Parts

Remarks

Why thesis?

• Research contribution to engineering, university, society at large
• Completion of basic degree experience with integrative, innovative uses
• Form of training, molding of graduates
• Preparation for logical, cohesive, supportive, integrated thoughts
• Sharing & learning with the community at large

Why defense?

• For thesis to be worthy contribution, it has to be concise, explicit and well-supported in all statements made
• Analogy of "standing on the shoulders of giants" and prepared to be stepped on
• All thesis statements matter, down to the word, thus ambiguity, non-cohesion, weakness and vagueness must be avoided
• This is equivalent to Law case, with thesis being the client, the examiners and supervisors the judges and jury
• Statements, diagrams, charts, graphs and other information must be conceived, linked and integrated both in concept and presentation into a strong, coherent, convincing, focused and defendable case

How to write?

• Refer to here
• The ideology is to write with thesis focus in mind

Relation between thesis & presentation?

• Thesis aims to report on research methods, findings, supporting arguments & evidence for use and reference
• Presentation seeks to highlight the essence of the thesis, focusing on summary of methods, findings & implications
• Presentation also provides opportunity for researcher to make a strong case, convincing judges and clarifying any uncertainties of the thesis, noting suggested improvements

How to present?

• Strategy-formulation-implementation
• Aims-steps-actions & improvements

Aims?

• Methods / tools developed, why choose this approach? How does it help? Any limitations? How used?
• Problems researched? Results? How interpret meaning? Findings? Fit literature or unexpected or new? Reasoning for the results? Useful implications for future research?

Objective?

• Say what u set out to do? What has been done? Whether u have reached what u set out to do?

Scope?

• Limit down the research aspects? Any more narrowing in methods, testing & result phases?

Methods?

• What is it? Why use it for thesis? How develop? Limitations? Nature? Stability, convergence & quality? How to interpret results? Distortions?

Tests?

• What tests? Why use? What tests do & don't?

Results?

• Results from each test? How interpret? Nature, interests and properties? Visualisation? Output formats? Reach test goal? Expected, why? Unexpected, why & how?

Implications?

• What findings imply? To thesis statement, scope & objective? Reinforce, weaken or contrary? Reasons why?
• What researchers benefit from thesis? How well answered is the objective? Trend? Direction? Focus? Variance, how much, why? Invariance, when, why? Applicable conditions?

Conclusion?

• Summary of thesis, findings, implications? Whether the objective is reached, how well & in what ways? Clarity? Focus? Defense of statements?

Defense?

• Step-step orderly questioning & clarification
• What u said & what u wrote? What new findings? Why so? Under what conditions? I test u if this happens, how to use thesis findings? Anything definitive and specific, not broad things?
• Explain again how the findings are derived from the results & how interpret? How & when we use thesis findings?
• How u rate thesis? Merits? Limits? Future research?