Consistency matrix generator
A consistency matrix sums up your thesis in one table and shows that the problem, objectives, hypotheses and variables fit together. Fill in the fields below, check the preview and download it as Word in the format universities usually ask for. If your study is descriptive and has no hypotheses, tick the box and that column disappears.
What you type is saved only on this device.
Your research
General problem, objective and hypothesis
The objective and hypothesis answer the general problem.
Specific problems, objectives and hypotheses
Each row goes together in the matrix: SP1 with SO1 and SH1.
Specific 1
Specific 2
Variables and dimensions
Use the same dimensions as in your questionnaire.
Variable 1
Variable 2
Methodology
Leave blank whatever doesn’t apply and it won’t show in the matrix.
Preview
Consistency matrix
| Research problems | Objectives | Hypotheses | Variables and dimensions | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
General problem — | General objective — | General hypothesis — | — | — |
The Word file comes in landscape A4, Arial 9, with the table ready to paste into your thesis. You can edit it afterwards.
Everything is built in your browser. What you type isn’t sent to any server; it is only saved on this device so you don’t lose it if you close the page.
How to build a good matrix
Start with the general problem and write the general objective with the same content, as an action: "What is the relationship between A and B?" becomes "To determine the relationship between A and B".
Each specific problem has its objective and hypothesis on the same row. Usually there is one per dimension of the main variable.
Hypotheses answer the problem with a testable statement: "There is a direct and significant relationship between A and B".
Under variables, put each dimension on its own line. They should be the same ones you use in the operationalization table and the questionnaire.
Under methodology, the level (descriptive, correlational, explanatory) must match the verb of the general objective.
Common mistakes advisors catch
- An objective that doesn’t answer its problem, or a hypothesis about something not in the problem.
- Different dimensions in the consistency matrix and in the operationalization table.
- Hypotheses in a descriptive single-variable study: they usually aren’t stated.
- An "experimental" design with no intervention, or a "correlational" level with only one variable.
Frequently asked questions
- What columns does a consistency matrix have?
- The most common one has five: problems, objectives, hypotheses, variables and dimensions, and methodology. Some universities add population and sample as a separate column; here they go under methodology, and you can move them in Word.
- Does my thesis need hypotheses?
- Correlational, explanatory and experimental studies do. Descriptive single-variable studies usually don’t. If that’s your case, tick "My study has no hypotheses".
- Is what I type saved?
- Yes, on this device and in this browser. If you open it on another computer you start from scratch.
- Can I also make the operationalization table?
- Yes, there is an operationalization of variables generator with the same Word format.
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