tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443429211147580473.post5547380558015810850..comments2023-09-13T04:15:53.075-07:00Comments on MISinformation: Margo's Tips on Writing a ThesisMargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375776249793758895noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443429211147580473.post-69591411157749039002012-09-02T10:19:12.742-07:002012-09-02T10:19:12.742-07:00Re: Conclusion chapter: "You needn't only...Re: Conclusion chapter: "You needn't only talk about work you could do, but how your thesis suggests work in other areas. I like to recommend that my students read thesis conclusions to look for good research projects. Make yours one I want my students to read."<br /><br />This might be the most valuable contribution of a dissertation, since it serves to inspire future work. Just today I had a student ask me where he could get inspiration for future topics related to themes that I explored in my Ph.D. research, and I responded, "I hate to do this to you, but read through my dissertation ..." :)Philip Guohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989580992597347789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443429211147580473.post-31997456141215094102012-05-07T16:55:32.578-07:002012-05-07T16:55:32.578-07:00When I linked this on Facebook, a colleague (Brian...When I linked this on Facebook, a colleague (Brian Noble perhaps?) pointed me at Olin Shivers posting, which I recommend (http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/shivers/diss-advice.html). The high order bit: Your dissertation must have a thesis statement. Excellent advice!Margohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14375776249793758895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443429211147580473.post-2368998801089462342012-03-31T23:38:00.280-07:002012-03-31T23:38:00.280-07:00Something I might add to the performance results, ...Something I might add to the performance results, or actually any part of the research where something unexpected occurred: I don't think it's necessary to explain every aspect of your results, even something surprising, unless it is fundamental to your hypotheses or throws a monkey wrench into some other part of the work that provided evidence for or against your hypotheses. Indeed, sometimes it is not possible or feasible to explain certain phenomena. However, what you must *always* do is give the reader an idea of how you would investigate said phenomena/artifacts.<br /><br />It might be appropriate to leave the audience wanting more in a research paper, but once you've defined the scope of your dissertation (i.e., what's in and what's out) you should never do this for a PhD. You should give interested readers a starting point for studying unexpected results on their own.Marcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14607216191921797063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443429211147580473.post-9577963963286377512012-03-17T14:38:21.361-07:002012-03-17T14:38:21.361-07:00Useful reading and I will start referencing your d...Useful reading and I will start referencing your description of related work as it is far better than any description I've mustered.<br /><br />Two things you don't discuss and which I regularly tell my students. (1) A dissertation is a document you must produce (to exacting standards) to get a PhD. It does not have to be your best research. It is often not the work that gets you a job. So if you've got a viable topic go with it -- don't waste time agonizing about how it could be a better topic, improved if you added research on new topic Y, etc. (2) No assertion goes unpunished. If you assert that X is true, prove it or cite it. One of the major goals of a thesis is to show you understand what it is to fully ground your work (something 12 page papers don't permit, but well-written 12 page papers reflect you know how to do it -- the thesis is the experience in how to do it).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01354737282284832510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443429211147580473.post-72880104179359706292012-03-17T13:42:04.678-07:002012-03-17T13:42:04.678-07:00Nice Article @CindySolakiNice Article @CindySolakiAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00579304942969096915noreply@blogger.com