.

Methods : outlines the methodology that you are using in your research.

Thesis : a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.

The abstract is the overview of your thesis and generally very short. This section should highlight the main contents of your thesis “at a glance” so that someone who is curious about your work can get the gist quickly. Take a look at our guide on how to write an abstract for more info.

Tip: Consider writing your abstract last, after you’ve written everything else.

The introduction to your thesis gives an overview of its basics or main points. It should answer the following questions:

• Why is the topic being studied?
• How is the topic being studied?
• What is being studied?

In answering the first question, you should know what your personal interest in this topic is and why it is relevant. Why does it matter?

To answer the "how", you should briefly explain how you are going to reach your research goal. Some prefer to answer that question in the methods chapter, but you can give a quick overview here.

And finally, you should explain "what" you are studying. You can also give background information here.

You should rewrite the introduction one last time when the writing is done to make sure it connects with your conclusion. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our thesis introduction guide .

A literature review is often part of the introduction, but it can be a separate section. It is an evaluation of previous research on the topic showing that there are gaps that your research will attempt to fill. A few tips for your literature review:

• Use a wide array of sources
• Show both sides of the coin
• Make sure to cover the classics in your field
• Present everything in a clear and structured manner

For more insights on lit reviews, take a look at our guide on how to write a literature review .

The methodology chapter outlines which methods you choose to gather data, how the data is analyzed and justifies why you chose that methodology . It shows how your choice of design and research methods is suited to answering your research question.

Make sure to also explain what the pitfalls of your approach are and how you have tried to mitigate them. Discussing where your study might come up short can give you more credibility, since it shows the reader that you are aware of its limitations.

Tip: Use graphs and tables, where appropriate, to visualize your results.

The results chapter outlines what you found out in relation to your research questions or hypotheses. It generally contains the facts of your research and does not include a lot of analysis, because that happens mostly in the discussion chapter.

Clearly visualize your results, using tables and graphs, especially when summarizing, and be consistent in your way of reporting. This means sticking to one format to help the reader evaluate and compare the data.

The discussion chapter includes your own analysis and interpretation of the data you gathered , comments on your results and explains what they mean. This is your opportunity to show that you have understood your findings and their significance.

Point out the limitations of your study, provide explanations for unexpected results, and note any questions that remain unanswered.

This is probably your most important chapter. This is where you highlight that your research objectives have been achieved. You can also reiterate any limitations to your study and make suggestions for future research.

Remember to check if you have really answered all your research questions and hypotheses in this chapter. Your thesis should be tied up nicely in the conclusion and show clearly what you did, what results you got, and what you learned. Discover how to write a good conclusion in our thesis conclusion guide .

At the end of your thesis, you’ll have to compile a list of references for everything you’ve cited above. Ideally, you should keep track of everything from the beginning. Otherwise, this could be a mammoth and pretty laborious task to do.

Consider using a reference manager like Paperpile to format and organize your citations. Paperpile allows you to organize and save your citations for later use and cite them in thousands of citation styles directly in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or LaTeX:

🔲 Introduction

🔲 Literature review

🔲 Discussion

🔲 Conclusion

🔲 Reference list

The basic elements of a thesis are: Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and Reference List.

It's recommended to start a thesis by writing the literature review first. This way you learn more about the sources, before jumping to the discussion or any other element.

It's recommended to write the abstract of a thesis last, once everything else is done. This way you will be able to provide a complete overview of your work.

Usually, the discussion is the longest part of a thesis. In this part you are supposed to point out the limitations of your study, provide explanations for unexpected results, and note any questions that remain unanswered.

The order of the basic elements of a thesis are: 1. Abstract, 2. Introduction, 3. Literature Review, 4. Methods, 5. Results, 6. Discussion, 7. Conclusion, and 8. Reference List.

PhD tool: The CQOCE diagram

By far, this is the tool (as in, “thinking tool”) which I recommend most often to PhD students. This diagram summarizes your main research questions, thesis contributions and evidence of their usefulness. While painful to make, this brutal synthesis exercise is also a powerful communication tool. In this post, I explain how it works, its origins, and how making 18+ versions of it helped me through my PhD. Copy the provided template and use it in your PhD supervision meetings or even in the PhD defense!

