A master's thesis at a European university usually takes one of three forms: an empirical thesis in the order introduction, methods, results, discussion (IMRaD), a monograph whose chapters follow the subject, or an article-based thesis that pairs a journal manuscript with a summary. Your department decides which forms it accepts.
No one sees their own blind spots, with or without AI help. Esmond points them out in your draft from within your field, along with factual errors and inconsistencies.
Several guides from Nordic and Baltic universities make the same point first: there is no single template. Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden says that “the type of thesis written varies from department to department and even within departments.” Three forms come back again and again. Strictly speaking, an IMRaD thesis is also a monograph, since it is one continuous text. The difference lies in what the chapters follow: the steps of the research, or the subject itself.
| Form | What it looks like | Where you are likely to meet it |
|---|---|---|
| Empirical thesis in IMRaD order | Introduction, theory or literature, methods, results, discussion, conclusion | Social sciences, health, natural sciences, much of engineering |
| Monograph with subject chapters | One continuous study whose middle chapters are named after the topic, the material, or the argument | Humanities and parts of the social sciences |
| Article-based thesis | A manuscript in the format of a journal article, plus an extended summary or introductory chapter | Some programs in Norway, Finland, and Estonia, by agreement with the program or supervisor |
A hypothetical example of a commentYour introduction announces a chapter on the theoretical framework, but the thesis moves from the literature review straight to the interview findings. Where does the framework your analysis relies on appear?
A first comment on one part of your own draft, right away and without an account.
Get a free previewNTNU in Norway sets out the parts of an empirical thesis in this order: abstract, introduction, theory, methodology, analysis, discussion, and a conclusion or summary. It adds that requirements vary from subject to subject, and that the outline is based on the IMRaD model. Two remarks in the same guide are worth keeping in mind. Not every assignment has a separate theory chapter: “It is worth noting that not all assignments have a separate theory chapter.” In IMRaD, the guide adds, earlier research often sits in the introduction. And whether the last chapter is a conclusion or a summary depends on what your problem statement asks.
Chalmers adds a caution about the model itself: “However, this structure is very simplified and needs to be adapted to suit the task, purpose and audience in the best way.” The table below shows the question each part answers in the basic form.
| Part | The question it answers | A sign in the draft that something is off |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Why this study, with which question or aim? | The question in the introduction differs from the one in the conclusion |
| Theory or literature review | Which concepts and earlier findings does the study build on? | Concepts are introduced and never used again |
| Methods | What did you do, with which material, and why that way? | A method is described that no result comes from |
| Results or analysis | What did you find? | Interpretation and comparison with other studies already fill this chapter |
| Discussion | What do the findings mean, and how do they relate to other research? | The findings are repeated without saying what they mean |
| Conclusion | What is the answer to the question? | New material appears that no earlier chapter prepared |
The University of Helsinki's master's program in social research gives the same outline at heading level: introduction; prior research, theories and concepts, and research questions; material and methods; analysis and results; conclusions and discussion; references. It then notes a difference that affects the middle of the thesis: “In qualitative research, the analysis, interpretation and a discussion based on literature are usually interlinked; in quantitative research, the results are usually presented separately from prior research and interpretation.”
So a qualitative thesis that brings in the literature while it presents its themes isn't necessarily mixing up its chapters. Check what your program expects, and make sure a reader can still tell what your material shows from what you make of it.
The same Helsinki page says it plainly: “Master’s theses are usually monographs.” It also allows the middle chapters to carry headings that name the subject, the method, and the phenomena studied, instead of generic labels such as "Analysis". In the humanities the order can be looser still. The University of Tartu's Department of Semiotics in Estonia lists an introduction, research object and methodology, analysis, results, conclusion, a summary in another language, and references, and then allows exceptions: “Depending on the type of the thesis separate sections for materials and methodology need not be present, in which case the corresponding information must be clearly formulated in the introduction.”
Universities of applied sciences give similar freedom. Metropolia in Finland says the thesis report follows the structure of a research report more or less closely, and adds: “However, you can structure the content between the introduction and conclusion chapters in many ways.” The main thing, according to Metropolia, is to deal with the knowledge base, the implementation and results of the work, and the evaluation of those results. A development project, for example a new service for a company, then has chapters on its progress and its outcome where a research thesis has chapters on data and findings.
