Thesis Writing: General

Guidelines and Tips

Contents

Introduction to thesis writing

Masters vs PhD
Getting Started
Thesis contents
Further Tips
 Introduction

What Graduate Research is All About

An original contribution to knowledge

Thesis must show two important things:

- you have identified a worthwhile problem not previously
answered
- you have solved the problem / answered the question

Examiners points of view:

Good research problem - answered before? useful question

to work on?
The question was adequately answered?
Adequate contribution to knowledge?
 Master's vs. PhD Thesis

Different expectations not in format but in significance

and level of discovery
A Doctoral thesis - a more difficult problem to be solved,
and consequently more substantial contributions
The Ph.D. - a substantial and innovative contribution to
knowledge
Thesis vs dissertation
 Getting started

Best way is to prepare an extended outline

Begin with Table of Contents, listing each section and
sub-section

Brief point-form description of contents for each

section and sub-section

Entire outline - about 2 - 5 pages

You and your supervisor should carefully review -

unnecessary material? missing material?
Making an outline of a chapter

Assemble all figures in a logical order to explain to

someone what they all meant

Rehearse explaining it to someone else

Note down the key words of your explanation - Key

words provide a skeleton for chapter outline
Where Do I Begin?

Best place to begin - where you feel most at ease

Methodology chapter -often the easiest to write
- just write down what you did; carefully, formally and
in a logical order
Write section by section -worry about order and
transitions later

When Do I Begin?

Start today! Tomorrow is too late!

 Getting started continued

How Long Does it Take to Write a Thesis?

Longer than you think

Leave yourself enough time - hasty job may have painful

consequences at the defense
 Getting started continued

Audience

Readers - pretty knowledgeable about general problem,

but have not been intimately involved with details

Spell difficult new concepts out clearly

Imagine - explaining directly to a person who has

appropriate background

Don't make readers work too hard - Choose section titles

and wordings to give information clearly

Thesis is not a story - do not follow the chronology of

things that you tried
 Getting started continued

A timetable

Make a timetable for writing dates for first and second

drafts of each chapter to your supervisor (s)

Chart with items that you can check off as you have
finished them

Style

The text must be clear

Good grammar and thoughtful writing - easier to read
Scientific writing is a little formal - No slang
Short, simple phrases and words are better than long ones
Thesis must be a connected, convincing argument - not
just a list of facts and observations
 Getting started continued

Tips
Spend enough time planning the structure
Get copies of other (good) theses.
Write abstract and introduction chapter last
Avoid repetitions (copying your own sentences several
times)
Must not copy other peoples sentences. Develop your
own style
Maintain thread between adjoining chapters
Define all variables in equations and in calculations. Use
variables according to general practice. Do not use the same
variables for different things
 Getting started continued

Tips

Leave out material that does not contribute directly to the

discussion or development of an idea
Writing in the active voice improves the reading pace
and
dynamics.
Active: Parameter (a) improves the performance of the
algorithm
Passive: The performance of the algorithm is improved by
parameter (a)
(Active expressions are more assertive!)
Illustrations and diagrams readable in terms of graphic
style and explanations of variables
 Getting started continued

Table of Contents

The table of contents a map for reader and writer

Create a thorough table of contents before you begin

writing and refer to it throughout the thesis writing
process

Continually re-evaluate your order choice

Be sure that you to include every relevant piece of

information
Introduction

Step back mentally and take a broader view of the problem

How does it fit into broader context of your discipline?

Show rationale that explains what issue or controversy needs

resolving Why is the topic important?

State briefly state-of-the-art of research issues

State the problem(s) as simply as you can

Provide overview of the thesis contents

Introduction should be interesting

Do not overestimate the readers familiarity with the topic

Tips

+ Write the Introduction last!

+ Do not repeat the sentences from the abstract
+ Use punchy style to attract reader

Checkpoints to consider

+ Does it arouse interest or curiosity?