“It’s too hard… I’m blank”.

“I don’t really know what to put there”.

“It keeps changing all the time”.

I’ve heard almost every kind of complaint about this tool. However, I still have to find a Ph.D. student that tells me that doing it was useless. It is hard to summarize years of hard work (past and future) into a single page but, as many creative writers will tell you 1 , being able to distill the most important ideas of a 400-page book into a single page, leads to a clarity of ideas that is often lacking.

This is the first of a series of posts on “PhD tools”: structures, conceptual frameworks or actual hardware/software tools that I (and others) have found useful to advance the Ph.D. dissertation, across different fields. There is lots of general advice out there on how to do diagrams (e.g., for your literature review papers ), but not so many that are directly useful for defining the thesis itself. Of course, there are too many research fields and traditions out there, so this particular structure may not fit your particular situation. But I suggest you give it a go - you may be surprised!

I first came across this thinking tool when doing my own Ph.D. at GSIC-EMIC , a inter-disciplinary educational technologies lab at the University of Valladolid, in Spain. Back there, it was common advice to fill up one such diagram, once your thesis topic was more or less defined 2 . Spending an hour diagramming quickly made you realize that things were not as clear as you initially thought, and that your research contributions had more holes than a piece Gruyère cheese…

I originally thought that this was just a common researcher device in use everywhere, pretty much like Ellis’s problem-goal-question schema 3 – also very recommendable, by the way. However, my later travels around different labs have convinced me that this kind of exercise is not common at all (which is why I think this post can be useful). Thus, the diagram is a truly “home-brewed” thing 4 , which evolved in an iterative manner since its first (partial) appearance in Asensio-Pérez’s thesis 5 , throughout several other theses 6 , 7 , my own thesis 8 and beyond 9 . We all modified it slightly to fit our particular needs. And we all agree that it was a very useful device to define, understand and communicate our own research.

Let’s hope it helps you too.

As you can see in the thesis references above, the diagram is commonly used in the introduction section of a dissertation, and it is meant to introduce, in graphical form, some of its main elements: the research C ontext, main research Q uestion, O bjectives, C ontributions of your thesis and their E valuation. However, many of us have also used it way before starting to write the dissertation book itself, as a “guiding star” when discussing with others and planning the thesis work. Below you can see an generic example of such a diagram 10 . Let’s look at each of the elements that make it up:

A generic CQOCE diagram

• Context . As in, “research context”. This box is meant to convey where your research sits within the scientific community or communities that are close to what you do. At the beginning of your Ph.D., this box may contain just the name of 1-2 research fields, and/or very general topics within them that interest you. However, as you read more and more literature and understand your field and what is interesting for you , it can become quite specific (see the examples from my own thesis below). Generally, it is also very important to lay out here what is the main problem that you have detected in current research, the “hole” in the current state-of-the-art that your thesis intends to “plug”. This basically gives the why of your thesis: what is wrong with our current knowledge of the world, that your thesis tries to make right?
• Research Question . Probably one of the most obnoxious habits of old professors that one meets randomly during the Ph.D., is to ask: “Oh, so you are a doctoral student here… and what is your research question?”. This often leads to the student answering evasively and trying to scurry away. Aside from its obnoxiousness, this question has another interesting property: it is very good at signaling the maturity of a student. If you are able to understand that you are here to further human knowledge, you have identified clearly something that is not known, and formulated it in a single sentence that is actually a question and can be answered with data in a reasonable amount of time, you are almost 50% of the way there (yet another reason why making this diagram is useful). This main research question is probably the element of the diagram that changes most often throughout the Ph.D., normally in the direction from “very general, almost impossible to answer even with unlimited funds and manpower”, to “very specific and convoluted, but with some chance of being answered by a single person in a few years”.
• Objectives : This box tries to answer the question of how would you go about finding out the answer to your research question above. However, it is not really a plan yet: rather, it tries to “decompose” your research question into more manageable elements, either conceptually (for instance, looking independently into different concepts/keywords that appear in your main research question) or temporally (dealing with A is needed before trying to investigate B).
• Contributions : This is probably the trickiest element of the diagram to fill in, and the one which I get most questions about. I’ll probably do a separate post on the whole “What counts as a research contribution?” question, but here goes the two-sentence version: It is whatever previously unknown, reusable knowledge that you propose or produce during your research, which materializes the answer to your research question. The main problem is that what counts as valid knowledge depends a lot on your research field - which is why you need more experienced peers (like your supervisor, or reading papers from other people in your field), to guide you in defining this. For instance, in many fields (especially, applied ones), a research contribution has to be: a) novel (nobody has done the same or a very similar thing); b) feasible (it can be done practically, it is not just some futuristic fantasy); and c) useful (something that solves an important, relevant problem for some stakeholder). Another tip: very often (but not always), contributions are linked to the different objectives you laid out in the previous box (e.g., each objective is materialized in a contribution that fulfills the objective).
• Evaluation : Once you have decided what your contribution(s) is/are, you only need to prove that it works as you say it does, e.g., that it is novel, feasible and useful. In many fields, this involves gathering data of some kind from the world, using whatever means at your disposal (from huge radio-telescopes to asking a single person in an interview). This box thus tries to represent graphically how the different data gathering events that you organize, provide this proof for the value of the different contributions you define, to meet the objectives and finally answer the research question of your thesis (see the over-complex examples from my thesis in the figure below).

