Writing Thesis - BMT 475 -241 1 PDF

writing thesis  Thesis structure 1. Title page 2. Abstract 3. Introduction 4. Related work 5. Method 6. Data analysis and Results 7. Discussion 8. Conclusion 9. References 10. Appendices  IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) E...

writing thesis  Thesis structure 1. Title page 2. Abstract 3. Introduction 4. Related work 5. Method 6. Data analysis and Results 7. Discussion 8. Conclusion 9. References 10. Appendices  IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) Early journals published descriptive papers (still used in case reports, geological surveys etc..) By the second half of the 19th century, reproducibility of experiments became a fundamental principle of the philosophy of science. IMRAD organization of a scientific paper started to develop IMRAD format slowly progressed in the latter half of the 19th century  IMRAD Format I = Introduction, what question (problem) was studied M = Methods, how was the problem studied R = Results, what are the findings A = and D = Discussion, what do these findings mean A research report includes usually the following chapters- Introduction Review of the related literature Research Thesis Methodology Data Analysis Summery, Conclusion & Recommendati ons References & Appendices  GENERAL FORMAT OF RESEARCH REPORT A research thesis is an organized format of research work done. It is viewed in three major categories. A.Preliminaries B.Textual Body, and C.references  A. Preliminary Section 1. Title Page 2. Acknowledgement 3. Dedication 4. Declaration 5. Certificate by supervisor 6. Approval sheet 7. Table of Contents 8. List of Tables (if any) 9. List of figures (if any)  B. Main body of report or textual body 1. Introduction (a) Statement of the problem (b) Objectives of the study (c) Hypothesis / Research Questions (d) Significance of the Study (e) Limitation of the study (f) definitions of important terms used 2. Review of the relevant literature 3. Research Methodology (a) Method and procedure use (b) tools of research or sources of data (c) Techniques of data collection (d) description of technique use 4. Data analysis (a) Analysis of data (b) tables and interpretation (c) figures and interpretation 5. Summery, Conclusions & Recommendations (a) discussion of the results (b) main findings / conclusion (c) suggestions for future studies.  What is a scientific paper A scientific paper is a written and published report describing original research results. 1. It must be the first publication of original research results, 2. In a form whereby peers of the author can repeat the experiments and test the conclusions  Scientific paper An accepted original scientific publication containing scientific information to enable peers: 1. To assess observations 2. To repeat experiments 3. To evaluate intellectual processes 4. Must have an impact 5. Available to scientific community without restriction Some important Language points: Avoid complex sentence structure Use simple and clear English Always keep in mind that the paragraph is the essential unit of thought.  Data Analysis Once the data have been collected, the next important phase in the research process is analysing and evaluating the data. The interpretation of the data that have been collected by using different analytical techniques according to the requirements of the management is called analysis. The reason for analysing the data is to obtain research results and to prepare the research report. Several mathematical and statistical models are used to evaluate the quantitative data.  Data Analysis Technological advances have made it possible for data to be collected and directly fed into computers, removing the possibility of human error. Questionnaire results must be reported using tables and graphs Avoid first-person pronoun Use passive voice (It is shown / suggested that…)  Results Purpose: To report the key findings and the statistical analyses conducted The results section is one of the most feared sections of the report. The results section should start with descriptive (summary) statistics (e.g. Mean, median, range etc.) A summary table of descriptive statistics can be provided Use graphs and axis are titled and the graph means something to the overall report. Example - Categorical Variables  Example Study the report of survey carried out on a university campus. Complete the report by inserting suitable word from the box below into the gap.  Example Conducted random questionnaire questioned  Example respondents interviewees  mentioned majority slightly minority sample  Highlighting your findings Begin a new paragraph Use different language If possible, use we and active form Use shorter than normal sentences Keep the paragraph short Discussion and Conclusion  Discussion and Conclusion In Discussion / Conclusions it is essential to: 1.Be clear what you did and what other authors have done 2.Highlight your unique contribution 3.Discuss limitations of your findings 4.State what the applications and implications of your research are. 5.Tie discussions to the literature and recommendations for practice. Discussion and Conclusion  Editing Coding Classification Tabulating  Discussion and Conclusion  Don’t end your Discussion or project proposal by talking about your limitations. End with something very positive – this will be the reader’s final impression  Discussion and Conclusion Don’t present your limitation in a negative way. Unfortunately, the sample size was small Instead say Although the sample size was small it was nevertheless representative of the population  Excersise Write ONE sentence each for these questions. 1) Why is your research so important? 2) What is the main limitation in the literature (previous research )? 4) What is the main limitation of your results so far? 5) Describe one limitation of your research, and counter any reason for this limitation 7) State the implications and possible applications of your research. 8) Talk also about future work Thanks