PM Dr.

Patricia Anthony
Computer Science Program
School of Engineering and Information Technology
Universiti Malaysia Sabah

The Master Thesis is the first official

document the gets you in the status of being
a researcher
The thesis shall contribute to knowledge with
a new and unique piece of science
The thesis proves your ability to work
independently and to solve a scientific
problem by your own (of course with some
help from your supervisor/s)
The thesis is the starting point for your
career after your MSc course

The distinguishing mark of graduate research is

an original contribution to knowledge.
a written record of the work that has been
undertaken by a candidate
constitutes objective evidence of the authors
knowledge and capabilities in the field of
interest and is therefore a fair means to gauge
them
your thesis must show two important things:
you

have identified a worthwhile problem or question

which has not been previously answered
you have solved the problem or answered the
question.

thesis is usually associated with a

PhD(doctoral) or M.Phil. Degree
dissertation is the more common term for
the research project required for a
Master/PhD by coursework
Western countries use the terms
interchangeably

It should be contestable, proposing an

arguable point with which people could
reasonably disagree. A strong thesis is
provocative; it takes a stand and justifies the
discussion you will present.
It tackles a subject that could be adequately
covered in the format of the project
assigned.
It is specific and focused.
It clearly asserts your own conclusion based
on evidence.

It provides the reader with a map to guide

him/her through your work.
It anticipates and refutes the counterarguments
It avoids vague language (like "it seems").
It avoids the first person.
It should pass the So What or Who Cares test.
Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis
What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Thesis

Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to

ask, "How?" or Why?
Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with
"Duh!" or "So what?" or "Gee, no kidding!" or "Who
cares?
Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or
sweeping words such as "all" or "none" or "every"?
Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic
sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the
thesis)?
Can the thesis be adequately developed in the
required length of the paper or project?

you must present a thorough review of the

existing literature on the subject, and on
closely related subjects.
make direct reference to your literature
review
you must demonstrate that your question
has

not been previously answered

is worth answering

the examiners read your thesis to find the

answers to the following questions:
what

is this student's research question?

is it a good question? (has it been answered
before? is it a useful question to work on?)
did the student convince me that the question
was adequately answered?
has the student made an adequate contribution
to knowledge?

preparation for writing your thesis begins as soon

as you start your research
keep a diary or series of short 'papers' explaining
your work
try to anticipate what you will need to produce
as the final written account, and organise your
records accordingly
prepare and continually update a table of
contents of your thesis
Analyse the data thoroughly and think actively
about the interpretation of information as you
proceed with your research
start to do some writing as your research
progresses

Make sure that you had training on the

methodology to be applied in your thesis. If
you have not achieved experience from prior
modules, ask to get appropriate training
(laboratory practical etc.).
Make an outline of the proposed thesis
Discuss the outline with your supervisor(s)
Produce a revised outline with a preliminary
timetable and check again with your
supervisor(s)
Keep nagging your supervisor(s) during the
thesis work

Read before you write

You

may find out that your work has already

been done (so you have to find something else)
You will get the necessary theoretical
background
You will get an idea about the specific
methodology required for your work and about
the potential time demand to apply the
methodology
You will get the background information that is
required to compare your results with previous
results obtained by other scientists
You will train reading and understanding of
scientific publications

Timetable and Milestones

Experience tells us (the supervisors) that
thesis work always takes longer than
expected by the students

Begin writing with sections you know the

best
Rewrite your proposal into thesis sections
Make your writing clear and unambiguous
Review other dissertations before you begin
to write
Introduce table, present the table and
describe it
Use similar parallel wording whenever
possible

Let your table of content helps you improve

your manuscript
Write real conclusions and implications
dont just restate your findings
Make suggestions for further research
meaningful
Chapter one should be written last

A thesis is a hypothesis or conjecture

A PhD/Master dissertation is a lengthy, formal
document that argues in defense of a particular
thesis.
Two important adjectives used to describe a
dissertation are original and substantial (original
contribution)
The scientific method means starting with a
hypothesis and then collecting evidence to
support or deny it (organizing the evidence and
associated discussions into a coherent form)
Each statement in a dissertation must be correct
and defensible in a logical and scientific sense

The essence of a dissertation is critical thinking,

not experimental data (Analysis and concepts
form the heart of the work).
A dissertation concentrates on principles: it
states the lessons learned, and not merely the
facts behind them.
Every statement in a dissertation must be
supported either by a reference to published
scientific literature or by original work.
Each sentence in a dissertation must be
complete and correct in a grammatical sense.
The words must convey exactly the meaning
intended, nothing more and nothing less.