If all this sounds terribly abstract and vague to you, don’t worry, you are in good company (everyone thinks so at the beginning). Hopefully, an example will help bring some clarity… but then again, maybe not, if you are in a field very far away from mine. Therefore, take the example if it helps you, but do not consider it the only way of doing this!

How I used it during my Ph.D.

Going through my archives from the thesis period, I have found at least 18 different versions of this diagram (hence, not counting those I quickly drew on paper and never made it into my hard drive). Below, you can see three examples spanning the three years that my Ph.D. work lasted: a first one from about six months into the actual Ph.D. work (hand-drawn on the left, mostly in Spanish), another one from around the middle, and the final one that appeared on my dissertation (on the right).

CQOCE diagrams for my own thesis, from the beginning of my thesis work (left), mid-way through it (center) and at the defense (right)

A lot can be said about those particular diagrams (parts of them still make me cringe), but there are three take-aways I want to leave you with: a) your diagram should probably look much simpler than mine (my thesis was too complicated, for reasons I don’t need to discuss here); b) it is OK to hand-draw yours (it is often quicker, and has the same communication power); and c) as you can see in the middle one, it is OK to have incomplete or doubtful parts in it. That is the whole point of the diagram: to identify what parts we are unsure of, or have no idea how to deal with, and see how the conception of our own dissertation is changing over time.

Fast-forward six years, and I still use this kind of diagrams when starting a new research line, especially if it is a collaboration with other researchers, and I have to communicate what the main idea and elements of the research are. Which leads me to…

Why use it - and when not to

There are several reasons why you might want to give this exercise a go (or recommend it to your students, if you are an advisor):

• It is a useful reflection exercise : In the day-to-day life of a Ph.D. there are so many different tasks, reading papers, planning experiments, gathering data, doing analysis, writing your own papers… It is very easy for each of these to become a rabbit hole we pursue. Sometimes these meanderings are useful and prompt a permanent change in how you think about your thesis (they become central to it). Sometimes they are just unnecessary distractions. This exercise forces you to stop for a moment 11 , and think deeply, and make your current ideas about what you are doing (and why) visible. Even if you don’t ever show it to anybody else, knowing your direction (or even whether there are gaps in your ideas) feels tremendously empowering.
• As a reminder and prioritization tool . Once you have a version of the diagram in place (even with holes or question marks in it), you can print it and keep it somewhere visible in your office or workspace. And every time you are analyzing data, or reading an interesting paper, or writing your own, or coming up with ideas for cool experiments, you can look at it and think: does it fit or relate with my main problem? is it central or peripheral to it? does it further my contributions? And depending on what your answer is, you can give it a clear priority compared with your other tasks and ideas (or reject it completely… until you finish the Ph.D. at least). Or you can quickly draw a new box in the diagram, if you think it is really important.
• Although the two values above are very important, I think the real killer application of this diagram is as a communication tool : It summarizes, in a single page, what the most important question and ideas of your thesis are, and what you are trying to achieve. It also forces you to decide what the right keywords and terminology to use (something different scientific communities are known to be quite picky about) - and elicit problems with the words you use, once you present it to others. You can use it in your meetings with the Ph.D. advisor (to front-load your topic in your advisor’s exhausted/busy brain), in the introduction to any of your thesis reports (to get the reader to understand how this piece fits in the whole puzzle of your work), whenever you have to write for a “doctoral consortium” or other kind of short presentation about your doctoral work, … heck, you can put it even in your Ph.D. defense presentation 12 !

