Syllabus
Unit Topics
I Unit-II: Planning and Writing Research proposal and publications
13 hours
2 Research Projects, finding a Research problem
3 Analysis of Research Ideas, planning a proposal
4 proposal outline, presentation and evaluation of proposals
5 Students outline of research work, major funding agencies
6 Tools for identifying literature, types of publications
7 Citation indexes, citation Analysis
8 bibliography databases, meta search engines
9 plagiarism, Thesis, or dissertation.
• A thesis or dissertation is a document submitted in
support of candidature for an academic degree or
professional qualification presenting the author's
research and findings.
• Thesis is the document of the Project Work
carried out as a part of partial fulfillment of
academic requirement to get a degree in
bachelor's or master's course.
• Dissertation applied to a doctorate degree .
Difference between thesis and dissertation
⚫ the word "thesis" is used for part of a bachelor's or
master's course, while "dissertation" is normally applied
to a doctorate.
⚫ The words “thesis” and “dissertation” are often used
interchangeably, leading to some confusion in academia
about what each individual word actually means.
⚫ The main similarity between the dissertation and the thesis
is the structure.
⚫ Both have an introduction, literary review, main body,
conclusion, bibliography and appendix. But that is the
extent in which they are similar.
⚫ PhD dissertation must contribute completely new and
undiscovered to your field.
⚫A masters degree thesis is related to a research paper
that you would have completed during college.
⚫You are expected only to use the research of others and
provide your own analysis on your discoveries.
⚫A masters degree thesis is over approximate 100 pages
⚫The dissertation is double and sometimes triple the
length of a thesis.
Thesis
⚫Title
structure
⚫ Acknowledgments
⚫ Abstract
⚫ Table of Contents
⚫ List of Figures
⚫ List of Tables
⚫ Introduction
⚫ Methods
⚫ Results
⚫ Discussion
⚫ Conclusions
⚫ References
⚫ Appendices
Title Page
⚫ Title (including subtitle), author, institution, department,
date of delivery, research mentor(s) and advisor, their
instututions and email adresses.
Abstract
•A good abstract explains in one line why the paper is
important.
•It then goes on to give a summary of your major
results.
•A good abstract is concise, readable, and
quantitative.
• Length approx. 250 words.
• Absrtracts generally do not have citations.
• Use numbers where appropriate.
• Answers to these questions should be
found in the abstract:
Table of Contents
• list all headings and subheadings
with page numbers
• indent subheadings
• it will look something like this:
Page #
List of Figures xxx
List of Tables
Introduction
subheads ...
?
Methods
subheads ...
?
Results
subheads ...
?
Discussion
subheads ...?
Conclusion
Recommendations
List of Figures
⚫ List page numbers of all figures.
⚫ The list should include a short title for each
figure but not the whole caption.
List of Tables
⚫ List page numbers of all tables.
⚫ The list should include a short title for each
table but not the whole caption
Introduction
Context and Background: Provide necessary background
information to help the reader understand the topic and its
significance.
• Briefly describe the motivation for your research.
• Explain the scholarly consensus related to your topic.
Focus and Scope: Clearly define the specific aspect of the topic
you will address.
• Explain the practical relevance of your research.
Relevance and Significance: Show how your research fits into
existing studies and contributes to the field.
• Point out the value of your research.
• Explain why your research is worth doing.
Introduction
• Research Questions and Objectives: State the research
questions or hypotheses you aim to address. Outline the
specific objectives of your research.
• Overview of Structure: Provide a brief overview of the
dissertation's structure and how each section contributes to
the overall aim. Outline the order of information in the
thesis.
• Gap in Literature: Identify a specific gap in the literature that
your research aims to address.
• Methodology: Briefly describe the methodology used in your
research.
Methods
⚫What belongs in the "methods"
• Explain
section:
your research approach: Explain the type of
research you used (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed
methods).
• Describe your data collection methods: Explain how you
collected your data, including the tools and materials
used.
• Explain your data analysis methods: Describe how you
analyzed the data.
• Justify your methodological choices: Explain why you
chose these methods and how they align with your
research questions.
• Cite all sources: Reference the sources you used to
determine your overall methodology.
Results
• The results are actual statements of observations,
including statistics, tables and graphs.
• Indicate information on range of variation.
• Mention negative results as well as positive.
• •Break up your results into logical segments by using
subheadings
• Key results should be stated in clear sentences at
the beginning of paragraphs.
Discussion
⚫The discussion section should be a brief essay in itself,
answering the following questions.
1. What are the relationships, trends and
generalizations among the results?
2. Is there agreement or disagreement with previous
work?
3. what is the relationship of the present results to
the original question?
4. Multiple hypotheses: There are usually several
possible explanations for results..
5. What are the things we now know or understand
that we
didn't know or understand before the present
work?
7. What is the significance of the present results:
why should we care?
⚫This section should be rich in references to similar work
and
background needed to interpret results.
1. Interpreting and Explaining Your Results:
Connect Findings to the Research Question:
Explain how your results answer the research question
or address the problem you investigated.
Provide Meaning:
Interpret the meaning of your findings and explain why
they are important.
Compare with Existing Literature:
Discuss how your findings align with or differ from
previous research and theories.
Address Unexpected Results:
Explain any unexpected or contradictory findings and
offer potential explanations.
2. Implications and Significance:
Broader Implications:
Discuss the broader implications of your research and how it contributes
to the field of study.
Practical Applications:
Explain how your findings can be applied in real-world settings or
inform future research.
Significance:
Emphasize the importance and value of your research, highlighting its
contribution to knowledge.
3. Limitations and Future Research:
Acknowledge Limitations:
Honestly discuss the limitations of your study, including methodological
constraints or sample size.
Conclusions
summarizes your research, reiterates key findings, and
emphasizes the study's significance and implications, offering
a final, concise perspective on your work
Restate the Thesis:
Briefly rephrase your main argument or thesis statement, but
avoid simply copying it.
Summarize Key Findings:
Provide a concise overview of the most important results and
insights from your research.
Highlight Significance and Implications:
Explain why your research matters, its broader impact, and
how it contributes to the field.
Address Limitations:
Acknowledge any limitations or shortcomings of your study.
Offer Recommendations for Future Research:
Suggest potential avenues for further investigation based on your
findings.
Provide a Memorable Takeaway:
End with a concluding statement that leaves a lasting impression on
the reader.
Avoid:
Introducing new information or arguments.
Making weak or unsupported statements.
Using generic or cliché phrases
References
All references cited in the text must be listed.
Purpose of References
Give credit to original authors.
Provide evidence for arguments.
Avoid plagiarism.
Citation Styles
APA (American Psychological Association) – Common in social
sciences.
MLA (Modern Language Association) – Common in humanities.
Chicago/Turabian – Used in history and business.
Harvard – Common in various disciplines.
Vancouver – Used in medical and health sciences.
IEEE – Preferred in engineering and technical fields.
Appendices
• Include all your data in the appendix.
• Reference data/materials not easily available
(theses are used as a resource by the department
and other students).
• Tables (where more than 1-2 pages).
• Calculations (where more than 1-2 pages).
• You may include a key article as
• appendix.
not citeconsulted
If you all of them, you number
a large might want
of to include a
references but did
list of
additional resource material, etc.
• List of equipment used for an experiment or details
of complicated procedures.
