Thesis writing: a guide and personal perspective Derek M. McKay, Ph.D.
Key Point: Remember you are writing for a reader and not for yourself
Graduate research what s that all about Mark of graduate research is an original contribution to knowledge. So the thesis is the formal document that should stand as proof that you have contributed to knowledge. Consequently your project should have identified a worthy problem or question that has not been answered. In a successful thesis you will have answered the question (to some degree). A thesis for a Ph.D. must form a distinctive contribution to the knowledge of a subject and afford evidence of originality shown by the discovery of new facts and/or the exercise of independent critical power. (Uni. London, UK, regulations)
The Examiner In writing your thesis, keep in mind the expectations of the examiner What is the research question (hypothesis)? Is it a good question (novel, relevant, translational)? Am I convinced that the question was answered/hypothesis was tested? Has an adequate contribution to knowledge been made? Remember.layout, formatting, data presentation & readability examiner may read your thesis at odd/convenient times (on a flight, on a commute, etc.).
Nature 2011 - if after careful reflection on their own studies or progress, students determine that they are not getting the guidance they require, they must address the deficiencies. At some point in the PhD journey, most students come to an important realization: This is my thesis. My name is written on the front of it. I need to become the driver. To be fair, e-mailing a chapter to an advisor and saying Give me feedback is like walking into a restaurant and saying Give me food. When handing over your work, identify the type of feedback you are looking for This is an early draft so I want feedback on overall directions
Work with your supervisor. It is in his/her interest to have you complete, submit and successfully defend in a timely manner. Set timelines and stick to them and follow-up with supervisor so that they stick to them to.
Seeking permission to write-up? This is the wrong question!!! When you and your supervisor are satisfied that you have met the programme requirements the question asked of the supervisory committee should be If I complete XX (final experiments) do you agree that I will be in a position to write and successfully defend my thesis? I do not want to put a student in the difficult position of defending if this is going to be problematic. Getting your M.Sc. or Ph.D. is not an issue of time in programme it is about reaching levels of competency as gauged by the supervisory committee in compliance with University guidelines.
Programme Expectations M.Sc. (~100-120 pages) understand the process of science why is your topic of interest hypothesis I tell students generation that obviously lots of convincing (published) data can you design appropriate and controlled experiments impresses examiners. But if your research has not generated familiar/expert with the key methodologies publishable data analysis, data presentation then it is important and interpretation to convince of results the examiner that can you defend your approach and findings you have rigorously tested the hypothesis and that you know you have an excellent depth of knowledge about your precise area of study and can integrate you your findings stuff! into the field you have a general broad knowledge of your are of research and have developed good problem-solving skills there is no requirement for publication
Ph.D. (~200 pages) all of the points related to M.Sc., but at a higher level generated novel and publishable data publication is not a requirement (essential if you want an academic PDF (and maybe a PDF in general)) general guideline 3 papers (2 published, 1 submitted); affected by quality of the periodical
Traditional or Sandwich style thesis? Often not an issue for M.Sc. because it is unusual to get more than one paper. You should be 1 st author on the majority of the papers that you include In multi-author papers you need to clearly define your input You should identify which data/figures you did not produce You still have to write an overall introduction and a final integrated discussion may have to reformat papers to a consistent style *** make sure you have saved the final accepted version of the text (Word) and figures If including published material (test of figures) you need copyright permission from the journal you can plagiarize yourself! When I examine a sandwich thesis I believe that much of the paper(s) has been written by the supervisor Presumably the data is reasonable because it has passed peer review Therefore, in the defense my focus is not to nit-pick at the data but rather to test the candidate (Did they really do the work? Can they defend it? How is their background knowledge? Can they think critically outside of their comfort (thesis) zone?)
Tips to make the process easier - 1 Write-up clear and detailed protocols (e.g. source of antibodies, working concentrations, etc. (keep a copy of product sheet) as you go Tabulate and summarize data as you go if an experiment is completed make the graph, scan in the WB, make the composite histology figure (develop a good filing system) Make sure you are doing the correct statistical analysis Get and maintain a good reference database Retain key references (and know them) Discuss and come to an agreement with your supervisor about a reasonable write up policy (timelines) Start writing early structure each section to focus your efforts and check with your supervisor about possible omissions, etc.
Tips to make the process easier - 2 Get the most recent version of the format instructions from the graduate office. Look at recent theses (particularly from your group ideas on background, etc.). The amount of time you leave to write a thesis is the amount of time it takes. Don t procrastinate. Be disciplined set aside specific times for writing (stick to the schedule) and write something every time. It is easier to re-write than fill in the blank page; good writing is re-written. Writers block do the easy factual stuff (figure legends, methods, results, references, figures). Get advice. Be fully aware of the timelines and paperwork requirements set by the University to submit and defend a thesis
It s your thesis! This is the opportunity for you to summarize your academic/research achievements over the last few years. It is a document that you should be proud of. Writing the thesis is not a chore, it is the culmination of your M.Sc./Ph.D. activities. Parents often are given a copy.