Some programs let you hand in a manuscript in the form of a journal article instead of a monograph. At the University of Oslo's Department of Special Needs Education, “An article-based Master’s Thesis shall consist of two parts: An extended summary and an article manuscript.” The extended summary there contains at least an introductory chapter, a theoretical chapter, and a methodology chapter, and results discussed in the summary should add to those in the article instead of repeating them. The format isn't something you pick alone: “The choice of thesis format is determined in collaboration with your assigned supervisor.”
At Tartu's Department of Semiotics, a thesis can also consist of published or accepted articles with an introduction and a conclusion added. Metropolia offers an article-based thesis in its master's degrees, agreed at the start between student, commissioner, and supervisor.
Programs that offer the format set their own rules, for example on the number of articles, co-authors, and the length of the summary; read them before you plan around it.
In engineering, the chapters often follow the kind of work you did. Chalmers groups its theses by type and gives each a possible structure: an experiment thesis moves from theoretical background to experiment, results, discussion, and conclusions; a design-and-implement thesis adds a design model, implementation, and tests; a thesis that examines an existing theory through case studies works with definitions, theory, method, findings, and analysis. As Chalmers puts it, “The types of thesis are ordered from producing something new (experiment) to working with existing material and improving it (examine).”
A DTU guide in Denmark, written for technical reports during your studies in general, keeps three headings fixed: “All reports should contain sections entitled: Introduction, Conclusions, and References.” The headings in between, such as theory, design and construction, or results and comparison, should name what each section actually contains. The University of Tartu's Institute of Computer Science adds a rule of thumb for the body of a thesis: “In general, it is reasonable to divide the text into 3 to 5 numbered chapters.”
Many outlines online describe a doctoral dissertation, often in the American five-chapter form. That model is explained on our page on dissertation chapters. A master's thesis follows a similar logic on a smaller scale: one question or aim, a method that fits it, and a conclusion that answers it. For length, see how long a master's thesis is. For the European framework behind the degree levels, see why a European review.
This example is made up. A master's student in software engineering studies how a hospital could plan nurse shifts with fewer conflicts. Her first outline follows IMRaD: introduction, background on scheduling methods, methods (interviews with planners and data on past rosters), results, discussion, conclusion. Halfway through she builds a scheduling tool, and the tool becomes the core of the thesis. Her supervisor suggests the design-and-implement structure from the Chalmers list: definitions, theory, design model, implementation, tests, results and analysis, conclusions. The study is the same; the second outline shows the reader where her own contribution sits. She also checks the program's thesis instructions to see whether the department expects a particular order.
Points drawn from the guides above. The last two are our suggestions.
Esmond evaluates every assignment before you submit. It never writes it.
Esmond is an AI tool that doesn't write for you. If your course doesn't allow any AI tools, don't use Esmond for that work. If you're unsure, ask your instructor or advisor.
Esmond reads your thesis as a whole, from within your field, and flags factual errors, inconsistencies, and blind spots. For structure, that means comments such as: a research question that no chapter answers, a method that the results never use, or a conclusion that goes further than the findings. Esmond doesn't check your outline against your department's template, and it adds no text to the thesis. Your supervisor and your program's rules decide the form. See how Esmond works and the sample report for what a review looks like.
In the common empirical form: abstract, introduction, theory or literature review, methods, results or analysis, discussion, conclusion, and references. Monographs and article-based theses arrange the material differently, so check your program's guidelines.
No. IMRaD is common in empirical fields, but many programs accept monographs with subject chapters, design reports in engineering, or article-based theses. Chalmers calls the IMRaD structure very simplified and says it has to be adapted to the task.
A thesis built around a manuscript in the form of a journal article, plus an extended summary or introductory chapter. At the University of Oslo's Department of Special Needs Education, the format is chosen together with your supervisor.
There is no fixed number. Tartu's Institute of Computer Science suggests three to five numbered chapters for the body of the text; other fields use more. Your program's guidelines and recent theses from your department are the best guide.
Read on November 7, 2026.
Get your paper evaluated before you submit