MSc MBP 2020/2021 MBP Thesis Structure

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Can the freedom of expression of social networks be a danger for democracy?

The thesis will consist of three parts: preliminary pages, main text (i.e., body of the thesis),
reference materials. The written document should be around 50 pages (appendix excluded)
in a Times New Roman 12, with a 1.5 spacing.
1. Cover Page with the Title (less than 20 words) and identifying if the thesis displays
confidential information or not
2. Self-statement
3. Abstract (less than 20 lines)
4. Table of contents
5. Thesis introduction (around 3 pages)
What is the rationale of the thesis (i.e., what is its academic and/or practical
motivation)? What is an overview of this area of research, who will benefit from this
thesis and how, and how is the thesis organised?
6. Literature review and research question/ hypotheses (around 17 pages)
• The literature review and bibliographical search is necessary to present concepts
and apprehend existing research:
o In order to precisely define the concepts: What do we mean exactly by “X”?
How can we define “X”?
o In order to delimitate the object of study (Some concepts may have different
meanings)
o In order to be aware of research and state of the art (What do we know
about those concepts, related variables, drivers and consequences, context
of application, etc? / What do we still need to find out about?). This is how
you support the need for your research question.
• The literature review is mainly based on scientific (peer-reviewed) articles and
specialised books:
o Many databases exist: To access literature through keywords (Google
scholar) or See ESCP library accessed through the intranet (Business Source
Complete, Emerald Insight, JSTOR, SCIENCEDIRECT, …)
o Review important Scientific journals / disciplines: FT ranking
o Sources do not have the same value: Newspaper and periodical articles have
uncertain contents, Scientific papers present validated results, Books can be
helpful to discover a domain but are hardly ever complete enough
• Building upon the literature review, an interesting and original research question
needs to be identified.
o The most important step is the identification of an appropriate research
question, otherwise:
MSc MBP 2020/2021
MBP Thesis Structure
Dr Petros Chamakiotis – 2 / 3
The subject may be too large and impossible to handle
It may be a topic that has already been dealt with in past
research
There are two or three questions in one – too much work
for the researcher
o A good topic of research is time-saving and allows you to focus on a
reasonably small part of literature
o The research question is selected in agreement with one’s thesis advisor
• This section generally finishes with the research question, a conceptual
framework, hypotheses or propositions that will be empirically explored in your
study, depending on the methodological approach that will follow.
7. Methodology (around 5 pages)
• The method must be consistent to the research topic and to the research
question (and the philosophical underpinnings of the research). As part of that,
students should be clear about their methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or
mixed), and their research design (e.g., case study, experiment, survey).
• Generally two stages: research design (first) and fieldwork (second).
• Always keep in mind your subject and your question (and the philosophical
positioning.
• The data collection and analysis methods need to be rigorous and suitable. For
example, if there is a how research question, qualitative methods should be
selected.
• The section must include a detailed explanation of your sample, data collection
methods and data analysis procedures.
8. Findings (could be very different between quantitative and qualitative research but
around 10-15 pages)
• Present the research participants / sample.
• In the case of quantitative studies, present simple and clear results using graphs,
tables, etc. (the SPSS tables should be presented in the appendix).
• In the case of qualitative studies, ensure that your interpretation of findings is
supported with verbatim quotes in the text as evidence.
• Organise the presentation of your findings regarding previous hypotheses and
propositions.
MSc MBP 2020/2021
MBP Thesis Structure
Dr Petros Chamakiotis – 3 / 3
• Differentiate between “Expected results” and “Non-expected results”.
• Create a storyline that answers your research question (qualitative) or
confirms/rejects your hypotheses (quantitative).
9. Discussion, limitations and recommendations (about 5-10 pages)
• Discuss how your study contributes to theory by clearly linking your findings to
the literature review presented at the beginning.
• Acknowledge the limitations of your study (e.g., limited number of participants)
and outline recommendations for researchers in the area.
• Extend your findings to non-academic contexts, by proposing practical actionable
recommendations.
10. List of References
• Use in-text citations and a list of references at the end using the Harvard
referencing style and follow the instructions shared in the Master Thesis
Preparation course regarding referencing.
• Be reminded that plagiarism is severely punished and that it is your responsibility
to ensure all sources are properly referenced. If you want more information on
the meaning of plagiarism and how to be sure you avoid it visit the following
website: http://www.plagiarism.org/

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