Writing a thesis

The thesis is a full report of your research work

How to begin writing a thesis

If you have already submitted a research paper to a journal, your thesis writing is relativelypainless (but still takes time)

1. Look at the newest thesis in your Department.

2. Read the Graduate School handbook (latest edition) .

The thesis is divided into the followingsections:

IntroductionObjectivesMaterials and MethodsResults DiscussionConclusion

Other sections include:

AcknowledgementAbstractContentsList of TablesList of FiguresList of AbbreviationsReferencesAppendixBiography

Grammar

(I prefer) using the passive voice.

Use present tense for writing about work in the literature.

Use past tense for work done by you.

“Smith and co-workers reported that 99% of human cancer cells (HU135) die when exposed to 10 mM Americide whereas mouse cancer cells (MU246) require only 1 mM Americide (3). Using Thailandicide prepared as described in Methods and Materials, Section 3.2.2, only 0.5 and 1 mM Thailandicide was necessary to kill 99% of MU246 and HU135 cells, respectively (Figures 4 and 5). Thailandicide was 5- to 10-fold more effective than Americide as an anti-cancer agent, and furthermore appeared to be more selective against human than mouse cells.”

Every chapter of the thesis should be able to be understood by the reader without having to read the other chapters. (This is different from writing a research paper.)

Thus you should not hesitate to be repetitive in your writing. You have unlimited space!

INTRODUCTIONThis should be a review of the literature relatedto the thesis work, up to time the thesis was started.

The review should be comprehensive, but alsocomprehensible.

Cover only those topics that are relevant to the thesis work.

INTRODUCTION (cont’d)Do not copy the abstract of the paper word for wordbut paraphrase the text.

If possible, you should have read the papers cited (Discussion and Results).

OBJECTIVESIf you have already written a research paperthis chapter contains the introductory paragraphsof that manuscript.

However, to help the reader understand the thesis the specific objectives should be listed numerically.The objectives need not be the same as that previouslylisted in the thesis proposal (remember that proposal?).

MATERIALS and METHODSIn Materials include:

list of chemicalslist of utensilslist of equipment

In Methods:use descriptive, not protocol, style

1.1 Preparation of RPMI medium

1.1.1 Stock RPMI solution

Stock RPMI solution was prepared by dissolving 10.4 g of RPMI 1640 powder and 6 g of HEPES (25 mM final concentration) in 960 ml of distilled water. To this solution were added 40 mg of the antibiotic gentamycin sulfate (40 g/ml final concentration) followed by filtration of the stock RPMI solution through a 0.45 m Millipore filter (to sterilize the solution).

RESULTSDivide the Results into sections.

Briefly introduce each section with the backgroundand rationale for the experiments.

Present the Results as Figures (graphs) as much as possible. Data in the Figures can also be recorded in Tables as well.

If you have a lot of data which aresimilar (tests of 50 compounds for anti-cancer activities), then the Figures for each compound tested

RESULTS (cont’d)(percent inhibition vs concentration) can be placed in the Appendix, and the main conclusions (concentration required to kill 99% of cells) listed in a Table.

Describe the main points presented in the Figure or Table. Do not assume that the reader can interpret the data without your guidance.

RESULTS (cont’d)“Figure 5 shows a plot of percent live human HU135 cells following exposure at 370C for 12 h to Thailandicide at concentrations ranging from 1nM to 10 mM. The concentration of Thailandicide that killed 50 and 99% of HU135 cells was 0.05 and 1 mM, respectively.”

DISCUSSIONIn this chapter, the significances of the results are discussed.

The chapter should begin with the rationale of the thesis. This can take the form of a shorter version ofthe text in the OBJECTIVES.

Each section in RESULTS can be discussed separately. Briefly summarize the rationale and significant data of the experiments. In addition to the information that appeared in the INTRODUCTION you should now cite recent

DISCUSSION (cont’d)papers that have appeared during the period you were doing the experiments.

Explain how your data contributes new knowledge to the field. Do not be afraid to speculate or to suggest additional experiments that can be conducted to support your hypothesis or suggestions. (You will not be asked to perform these experiments!).

You should also use this chapter to criticize the weaknesses of other people’s papers.

DISCUSSION (cont’d)If you have already had your paper accepted forpublication, this chapter can now include the texts that the referee asked you to cut out from thediscussion section in the original manuscript.

The weakness of many theses is that the student does not use the information present in the INTRODUCTION to help explain the results of the experiments. (INTRODUCTION has 50 pages; RESULTS has 20 pages; DISCUSSION has 5 pages!)

“Smith and co-workers reported that 99% of human cancer cells (HU135) die when exposed to 10 mM Americide whereas mouse cancer cells (MU246) require only 1 mM Americide (3). Using Thailandicide prepared as described in Methods and Materials, Section 3.2.2, only 0.5 and 1 mM Thailandicide was necessary to kill 99% of MU246 and HU135 cells, respectively (Figures 4 and 5). Thailandicide was 2- to 10-fold more effective than Americide as an anti-cancer agent, and furthermore appeared to be more selective against human than mouse cells.”

FIGURES and TABLESEach Figure and Table must be on a separate page, and not be inserted into the body of the text.

Place each Figure and Table immediately following the page in which it is referred to.

Each Figure and Table must have a title that is informative, but not too long or complicated.

FIGURES and TABLES (cont’d)Each Figure and Table should have a Figure/Table legend that is sufficiently detailed that a reader can understand the experiment without having to read the MATERIALS and METHODS chapter.

The Figure/Table legend must be on the same page as the Figure/Table (placed at bottom of page).

If the data cannot be put into one page, then the Figure/Table on the other page must have its own title and legend.

FIGURES and TABLES (cont’d)Figure 5 Inhibitory effects of Nationicides on viability of human HU135 cancer cells: compounds 1-10.”

HU135 cells (106 in 50 L of RPMI medium) were incubated at 370C for 12 h in the presence of Nationicide, and viable cells were determined using vital dye staining. Nationicide was dissolved in DMSO and added at 1/10 vol of cell suspension; the final concentration of DMSO never exceeded 0.1% v/v. The mean and SEM of three experiments, each conducted in triplicates, are shown. The structures of Nationicide compounds 1-10 are shown in Table 2.

CONCLUSIONThis chapter contains a summary of the results obtained and any conclusion(s) drawn from the data.

The first paragraph(s) should (again) summarize the rationale of the thesis and the approaches used to answer the questions.

Use a narrative style to describe the major findings. The final paragraph(s) should contain the conclusions and suggestions (if any) for future studies.

REFERENCESConsult current Graduate School Manual for correct format.

Check the reference from either the journal or from internet source (eg. PubMed). Do not copy from a previous thesis without verifying the text.

“52. Yuthavong Y, Wilairat P. Protection against malaria by thalassemia and hemoglobin variants. Parasitol Today 1993; 9: 241-5.”

ABSTRACTConsult current Graduate School Manual for correct format.

It should be a shorter version of CONCLUSION. However, do not include any conclusions that are speculative or not supported by your data. It should be written as one paragraph and contain as much quantitative data as possible.

The English and Thai versions should correspond to one another.

ACKNOWLEDMENTSIn addition to friends in the lab, family members, committee members and thesis advisor, acknowledge the people who contributed to the data described in the thesis.

“I wish to thank Professor IQ High, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Harvard University, for providing HU135 and MU246 cells; Ms. Busy Worker for maintaining the cells in culture; Mr. Active Technician for assistance in determining viable cells; Dr. Good Chemist for the gift of Nationicides; etc.”