Thesis writing

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Thesis writingfor( post graduate Medical
students )

• Dr.T.V.Rao MD

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What is a thesis / Dissertation

• A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted
  in support of candidature for an academic degree
  or professional qualification presenting the
  author's research and findings.

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Why write a thesis?

• It is the contribution you make to the academic
  community
• You all have to suffer like we too suffered !
• In the process, you will learn
• How to research
• How to write

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Why write a thesis?

• Does make you famous
• Unlikely yes
• Look at the statistics and the Seniors Work
• It will radically change science
• Unlikely
• Look at the statistics

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What a thesis creates

• What I did in the lab over the last 2 to 3 years
• I first read the background material
• I then implemented an algorithm
• I did some practical work
• A thesis is a logical reconstruction
• Not a historical narrative

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How a Dissertation is conducted

• A postgraduate conducts research on a problem
  relevant to medical specality under the guidance
  of Faculty Members and submits a
  protocol/synopsis in the end of 1st year and the
  final dissertation at the end of 2½ years.

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A thesis is an original contribution to knowledge

• An advisor/ guide will expect that
• You have identified a worthwhile problem or
  question which has not been previously answered ?
• You have solved the problem or answered the
  question or at least contributed some facts for
  better understanding on the topic selected.

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Who selects the thesis Topicguide or student ?

• On many occasions guide suggest some topics with
  better understanding, knowing very well the
  facilities available in the Laboratory /
  Hospitals.
• The student has also important role in accepting
  what has been suggested,
• Impracticable outdated ideas of guides is
  catastrophic both to the students and to the
  department.

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Conflicts in guide and student relations

• A non committed students and a irrational guides
  are the real areas of conflict what we see in
  the working environment .
• Todays youth too are intelligent wise and well
  informed they can understand strengths and
  weakness of the guides in few days of joining the
  Department
• Even guides should practice the policy of Humble
  to learn and wise to teach

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Introduction to Thesis

• An average introduction should build up the logic
  why it was necessary to conduct the study
• An average Introduction should be approx. 5 A4
  pages, double spaced, Times NR, Font size 12
• An Introduction may contain Figures needed to
  build up the logic. These should have a legend
  mentioning the Source, Year of publication

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Choosing a topic too difficult A task ?
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Scope and Objectives

• An aim or aims should be 1-3 sentences and as
  concise as possible
• Examples
• The present study aims at evaluating the
  Carbapenemase resistance in ICU patients.
• Or
• The present study was conducted to study the
  prevalence of Carbapenemase resistance in
  severely ill patients.

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What you choose for dissertation

• Do remember easier topics difficult to work with
• Do never select an outdated work, as you have to
  remain in the Profession for gt 4 decades
• Your desertion is the reflection of your hands on
  experience,
• Avoid topics which do not give adequate and
  modern skills

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Can Internet search solve the problem of writing
a good thesis

• Many postgraduates usually search on the internet
  to find out information for any thesis. They
  find it interesting and obviously there is no
  place better than internet where they can find
  all the relevant information. However, the
  students are not aware of the contents and
  patterns and often end up writing down something
  absolutely meaningless.

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Selecting the right topic makes a great
contribution

• lot of research and hard work can make a thesis
  relevant and good. The topic must be something
  that has some importance to our society and
  something that can be helpful to evaluate your
  excellence..
• Vague ideas and concepts won't work in your
  thesis. You need to think plenty of times about
  the whole thing. You must understand that people
  must connect with your research

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Who are Thesis committee members

• Who should be on your committee?
• Ideally you and your supervisor will come to a
  mutual decision and present with consent
• Important, well-known researchers,unbaised
  teachers

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A good thesis reflects how much you are creative

• How you see the world and what you think about it
  must be reflected in your thesis. This is
  something where your thoughts need to be
  reflected. That is why choosing the topic is very
  crucial. If you are planning to write down a
  thesis on Medical or basic sciences, then you
  must understand even the smallest things. You
  need not be a master of that. You just need to be
  clear about the whole concept. Your enthusiasm
  and passion must be there. Otherwise everything
  will be a sheer waste of time.

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What is a thesis statement?

• A thesis statement is a sentence used in an essay
  that serves as the guide for the essay and
  directly answers the question or task asked of
  you.
• A thesis statement express the
• main idea of your paper.

