Is it always necessary to write a thesis where one objective of a Ph.D topic will lead to another objective and so on? What about the acceptability of a thesis with a broader topic and three independent objectives (though interconnected) under it, where all the objectives are not directly linked to each other but is essential within the topic.
A good thesis should demonstrate a logical research progression over time. There should, of course, be a well-researched thesis objective at the start, but certainly in biology, deviations from the initial objective are to be expected. This is fine as long as the thesis gives logical explanations as to why the objectives changes, e.g. pointing to new findings by the author or others.
When the Nobel prize in literature was awarded to Alice Munroe in December, many said that this marked the come-back of the short story as an important form of writing. Scientists are, however, usually not dreaming of receiving that particular Nobel prize.
Although a PhD thesis made up of several short stories might be entertaining, the main objective of the PhD exam (and thus the thesis) is to demonstrate the ability of the person to carry out cohesive research over a fairly long period of time without constantly getting side-tracked by new ideas.
Proposed thesis should be well planed and objectives are clearly understated and experimentation are with in the scope of Ph.D topic .if not one cannot achieve the results.
Good luck
Yes, your points should be related and flow from each other.
Your thesis-book must have only one thesis-theme.
Your PhD thesis-theme is made up of at least 3 hypotheses each of which must support your thesis-theme.
Your hypotheses may be found to be connected in a circle, or in a jigsaw puzzle, in a mesh or in a tripod. However, you must present your hypotheses linearly for the sake of the reader, perhaps one hypothesis per chapter, with the most important one being presented first. You will only know near the end of your research which one it is, and what the interconnections really are, so it is often useful to keep your chapters in separate computer files.
For your PhD thesis-book, watch out that you do not leave any stones unturned. It is all to easy to overlook important factors. Nor should you introduce any hypotheses that have got nothing to do with your thesis-theme, unless to show that prior research was wrong.
Dear Nabajit
Yes .Its essential to planning a thesis
Many students find that it helps to break their thesis into smaller tasks, and to plan when and how each task will be completed. Primary tasks of a thesis include -
• Selecting a research topic
• Reviewing literature on the topic
• Writing and gaining approval for a thesis proposal, including selecting specific research
questions and developing research methodology
• Writing the first draft of the Method chapter
• Preparing for data collection
• Collecting data
• Analysing data
• Revising the Introduction and Method chapters and writing the remainder of your thesis,
including the Results and Discussion
It is recommended that data collection begin only after you have undertaken a comprehensive literature review, since reading will often suggest more effective means of collecting data.In order to complete a masters thesis on time, you may find it helpful to use the following timetable as a guide- line
Wee Wha! Wee Wha! Wee Wha! Plagiarism Police reporting for duty! Nelson Elias is copying from http://www.europe.canterbury.ac.nz/studentinfo/pdf/planning_your_research.pdf Wee Wha! Wee Wha! Wee Wha!
A good thesis should demonstrate a logical research progression over time. There should, of course, be a well-researched thesis objective at the start, but certainly in biology, deviations from the initial objective are to be expected. This is fine as long as the thesis gives logical explanations as to why the objectives changes, e.g. pointing to new findings by the author or others.
When the Nobel prize in literature was awarded to Alice Munroe in December, many said that this marked the come-back of the short story as an important form of writing. Scientists are, however, usually not dreaming of receiving that particular Nobel prize.
Although a PhD thesis made up of several short stories might be entertaining, the main objective of the PhD exam (and thus the thesis) is to demonstrate the ability of the person to carry out cohesive research over a fairly long period of time without constantly getting side-tracked by new ideas.
Hi Nabajit,
it is difficult enough to prepare a thorough research work on a certain topic. Why would you want to introduce a conflict by choosing spread objectives. A PhD thesis should reveal new contributions to the research field. It is not a repetition of existing work. In addition you can produce higher quality if you conduct sound research in depth.
Hope this helps,
best wishes, Christine
Hello Nabajit,
PhD thesis cannot solve all the world's problems - so, try to have your objectives connected - and tie it down as much as possible... to achieve good results with no complications - the wider the topic the less the concentration and the more confused you and the readers will be... also, it might take longer to finish - if ever!
Regards
Theodora Issa
During the PhD work, the researchers works initially in main objective. But after some times, the objective may deviate from the initially framed one. This may be due to a result got for the researcher from his study. This may lead to a new area. In my opinion, framing overall objectives in the initial stages of PhD and fulfilling all the objectives is a second choice. The researcher should work on the results got from his initial studies. That is the researcher can deviate from his initial objectives.
creativity is missing now a days
it is considered as a part of course work in India
what i did earlier years
propose an idea , do experiments and explain them verify the theory
now it discouraging- better do one system in depth, analyze all aspects- if quality is less do one more system-
do not bother about the title of the thesis book
Of-course ALIGNMENT Is the key therefore connected objectives are essential.
Decidedly Yes! The output of one chapter should feed the input of the next chapter, like a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter that only gets resolved by the next chapter etc. Keep your reader riveted to your thesis-book. It should be an "unputdownable" page-turner .
CH2 -> CH3 -> CH4 -> CH5
The PhD thesis-theme will have many supporting research subquestions and their corresponding research subanswers.
