Thesis Writing and Examiner's Expectation

THESIS WRITING & EXAMINER’S EXPECTATION
Abd Karim Alias
akarim@usm.my
Thursday, December 22, 2011

WHAT IS ATHESIS?
A product of scholarly
and professional study
of a subject.

ROLE OF EXAMINERS
To carefully assess whether
the study has fulfilled what
it has intended to achieve
and what it intends to
contribute.
The scientific merits
The significance &
impact
The new contribution to
the research field
The research has been
communicated clearly

COMMON EXAMINER’S REMARK
•“The presentation of the thesis falls
short...substantial proof reading”
•“The literature review...lack of critical
assessment...just a simple compilation...
incomplete...”
•“The experimental design was not
appropriate...”
•“Many vague statements...”

WHAT MAKES AN
OUTSTANDINGTHESIS?
“The outstanding PhDs have beautifully
conceived ideas that open up a new area
or really answer an important question,
and are critical of previous work in the
area or make a critical assessment of their
own work”

WHAT MAKES AN
OUTSTANDINGTHESIS?
•Novelty/originality
•Clear & speciﬁc objectives
•Cohesiveness - where it all ﬁts together
•Clarity - clear line of thought &
presentation
•Elegance of design, synthesis & execution

WHAT MAKES AN
OUTSTANDINGTHESIS?
•Creativity
•Overall a well sculpted piece of work
•A thesis is not an end in itself - rather it
will open up a new vista.

POORTHESIS
•Lack of novelty/originality
•Lack of coherence
•Lack of understanding of the theory
•Lack of conﬁdence
•Lack of substantive data
•Lack of well-structured argument
•Researching the wrong problem!

IN THEVERY
BEGINNING

FIRST IMPRESSION COUNTS!
•Overall presentation
•No spelling & grammatical errors
in the title, abstract, table of content,
summary/conclusion (because examiners
will read these parts ﬁrst!)
•Substantive both in quantity + quality
•The thesis tells a story - takes the reader
through a journey.

DON’T LET EXAMINERS GUESS
•Structure (examiner will look at the
TOC)
•Chapter introduction & summary/
conclusion (clear prologue & epilogue)
•Rational of research approach
•Appropriate data analysis & presentation
•References
Make it easy for them to read and follow...

RESEARCH PROBLEM
Why did you
undertake the research
in the ﬁrst place?
How does your thesis
advance the
knowledge of the
subject?

RESEARCH PROBLEM
•Sufficient background - so that examiner
appreciates the research problem
•Highlight the deficiencies in current
knowledge - put the work in proper
context or perspective.
•Specific research objectives: achievable,
measurable.

RESEARCH PROBLEM
Do not leave the
examiner thinking...
WHY BOTHER?

SCOPE OFTHETHESIS
Have the author
deﬁned & articulated
the scope of the
current work clearly?
Important to avoid mismatch in the
examiner’s expectation and what is
actually delivered.

LITERATURE REVIEW
•Comprehensive but concise
•Include KEY references (seminal
papers)
•Critical appraisal - summarize &
synthesize the current state of
knowledge
•Identify gaps in knowledge
•Need to address conﬂict or
controversial issues

MATERIALS & METHOD
Examiners will scrutinize
very carefully &
meticulously!

MATERIALS & METHOD
Are M&M detailed
enough to ensure the
work is reproducible?

MATERIALS & METHOD
Are M&M detailed
MATERIAL: sample size, sample
population, sampling technique,
sample storage/treatment

MATERIALS & METHOD
Are M&M detailed
INSTRUMENTATION:
speciﬁcations, calibration

MATERIALS & METHOD
Are M&M detailed
INSTRUMENTATION:
speciﬁcations, calibration
INSTRUMENT: how questionnaire
developed? validity/reliability
check; proposed data analysis

MATERIALS & METHOD
Commonly asked questions:

MATERIALS & METHOD
Is experimental design appropriate to achieve the objectives?

MATERIALS & METHOD
What precautions were taken against likely sources of bias?

MATERIALS & METHOD
What are the limitations of the methodology?

MATERIALS & METHOD
Is the methodology for analysis and data collection
appropriate?

MATERIALS & METHOD
Is the methodology for analysis and data collection
appropriate?
Under given circumstances, has the best
methodology been chosen?

DATA ANALYSIS & PRESENTATION

•What is the basis of choosing certain set
of data to include in the thesis?

•Have the hypothesis been tested?

•Do the solutions obtained relate
to the questions posed?

•Do the solutions obtained relate
to the questions posed?
•Is the level and form of analysis
appropriate for the data?

•Could the presentation of results made
clearer?

•Could the presentation of results made
clearer?
•Are the pattern in the results
clearly identiﬁed and summarized

DISCUSSION & INTERPRETATION

•Logical progression of ideas & arguments

•Ability to recognize & appreciate the
signiﬁcance of the data

•Demonstrate higher level of thinking &
analysis

•Demonstrate higher level of thinking &
analysis
•Ability to recognize & deal
with contradiction

•Is the signiﬁcance of results fully explored
in the context of current literature?

•Reﬂection - ability of the author to make a
critical assessment of their own work

•Reﬂection - ability of the author to make a
critical assessment of their own work
•Succinct writing without
excessive speculation

THE END PART

THE END PART
•Succinct conclusion

THE END PART
•Have all the conclusions linked to the
results (i.e., based on available data)?

THE END PART
•Have all the stated objectives of the thesis
been addressed, regardless of the
outcome?

THE END PART
•Have all the stated objectives of the thesis
been addressed, regardless of the
outcome?
•Have the avenues for future work opened
up by the thesis been articulated clearly?

FINAL ANALYSIS
Has the thesis
made a substantive
original contribution
to our knowledge &
understanding?

FINAL ANALYSIS
Has the thesis
made a substantive
to our knowledge &
understanding?
Development of new theory or
methodology?

FINAL ANALYSIS
Has the thesis
made a substantive
to our knowledge &
understanding?
methodology?
Generation of new body of
knowledge?

FINAL ANALYSIS
Has the thesis
made a substantive
to our knowledge &
understanding?
methodology?
knowledge?
Knowledge about or
understanding of an issue or
problem?

FINAL ANALYSIS
Has the thesis
made a substantive
to our knowledge &
understanding?
methodology?
knowledge?
Knowledge about or
understanding of an issue or
problem?
Proposal of new policy or practice
in a particular area?

FURTHER READING
Mullins, G and Kiley, M. (2002) “It’s a
PhD, not a Nobel Prize”: how
experienced examiners assess research
theses, Studies in Higher Education, 27,
4, 369-386

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Thesis Writing and Examiner's Expectation

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