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CS5014 Research Methods in CS

CS5014 Research Methods in CS. Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid Computer Science Department Virginia Tech Thesis Writing. Outline. Thesis Writing Writing a Thesis Thesis Defense Defense Mechanics

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CS5014 Research Methods in CS

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  1. CS5014 Research Methods in CS Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid Computer Science Department Virginia Tech Thesis Writing © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  2. 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 © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  3. 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. © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  4. 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 © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  5. 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 © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  6. 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! © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  7. 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 © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

  8. 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 © Dr. Ayman Abdel-Hamid, CS5014, Fall 2006

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