All scientists need to communicate

discoveries; the PhD/Master dissertation
provides training for communication with
other scientists.
Writing a dissertation requires a student to
think deeply, to organize technical
discussion, to muster arguments that will
convince other scientists, and to follow rules
for rigorous, formal presentation of the
arguments and discussion.
Good writing is essential in a dissertation!!!

Each technical term used in a dissertation must

be defined either by a reference to a previously
published definition or by a precise,
unambiguous definition that appears before the
term is used
Each term should be used in one and only one
way throughout the dissertation
The easiest way to avoid a long series of
definitions is to include a statement: the
terminology used throughout this document
follows that given in [CITATION].'' Then, only
define exceptions.
The introductory chapter can give the intuition
(i.e., informal definitions) of terms provided
they are defined more precisely later.

jokes or puns
bad, good, nice, terrible, stupid
Perfect nothing is !!
would seem to show what matters is the
fact
Different different than what?
lots of, kind of, just about vague and
colloquial
The use of I, you, we third person
Can/may

Use active constructions. For example, say

the operating system starts the device
instead of the device is started by the
operating system
Write in the present tense.
Focus on results and not the
people/circumstances in which they were
obtained
Be careful to only draw conclusions that the
evidence supports

Introduction
general

introduction to what the thesis is all

about
Briefly summarize the question, some of the
reasons why it is a worthwhile question, and
perhaps give an overview of your main results.
a birds-eye view of the answers to the main
questions answered in the thesis

Background Information (optional)

A

brief section giving background information

may be necessary, especially if your work spans
two or more traditional fields

Review of the State of the Art

to

present (critical analysis comes a little bit later)

the major ideas in the state of the art right up to, but
not including, your own personal brilliant ideas.
You organize this section by idea, and not by author
or by publication

Research Question or Problem Statement

a

concise statement of the question that your thesis

tackles
justification, by direct reference to literature review
that your question is previously unanswered
discussion of why it is worthwhile to answer this
question.

Describing How You Solved the Problem or

Answered the Question
to

convince the examiners that you answered the

question or solved the problem that you set for
yourself
show what you did that is relevant to answering the
question or solving the problem

Conclusions
Conclusions

(short, concise statements of the

inferences that you have made because of your work)
Summary of Contributions (new knowledge that your
thesis makes)
Future Research

References
Most

examiners scan your list of references

looking for the important works in the field
most examiners also look for their own
publications if they are in the topic area of the
thesis

Appendices
program

listings
immense tables of data
lengthy mathematical proofs or derivations

References
Most

examiners scan your list of references

looking for the important works in the field
most examiners also look for their own
publications if they are in the topic area of the
thesis

Appendices
program

listings
immense tables of data
lengthy mathematical proofs or derivations

prepare an extended outline

begin by making up the Table of Contents,
listing each section and subsection that you
propose to include
For each section and subsection, write a
brief point-form description of the contents
of that section (2 5 pages)
our thesis supervisor should carefully review
this outline

Longer than you think!!

it is wise to allow at least one complete term
for writing the thesis
writing the thesis requires the complete
organization of your arguments and results
fixing those weaknesses that takes time
supervisors are sometimes not quick at
reviewing and returning drafts
Bottom line: leave yourself enough time. A
rush job has painful consequences at the
defence.

Consult your supervisor(s) regularly as you start

the writing phase to discuss the overall structure
of the thesis, and your proposed strategy for
writing it.
try to maintain regular contact with your
supervisor(s)
You should show sections, or preferably complete
chapters with a reference list, of your thesis to
your supervisor(s) at regular intervals
At the end of each discussion with you
supervisor, make an appointment for your next
meeting.

Always keep the reader's backgrounds in mind.

Who is your audience?
Don't make the readers work too hard!
it's impossible to be too clear! Spell things out
carefully, highlight important parts by
appropriate titles etc.
a thesis is not a story: it usually doesn't follow
the chronology of things that you tried
Avoid red flags, claims (like "software is the most
important part of a computer system") that are
really only your personal opinion and not
substantiated by the literature or the solution
you have presented

Online auction is the process of buying and selling

goods by offering them up for bid, taking bids and then
selling the item to the winning bidder [3]. There are
four single-object auction types: the ascending price
auction (English auction), the descending price auction
(Dutch auction), the first sealed-bid price auction and
the second sealed-bid price auction (Vickrey auction)
[7]. In any given auction, the sellers may decide
whether to sell using a no-reserve price auction,
private reserve price auction, public reserve price
auction and buy it now price auction [5]. Superficially,
all auction activity comes from bidders submitting
offers, while sellers offer the items for bids. In
addition, auction can be held in different selling format
in which each format imposed different rules of games.

