How to Write a Thesis Joan Wu Washington State University

Thoughts Based Upon Similar personal experiences Presentation by - R. Hotchkiss, formerly CEE, WSU - M. Flury, CSS, WSU

Thesis Goal Acquire - knowledge - research experiences - technical, communication skills Contribute to - knowledge base

Thesis Final Product Publications

Publication Refereed journal articles Archived

What is not a Publication? Book chapter Conference paper Project report Non-archived article

Why a Publication? If it is not published, the work has not been done! Peer review (for quality) Effective communication

Literature Review Know what has been done Know current state-of-the science Know what currently is being done Know what to be done

Literature Review Avalanche technique Current Contents Database search Recent review articles

Literature Review Be rigorous! Be persistent!

Reading a Paper Read title carefully Read abstract Read objectives Look at figures Look at tables Read summary/conclusions

Experimental Section Keep good notes Write-up as much as possible right away

Paper Format Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion Conclusions Acknowledgment References Appendices

Abstract Write it last! Keep it short (1 or 2 paragraphs) Most important No references No equations/figures/tables No codes

Introduction Relevance of work Literature review Objectives Organization/structure of paper

Materials and Methods Be accurate and in adequate detail Work should be reproducible No more rationale and discussions

Results Wording, tabular, graphic, codes Report under categories/sub- headings Results-discussion relation

Figures/Tables One per page Should be stand-alone - Headings need to be explanatory - Clear labels High-quality graphics Pencil in figure number and prepare a figures list

Figures/Tables Warning: - Takes a long, long time … - Careful design

Discussion Be objective, concise, and clear Do not over interpret your data Do not expect perfect, complete knowledge

Conclusions It is more than a summary Results and discussion based Certainty Synthesis Relevance Recommendations No “new” statements No figures/tables/codes

Acknowledgment Funding source(s) Data source(s) Professional help Avoid inadequate generosity

References Be accurate Use appropriate references Use standard format and be consistent

Appendix Unless required or Necessary and allowed

Scientific No’s Never quote a paper you have not seen—no cross-referencing Never copy sentence from a paper word by word—you need to rephrase

Software Word-processing Scientific plotting Scientific drawings Spreadsheet Statistics Programming

Research vs Course Work Good balance of time Serving each other If you aim to learn, the good grades will come automatically

Practice, Practice, Practice Write a lot Read a lot Laboratory reports Conference papers Journal articles

What You Need Time schedule Discipline Motivation Dedication Exercise Fun

We Work as a Group Consult with colleagues Use resources Help each other Collaborate

At the End Be better than your advisor!