However, not everything about this exercise is great, and there are several circumstances where I would not necessarily recommend to use this:

• If you know for a fact that your advisor (or whatever audience you plan to use it with) dislikes diagrams. “Diagrams discourage deep thought and argumentation” - I have gotten this remark sometimes from very respected academics, and maybe they have a point. The diagram is not a substitute for a thoughtful, well-argued text (or conversation) describing where your research question comes from and what your contributions are. It is rather a complement - even if it is a very useful one!
• If you feel that making it is taking too long, or you are endlessly nitpicking about terminology, or you are putting off other important tasks in your Ph.D. to do this (i.e., the diagram has become an act of procrastination). Aside from fully focusing on it when you do it, I also recommend to “timebox” it 13 . Remember, this is a tool best used in iteration and communication: rather do a half-baked one in one hour and discuss it with somebody, than spend a whole week on it and end up unsure of whether it is the perfect version (tip: it never is).
• If you and everyone involved is crystal clear on what the topic is, or you have your topic and contributions well described somewhere else in relatively short form (e.g., in your initial Ph.D. research plan) - provided that nothing much has changed in your ideas described there.
• If you want to highlight the research methodology you use (a glaring omission in the current version of the diagram) or other kinds of temporal structure or tasks/plans in your Ph.D.. There are other representations more adequate for that kind of thing, like Gantt charts or other task-flow diagrams (I also used some of those in my thesis - maybe a topic for a future post?).
• If you’re not taking the exercise seriously or you think it is utterly useless. But this is a general rule: never do anything you think is meaningless, if you can avoid it :)

Try it out… and let me know how it goes

That’s it. I hope this small tool is useful for you in progressing towards a complete dissertation. Now, this diagram is most useful if you actually go and do it . Get off your seat, go for a walk, then sit down again for one or two hours (with your phone in flight mode). Paint it with colored pencils, hand-draw it in the back of the proverbial napkin, or make a copy of this one for use in your computer , whatever. Bonus points if you then share it with your advisor or a colleague or anyone.

Just do it – and let me know how it goes in the comments.

Update (23.06.2022): We have now added a CQOCE diagram template you can copy to our PhD Toolkit (under the “Conceptualizing your dissertation” section). Enjoy!

Also, do you have other diagrams or thinking tools that helped you greatly in advancing in your PhD? let me know in the comments below - I’ll be glad to share other tools like this in the future.

See, for example, this post by Jason Fried . ↩︎

Contrary to other universities/faculties, in that field and university it is common to start the Ph.D. with a vaguely-defined research topic and questions. In other places, an initial Ph.D. proposal already has to have a quite clear research question, methodology and research plan behind it (at least, on paper). The diagram could also be very useful even to develop such initial research proposal. ↩︎

Ellis, T. J., & Levy, Y. (2008). Framework of problem-based research: A guide for novice researchers on the development of a research-worthy problem. Informing Science , 11 . Retrieved from http://inform.nu/Articles/Vol11/ISJv11p017-033Ellis486.pdf ↩︎

So much so, that it does not even have an official name, as far as I know. “CQOCE” is just a name I had to invent to write this blog entry! ↩︎

Page 6 of Asensio-Pérez, J. (2000). Contribución a la especificación y gestión integrada de la calidad de servicio en aplicaciones de objetos distribuidos (PhD Thesis). University of Valladolid, Spain. ↩︎

For example, p. 6 in Hernández-Leo, D. (2007). A pattern-based design process for the creation of CSCL macro-scripts computationally represented with IMS LD (PhD Thesis). Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. ↩︎

