CS5014
Research Methods in CS
Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid
Computer Science Department
Virginia Tech
Thesis Writing
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
1
Outline
Thesis Writing
•Writing a Thesis
•Thesis Defense
•Defense Mechanics
Some of the material is based on Dr. Cliff Shaffer’s Notes for
CS5014. Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
2
Theses and Dissertations
•The dictionary defines a thesis to be "a proposition that is
maintained by argument"
•and a dissertation to be "a lengthy, formal treatise, especially one
written by a candidate for the doctoral degree at a university"
•That is, a thesis is a contention or principle of which you would
like to convince your reader
•A dissertation is a written presentation of it.
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
3
Writing a Thesis 1/3
•Long and unstructured (It takes longer than you think!)
 Psychological factors
 Document management issues
 Project management issues
 Decisions must be made about thesis structure
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
4
Writing a Thesis 2/3
•Introduction: Lay out the problem (general)
•Literature Review: How do you fit in?
•Content Sections
•Analysis (if appropriate)
•Conclusions and Future Work
•Reference List
•Appendices
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
5
Writing a Thesis 3/3
•Begin earlier rather than later
•Might do initial literature review while gearing up for doing work
• If the work naturally falls into project parts, can write parts as
they are completed
• Ideally, you will already have submitted papers for publication
well before completing the thesis. Depends on the scope of the
work.
•Key to success: Make it look like it was done right!
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
6
Thesis Defense
•Primarily a presentation of the thesis work.
Like a (long) talk at a (small) conference
But there are likely to be lots of questions
•Some possible goals of the defense are to:
make sure you did it
make sure you understand what you did
make sure you understand the significance/context of what
you did
probe your general understanding of the field of the thesis
make sure the committee understands what you did
test your ability to present
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
7
Defense Mechanics
•Generally about 2 hours long (shorter for MS, longer for PhD)
•Presentation is typically preceded by a private discussion among
the committee on student's record, ground rules, and problems
•Presentation section is officially public, though it might or might
not have been advertised
•Private discussion among committee follows presentation, during
which a decision is (usually) reached
•Last step is communicating the decision to the student, including
any requirements for modification to the thesis
Thesis Writing
© Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014,
Fall 2006
8