+ Does it include a thesis statement?
+ Does it include all the important goals and content statements?
+ What is the authors purpose in writing this thesis?
+ Does it give sufficient credit to previous work?
Problem statement

Identify the problem and its importance

Explain, defend, and/or prove - current literature and
findings are inadequate, outdated, and/or wrong
Why it is worthwhile to answer this question
Asserts that your research will help solve the problem

What makes a thesis question a good one?

First, it must remain unanswered

Second, its answer must serve as a contribution to
knowledge
 Literature Review

What is known about the issue background, from where the problem
arose, and how others have attempted to resolve it
Summary of recognized facts and information in academic
literature
What other methods have been tried to solve it?
Should be organized by ideas rather than by authors or works
Concentrate on most important publications: Use primary
literature
Keep it confined to topics really relevant to your own work
Don not try to show off by citing too many papers
Make sure you do not miss the latest developments
Make sure you understood what you have cited
Tips

Use spread sheet or word processor for literature review

- write down title, authors, year, volume and pages
- Also write a summary (a couple of sentences to a couple of pages)
In other columns of spread sheet
-add key words (your own and theirs)
-comments about its importance, relevance, quality
How many papers? about a hundred ? depends on the field,
use your judgment
A political point: do not omit relevant papers by researchers who
are like to be your examiners
What the examiners look in a Review of literature

Relevant to the research study?

Evidence of critical appraisal of other work, not just
descriptive review
How well has the candidate mastered the technical or
theoretical literature?
Does the candidate make the links between the review
and his or her methodology explicit?
Is there a summary of the essential features of other work
as it relates to this study?
 Materials and Methods Section

How you performed your experiments a literal

description of what was done
As comprehensive and adept as possible in detailing your
techniques
A competent researcher should be able to reproduce
exactly by following your description
What the examiners are looking for

What precautions were taken against likely sources of bias?

What are the limitations in the methodology? Is the candidate
aware of them?
Is the methodology for data collection appropriate?
Are the techniques used for analysis appropriate?
Under the circumstances, has the best methodology been
chosen?
Has the candidate given an adequate justification to the
methodology?
 Results and Discussion

Common practice to combine them, as their content tends

to be interrelated
Break down this section into chapters based on subject
Diagrams, graphs, and charts will be very useful in illustrating
your results
Describe the conditions under which obtained each set of
results were obtained
What was held constant?
What were the other relevant parameters?
Show measurement errors and standard errors on the graphs
Use appropriate statistical tests
 Results and Discussion continued

Discussion
- explain the meaning of your results
- compare with the current/existing literature
- where they fit in the current literature ?
- whether they concur with or deviate from others
- are they consistent with current theories?
- do they give new insights?
- do they suggest new theories or mechanisms?
Try to distance yourself from your usual perspective and
look at your work
How other people in the field might see it
What the examiners are looking for

Do the solutions obtained relate to the questions posed?

Is the level and form of analysis appropriate for the data?
Could the presentation of the results be made more clear?
Are patterns and trends in the results accurately identified
and summarized?
Does the software appear to work satisfactorily?
What the examiners are looking for

Is the candidate aware of possible limits to

confidence/reliability/validity of the work?
Have the main points to emerge from the results been
picked up for discussion?
Are there links made to the literature?
Is there evidence of attempts at theory building or
reconceptualisation of problems?
Are there speculations? Are they well grounded in the
results?
Conclusion

Less detailed than the rest of your thesis

A summary of conclusions is usually longer than the final
section of the abstract
Not a rambling summary of the thesis
short, concise statements of the inferences that you have made
because of your work
Short numbered paragraphs, ordered from most to least
important
All conclusions should be directly related to the research
question stated and objectives of the study
Show the importance or implications of the research
Be honest with critical assessment of your results - Do not try
to pretend things which you have not achieved
Future Suggestions - Optional (as per IPS Guidelines)
- how your thesis can serve as a starting point for future research
- Intended for future researchers who may be interested in taking your ideas
further

Some people only read abstract, introduction

and conclusions. So make sure these three
chapters are internally consistent and
conclusive
References