Probably the first almost-complete version of the diagram can be found in da Silva, R. P. (2004). Contribucion al modelado de aspectos de gestion de aplicaciones distribuidas basadas en componentes en el marco de la arquitectura mda (model driven architecture) (PhD Thesis). Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. ↩︎

Page 7 of Prieto, L. P. (2012). Supporting orchestration of blended CSCL scenarios in distributed learning environments (PhD Thesis). Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. ↩︎

For example, see the variation of the diagram, adapted to design-based research methodology, in page 6 of Rodríguez-Triana, M. J. (2014). Linking scripting and monitoring support in blended CSCL scenarios (PhD Thesis). Universidad de Valladolid. ↩︎

You can also find a more colorful version of it in Google Draw format . Copy it and make your own! ↩︎

Pro tip: don’t do this exercise while watching your favorite Netflix show! This exercise is hard , and requires quite a bit of focus. You can use the Pomodoro technique to help you with that. ↩︎

Indeed, 80% of my Ph.D. defense slides basically walked the jury around the diagram, diving into some of its elements to present related literature, or details of the studies and results. Nobody complained about that use, in fact. ↩︎

Timeboxing is another common productivity technique, in which you basically set aside a limited amount of time (e.g., one or two hours) to focus on a task/problem, and stop once the alloted time ends. No matter what. This prevents the task from filling your whole day (especially if other important tasks also need to be done). ↩︎

Luis P. Prieto

Luis P. is a Ramón y Cajal research fellow at the University of Valladolid (Spain), investigating learning technologies, especially learning analytics. He is also an avid learner about doctoral education and supervision, and he's the main author at the A Happy PhD blog.

Google Scholar profile

Using diagrams as research aides

I hate doing literature reviews. I always feel I have not read enough. I worry that what I write will be ‘wrong’ because I have missed some vital piece of literature. These feelings never seem to entirely go away, even though I have been publishing papers for over a decade. I can certainly relate to new PhD candidates paralysed by the sheer amount of reading they have to do. I am always looking for ways to help them – and myself.

In a previous post I documented a way to use a spider diagram to scope a literature review . This technique works well when you have a relatively defined topic, but what if you are just, you know – sniffing about? Trying to get the lay of the land before you start a new project?

This is the kind of literature searching behaviour you tend to do right at the start of your PhD, or when you start to bring in a new area of literature to an existing project. Now, if you are anything like me, this kind of searching is a bit random.

Generally I type a few dozen search strings into a database like Google Scholar and hope that something interesting will float to the surface. Citation searches help me see if there is a useful conversation around that topic. When I have exhausted one search string, I try random variations on it, just to see if I have missed anything.

It’s a laborious and, to be frank, not very systematic method.

Recently I have started using another diagram method from a book recommended by Dr Jonathan Downie called ‘Salsa dancing into the social sciences’ by Kristin Luker. In it Luker shows a simple method to generate ideas for new search terms she calls the ‘bedraggled daisy’ diagram.

The bedraggled daisy is a Venn diagram on steroids. To refresh your memory, a Venn diagram is a way of representing sets. Here is a Venn diagram of why I hate literature reviews:

Let’s use this method to do a literature review about … why people get stuck trying to write literature reviews because that will be pleasingly meta. We start with a list of at least eight possible search terms that touch on various aspects of the problem:

• writing skills
• procrastination
• information overload
• limited time
• discipline conventions
• digital literacy (or lack of it)
• performance cultures

You can search each one of these separately (and you should) but they get more interesting when you put them in dialog with each other. The bedraggled daisy is basically a set of overlapping ovals, like so:

Where the ‘petals’ overlap the diagram provides you search strings you can use in any database. You may well have thought up these search strings without the diagram, but the diagram is an excellent record and memory aide. Some petal overlaps are obvious. “Writing skills” + “procrastination” immediately produces interesting results in google scholar:

But “digital literacy” + “performance cultures” is a slightly more left field combination, but let’s give it a spin:

The last paper in this image “You Can Teach Old Dogs New Tricks: The Factors That Affect Changes over Time in Digital Literacy” by Yoram Eshet-Alkalai and Eran Chajut turns out to be a fascinating study comparing the performance of old and young people with digital technology. I would never have found that paper without the bedraggled daisy diagram.

