Lecture%No.%19% (Course:%Technical%Report wriKng%and ... · • The%results%are%actual%statements%of%observaons,%including% stasKcs,%tables%and%graphs% • MenKon%negave%results%as%well%as%posiKve.%

Naeem A. Mahoto e-‐mail: [email protected]

Department of So9ware Engineering, Mehran UET Jamshoro, Sind, Pakistan

Lecture No. 19 (Course: Technical Report

wriKng and PresentaKon skills)

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

• How to write Thesis

• The Thesis

• Thesis structure

Naeem A. Mahoto

Outline


• A disserta(on especially by a candidate for a degree. • A thesis is a wriUen record of the work that has been undertaken by a candidate

• It consKtutes objecKve evidence of the author’s knowledge and capabiliKes in the field of interest

• A thesis may be analyzed into three S’s: structure, substance and style. – Structure: logical coherence – Substance: significance and depth – Style: language and layout

Naeem A. Mahoto

The Thesis


Source: Chandrasekhar, R. (2002). How to write a thesis: A working guide. The University of Western Australia

• An undergraduate thesis is, at present, graded on the quality of research, the significance of the contribuKons and the style of presentaKon.

• A higher degree thesis— the PhD thesis in par(cular— present research in the context of exisKng knowledge – This means a thorough and criKcal review of the literature -‐ covering

the general area

• The PhD Thesis shows clearly what original contribuKons are made – demonstrate familiarity with previous relevant work in the thesis

Naeem A. Mahoto

The Thesis


A thesis must tell a story clearly and convincingly

1. Title page 2. Abstract or summary 3. Table of Contents 4. List of Figures 5. List of Tables 6. Acknowledgements

7. Main Text / Chapters 8. Bibliography or References 9. Appendices

Naeem A. Mahoto

The Thesis: Structure


Note:-‐ Individual universi(es may have their own templates for the Thesis Structure

• The Main Text or Chapters: – IntroducKon – Review of the Literature – Materials and Methods – Experimental Results

– General Discussion – RecommendaKons

– Conclusions

Naeem A. Mahoto



Naeem A. Mahoto



i. Introduc(on/Aim

ii. Materials and Methods

iii. Observa(ons/Results

iv. Discussion

v. Conclusions

i. What did you do and why?

ii. How did you do it?

iii. What did you find?

iv. What do your results mean to you and why?

v. What new knowledge have you extracted from your experiment?

• Consider wriKng the introductory secKon(s) a9er compleKon of the other chapters, rather than before

• This is a statement of something sufficiently interesKng to moKvate reader to read the rest of the thesis/paper

• It is an important/interesKng scienKfic problem that the thesis/paper either solves or addresses

• Introductory secKon(s): – A statement of the goal of the paper: why the study was undertaken,

or why the paper was wriUen. Do not repeat the abstract!

– Sufficient background informaKon to allow the reader to understand the context and significance of the quesKons addressed

– Explain the scope of the work, what will and will not be included – A verbal "road map" or verbal "table of contents" guiding the reader to

what lies ahead

Naeem A. Mahoto

Thesis Structure: IntroducKon


• InformaKon to allow the reader to assess the believability of results

• DescripKon of materials, procedure, theory • CalculaKons, technique, procedure, equipment, and

calibraKon plots

• LimitaKons, assumpKons, and range of validity • DescripKon of analyKcal methods, including reference to any

specialized staKsKcal so9ware

Naeem A. Mahoto

Thesis Structure: Methods


• The results are actual statements of observaKons, including staKsKcs, tables and graphs

• MenKon negaKve results as well as posiKve. Do not interpret results -‐ save that for the discussion secKon

• Present sufficient details so that others can draw their own inferences and construct their own explanaKons

• Break up results into logical segments by using subheadings

• Key results should be stated in clear sentences at the beginning of paragraphs.

Naeem A. Mahoto

Thesis Structure: Results


• Start with a few sentences that summarize the most important results

• The discussion secKon should be brief – What are the major paUerns in the observaKons? – What are the relaKonships, trends and generalizaKons among the results?

– What are the likely causes (mechanisms) underlying these paUerns resulKng predicKons?

– Is there agreement or disagreement with previous work? – What is the significance of the present results: why should someone care?

Naeem A. Mahoto

Thesis Structure: Discussion


• What is the strongest and most important statement that can be made from observaKons?

• what does writer want readers to remember about the paper/thesis?

• Refer back to problem posed, and describe the conclusions that are obtained from carrying out invesKgaKon, summarize new observa(ons, new interpreta(ons, and new insights that have resulted from the present work

• Include the broader implicaKons of results • Do not repeat word for word the abstract, introducKon or

discussion

Naeem A. Mahoto

Thesis Structure: Conclusions


Recommenda(ons: Include when appropriate

Naeem A. Mahoto

The Thesis: Discussion, Conclusions


Experiments Analysis Hypothesis

Assump(ons

Methods

Materials

Discussion

Conclusions

• Put as much informaKon as possible into figures and tables – try to find a way to put conclusions into a figure, perhaps a flowchart

or a diagram

• Don't assume that readers are familiar with the terminologies – Describe it!!!

• Use shorter sentences -‐ Avoid nested clauses or phrases, and idioms

• Don’t steal informaKon of others -‐ Don’t plagiarize!!!

• Think-‐Plan-‐Write-‐Revise – Follow this cycle • Write (chapters) in four dra9s:

– First: pupng the facts together

– Second: checking for coherence and fluency of ideas – Third: readability – Fourth: ediKng

Naeem A. Mahoto

The Thesis: General Tips


• Avoid the first person singular pronoun – (I, WE) – scienKfic wriKng must be in the passive voice

• Passive voice is used in textbooks and in describing facts, and experiments done by others – Where it does not maUer who did the experiments

• Check the spelling of all words in thesis, including those in bibliography

• Start wriKng Experimental Chapters first

• Think clearly and write carefully • Ask supervisor, friends or classmates to criKque the thesis

dra9 and amend it accordingly

Naeem A. Mahoto

The Thesis: General Tips


Enjoy wri(ng thesis and good luck!

Naeem A. Mahoto Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Documents

Lecture%No.%19% (Course:%Technical%Report wriKng%and ... · • The%results%are%actual%statements%of%observaons,%including% stasKcs,%tables%and%graphs% • MenKon%negave%results%as%well%as%posiKve.%