Difference between revisions of "Thesis Guidelines"
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| + | Thesis Guidelines is available by link in [Google Docs https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V41lifNZIfVq2XyEFZKIeBPHedl15iA7t1DpnByURH8/edit?usp=sharing] |
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| − | 1. INTRODUCTION |
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| − | A thesis is a project or a research paper produced by a student to demonstrate that such a student is competent enough to engage in independent professional activity. The thesis is an essential part of the learning experience for students as it focuses on their ability to integrate knowledge acquired throughout courses into a concrete problem. |
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| − | The project outcome can take two forms depending on the nature of the project’s goals: system development (thesis type 1) or research-oriented investigation (thesis type 2). |
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| − | If your thesis focuses on system development, the outcome will take the form of the design, implementation, test, and evaluation of a complete system. This type of thesis might be done based on an Industrial project. Intellectual property is generally agreed between the student, company, and university on a case by case basis. An agreement has to be signed to clarify what access rights the university has over the source code. In most cases, this agreement does not prevent the publication of a scientific article. The Center for Career Development is in charge of preparing the agreement validating the compatibility between University and Company. The agreement shall be signed before any research and development starts. |
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| − | If your thesis focuses on a research-oriented investigation, the outcome will take the form of an analysis of the subject area, a synthesis of a specific conjecture or hypothesis, empirical validation of the proposed model, and critical appraisal of the empirical or theoretical results. |
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| − | This document serves as guidelines to ensure the maximum quality of students’ work within the allotted time. The thesis work will be developed incrementally: students will have a running prototype of the thesis by the end of the first academic term, and complete the thesis by the end of the academic year. |
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| − | Lastly, it is essential to emphasize that during the thesis, students are expected to meet |
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| − | regularly with their supervisor and to act diligently on them. |
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| − | 2. PREPARING TO WRITE YOUR THESIS |
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| − | 2.1. General guidelines |
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| − | First of all, you should open a list of potential topics. These topics will be suggested by the prospective thesis supervisors shortly after the start of the semester once you have selected your educational track. Students can also suggest their own research topics. |
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| − | Then, you should choose topics of interest and organize a meeting with a potential supervisor. The goal of this meeting is to decide on the thesis topic, research questions, title, aims, objectives, and the general structure of the thesis project. |
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| − | With your potential supervisors’ help, you should develop a complete specification |
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| − | of the problem, listing objectives, requirements, and a work plan to develop. The specification should include your research question(s). |
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| − | In general, your research should follow the steps below (see the flowchart). |
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| − | The subsections below will detail all the elements of the flow chart. |
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| − | 2.2. Research problem |
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| − | 2.2.1. What is a research problem? |
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| − | A research problem is a specific gap, issue, difficulty, or controversy that you will target in your research. You might search for practical problems or theoretical problems. |
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| − | You need a well-defined research problem to keep your research focused and manageable, as well as to provide new and relevant insights. |
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| − | Otherwise, you might be repeating what other researchers have already said, trying to say too much, or doing research without a clear purpose and justification. |
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| − | 2.2.2. Two steps to developing a research problem |
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| − | Step 1: Locate a problem area |
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| − | Read about your topic looking for under-researched aspects and areas of controversy. The role of your supervisor is crucial at this step. You may want to ask your supervisor for the directions of specific research problem areas. |
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| − | Your goal is to find a gap that your research project can fill. |
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| − | Step 2: Learn more about the problem |
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| − | Learn what is already known about your problem, and discover the exact areas that your research will focus on. |
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| − | To help you clearly define your research problem, you can answer the following two groups of questions: |
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| − | Context and background |
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| − | Relevance and specificity |
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| − | Who does the problem affect? |
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| − | What time, place, and/or people will you concentrate on? |
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| − | What research has already been done? |
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| − | What aspects will you not be able to deal with? |
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| − | Have any solutions been proposed? |
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| − | What will be the outcomes of the unresolved problem? |
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| − | Has the problem been an issue for a long time? |
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| − | Who will benefit from solving the problem? |
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| − | What are the current debates about the problem? |
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| − | You might want to answer the above questions in writing to clearly formulate your research problem. |
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| − | 2.3. Research questions |
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| − | 2.2.1. What is a research question? |
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| − | Once you have clearly defined your research problem, you need to formulate one or more research questions. |
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| − | A research question is what exactly you want to know and how that knowledge will help to solve the research problem. |