The daisy can be used in multiple ways, allowing you to get creative with search strings. Let’s look at more than two petals of the diagram at a time. “Information overload”, “Anxiety” and “limited time” produces a list of very tasty morsels indeed:

At this point you might be wondering – why does a diagram work better than a list?

I think diagrams get your creative juices flowing by putting ideas together in unexpected, non-linear ways. Most students don’t realise the power of diagrams for thinking through PhD problems – and for collaboration. At our ANU thesis bootcamps we ask students to work in pairs with the bedraggled daisy to create potential new projects. Each researcher creates a list of key words or terms that relate to their own research interests, then they draw the diagram on a large piece of paper, like so:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thesiswhisperer (@thesiswhisperer)

The researchers take it in turns to write one of the items off their list in each petal. It works better when they don’t try to make clever combinations in advance. It’s delightfully random combinations that the diagram affords which will provide the best ideas.

We then ask the researchers to talk with each other about all the overlaps and pick one potential project to develop further. Here’s an example of an anthropologist talking to a linguist to generate a really interesting potential joint project:

The further apart the researchers are in terms of discipline, the more interesting the diagramming exercise gets. Here’s an example of a person studying the history of witchcraft drawing a diagram with someone who is studying gender politics in universities. I’d love to see one of these projects get up!

I hope this digression on diagrams has been thought provoking and given you some ideas for using them in your work.

How about you? Do you have any strange methods for doing literature review or writing that help disrupt linear ways of thinking? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Related posts

How to become a literature searching ninja

5 ways to tame the literature dragon

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The Thesis Whisperer is written by Professor Inger Mewburn, director of researcher development at The Australian National University . New posts on the first Wednesday of the month. Subscribe by email below. Visit the About page to find out more about me, my podcasts and books. I'm on most social media platforms as @thesiswhisperer. The best places to talk to me are LinkedIn , Mastodon and Threads.

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Thesis Conceptual Framework

Outline of how you plan to conduct the research for your thesis with Creately's example. Use the template to easily visualize framework with Creately visual workspace.

You can easily edit this template using Creately. You can export it in multiple formats like JPEG, PNG and SVG and easily add it to Word documents, Powerpoint (PPT) presentations, Excel or any other documents. You can export it as a PDF for high-quality printouts.

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Related Templates

What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

Research Paper: A step-by-step guide: 3. Thesis Statement & Outline

• 1. Getting Started
• 2. Topic Ideas
• 3. Thesis Statement & Outline
• 4. Appropriate Sources
• 5. Search Techniques
• 6. Taking Notes & Documenting Sources
• 7. Evaluating Sources
• 8. Citations & Plagiarism
• 9. Writing Your Research Paper

About Thesis Statements

Qualities of a thesis statement.

Thesis statements:

• state the subject matter and main ideas of a paper.
• appear in the first paragraph and announces what you will discuss in your paper.
• define the scope and focus of your essay, and tells your reader what to expect.  
• are not a simple factual statement.  It is an assertion that states your claims and that you can prove with evidence.
• should be the product of research and your own critical thinking.
• can be very helpful in constructing an outline for your essay; for each point you make, ask yourself whether it is relevant to the thesis.

Steps you can use to create a thesis statement

1. Start out with the main topic and focus of your essay.

youth gangs + prevention and intervention programs

2. Make a claim or argument in one sentence.  It can be helpful to start with a question which you then turn into an argument

Can prevention and intervention programs stop youth gang activities?  How?  ►►►  "Prevention and intervention programs can stop youth gang activities by giving teens something else to do."

3. Revise the sentence by using specific terms.

"Early prevention programs in schools are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement by giving teens good activities that offer a path to success."

4. Further revise the sentence to cover the scope of your essay and make a strong statement.

"Among various prevention and intervention efforts that have been made to deal with the rapid growth of youth gangs, early school-based prevention programs are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement, which they do by giving teens meaningful activities that offer pathways to achievement and success."

5. Keep your thesis statement flexible and revise it as needed. In the process of researching and writing, you may find new information or refine your understanding of the topic.

You can view this short video for more tips on how to write a clear thesis statement.

