Thesis Structure

1
Thesis Structure

2
"I Keep Six Honest Serving Men ..."

• I keep six honest serving-men(They taught me all
  I knew)Their names are What and Why and When
  And How and Where and Who.I send them over land
  and sea,I send them east and westBut after
  they have worked for me,I give them all a rest.
• I let them rest from nine till five,For I am
  busy then,As well as breakfast, lunch, and
  tea,For they are hungry men.But different folk
  have different views I know a person small-She
  keeps ten million serving-men,Who get no rest at
  all!
• She sends'em abroad on her own affairs,From the
  second she opens her eyes-One million Hows, two
  million Wheres,And seven million Whys!

3
Structure

• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Abstract
• Declaration
• Acknowledgments

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methodology
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• Future Work
• Appendices

4
Beginnings prepare readers for understanding the
work
5
A strong title orients readers to your area of
work
Effects of Humidity on the Growth of Avalanches
6
A strong title also separates your work from
everyone else's work
Studies on the Electrodeposition of Lead on
Copper
7
ABSTRACT COVERED PREVIOUSLY
8
INTRODUCTION
9
Introductory Chapter

• Possible sections in this chapter
• 1. Background
• 2. Research Problem
• 3. Methodology (or method to be used)
• 4. Thesis roadmap/Overview/Outline
• 5. Definitions
• 6. Orthogonal Issues
• 7. Conclusions

10
A document's introduction prepares readers for
the discussion
Topic?
Importance?
Background?
Arrangement?
Introduction
11
The introduction defines the scopeand
limitations of the work
scope
Proposed Study on Effects of Alcohol on Life
Expectancy
Ten-year study
Three classes of drinkers non-drinkers
moderate drinkers heavy drinkers
Men surveyed
limitations
12
A strong introduction tells readers why the
research is important
This paper presents a design for a platinum
catalytic igniter in hydrogen-air mixtures. This
igniter has application in nuclear reactors. One
danger at a nuclear reactor is a loss-of-coolant
accident. Such an accident can produce large
quantities of hydrogen gas when hot water and
steam react with zirconium fuel rods. In a
serious accident, the evolution of hydrogen may
be so rapid that it produces an explosive
hydrogen-air mixture in the reactor containment
building. This mixture could breach the
containment walls and allow radiation to escape.
Our method to eliminate this danger is to
intentionally ignite the hydrogen-air mixture at
concentrations below those for which any serious
damage might result.
importance
13
MIDDLE CHAPTERS
14
Literature Review (aka State of the Art)

• This chapter outlines the state of the art in
  your field, organised by ideas, research trends
  NOT chronologically or by author
• The objective of this chapter is to tell the
  reader that this is an important and interesting
  problem
• Literature Survey vs. Literature Review
• Bibliography vs. Literature Review

15
Research Question (aka Problem Statement)

• The title of this slide is an example of the
  arts/science divide, in arts subjects this is
  generally called research question to be
  answered/addressesed" in science subjects
  (especially engineering) this is generally
  referred to as problem to be solved".

16
Research Question (aka Problem Statement)

• In this chapter you need to
• state the research question, clearly and
  concisely
• demonstrate that this particular research has not
  been answered (why current approaches fail)
• Discuss why this is a worthwhile question
  (including applications where it may be used) 
• try to include enough information so that a
  future researcher could continue your research
  once you are done.
• You have to demonstrate your familiarity with the
  important researchers in your field here.

17
Methodology

• Research Methods
• Software Development
• Organizational Methods

18
Solving the Research Question

• You need to convince the reader that the research
  question has been resolved, only discuss your
  research that pertains to the resolution of the
  problem, if you worked on techniques that were
  dead-ends, don't bother including these in the
  discussion (unless it is somehow relevant to the
  resolution).