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| − | You may develop one question or several of them. You may also produce one primary research question and several sub-questions for the same research problem. |
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| − | Adapted from: https://research.com/research/how-to-write-a-research-question |
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| − | 2.2.2. Criteria of a good research question |
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| − | Hulley et al. have introduced the “FINER” criteria to determine if your research question is good. |
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| − | The FINER criteria are as follows: |
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| − | F – Feasible |
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| − | Your question is within your ability to investigate. You should be realistic about the scale of your research as well as your ability to collect data and complete the research with your skills and the resources available. Note that you also should have a method for answering the research question. |
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| − | I – Interesting |
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| − | The ideal research question is interesting not only to yourself but also to your peers and the research community in general. |
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| − | N – Novel |
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| − | Your research question should bring new insights to your field of study. The question may confirm or extend previous findings on the topic you are researching, for instance. |
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| − | E – Ethical |
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| − | Your research question and your subsequent study must be something that the appropriate authorities will approve. |
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| − | R – Relevant |
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| − | Your research question should be meaningful to the scientific community, people involved in your area of study, and to the public’s interest. |
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| − | Make sure that you have discussed all the FINER criteria with your supervisor. |
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| − | 2.2.3. How to formulate a research question? |
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| − | You will phrase your question depending on your research aim (see the table below). |
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| − | Your research aim |
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| − | How to formulate a research question |
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| − | To test and explain |
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| − | What is the relationship between X and Y? |
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| − | What is the role of X in Y? |
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| − | What is the impact of X on Y? |
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| − | How does X influence Y? |
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| − | What are the causes of X? |
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| − | To act and evaluate |
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| − | What are the advantages and disadvantages of X? |
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| − | How effective is X? |
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| − | How can X be achieved? |
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| − | What are the most effective strategies to improve X? |
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| − | How can X be used in Y? |
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| − | To explore and describe |
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| − | What are the characteristics of X? |
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| − | How has X changed over time? |
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| − | What are the main factors in X? |
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| − | How does X experience Y? |
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| − | How has X dealt with Y? |
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| − | Adapted from: https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/ |
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| − | 2.2.4. Frequent mistakes in formulating research questions |
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| − | Incorrect |
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| − | Correct |
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| − | Comments |
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| − | Has there been an increase in childhood obesity in the US in the past 10 years? |
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| − | How have school intervention programs and parental education levels affected the rate of childhood obesity among 1st to 6th-grade students? |
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| − | Avoid the “yes” or “no” questions — they do not provide enough scope for investigation and discussion. |
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| − | To answer the good question, the researcher must collect data, perform in-depth data analysis, and form an argument that leads to further discussion. |
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| − | How does social media affect people’s behavior? |
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| − | What effect does the daily use of YouTube have on the attention span of children aged under 16? |
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| − | Avoid vague language and broad ideas. |
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| − | A good research question should be specific and focused, and it should be answered through collecting data and analyzing them. |
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| − | Is X or Y a better policy? |
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| − | How effective are X and Y policies at reducing rates of Z? |
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| − | Avoid subjective words, such as good, bad, better and worse, as these do not give clear criteria for answering the question. |
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| − | If your question is evaluating something, use terms with more measurable definitions. |
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| − | Adapted from: https://research.com/research/how-to-write-a-research-question |
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| − | https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/ |
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| − | 2.4. Hypotheses |
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| − | 2.4.1. What is a hypothesis? |
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| − | A hypothesis is an answer to your research question that predicts what you will find in your research. |
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| − | In Computer Science experimental research, you can typically phrase hypotheses in one of the following forms: |
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| − | Technique/system X automates task A for the first time (no one has done it before). |
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| − | Technique/system X automates task A better than each of its rivals, as compared by the following: |
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| − | Behavior: X has a higher success rate or produces better quality than Y. |