An outline is the skeleton of your essay, in which you list the arguments and subtopics in a logical order. A good outline is an important element in writing a good paper. An outline helps to target your research areas, keep you within the scope without going off-track, and it can also help to keep your argument in good order when writing the essay.  Once your outline is in good shape, it is much easier to write your paper; you've already done most of the thinking, so you just need to fill in the outline with a paragraph for each point.

To write an outline: The most common way to write an outline is the list format.  List all the major topics and subtopics with the key points that support them. Put similar topics and points together and arrange them in a logical order.    Include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. 

A list outline should arrange the main points or arguments in a hierarchical structure indicated by Roman numerals for main ideas (I, II, III...), capital letters for subtopics (A, B, C...), Arabic numerals for details (1,2,3...), and lower-case letters for fine details if needed (a,b,c...). This helps keep things organized.  

Here is a shortened example of an outline:

Introduction: background and thesis statement

I. First topic

1. Supporting evidence 2. Supporting evidence

II. Second Topic

III. Third Topic

I. Summarize the main points of your paper II. Restate your thesis in different words III. Make a strong final statement

You can see examples of a few different kinds of outlines and get more help at the Purdue OWL .

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Materials Horizons

Resolving decades of debate: the surprising role of high-temperature covalency in the structure of liquid gallium †.

* Corresponding authors

a Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstraße 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

b MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

c MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand E-mail: [email protected]

Liquid metals (LMs) have the potential to revolutionise many important technologies, ranging from battery components to catalytic reactions. Low melting temperature gallium (Ga) is particularly promising as a solvent in many LM alloys, due to the low energy cost of maintaining its liquid state. However, despite 30+ years of study on the nature of Ga's liquid structure, it remains enigmatic with significant disagreement among the many published reports. In this work, we reconcile many of the conflicts through analysis of extensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of bulk Ga liquid at different temperatures. Contrary to previous assumptions, covalency becomes more important in the liquid at higher temperatures, meaning that covalency is not a significant feature of the liquid near the phase transition temperature. This explains the experimental observation of a decrease of resistivity of the metal upon melting, and its subsequent anomalously nonlinear increase with temperature. This revised understanding of structuring in the liquid has implications for the way these alloys are tailored for specific applications in the rapidly developing field of LMs.

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Resolving decades of debate: the surprising role of high-temperature covalency in the structure of liquid gallium

S. Lambie, K. G. Steenbergen and N. Gaston, Mater. Horiz. , 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D4MH00244J

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• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation

How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction

Published on September 7, 2022 by Tegan George and Shona McCombes. Revised on November 21, 2023.

The introduction is the first section of your thesis or dissertation , appearing right after the table of contents . Your introduction draws your reader in, setting the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic .

Your introduction should include:

• Your topic, in context: what does your reader need to know to understand your thesis dissertation?
• Your focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
• The relevance of your research: how does your work fit into existing studies on your topic?
• Your questions and objectives: what does your research aim to find out, and how?
• An overview of your structure: what does each section contribute to the overall aim?

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Table of contents

How to start your introduction, topic and context, focus and scope, relevance and importance, questions and objectives, overview of the structure, thesis introduction example, introduction checklist, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about introductions.

Although your introduction kicks off your dissertation, it doesn’t have to be the first thing you write — in fact, it’s often one of the very last parts to be completed (just before your abstract ).

It’s a good idea to write a rough draft of your introduction as you begin your research, to help guide you. If you wrote a research proposal , consider using this as a template, as it contains many of the same elements. However, be sure to revise your introduction throughout the writing process, making sure it matches the content of your ensuing sections.

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Begin by introducing your dissertation topic and giving any necessary background information. It’s important to contextualize your research and generate interest. Aim to show why your topic is timely or important. You may want to mention a relevant news item, academic debate, or practical problem.

After a brief introduction to your general area of interest, narrow your focus and define the scope of your research.

You can narrow this down in many ways, such as by:

• Geographical area
• Time period
• Demographics or communities
• Themes or aspects of the topic

It’s essential to share your motivation for doing this research, as well as how it relates to existing work on your topic. Further, you should also mention what new insights you expect it will contribute.

Start by giving a brief overview of the current state of research. You should definitely cite the most relevant literature, but remember that you will conduct a more in-depth survey of relevant sources in the literature review section, so there’s no need to go too in-depth in the introduction.

