What is Thesis

Thesis describes the complete process of the research

starting from the problem formulation to the solution and
conclusions in a Scientific and Methodical manner.
Demonstration of an understanding of the state of the art:
Critical appreciation of existing work
A novel contribution
Evaluated systematically

What is Research in Thesis?

Research is an Original Contribution to Knowledge.
You must show two things
Identification of an unanswered question
The Answer !
Opens a new area with thoroughly explores that area.
Provides unifying framework needs to resolve not only long-standing.
problem but also Contradicts existing knowledge.
Experimentally and analytically validates theory.
Produces ambitious system with providing empirical data.
Derives superior algorithms and Develops new methodology and new tool.
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What is the significance of Thesis..?

While carrying out the research project, the
delegates get an opportunity to work on technical
problem and bring out the solution by following
scientific and technical methods.
It involves a systematic approach to document the
proceedings of the project and gives a thorough
training for the candidate to re-look at the
presentation skills.
It is a proud document a student can produce to
prove his/her capability to analyze and solve
problem scientifically.
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What is Size of a Masters/PhD Thesis?

A Masters thesis must fill around 60-80 pages,
PhDs thesis around 120-160 in A4, inclusive of
certificates, declarations, references, appendices
and main text.
A too small thesis represent the inadequacy of the
work content.
A too big thesis reflects the inability of the
candidate to write a concise report.
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A thesis is an attempt to persuade

A supervisor/reviewer will ask:
what is the research question?
is it a good question? (has it been answered before? is it a
useful question to work on?)
did the author convince me that the question was adequately
answered?
has the author made an adequate contribution to knowledge?

Thesis

requires keeping the main points in mind--ONLY include

background information, data, discussion that is relevant to these points.

Style and Structure

Font, Spacing and Length

The preferred typeface is Times Roman (11 or 12 points).

Other typefaces are acceptable (check with your supervisor).
Use 1.5 or double-line spacing for the dissertation text.
Each page must have a left margin of 3.5 cm to allow for
binding.
The top, bottom and right margin shall all be 2.5 cm.
Justify all your text in the dissertation body.
The usual convention of the figure followed by the figure
title shall be followed.
Use the Chapter/Figure number convention to label the
figures in the dissertation. For example, Figure 1.2 refers to
the second figure of chapter 1.
A List of Figures and Tables must be included after the
content page of dissertation.

Documentation Style
Select documentation style and apply it consistently
and carefully throughout your dissertation.
For simplicity and consistency, we recommend APA
style. Recommended manuals include :
American Psychological Association. Publication
Manual. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: APA, 1994.
Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers. 4th ed. New York:
MLA, 1995.
Turabian, Kate. A Manual For Writers Of Term
Papers, Theses And Dissertations. 6th ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Findings
Many operations involved

reading papers
writing reviews of papers & tracking papers
discussing ideas
having brilliant ideas and discovering which
ones are worth bothering with
living in a dreamlike state, - I know it really!
keeping and review journals
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Strategic Grinding
Be selective in what you read
find appropriate conferences
quiz your supervisor or academic staff member
scan before reading, read abstract and
conclusions first
if it still looks interesting, read and read again
summarise the ideas in journal/work notes
its normal to be overwhelmed
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Evaluating Papers
Did the ideas described really work?
Cut through the jargon, are there any
interesting ideas underneath it all ?
What motivated the authors ?
What choices were open to the authors ?
Validity of assumptions ?
What was their result ?
Any future directions ?
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Format of the Thesis

Mandatory Sections/Chapters
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Nomenclature
1 Introduction and Statement of Problem
1.1 Problem Definition/Statement
1.2 Objectives
2 Literature Review
3 Methodology
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Mandatory Sections/Chapters
4 Data Validation
5 Design/Experimental/Computational Studies
6- Interpretation
7 - Results and Discussions
8 - Conclusions and Recommendations for future work
References
Appendix

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Abstract
Abstracts should be 1-2 pages and should be selfcontained
Model after a paper in your field
Written to attract readers to your article or thesis, gives a
good initial impression
Summary of the contents of the thesis
Brief but contains sufficient detail
motivation for the work (problem statement)
project objectives
techniques employed
main results and conclusions

