How to Write a Practical Master Thesis
Transcript of How to Write a Practical Master Thesis
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Practice of Thesis Projects
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Goal of a thesis
Ba thesis: a report written individually in which: A clear research question is formulated based on a problem
definition and a given objective;
The student reports the results of a literature search to meet theresearch objective;
Conclusions are drawn based on a verification of the resultsfrom the literature study (the 'hypotheses') with findings frompractical ('measurements').
Ma thesis: Original contribution to knowledge
Thesis describes your original contribution to knowledge a worthwhile question which has not been previously answered is
identified
the question is answered
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General contents of a thesis
Introduction Background information
Literature overview
Problem description
Proposed solution, including Description of experiments
Data collection
Methods of analysis
Results
Conclusions
References
Appendices
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Common reading sequence
Title Abstract
Conclusions
Introduction
Other chapters
Usually read sequentially
Only the results
Only the methodology
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Title page
Example:
Do not forget the
department or faculty name
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Chapter outline (example)
Introduction Scope Objective Methodology (motivation of the approach) Thesis outline
Theoretical background (based on literature) Analysis + Hypothesis formation Experimental setup
Experimental design / simulation (hypothesis testing, validation) Data collection, data pre-processing
Experimental results Discussion Conclusions (+ future research) References (all!)
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What is missing here?
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Methodology
Application with motivation of existing paradigms
Hypothesis formation, based on Literature search, plus
(inductive or deductive) analysis of data or theories suspicions (!!) (hypotheses are also human constructs/artefacts)
Hypothesis testing Based on collected (expert) data
Following a motivated methodology: e.g. train model, testmodel, falsify
logical reasoning In order to arrive at adequate conclusions
that are as general as possible
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What are the supervisors looking for?
Is the research question formulated clearly? Is the research question relevant?
Is there agreement between the methodology
followed and the research question? Is the research question answered?
Are the conclusions substantiated?
Is there a clear contribution to the existingknowledge base?
Is there sufficient content compared to thelength of the thesis?
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Be consistent!
Formulate the problem description andthe research questions in the introduction
Then make sure that the questions are answered(i.e. come back to them in the conclusions!)
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Evaluation criteria (1)
Thesis Structure The thesis has a clear introduction and formulated problem; each
chapter is a recognizable part of the thesis and links up with theformulated problem; the argument results in (partial) conclusionswith respect to the questions derived from the formulated problem.
Substantiation The thesis has a clear theoretical substantiation and recognizable
and verifiable use has been made of (literature and empirical)sources. The writer has clearly motivated the method of research,the method fits in with the problem formulation and the method has
been applied well.
Detailing The thesis actually answers the questions posed within the
problem formulation. The subject is sufficiently set out. Theargument is coherent and logical.
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Evaluation criteria (2)
Added Value The thesis contributes to the knowledge in the field of study. Forinstance a new method is developed or an existing method isapplied to a new field.
Relevance The thesis is a relevant contribution to the knowledge in the field of
study. This contribution can be both practical and scientific. Design and Presentation
There is a consistent and conveniently arranged division intochapters. The chapters and sections have appropriate titles. Eachchapter is provided with an introduction and summary, describingthe place of the chapter in the thesis. Linguistic usage is correct
and clear. The layout is conveniently arranged and supports thecontents. The thesis has a title page, table of contents and readinglist. The reading list and references comply with current scientificstandards.
Students commitment Independence, own contribution, motivation.
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Choice of the research topic
In principle, it can be any unansweredquestion that is interesting scientifically Recent news
Earlier knowledge
Areas of interest
E.g. look at the future research sectionof recent papers
Discuss with (intended) supervisor
Formulate a clear research question andsub-questions
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Use of (English) language
formal, (usually) passive, (avoid first personsingular, first person plural is accepted inEnglish)
avoid subjective characterisations like
a very interestingpaper written by " an importantresult, in my opinion, was achieved by
..
introduce abbreviations the first time they are
used and remain consistent with their use Prevent spelling and language errors by using
spelling checkers and grammatical controllers
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Reproducibility
It is important to be able to find all relevantinformation upon request
Make a note of all decisions, choices and themotivations for the choices (use a lab book)
Save the results of allexperiments
Save allresults
Write batch-files (scripts) to be able to repeat
the experiments easily
Avoid the point & clickapproach
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Quality control
For language mistakes: Spelling checkers en grammatical controllers
Thesis structure, methodology:
Consult the supervisor Software:
Formal analysis, design methods
Develop test cases
Writing style: Have your thesis read by friends, parents,
etc.
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A few guidelines
Describe all important steps of the methodology How are the data and information obtained?
How is the information analysed?
Which observations were made?
Every sentence must contribute towards thecentral message (easier said than done!)
Prepare a detailed thesis outline (chapters and
paragraphs) in an early stage and follow theoutline
Finalise the introduction last
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More guidelines
Think about the background of your intended audience Do not assume that the reader knows a lot or that the
reader can easily follow the text: your textmust be clear
Thesis is not a chronological report: mistakes inthinking, wrong research paths, etc. need not beexplained
Avoid assumptions about the capacity of the reader: e.g.do not use it should be clear to the reader that
Avoid the use of subjective judgements: e.g. do not use
management is the most important part of anorganisation.
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Q&A
Questions?