Getting Started
This guide walks you through five key stages of planning and writing a thesis. It applies to all programs (BAIS, BAKS, MAAS, MAIR) and is designed to be worked through in order — though you can revisit any step at any time.
How to Use This Guide
Click on each step below to expand it. Each one includes objectives, key concepts, reflection prompts, and an exercise that produces something you can bring to your supervisor.
Work through all five steps. By the end you will have: a working research question, a data collection plan, a literature review outline, a methods framework, and a writing strategy.
The Five Steps
Step 1: Developing Your Research Question
Everything starts here. Your research question shapes every decision that follows — what you read, what data you gather, and how you analyze it.
Objectives
- Understand what makes a good research question
- Learn how to identify a research problem or gap in the literature
- Draft a working research question to bring to your first supervision meeting
What makes a strong research question?
A strong research question is:
- Clear — It can be understood without additional explanation
- Focused — It is narrow enough to be answered within the scope of your thesis
- Relevant — It connects to existing scholarly debates in your field
- Researchable — It can be investigated with available data and methods
Research problem and research gap
The research problem is the broader issue your question addresses. It explains why your question matters — what we don't yet know, what existing scholarship has overlooked, or what needs to be re-examined.
The research gap is the specific hole your thesis aims to fill. Gaps can take many forms: an understudied case, an untested theory, a missing comparison, a neglected perspective, or new data that warrants fresh analysis.
Your question will evolve. It will almost certainly change as you read more and refine your thinking. This is normal. Start with a working question that gives you direction, and plan to revise it as your understanding deepens.
Ask yourself
- What topic or issue genuinely interests you?
- What do scholars already know about this? What don't they know?
- Can you answer this question with the data and methods available to you?
- Is the scope realistic for your program's word count?
- Does the question contribute to a broader scholarly conversation?
Exercise
Draft a working research question (1–2 sentences). Then write a short paragraph (150–250 words) explaining:
- The research problem your question addresses
- Why this question matters (the gap in existing knowledge)
- How you might begin to answer it
Bring this to your first supervision meeting.
Step 2: Data and Sources
Your research question tells you what to ask. This step helps you figure out where to look for answers — and how to manage what you find.
Objectives
- Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources
- Learn the FAIR principles for research data management
- Develop a preliminary data collection plan
Primary vs. secondary sources
Primary sources are original materials you analyze directly — interviews, surveys, archival documents, government reports, media sources, datasets, literary texts, visual materials, etc.
Secondary sources are scholarly works that analyze, interpret, or discuss primary sources — journal articles, monographs, book chapters, and review essays.
Most theses use a combination of both. The balance depends on your research question and methodology.
The FAIR Principles
| Principle | What it means | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Findable | Data should be easy to locate | Organize and label your sources systematically; use reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley) |
| Accessible | Data should be obtainable | Ensure you can legally and practically access the sources you need |
| Interoperable | Data should work across systems | Use standard formats and consistent naming conventions |
| Reusable | Data should be usable by others | Document your sources, methods, and any transformations clearly |
What kinds of data might you use?
- Textual sources — policy documents, news articles, speeches, legal texts, literary works
- Quantitative data — statistical datasets, survey results, economic indicators
- Qualitative data — interview transcripts, ethnographic observations, focus groups
- Archival materials — historical documents, correspondence, organizational records
- Digital sources — social media data, web content, digital archives
Ask yourself
- What type of data do you need to answer your research question?
- Is this data available and accessible? Are there language requirements?
- How will you collect or access this data?
- Are there ethical considerations (e.g., human participants, sensitive data)? See the Ethics & AI page.
- How will you organize and manage your data throughout the project?
Exercise
Write a data collection plan (300–500 words) that addresses:
- What types of sources (primary and secondary) you will use
- How you will find and access these sources
- How your plan aligns with the FAIR principles
- Any potential challenges or limitations in data access
Step 3: Conducting a Literature Review
The literature review is not a book report. It's a critical conversation with the scholars who came before you — showing what they've established, where they disagree, and what they've left for you to explore.
Objectives
- Understand the purpose and structure of a literature review
- Learn how to connect the literature to your research question and gap
- Begin building your annotated bibliography
What a literature review does
A good literature review:
- Summarizes existing work on your topic
- Identifies gaps — what has been overlooked, understudied, or contested
- Frames your research — shows how your thesis connects to and builds on existing scholarship
- Justifies your approach — explains why your question, data, and methods are appropriate
A literature review is not a summary of everything written on your topic. It is a focused, critical discussion of the scholarship most relevant to your research question.
How to organize your review
- Thematic — organized by topic or theme (most common)
- Chronological — traces the development of scholarship over time
- Methodological — groups studies by the methods they use
- Theoretical — organized around competing perspectives
Many literature reviews combine more than one approach.
Building your review step by step
- Identify key search terms related to your topic, question, and field
- Search systematically — Google Scholar, JSTOR, Web of Science, your field's specialized databases
- Read strategically — start with abstracts and introductions to assess relevance
- Take structured notes — for each source, record the main argument, methods, findings, and relation to your research
- Group and synthesize — organize sources into themes, debates, or approaches
- Identify the gap — articulate what the existing literature does not address
Ask yourself
- What are the main scholarly debates surrounding your topic?
- Where do scholars agree? Where do they disagree?
