WRITING & DEFENDING YOUR THESIS

By: Dr. Kapil Gupta

The Good News

You have to write only ONE thesis At the end, you can add Dr to your name

The Bad News

Writing a thesis is hard, painful work

Youve already done the fun part (the research)

Its unlike any other document.

Some people never manage to write one

99% perspiration 1% inspiration?

Why write a thesis?

It is the requirement. It will introduce you/your research to a wider audience. It will make you famous

Ok, when do I start?

When do I actually start writing?

6 months before the end of my work? No, the day you start your PhD Write it all down!

Dont worry, its never too late to start

What is a thesis?

A thesis is an original contribution to knowledge.

A thesis is a logical reconstruction

Not a historical narrative

What is a thesis?

Thesis is the document describing the Research work carried out as a part of partial fulfillment of academic requirement to get a degree. It describes the complete process of the research starting from the problem formulation to the solution and conclusions in a Scientific and Methodical manner.

Read some theses?

Good way to get a feel

ECE best thesis CSE best thesis IT best thesis

PhD thesis

Opens a new area Thoroughly explores area Contradicts existing knowledge Experimentally validates theory Provides empirical data

Derives superior algorithms Develops new methodology Develops new tool Produces negative result

So, how do I start?

Write a thesis message

1 sentence 1 paragraph 1 page

Thesis message

Youre tackling an important research problem

Youve made an original contribution to its resolution

What next?
So, Ive got a good thesis message What do I do next?

Write the table of contents Logical structure of your thesis

Table of Contents

Abstract Introduction Background and Literature review Theoretical or algorithmic developments Empirical results Analysis Related work for comparison Conclusions Future work directions List contributions

Table of Contents

Background & related work overlap

Need to discuss related work at start to set scene Need to discuss related work at end to demonstrate your originality

Often one chapter per workshop or conference papers

But not cut and paste!

What next?
So, Ive got a good thesis message And a table of contents What do I do next?

Make a timetable

Targets to meet

Timetable

Your thesis is your baby

Give it 6-9 months

Write it up

You have to know when to let it go

Put a fence around what youve done

What next?
So, Ive got a good thesis message And a table of contents, timetable. What do I do next?

Work to your timetable!

Writing each chapter

Dont start with the Introduction or Conclusion Start where you feel happiest

Typically a middle chapter Write outwards Finally Conclusions and end with the Introduction

Writing each chapter

Get feedback before you write too much

One person to read each chapter as it is written Another person to read thesis in order

Writing each chapter

Youll discover holes in your research

Theorems you havent proved Experiments you didnt run

Different problems or parameters

Rule of Three

Within each chapter, repeat yourself 3 times

Intro. We will show .. Body. Show them .. Concl. We have shown ..

Within thesis, repeat your contributions 3 times

Intro chapter Main chapters Conclusion chapter

Common mistakes

Informal text
Examiners will jump on imprecision Complex sentences full of long words A thesis should be a simple, convincing argument!

Common problems

Its never possible to cover all issues So you will never finish? Ideas become obvious to you You stop writing to a sufficient level of detail

What to expect from your Guide?

Your supervisor is on your side

Your success is their success Quality assurance What standard a thesis should reach Indication of when to stop Encouragement Constructive atmosphere

Intellectual support

Emotional support

Defending your thesis

Dont panic

Enjoy it

Youre probably the worlds expert on this topic by now!

Your examiners are human

Youve the worlds experts in the room They want to talk about your work How often will that happen in the future?

Theyve sat in your seat They will help you find what changes (if any) are needed to make this the required quality

If you want, have a practice

Get your supervisor to set up a dummy jury Prepare your opening statement

What are examiners looking for?

Review of literature

Is the literature relevant? Is the review critical or just descriptive? Does it link to the methodology in the thesis? Does it summarize the essential aspects?

What are examiners looking for?

Methodology

Are the limitations identified? Is the data collected appropriately? Is the methodology justified?

What are examiners looking for?

Presentation of results

Discussion and Conclusions

Have the hypotheses in fact been tested? Are the results shown to support the hypothesis? Is the data properly analysed? Are the results presented clearly?

Are the limits of the research identified? Are the main points to emerge identified? Are links made to the literature? Is there theoretical development?

Its all over

Youve finished writing & defending your thesis What do you do next?

Turn it into a book Publish some journal articles around it