Thesis structure

Order of pages:
– title page
– Finnish abstract (in Finnish-language degree programmes only)
– English abstract
– table of contents
– list of symbols and terms (when necessary)
– body of the text
– list of references
– appendices

The order in the body of the text can vary according to the topic and method.  Nevertheless, the order is not necessarily the same as the order of events in the study or process. Discuss your solution with your supervisor. See examples here.

Acknowledgements are often made in the preface, i.e. foreword. However, Hirsjärvi, Remes and Sajavaara (2009, 253) state that “in theses preceding a doctoral dissertation, there usually is no preface unless necessitated by specific reasons”. Acknowledgements are usually placed in a thesis in one of the following places:
– introduction, or a section describing how the research, project or other work was commenced, with a suitable context for making acknowledgements
– final chapter of the thesis at a point with a suitable context for making acknowledgements
– as a footnote at one of the above-mentioned points
– final chapter of the thesis with the subheading “Acknowledgements”.

If you write a preface, place it between the abstract and the table of contents.