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| − | Coverage: X is applicable to a wider range of examples than Y. |
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| − | Efficiency: X is faster or uses less space than Y. |
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| − | Dependability: X is more reliable, safe or secure than its rivals. |
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| − | Maintainability: X is easier to adapt and extend than its rivals. |
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| − | Usability: Users find X easier to use than its rivals. |
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| − | 2.4.2. Elements of a hypothesis |
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| − | Your hypothesis statements need to contain the following elements; |
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| − | independent variable; |
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| − | dependent variable; |
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| − | population; |
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| − | the relation between independent and dependent variables. |
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| − | You can think of independent and dependent variables in terms of cause and effect: an independent variable is the cause, while a dependent variable is the effect. |
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| − | In other words, an experimenter changes or manipulates an independent variable to measure the effect of this change on a dependent variable. |
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| − | 2.5. From a research problem to a hypothesis |
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| − | Example: |
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| − | Research problem |
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| − | A student group has low attendance and numerous D-grades. However, certain students of the same group have higher grades. |
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| − | Research question |
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| − | How does students’ attendance rate affect their grades? |
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| − | Hypothesis |
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| − | Students’ attendance rate positively correlates with students’ grades. |
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| − | Independent variable |
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| − | attendance rate |
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| − | Dependent variable |
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| − | grades |
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| − | Population |
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| − | students |
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| − | Relation between independent and dependent variables |
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| − | correlation |
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| − | 3. WRITING YOUR THESIS |
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| − | This chapter shows the general guidelines for writing a thesis. |
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| − | 3.1 Sample thesis structures |
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| − | Default thesis structure |
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| − | Introduction |
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| − | Literature Review |
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| − | Design and Methodology |
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| − | Implementation and Results |
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| − | Analysis and Discussion |
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| − | Conclusion |
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| − | Bibliography/References |
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| − | IU thesis structures are recommended, not prescriptive. Therefore, the items above are not mandatory and should rather be used as a guideline for students and advisors. Some research supervisors will request to follow particular structures though. The final contents and structure of the thesis is subject to a student themselves and their supervisor. |
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| − | In general, you can choose between the following 2 recommended structures: |
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| − | - system development; |
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| − | - research-based. |
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| − | ‘System development’ in a broader sense includes system deployment, testing/analysis of a system (reverse engineering, testing, numerical analysis, etc.), technology applications and other types of professional activities. |
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| − | See several examples of thesis structures below, with sample content items. |
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| − | Alternative contents #1 (system-development thesis) |
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| − | • Introduction (motivation, literature review, problem statement, assumptions, background) |
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| − | • Theoretical Part / Benchmarking |
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| − | • Evaluation / Experimental Study (experimental setup, methodology) |
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| − | • Conclusion and Discussion |
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| − | Alternative contents #2 (research-based thesis) |
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| − | • Introduction |
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| − | • Problem and Discussion |
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| − | • Methods and Results |
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| − | • Concluding Discussion |
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| − | • For thesis type 1, students should describe: |
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| − | the functionality of the system to be designed; |
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| − | the parameters affecting the performance of the system; |
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| − | the limitations and restrictions of the system to be designed. |
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| − | • For thesis type 2, students should describe: |
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| − | the goals of the investigation to be carried out in the project; |
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| − | the criteria or metrics to be used to assess the outcome of the investigation. |
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| − | The thesis template is available at https://tfs.university.innopolis.ru/tfs/Edu/_git/doe-docs?path=%2Fthesis_template&version=GBmaster |
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| − | 3.2 General guidelines |
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| − | Write your thesis in English and have a recommended length of 40+ pages. |
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| − | These 40+ pages include the following: |
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| − | Table of contents |
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| − | Thesis chapters |
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| − | These 40+ pages DO NOT include the following: |
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| − | Title page |