Every citation made in thesis must appear in the list of

references (unlike Bibliography)
Every reference must be cited in the thesis
List of references a measuring stick to evaluate the
breadth of your research
The reader will typically review whether you have
consulted more prominent works
Follow strictly the IPS format
Abstract

Abstract most widely published and most read

Covers:
- Short statement about the area of investigation
(motivation, objective etc.)
- Brief discussion of methods and procedures used
- Brief summary of findings
- Brief summary of conclusions
Continuous summary, not disconnected notes
Abstract should be self-contained
Tips:
Write the abstract last!
Use punchy style to attract reader
 Appendices

Material which impedes smooth development of

presentation but important to justify the results of a
thesis

Too nitty-gritty a level of detail for main body but should

be available to convince examiners sufficiently

Examples include program listings, immense tables of

data, lengthy mathematical proofs or derivations, etc.

Use letters to designate A, B, C, etc.

If there is only one appendix, it is called Appendix. If not, then

Appendix A.

List of appendices in the Table of Contents

 Reviewing

Get other people to read your drafts

Set it aside for a week or more, then go back and edit it
again
Re-Write first draft - taking everyones comments into
account
Run a spell check so that your supervisor does not waste
time
Check for - any characteristic grammatical failings
Check it through anti-plagiarism software - Turnitin
Get the bugs out before the committee sees it
Re-do the studies in different places at different times for
comparison if you can
Checkpoints to consider

Does each paragraph have one main idea which clearly

relates to the thesis statement?
Do the paragraphs come in logical order?
Does each paragraph contain enough specific details
which expand or clarify the main idea of the paragraph?
Are transitions used between paragraphs to help the
reader follow the train of thought from one paragraph to
the other?
 Additional Tips

Preparing Yourself To Write Your Thesis

Organize Your Thesis Using Electronic Folders

Back Up Your Thesis Files Every Day
Organize Your Thesis Using Physical Folders
Physical folders can also be used for notes, scraps,
scriblings, letters, and other artifacts of your thesis writing
experience
Place all of your folders in a safe place
Nine steps to developing an efficient draft of your manuscript

1. Consolidate all information.

- Ensure you have everything you need - all data, references,
drafts of tables, figures, etc.
2. Start writing.
- Write when your energy is high
- Find a time and place that you can think and write without
distractions
3. Write quickly and in larger portions.
- Keep the flow going - first version does not have to be
perfect
- Leave gaps if necessary - search for correct words, data,
figures, etc. later
- Do the editing later
Nine steps to developing an efficient draft of your manuscript

4. Write in your own style.

- Avoid copying sentences from other - reader will notice
5. Keep to the plan of your outline.
- Avoid wandering around - reader must be able to follow you
- Do not jump from issue to issue
6. Write the thesis in parts.
- Treat each section as mini-essay
- Check if each section can stand alone
Nine steps to developing an efficient draft of your manuscript

7. Put your first draft aside.

- Let it rest for a few days or even longer
- Fresh reading - additional insights
- Criticise your own text
8. Revise it.
- Several times
- Let a colleague have a look at it
- Give to a language expert
9. Target a journal.
- Define content in relation to goals of the journal
- Do not try to put everything into a journal manuscript
Final words

You are not alone!

Do not isolate yourself during the thesis process
- Discuss your fears, doubts and results with others
- Share suggestions how to overcome obstacles
Take a course on Technical Writing
- Writing is to a large amount a skill, which can be learned
Do not endure writers block
- Most writers get this occasionally - not a career-ending
disease
- Total block partial block - Do not suffer, get advice
References

John W. Chinneck, How to Organize your Thesis,

http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/chinneck/thesis.html
Joe Wolfe, How to Write a PhD Thesis,
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/%7Ejw/thesis.html
J. I. Maletic, Everything you wanted to know about Thesis &
Dissertations but were afraid to ask!
San Francisco Edit, www.sfedit.net
Armin Gruen, Thesis Writing, www.photogrammetry.ethz.ch