Chapter 1: Introduction and Statement

of the Problem

Introduce the subject area (Overview and definition) and

explain the research topic.
Keep introduction shorts and focused
State your research question(s) or research objective(s).
Scope and limitations of the study.
Importance of the topic you have selected.
You probably wrote this for your thesis proposal; REWRITE
IT AFTER body of thesis is written.
Discussion of why it is worthwhile to answer of the problem
statement. Highlight the section with a heading using words
such as problem or question
This section is likely to contain a lot of reference citations-put your thesis in context of existing work.
This Chapter should be revised after writing Chapter 2
(Literature Review)

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Conduct a thorough literature search before designing your

methodology and collecting your data.
The literature review should provide context and clarify the
relationship between your topic and previous work in that
area.
When writing the literature review, present major themes,
theories, and ideas that have been published in the area,
and the findings of related studies.
Quote or paraphrase the contents of published articles.
Weave the information into focused views. Demonstrate
your deeper understanding of the topic.
Conclude the review of the literature with a short section
that describes your topic, highlighting why it is important
to address the problem you have investigated.

Chapter 3: Methodology
This chapter describes exactly the steps that you took
to investigate your research problem.
Explains your research design
The methodology that you selected (survey, interviews,
historical research, document analysis or extended
literature review for example),
The instruments that you used and how they were
developed, the sample that you selected, and the
description of your data collection process.
Copies of correspondence, instruments if you used any
(questionnaires or interview scripts), raw data if
appropriate and other items relating to the
methodology are included as appendices, with
references from the appropriate place in this chapter.

Data Validation and Interpretation

No standard form. But still organized!

One or several sections and subsections.
Methods, Data, Interpretation sections are separate
For a proposal: describe methods, preliminary data,
types of data to be collected
Present data that is relevant to answering the
question or solving the problem:
if there were blind alleys and dead ends, do not
include these, unless specifically relevant to the
demonstration that you answered the thesis question.

Design/Experimental/Computational Studies
Data presentation
Draft your figures first: (A picture is worth a
thousand words)
Make captions stand alone
Use enough figures to present the data that
justifies your interpretations and conclusions. No
more, no less. (Dont use 1000 words when 500
will do)
Write your text around your figures

Use the proper tools

Spreadsheets, analysis tools

Plotting programs
Graphics programs
ENDNOTE
Writing resources
Start learning these before you collect the data
(e.g., during the thesis proposal process)

Interpretation
Keep separate from data, clearly distinguished by
paragraph, section, and/or words like are
interpreted to show.
Depending on your topic, it is often useful to
subdivide interpretation into a local or small
scale (directly flows from your data) and a
regional or big picture scale, that flows from
consideration of your data with that of others.
This latter type is usually included in the
discussion section.

Results & Discussion

Relate your findings to your original statement of the
problem and your literature review.
Begin by briefly summarizing the previous chapters,
then discuss what you found.
Ask yourself why the results were what they were, and
then try to provide meaningful answers to the
question.
Usually is a broader scale interpretation than just
your data (relate to previous published results)
Addresses the bigger problems of your research topic
and how your study fits into solving those problems
Make sure that every conclusion you draw is
defensible and not just your own personal opinion.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Summarize your conclusions from the discussion
chapter. All conclusions should be directly related to
the research question stated.
Note the limitations of your study.
Show that you are aware of the methodological
limitations of your study, for example the small size of
your sample, or the fact that you set out to examine
only one part of a bigger problem.
Make recommendations relating to the problem that
you investigated, for example by making practical
suggestions on how to improve the situation in the
organization in which your research took place.
Make recommendations for areas that require further
study.

Final Remarks
The final dissertation (3 copies) should be hard-cover
bounded using a Dark Blue cover with Gold lettering
(not exceeding 16 pts).
The year (i.e MSc (19xx)) denotes the year when the
dissertation is submitted.
The author's name is abbreviated on the spine in the
order of: full surname and initials of middle and first
names.
The title may need to be abbreviated if it is too long to fit
the spine. Get the approval from your supervisor on the
abbreviated title.

References
All references cited, including those in
Tables and Figure captions. No more, no
less.
Use consistent style throughout (e.g. et al.
OR and others, not both)
Use ENDNOTE program (start NOW
building your library database)

Thanks You
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