Online auction is the process of buying and selling

goods by offering them up for bid, taking bids and then
selling the item to the winning bidder [3]. There are
four single-object auction types: the ascending price
auction (English auction), the descending price auction
(Dutch auction), the first sealed-bid price auction and
the second sealed-bid price auction (Vickrey auction)
[7]. In any given auction, the sellers may decide
whether to sell using a no-reserve price auction,
private reserve price auction, public reserve price
auction and buy it now price auction [5]. Superficially,
all auction activity comes from bidders submitting
offers, while sellers offer the items for bids. In
addition, auction can be held in different selling format
in which each format imposed different rules of games.

This project will be suitable to assist the

police department, fire and rescue department
and hospital ambulances in managing
emergency event from emergency control
centre or command centre. Therefore, a
command center will be needed to centralize
all emergency actions. There are many
advantages that can be achieved through this
system. By using the EMSS the identification of
location can be done by GIS and navigation of
emergency vehicle is monitor using GPS.

This project will be suitable to assist the

police department, fire and rescue department
and hospital ambulances in managing
emergency event from emergency control
centre or command centre. SUITABLE IN WHAT
SENSE? Therefore, a command center will be
needed to centralize all emergency actions.
There are many advantages that can be
achieved through this system. WHAT ARE
THEY?? By using the EMSS the identification of
location can be done by GIS and navigation of
emergency vehicle is monitored using GPS.

Doctoral thesis necessarily requires a more

difficult problem to be solved, and
consequently more substantial contributions.
The contribution to knowledge of a Master's
thesis can be in the nature of an incremental
improvement in an area of knowledge, or the
application of known techniques in a new
area
The Ph.D. must be a substantial and
innovative contribution to knowledge

Title Page
Authors Declaration
Confirmation
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Symbols
Text
References
Appendices
Glossary

Abstract
explains

in one line why the paper is important

give a summary of your major results
A good abstract is concise, readable, and
quantitative
Can answer these questions:

What did you do?

Why did you do it? What question were you trying to
answer?
How did you do it? State methods.
What did you learn? State major results.
Why does it matter? Point out at least one significant
implication.

For detail explanation on the sections and

format please refer to:
GARIS PANDUAN GAYA PENULISAN
PASCASISWAZAH

Based on APA Style (American Psychological

Association)
References items are listed alphabetically at
the end of the thesis
These same items are referred to in the body
of the paper using In-Text style.

Reference: Komisar, L. 1991. The new

feminism. New York: Franklin
Watts.
In-Text:

(Komisar, 1991)

Reference: Strunk, W. Jr., White, E. B. 1979.

The elements of style (3rd
Ed.). New York: Macmillan
In-Text:

(Strunk & White, 1979)

(Strunk, White, & Smith, 1979)
(Strunk et al., 1979)

Reference: Roll, W. P. 1976. ESP and

memory. In J.M.O. Wheatley
& H.L. Edge (Eds.),
Philosophical dimensions of
parapsychology (pp.154184). Springfield, IL
American Psychiatric Press.
In-Text:

(Roll, 1976)

Reference: Maki, R. H. 1982. Categorization

effects which occur in
comparative judgment
tasks. Memory & Cognition,
10, 252-264.
In-Text:
(Maki, 1982)

Reference: Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R.M.

1971. The control of shortterm memory. Scientific
American, 225, 82-90.
In-Text:

(Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1971)

(Smith, Zappella, Rosen, Gustman,
& Rock, 1994)
(Smith et al., 1994)

Reference: Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R.M.

1971. The control of shortterm memory. Scientific
American, 225, 82-90.
In-Text:

(Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1971)

(Smith, Zappella, Rosen, Gustman,
& Rock, 1994)
(Smith et al., 1994)

After great pain, a formal feeling comes.

-- Emily Dickinson
A man may write at any time, if he will set
himself doggedly to it.
-- Samuel Johnson
Keep right on to the end of the road.
-- Harry Lauder
The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but the
transference of bones from one graveyard to
another.
-- Frank J. Dobie