What are the general guidelines to be followed for thesis formulation?

All the PhD research scholars need to consider question, method, evidence and logic simultaneously. The basic checklist helps you to formulate your thesis.

1. Question
   • Do you have a hypothesis, a question, or a point to be made about an issue? Note that this is different from a general topic.
   • Is this hypothesis refutable? Does your question potentially have different answers?
   • Who might be interested in answer to the question?
   • How does this potential audience now understand the issue?
   • How does your question address their concerns?
   • Are you yourself interested in the question?

2. Method
   • What is the proposed method, specifically?
   • Do you already know how to apply this method?
   • Do you have the resources to apply this method (the time to learn it, the equipment or program to carry it out, the money to pay for it?

3. Evidence
   • What kind of data does your method and question require?
   • How much of it do you already have in hand?
   • How sure are you that you will be able to obtain what you require within your deadline? What obstacles might prevent you from obtaining what you need?
   • Will you have a “fail-safe” plan, so that you can complete the work even if you do not get the data you want?

4. Logic
   • What logic will you use to argue your hypothesis?
   • What kind of results do you expect to get from applying your method to the evidence?
   • What does your audience currently know or believe? What logic will it take to take them from where they are now, to the message you want to leave them with?