For your sanity and the sanity of your reader, each subquestion and subanswer is conveniently modularised into a chapter (CH). This siloing is an essential approach to manage the complexity.
You should, for the same reason, seek to decouple the chapters as much as possible. However there must be a golden, common thread that binds your thesis-book together, your thesis-theme.
The "footstool" approach is quite acceptable. Here is a slow unravelling of your plot, with the final chapter containing the denouement. It was not the butler (CH2) nor the parlour-maid (CH3) nor the gardener (CH4) nor Rev. Green (CH5), so it must have been suicide (CH6)!
Regard your CH2-CH5 as being jigsaw pieces that must fit together (align). CH6 is the synoptic view you have on completing the jigsaw puzzle.
But then again, you might conduct/write an education-based thesis to become a teacher covering a larger number of topics not necessarily interconnected with one another versus a research-based thesis to become researcher covering a limited number of topics to be explored in much more detail?
PhD examiners are unhappy to receive anthologies or postage stamp collections. They want a thesis-theme holding a thesis-book together.
Even patchwork quilts are fine, because they have a useful purpose in life!
A Ph.D could be seen a a formation for what you will do in the future, or not?
The development of a doctoral thesis presents the following questions:
a) What is the subject I chose?
b) Why I chose this topic?
c) Why is the issue important?
d) What do I know?
e) What I want to produce that knowledge?
f) How I will build my object of study?
g) What / s are the central questions I intend to respond?
h) How do I imagine answer?
i) What methodology I will use to do so?
j) What inputs-resources, access to sources COMPETENCIES- need to conduct research?
k) How long do I raise?
l) Provisionally What is considered "thesis" of my thesis?
The answers to these questions will provide input for the realization of the project and, what is even more important, it will provide the possibility of taking a unique stance in the research process.
Based on the above, the definition of clear, achievable and measurable objectives is relevant to the achievement of the thesis.
@ Marcel M. Lambrechts
@ Ian Kennedy
What if there are deviations from what was expected?
What if, it is not based on experiments but based on observations (for example earth observations)?
And what if there are different stakeholders with different interests?
And if there are multiple dimensions associated with the problem? For example "FLOODS" which have hydro-meteorological aspect, geomorphological aspect and socio-cultural and economic aspect associated with it.
One individual can not handle everything! Problems can be solved more rapidly with (multi-disciplinary) research networks. A PhD project should therefore involve a component that promotes collaboration skills, or not?
@Gonzalo. At the start of the PhD, students do not have a clear picture of what to find, e.g. without having access to the existing literature. Can they predict the future with precision without literature knowledge that helps to define the research Framework and directions at the beginning of the Ph D project?
One need to have some definite idea of his problems. We do not do earth shaking work.better do not have many objectives.
PhD thesis is training how one can handle one objective and execute from A-Z. Objective and hypothesis should be based on extensive review of literature and discussions.
Alas! It has become one more course work.sincsWW II no big discovery has come.let us think afresh .
Completely agree with Marcel. The PhD project opens the space to formulate research questions and from the same building the objectives to develop the research cycle.
A PhD Thesis is not a multiple Masters theses that can be combined and written altogether.
A PhD thesis should address a(n) innovative idea(s) to address a well-defined question or problem from difference aspects and applications with thorough explanation of the methodology employed.
Nabajit
You stated the following as one of your considerations - a thesis with a broader topic and three independent objectives.
One thing I can say is that for a PhD you are showing your ability to conduct research and most advisors will suggest that you narrow your research realm so that you can focus more on the skill of research. Please note, this is not to say that the research topic/content is not of importance. The key point is to determine your skillset first and then the value of the research .
I was told many times in my reviews - don't discard any of your ideas, they will make a great research agenda once you have completed this small activity (re: your dissertation).
This is a great question
Camille
dear Camille, i expect as a researcher of nearly 5 decades of standing , i feel a topic and do a detailed study. with certain time frame work. you are going to do Ph D once in a life time; do it well.
A thesis without objective is meaning less
A thesis with multiple objectives is useless
As rightly answered by some other contributors, the style of writing objectives depends on the field of study. That being said, since a thesis is like a script, that has plots and sub-plots, then, each plot and sub-plot must have its objective. This tells that for an objective to be meaningful, it must interlink with other objectives in the thesis. Therefore, it is not an aberration to have a broad objective from which other sub-objectives are distilled. However, as hinted by Viswa Mohan Pedagogu, the objectives should not be numerous to make your work difficult to achieve. A sage says: PhD is just a degree, acquire it with the minimal best effort. If you have anything you want to prove, prove it after you acquire your PhD. The moral in this is that your objectives should be succinct enough to be met and to give you a good PhD.
Interesting divergent views here, but the final burden lies with the researchers knowledge, of the field of research and ability to tie objectives or chapters to the research theme.
It seems that the synopsis was designed with very broad topic. Many researcher select two or three not well connected objective and but relevant to the topic.Then each objective has to be addressed separately in different chapters. Although I personally do not like such idea.Thesis topic should have interconnected objective should lead to advancement in the investigation for next objective. Both system are acceptable it all depends on synopsis approval stage.If it is approved then there is no problem.
It is unlikely that you will have a neat,sequential chronology: Subtopic A => B => C => D => E.
It is more likely that you will have thesis ABCDE resting on and supported by your foundations A, B, C, D, and E.
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