The thesis Abstract Acknowledgments Introduction Methods Results Discussion References Appendices It is like a big paper just More background (i.e. introduction) More detail (methods & non-published results) More speculation (i.e. discussion)
ABSTRACT Follow the guidelines Keep it simple Ensure the reader knows 1) importance of the issue, 2) what you are testing, and 3) clear statements of your findings/ contributions ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Whomever you feel is appropriate I would not make comments too personal Good idea to ensure financial support (supervisors grants, salary awards) is cited
INTRODUCTION - 1: the purpose Your thesis needs to: 1)Entice the reader into the subject matter 2)Explain to the reader the topic of your research 3)Orient/inform the reader of the necessity of your research i.e. you project should have relevance. Set the context from the literature. 4) Build to a testable hypothesis
INTRODUCTION 2: content Move from big to small (e.g. tissue structure to cell to signaling) Clearly identify the topic and why it is important Literature: i) accepted/known ii) open issues Platyhelminths are triploblastic, iii) controversial areas (show some critical insight) bilaterally-symmetrical protostomian Make the literature review pertinent but it does not have to be exhaustive If you rely on one or a small number of articles to justify your project be sure you know these well invertebrates that exhibit either a freeliving or a parasitic lifestyle. For important points use primary literature not reviews Know precisely what your laboratory has published in the area of your thesis Discuss all the main components of your model I like specificity in statements: LPS stimulation of (the human T84) epithelial cell (line) resulted in IL-8 production (8h later) No need to show how smart or wordy/literate you can be
INTRODUCTION 3: Writing tips Be acutely aware of plagiarism. You can plagiarize yourself! Use plain language If in doubt, break long sentences into shorter ones Write brief coherent paragraphs this is variable, but a 2 page paragraph is too long Do not overuse (use) clearly, obviously, always, never, unequivocally leave yourself room to maneuver, under normal circumstances, data support the concept Edit, edit and edit some more (therefore timing and preparation are key) Save deleted sentences, paragraphs or potential topics in a Reusable File.
METHODS Factual not discussion (my preference I think its easier) Should be complete i.e. all techniques used (amounts, times, source) (can consider using appendices if appropriate: protocols, buffers, etc.) *** also useful for supervisor and next students RESULTS Clear, factual statement of what you found (can have linker statements for flow) No need to repeat data that are in a table or figure in the text Tables: need to be clear and not overly cluttered Figures: clear, check the printing, does the figure legend convey the message, are all symbols defined, are data mean ± SEM or SD, n values Images: clear, check printing, insure image is representative of quantitative data Data are plural!
DISCUSSION 1: the purpose The most difficult to write cannot be a reiteration of introduction, although some overlap is unavoidable and necessary. Purpose is to set your findings in the context of the field. Noting how you have contributed. Move the reader along. The questions that occur to you as you write/read/edit the document will occur to the examiner. So answer the questions in the next sentence/paragraph. You can be speculative i.e. you are being asked to discuss the significance of your work. You can/should discuss problems/pitfalls and multiple interpretations of your findings. Subheadings: 1) Future directions/studies 2) Your contribution to the findings 3) Summary 4) Conclusions (this is not a summary) 5) Significance
DISCUSSION - 2: some tips Your thesis is a story so what is the most logical sequence to present? (does not have to the chronological order of your research) As you write, your ideas can evolve (very likely to think differently about the project) so keep an open mind Update the literature in this section (most recent and even in press citations) examiner often asks in last months journal.. )
REFERENCES All are included (no omission, no duplicates) Check that all citations are complete APPENDICES A matter of choice Protocols Recipes Raw data Copyright forms Questionnaires Surveys
Concluding comments Everyone in the room starts from the perspective that they want you to pass --- so make it easy for them. Work with your supervisor. It is part of their role to prepare you (should not re-write your thesis). Here it is better to have a coach rather than a cheerleader. If you say it or write it, be prepared to defend it. Write clearly and succinctly. Follow the Univeristy format instructions. Spell check, spell check, spell check. Check the grammar. Word can do this for you, so there is no excuse. Don t be sloppy. If text is to be superscript or Γρεεκ make sure it is. Use proof-readers (a scientist, a family member, pay someone). Almost impossible to effectively proof-read your own stuff after a 3 rd or 4 th read through (form vs. from; activate vs. activity).
Your thesis is the culmination of 2-6 years work, so take some pride in it. A very small fraction of the population has an M.Sc./Ph.D. and you should be proud of your achievement.