A Manual for Ph.D Dissertation

Yong Zheng

DePaul UniversityMay 17, 2011

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Outline

1. Introduce Dissertation2. How to Write & Organize Dissertation3. Dissertation Style4. More About Dissertation5. Good habits for Dissertation

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1. Introduce DissertationIn view of the process and milestones:

Course CreditsPh.D. ExamsGeneral Research

Directed ResearchProposal Defense

Further ResearchDissertation Defense

Ph.D. DegreeGraduation Career

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1. Introduce DissertationIn view of the purpose and significance:To fulfill the promises in your dissertation proposals;To clearly document an original, substantial, innovative

contributions to knowledge;

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1. Introduce DissertationIn view of the differences among papers and Master thesis:

Paper Proposal MS Thesis/Dissertation

Length/Time Short/Depends Short/Depends Longer/Longer

Examiner Reviewer Proposal Committee

Thesis Committee

Audience Researchers, ExpertsInterested People

Proposal Committee

Thesis CommitteeGeneralist

FocusesPurpose

Specific problemQuick publication;

Academic communication

Academic Recognition& Supports

Systematized problemsGeneral and Thorough

Cover specific & trivial aspects

SignificanceContribution

Targeted on specific smaller problems;

A plan/direction for further research

MS Thesis: incremental improvementPh.D. Thesis: More difficult problems; Original, Substantial, Innovative Contributions to prior knowledge

5Hypothesis (Problem+Solution) + Convincing Evidence + Organized Literature

2. How to Write Dissertation1st Question: When to start writing Ph.D. thesis?Start as early as possible, do not wait you are fully ready.Write early, write often, writing is thinking! Assumption: successfully defend the proposal; At least start with an outline or skeleton; Do not have to start from the 1st section to the end; Start taking notes of problems, goals, brief descriptions,

experimental designs and expected outcomes; The theories, algorithms or experiments, as well as the thesis

may require numerous revisions to cover weaknesses/errors; Set deadline/due dates for each stages!! 6

2. How to Write DissertationCommon Skeleton (formal structure depends on Universities): Abstract Introduction Background and Literature Review Research Questions/Problem Statement Solutions, Methodologies and Experiments Evaluations and Discussions Conclusions References Appendices Others: Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, etc 7

2. How to Write Dissertation

Principles of Thesis Organizations: Take the readers’ views/focuses into account; Logically Clear, Sound, Thorough, Reasonable; Be honest and justified; Highlight the novel ideas and main contributions; For each section, ask yourself relevant questions to

validate whether your writings have meet the requirements of each section

Basic Routine: Goal->Writing->Question8

2. How to Write Dissertation

1). Abstract General introduction of the background Briefly introduce the problem you want to address Summary of your solution and methodologies State a bird view of your results/conclusions Highlight your novel ideas and main contributions Is it concise? Is it clear and easy to learn the background

and the targeted problem? Did you clearly indicate your solutions, conclusions and

highlight your contributions?9

2. How to Write Dissertation

2). Introductions General introduction to what the thesis is about Summarize the research questions/problems Indicate why this is a worthwhile problem Give an overview of your solution, experiment and main

results/conclusions Can general readers easily understand the introduction? Did you explain some terms to avoid readers’ confusion? Did you briefly introduce your solutions and contributions? Did you highlight the novelty?

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2. How to Write Dissertation

3). Background and Literature Review Give the background to let the readers know and

understand your topic & the knowledge of this area The state of the art; related work, existing research Organize these by logical and reasonable ideas, not

simply by time/author, etc Is the background clear enough? Is the literature review well organized? Is the literature review thorough enough?

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2. How to Write Dissertation

4). Research Questions/Problem Statements Concise statement about the problems you want to address Justified, the problem should be unanswered/not well solved

based on the previous literature review Thoroughly discuss why it is worthwhile to solve this problem Will readers be convinced to agree with your view on the

problems, about the originality, novelty and applicability? Did you refer to some literature references to convince your

points?

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2. How to Write Dissertation5). Solutions, Methodologies and Experiments Main purpose: to convince the examiners that you have answered

the question or solved the problem by your own solutions It may require several sections to thoroughly explain the solutions,

experiments and evaluations; here I simply split them into two. Show prior & current methodologies/work to your solution If there were blind alleys or dead ends, do not include them unless

they can be used to serve that you have solved the problem Can readers clearly understand your solutions? Did all these parts have a logical basis and convinces? Did you mention the experimental conditions and limitations? 13

2. How to Write Dissertation

6). Evaluations and Discussions Analyze your experimental results and evaluate your

assumptions/performance of solutions Focus on the positive contributions of the results, also explain

the negative results Reasonably discuss the limitations of your solution, focus on the

scale of the applicability Did you thoroughly evaluate the experimental results? Did you thoroughly discuss the relevant issues, such as

limitations, flaws, etc?14

2. How to Write Dissertation

7). Conclusions Conclusions: short concise statements about the results of work

you have done; must be directly relevant to the problem you raised in this thesis; How you complete your promise?

Summary of contributions: whether your results can contribute to the knowledge of your area; organize from most to least important. Original? Novel? Thorough? Meaningful?

Future research: in order to let other researchers pick up relevant work and follow your tracks. Feasible? Reasonable?

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2. How to Write Dissertation

8). References Closely tied to the literature reviews in previous sections Examiners usually scan this list looking for important works in

the field, which may be considered as a preliminary assessment If your examiners are one of the experts in your topic, it may be

necessary for you to read their relevant papers and put some into the references

Do not just list them, make sure you have referred them in the main body!

Organize them either alphabetically by author surname or order of citation in your thesis 16

2. How to Write Dissertation

9). Appendices This part may include materials impede the smooth development

of your thesis but can contribute to justify the results of the thesis.

For example: program listings, huge tables of data, mathematical proofs or derivations

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3. Dissertation StyleThe formal structure/format depends on the University;Be logically clear, sound, reasonable as academic literature style;Latex tool is recommended for writing; Grammar & logic written;Keep the figures and tables clear enough and well organized;Check spells, as well as missing chapter or figure references;Avoid simply use “obviously/clearly”, etc;Avoid simply use “XX is the most important …”; Avoid personal moral judgements and self-assessment;More: How to Write A Dissertation or Bedtime Reading for

People Who Do not Have Time To Sleep18

4. More about Dissertation Results of your dissertation defense:

Pass, Fail, Major Revision, Small Revision, etc Evaluate your thesis by yourself:

Did you clearly and reasonably describe all?Did you logically demonstrate your solution?Were all questions well answered?Is there a significant contribution to previous knowledge?

Ethical Issues: Original, Honest, JustifiedThorough literature reviewKeep original, honest & justified about ideas & evidencesTake references seriously (literature, figure, table, etc) 19

5. Good Habits/Tips

Write early, write often, do not wait all things to be ready; Grow your Ph.D. thesis from previous research; Keep notes about your ideas daily; Keep the reader’s backgrounds and views in mind; Predict examiners’ questions and answer them in thesis; Keep asking yourself questions about the thesis; Get feedbacks from others, especially advisors & committees; Submit early to committees in order to get feedbacks early;

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Thanks!

Any Questions?

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