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| − | Appendices |
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| − | Reference list |
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| − | When writing your thesis, please follow the conventions of the effective academic writing style. |
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| − | Avoid the stylistic mistakes provided in the Academic Style Reminder at the following link: |
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| − | https://innopolis.university/en/writinghubhome/academicstylereminder/ |
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| − | 3.3 Title, abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents |
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| − | The thesis template. If you have any enhancements, which can be useful for others, you can |
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| − | make a pull request. |
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| − | 3.3.1. Title |
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| − | Your title has to be concise, informative and readily searchable. |
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| − | In short, this part should answer the following general question: |
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| − | What is your essay about? |
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| − | When writing your title, follow these rules: |
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| − | Capitalize every noun, verb, adjective, adverb or subordinating conjunction (If, Because, That, Which). |
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| − | Use lower-case letters for any other part of speech unless it starts the title. |
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| − | Capitalize a preposition if it consists of more than three letters (Before, From, Through, With, Versus, Among, Under, Between, Without). Otherwise, go with lower-case letters. |
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| − | 3.3.2. Abstract |
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| − | 3.3.2.1. Content |
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| − | An abstract is a summary of the whole thesis. Generally speaking, you should write your abstract after you have drafted the thesis. |
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| − | Your abstract should consist of one paragraph. |
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| − | Do not discuss any information that has not been covered in the thesis . |
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| − | Remember that a good abstract makes sense on its own, without the need to read the whole thesis. |
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| − | In short, this part should answer the following general question: |
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| − | What is your thesis about in a nutshell? |
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| − | You will need to submit your abstract in English and in Russian. The maximum length of your abstract is 400 words. |
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| − | 3.3.2.2. Structure |
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| − | However, make sure that your abstract contains the following: |
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| − | the research gap; |
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| − | the limitations of previous research; |
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| − | the novelty of your research; |
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| − | the research objective; |
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| − | the the research method; |
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| − | the research results; |
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| − | the result implications and/or discussions. |
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| − | The structural components are as follows: |
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| − | the same as in the thesis; |
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| − | sequenced in the same way as in the thesis. |
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| − | 3.3.2.3. What English tenses to use? |
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| − | You can follow the following two approaches when using English tenses in your abstract: |
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| − | use the same tenses you used in the corresponding chapter of your thesis; |
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| − | use the present tense only. |
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| − | 3.4 Introduction |
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| − | 3.4.1. Content |
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| − | The Introduction chapter should clarify the overall purpose of the work and explain the novelty it brings. |
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| − | In short, this chapter should answer the following general question: |
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| − | Why did you do it? |
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| − | You chapter should answer the following specific questions: |
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| − | What is the problem? |
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| − | Why is the problem important? |
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| − | What is known about the problem; |
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| − | What is not known about the problem (research gap)? |
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| − | Why does this problem have to be further researched? |
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| − | What are your hypotheses or solutions for the problems? |
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| − | What are your research questions, purpose or objectives? |
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| − | Though Introduction comes first in your thesis, researchers generally prefer this chapter to be the last to write. |
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| − | Make sure that your Introduction is concise. |
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| − | 3.4.2. Structure |
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| − | Introduction element |
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| − | How to write |
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| − | Background |
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| − | Show what is already known in the area. |
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| − | Provide broad and specific information, as well as previous research in the area. |
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| − | Discuss the problem and its importance. |
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| − | Novelty/Research Gap/Unknown |
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| − | Explain what was wrong with the previous work in the area. |
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| − | Describe any unknown factors in the area. |
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| − | Questions/Problems/Purpose of study |
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| − | Explain how your thesis contributes to the research problem. |
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| − | Experimental/Design Approach* |
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| − | Explain what approach is taken towards this contribution. |
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| − | Results and Conclusions* |