- What methodological approaches have been used? What approaches are missing?
- How does your research question address something the literature has not?
- Are there geographic, temporal, or thematic blind spots?
Exercise
Part A: Create an annotated bibliography of 8–12 key sources. For each source, write 3–4 sentences covering:
- The main argument or finding
- The methods used
- How the source relates to your research question
Part B: Draft an outline of your literature review, organized by theme, chronology, or methodology.
Step 4: Building Your Analytical Framework
Your analytical framework is the bridge between your research question and your findings. It specifies what you're analyzing, how, and why that approach makes sense.
Objectives
- Understand what an analytical framework is and why it matters
- Learn how to select and justify appropriate methods
- Connect your framework to your research question and data
How it fits together
The framework should flow logically from your literature review: the gap you identified motivates your research design, and your methods should suit the type of data you're working with.
Your framework specifies:
- What you are analyzing (your data or cases)
- How you will analyze it (your methods and approach)
- Why this approach is appropriate for your question
Common approaches
Qualitative methods:
| Method | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Thematic analysis | Identifying patterns and themes in textual data |
| Content analysis | Systematic coding and categorization of textual material |
| Discourse analysis | Examining how language constructs meaning |
| Case study analysis | In-depth examination of one or more cases |
| Process tracing | Tracking causal mechanisms through detailed evidence |
Quantitative methods:
| Method | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Descriptive statistics | Summarizing patterns in numerical data |
| Inferential statistics | Testing hypotheses about relationships between variables |
| Comparative analysis | Systematic comparison across cases or datasets |
Mixed methods combine qualitative and quantitative approaches. This can strengthen your analysis but also increases complexity — discuss with your supervisor whether this is appropriate for your project.
Want more detail? The Methods Guide provides in-depth guidance on specific methods — including comparative case study design, process tracing, framing analysis, discourse analysis, and building a corpus.
Justifying your choices
Your thesis should explicitly explain:
- Why you chose this particular methodology
- How it suits your research question and data
- What its limitations are (and how you account for them)
- How your analysis will be structured
Ask yourself
- What type of analysis does your research question require?
- What methods are commonly used in your field for this type of question?
- Do you have the skills and resources to apply your chosen method?
- What are the limitations of your approach, and how will you address them?
- How will you structure your findings chapter?
Exercise
Write a methods outline (300–500 words) that includes:
- Your research design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed)
- Your specific method(s) and why they are appropriate
- How you will structure the analysis
- Key limitations and how you plan to address them
Step 5: Writing and Reporting Findings
The findings chapter is where your analysis comes to life. This step helps you structure it — and develop a writing strategy for the full thesis.
Objectives
- Understand how to structure and present your findings
- Learn how to connect results back to your research question and literature
- Develop a practical writing strategy
Structuring your findings
| Structure | How it works |
|---|---|
| By theme | Group results around the key themes from your analysis |
| By case | Present findings for each case separately, then compare |
| By sub-question | Address each research sub-question in turn |
| Chronologically | Trace developments over time |
Whatever structure you choose, each section should:
- State what you found
- Present the evidence (quotes, data, examples)
- Analyze what the evidence means
- Connect it to your research question and existing literature
From findings to conclusions
Your conclusion chapter should:
- Summarize your main findings in relation to the research question
- Discuss contributions — what does your research add to the field?
- Acknowledge limitations — what couldn't you do, and why?
- Suggest future research — what questions remain open?
Don't introduce new evidence or arguments in the conclusion. It should synthesize what you've already presented.
Practical writing strategies
- Start with what you know best. You don't have to write chapters in order. Many students start with the literature review or methods.
- Write regularly. Consistent daily or weekly sessions beat marathon sessions before deadlines.
- Revise iteratively. First drafts are meant to be revised. Write rough, then improve.
- Use feedback early. Bring drafts to supervision meetings. Feedback is most useful when it comes early.
- Cite as you write. Don't leave citations for later. Use reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley) from the start.
Formatting
- Citation styles vary by program — check your program page for specific requirements
- Use your chosen citation style consistently throughout the thesis
- Consult the Leiden University Library: Citing page for citation resources and guides
Ask yourself
- How will you organize your findings — by theme, case, or sub-question?
- What is the key evidence for each of your main points?
- How do your findings relate to the literature you reviewed?
- What are the most important contributions of your research?
- What limitations should you acknowledge?
Exercise
Part A: Draft an outline of your findings chapter, with section headings and brief notes on the evidence you will present in each section.
Part B: Write a rough draft of your conclusion (500–750 words), addressing: summary of findings, contributions, limitations, and future research.
Next Steps
Once you have worked through all five steps, you should have:
- A refined research question
- A data collection plan
- An annotated bibliography and literature review outline
- A methods outline
- A plan for structuring your findings and conclusion
Bring these materials to your supervision meetings. Your supervisor will help you refine your approach and keep you on track toward your deadline.
Program-specific resources:
- BAIS — Requirements, deadlines, and documents
- BAKS — Requirements and link to the Thesis Seminar
- MAAS — Requirements, deadlines, and documents
- MAIR — Requirements, deadlines, and documents
Other resources:
- Assessment Standards — How your thesis will be evaluated
- Ethics & AI — Ethics review, GenAI policy, and plagiarism regulations
- Writing Lab — Additional writing support