19
Solving the Research Question

• Record any limitations, assumptions, etc. in
  methods used
• Report exactly under what conditions the results
  were obtained
• If wrote computer programs to solve the problem
• gt use my checksheet on software, comments, etc.
• gt record hardware, software versions, language
  versions, operation system versions, any relevant
  environmental configurations

20
In the middle of a report, you present your work
Make sections and subsections
Choose a logical strategy
Heading Subheading Subheading Heading Subheadin
g Subheading Subheading Heading
21
Common strategies exist for the middles of
scientific reports
22
Common strategies exist for the middles of
scientific reports
23
Section headings should be descriptive and
parallel
Non-Parallel Non-Descriptive
Introduction Background Marx Generators Line
Pulse Beam Generation Transporting
Beam Pellets Results Conclusions
24
When you divide a section into subsections, all
the pieces should be of the same pie
New Design for Particle Beam Fusion Charging
Marx Generators Generating Particle
Beam Irradiating Deuterium-Tritium Pellets
New Design for Particle Beam Fusion Charging
Marx Generators Generating Particle
Beam Pellets
25
Organization is hidden without Secondary headings
Performance of the Solar One Receiver
Introduction Receivers Efficiency Steady
State Efficiency Average Efficiency Receivers
Operation Cycle Start-Up Time Operation
Time Operation During Cloud Transients Receivers
Mechanical Wear Panel Mechanical Supports Tube
Leaks Conclusion
Performance of the Solar One Receiver
Introduction Steady State Efficiency Average
Efficiency Start-Up Time Operation Time Operation
During Cloud Transients Panel Mechanical
Supports Tube Leaks Conclusion
26
CONCLUSIONS
27
In a strong ending, you analyze resultsand give
a future perspective
Conclusions
Analyze results from overall perspective
Analysis of Results
Future Perspective
Several options Make recommendations Discuss
future work Repeat limitations
28
Use appendices to supply backgroundfor secondary
audiences
Appendix A Concern About the Greenhouse Effect

• For almost a hundred years, experts have been
  concerned with the increasing concentrations of
  gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and
  nitrogen oxides in the earth's lower atmosphere.
  These gases are natural by-products of
  combustion. Figure A-1 illustrates the
  correlation between global temperature and carbon
  dioxide concentrations...

29
Use appendices to supply secondary or tangential
information to primary readers
Appendix B Project Stormfury

• In 1961, the United States Weather Bureau and
  the Department of Defense (Navy) began a project
  to reduce the strength of hurricanes. The
  project, called Project Stormfury, uses cloud
  seeding, a process used to produce rainfall and
  reduce hail in thunderstorms. In Project
  Stormfury, silver iodide crystals, similar in
  structure to ice, are dispersed by airplanes in
  the upper reaches of cloud formations just
  outside the hurricane's eye where the winds are
  highest. Initial results showed that wind speeds
  decreased between 1530 after seedings...

30
For secondary readers, use a glossary to define
unfamiliar terms
Glossary burst point the exact point in space
where an atomic bomb is detonated. clear
visibility a viewing range of twenty
miles. fallout the descent to the Earth's
surface of radioactive particles from a cloud
contaminated with the fission products of a
nuclear explosion. hypocenter the point on the
earth's surface directly below the burst point
also called ground zero.
31
Linking it all together
32
Link chapters together

• Chapter N
• Introduction N.1
• As has been discussed in the previous chapter ...
•  
• Conclusion N.X
• In this chapter, the following topics were
  discussed...equipped with this information, in
  the next chapter it will be investigated how to
  apply this in ...

33
Mirroring of chapters

• Chapter 1 Chapter 6
• Chapter 2 Chapter 5
• Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chap 1
Chap 6
Chap 2
Chap 5
Chap 3
Chap 4
34
Mirroring of chapters

• All points raised in the Introduction chapter
  should be addressed in the Conclusions.
• All sections in the Research Method (or Design)
  chapter should appear in the Data Analysis (or
  Implementation) chapter.
• All Literature Review section should be
  re-discussed in the Data Findings (or Testing and
  Evaluation) chapter