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| − | Provide main results and findings related to the study purpose. |
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| − | Significance/Implications* |
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| − | Explain how your findings are important. |
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| − | Paper Structure Outline* |
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| − | Briefly preview the contents of each chapter. |
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| − | * These elements are optional but highly advisable since they will draw readers in, especially Results and Conclusions. |
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| − | 3.4.3. What phrases to use? |
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| − | Use the “Introducing work” section of the Academic Phrasebank to help you verbalize your thoughts. |
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| − | The link: |
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| − | https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/introducing-work/ |
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| − | 3.4.3. What English tenses to use? |
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| − | Use the Present Simple to describe the aims of the paper. |
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| − | You can sometimes use the Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous to describe the background to the problem. |
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| − | Example |
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| − | Researchers have generally ignored the problem of X. |
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| − | The Interest in Y has been increasing. |
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| − | To highlight the research results, you use the Past Simple: |
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| − | By contrast, the research found that... |
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| − | To discuss the result implications of the results, use the Present Simple: |
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| − | These results suggest that the theory of Z needs to be reconsidered. |
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| − | To provide an outline for your paper, use the Present Simple: |
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| − | Chapter 3 sets out… . |
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| − | If you are writing a math thesis, you can use the Future Simple to introduce a proof of a theorem, etc.: |
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| − | It will be demonstrated that… |
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| − | However, note that such a use is rather an exception and not a standard. |
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| − | 3.5 Literature Review and Related Work |
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| − | 3.5.1. Content |
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| − | In this chapter, you should do the following: |
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| − | show that you have real expertise in your research area; |
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| − | show respect to the previous researchers; |
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| − | show how your work relates to current debates in your research area |
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| − | choose methods for your experiment/project and justify the choice. |
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| − | For this, you may consult books, research journals, conference proceedings, handbooks, and even online courses. |
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| − | In short, this chapter should answer the following general question: |
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| − | What is the state of knowledge on the topic? |
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| − | You chapter should answer the following specific questions: |
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| − | What is the relevant prior work? |
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| − | How are these sources relevant to your research question? |
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| − | Where can I find it? (citations are important) |
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| − | Has anyone attempted your approach previously? |
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| − | Where is that work reported? |
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| − | Why should it be done differently? |
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| − | What is the outline of your way? |
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| − | Which research methods do you need to mention? |
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| − | How can you classify these methods? |
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| − | How can you evaluate these methods? |
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| − | Which research metrics will you need to mention? |
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| − | How can you classify these metrics? |
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| − | 3.5.2. Structure |
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| − | Your Literature Review has to consist of the following: |
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| − | Preamble |
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| − | provides orientation for your readers. |
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| − | Body |
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| − | classifies and evaluates previous solutions and methods. |
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| − | Conclusion |
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| − | summarizes and justifies the choice of the current research method. |
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| − | 3.5.3. What phrases to use? |
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| − | Use the “Referring to sources” section of the Academic Phrasebank to help you verbalize your thoughts. |
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| − | The link: |
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| − | https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/referring-to-sources/ |
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| − | 3.5.4. What English tenses to use? |
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| − | For your Literature Review, use the following three tenses: the Past Simple, the Present Simple, and the Present Perfect Simple. |
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| − | Use the Past Simple: |
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| − | when you refer to past research: |
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| − | Kickfeis [23] found that… |
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| − | when the cited author is already dead: |
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| − | Sigurdarsson (1936) infamously claimed that… |
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| − | Use the Present Simple: |
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| − | when you refer to recent research: |
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| − | Foelicker [3] shows that… |
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Revision as of 16:53, 23 May 2022
Thesis Guidelines is available by link in [Google Docs https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V41lifNZIfVq2XyEFZKIeBPHedl15iA7t1DpnByURH8/edit?usp=sharing]