how to write a practical master thesis

8/2/2019 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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