Depending on your field, the importance of your research might focus on its practical application (e.g., in policy or management) or on advancing scholarly understanding of the topic (e.g., by developing theories or adding new empirical data). In many cases, it will do both.

Ultimately, your introduction should explain how your thesis or dissertation:

• Helps solve a practical or theoretical problem
• Addresses a gap in the literature
• Builds on existing research
• Proposes a new understanding of your topic

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Perhaps the most important part of your introduction is your questions and objectives, as it sets up the expectations for the rest of your thesis or dissertation. How you formulate your research questions and research objectives will depend on your discipline, topic, and focus, but you should always clearly state the central aim of your research.

If your research aims to test hypotheses , you can formulate them here. Your introduction is also a good place for a conceptual framework that suggests relationships between variables .

• Conduct surveys to collect data on students’ levels of knowledge, understanding, and positive/negative perceptions of government policy.
• Determine whether attitudes to climate policy are associated with variables such as age, gender, region, and social class.
• Conduct interviews to gain qualitative insights into students’ perspectives and actions in relation to climate policy.

To help guide your reader, end your introduction with an outline  of the structure of the thesis or dissertation to follow. Share a brief summary of each chapter, clearly showing how each contributes to your central aims. However, be careful to keep this overview concise: 1-2 sentences should be enough.

I. Introduction

Human language consists of a set of vowels and consonants which are combined to form words. During the speech production process, thoughts are converted into spoken utterances to convey a message. The appropriate words and their meanings are selected in the mental lexicon (Dell & Burger, 1997). This pre-verbal message is then grammatically coded, during which a syntactic representation of the utterance is built.

Speech, language, and voice disorders affect the vocal cords, nerves, muscles, and brain structures, which result in a distorted language reception or speech production (Sataloff & Hawkshaw, 2014). The symptoms vary from adding superfluous words and taking pauses to hoarseness of the voice, depending on the type of disorder (Dodd, 2005). However, distortions of the speech may also occur as a result of a disease that seems unrelated to speech, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study aims to determine which acoustic parameters are suitable for the automatic detection of exacerbations in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by investigating which aspects of speech differ between COPD patients and healthy speakers and which aspects differ between COPD patients in exacerbation and stable COPD patients.

Checklist: Introduction

I have introduced my research topic in an engaging way.

I have provided necessary context to help the reader understand my topic.

I have clearly specified the focus of my research.

I have shown the relevance and importance of the dissertation topic .

I have clearly stated the problem or question that my research addresses.

I have outlined the specific objectives of the research .

I have provided an overview of the dissertation’s structure .

You've written a strong introduction for your thesis or dissertation. Use the other checklists to continue improving your dissertation.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

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The introduction of a research paper includes several key elements:

• A hook to catch the reader’s interest
• Relevant background on the topic
• Details of your research problem

and your problem statement

• A thesis statement or research question
• Sometimes an overview of the paper

Don’t feel that you have to write the introduction first. The introduction is often one of the last parts of the research paper you’ll write, along with the conclusion.

This is because it can be easier to introduce your paper once you’ve already written the body ; you may not have the clearest idea of your arguments until you’ve written them, and things can change during the writing process .

Research objectives describe what you intend your research project to accomplish.

They summarize the approach and purpose of the project and help to focus your research.

Your objectives should appear in the introduction of your research paper , at the end of your problem statement .

Scope of research is determined at the beginning of your research process , prior to the data collection stage. Sometimes called “scope of study,” your scope delineates what will and will not be covered in your project. It helps you focus your work and your time, ensuring that you’ll be able to achieve your goals and outcomes.

Defining a scope can be very useful in any research project, from a research proposal to a thesis or dissertation . A scope is needed for all types of research: quantitative , qualitative , and mixed methods .

To define your scope of research, consider the following:

• Budget constraints or any specifics of grant funding
• Your proposed timeline and duration
• Specifics about your population of study, your proposed sample size , and the research methodology you’ll pursue
• Any inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Any anticipated control , extraneous , or confounding variables that could bias your research if not accounted for properly.

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George, T. & McCombes, S. (2023, November 21). How to Write a Thesis or Dissertation Introduction. Scribbr. Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/introduction-structure/

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