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The main sections in Thesis

• Introduction
• Aims (in most cases objectives aims with
  specific targets to achieve)
• A review of the relevant literature
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Summary
• References
• Appendices
• NOTE indicates topics which the
  dissertation committee may especially like to
  re-evaluate

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Apart from the Sections from Start to End a
thesis may have

• The Title page
• An inscription/dedication
• Certificate
• Declaration
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract ()
• The contents page (including the contents of
  Appendices)
• Introduction
• Aims (and Objectives )
• A review of the relevant literature
• NOTE indicates topics which the
  dissertation committee may especially like to
  re-evaluate

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.continued

• Methods (or Materials, and another Section for
  Methods, or Materials and Methods )
• Results, including Tables, Figures
• Discussion
• Summary
• References
• Appendices usually 2
• - Appendix A Materials used in testing
• - Appendix B Original Data which could also
  include computer printouts of waveforms, graphs
• NOTE indicates topics which the
  dissertation committee may especially like to
  re-evaluate

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Cover Page with University Logo a Photograph of
the University Office Building or as advised

• The title In upper case, Arial, Font Size 16
• Name of the candidate Sentence case, Name
  followed by qualifying degree, Arial, Font Size
  14
• Names of Guides Names followed by degrees
  (standard short forms, e.g., MD Ph.D. ), Arial,
  Font Size 14
• Name of the institution In upper case, Arial,
  Font Size 16
• Can covers be different colors?
• Should covers be hard-binding and the front page
  pasted?
• NOTE indicates topics which the
  dissertation committee may especially like to
  re-evaluate

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The Title Page inside the Thesis

• Do we still need to standardize the format?
• The title In upper case, Times NR, Font Size 16
• Name of the candidate Sentence case, Name
  followed by qualifying degree, Times NR, Font
  Size 14
• Names of Guides Names in Sentence case, followed
  by degrees (standard short forms, e.g., MD (
  Microbiology )
• Names of Dissertation Committee members in
  Sentence case, followed by degrees, Times NR,
  Font Size 14
• Names of Doctoral students who assisted in
  Sentence case, Times NR, Font Size 12

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.what each section should contain..

• Inscriptions/ Dedications
• This is, of course, optional and depends on the
  candidate. As far as possible a dedication or
  inscription should not be corrected or modified.
  However it is necessary to check that there are
  no obvious grammatical/spelling errors or that a
  quotation is not misquoted
• Certificate Declaration the format are
  standardized

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Acknowledgments.

• It is very important to be clear who may be
  acknowledged when writing a thesis as compared
  to compiling a manuscript
• OBVIOUS INCLUSIONS
• Guides, Dissertation committee members
• Assistance received for laboratory tests,
  statistical analysis, compilation, library
  searches
• Sources of funding both Institutional (to be
  mentioned in all cases), other funds
• OPTIONAL (for a thesis not a manuscript)
• Family and friends

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The main sections..a few details

• Each Section begins on a fresh page
• Section Titles should be in Times New Roman font,
  Font size 14, centered, bold, upper case
• After each Section Title the first Para of each
  Section should be left aligned not be indented
  subsequent pares are to be indented

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Review of the Relevant Literature

• This Section should contain relevant references
  from
• Traditional texts (ending with a clear link to
  experimental research)
• Early publications (e.g., books, Indexed Journals
  )
• Recent publications preferably publications,
  also books
• Tabulate the most relevant references at the end
  of the Section

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Materials and Methods

• This Section has been called Methods/ Materials
  and Methods/ Methods as one Section and Materials
  as another we can use METHODS
• The Methods Section varies according to the type
  of study. This presentation includes a standard
  description for an experimental study conducted
  with Human Subjects.

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Results

• This main Section should be very concise
• It should include what was found mentioning
  the level of significance and other information
  considered relevant depending on the test used
• Mention the effect size
• Tables
• Graphs
• Information in Tables Graphs should NOT
  duplicate each other

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Results, Tables

• Tables should be numbered in Arabic Numerals
• Each Table should have a comprehensive heading
  this should begin on the next line after the
  Table No. Headings should be in Times NR (like
  the rest of the text), Font size 12, Bold,
  Sentence case
• Each Table should indicate significant changes
  with asterisks
• The level of significance (e.g., plt.05)
  should be mentioned below the Table, Times NR,
  Font size 12, Bold

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Results, Figures

• Figures should not duplicate data given in Tables
• Figures should be numbered in Arabic numerals
• Every Figure should have a legend written below
  it in Times NR, font size 12, bold, sentence case
• The units for all numbers should be provided in
  SI units (e.g., length meter (m), time second
  (s), frequency cycles per second (Hz)

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Discussion

• This is a very important Section!
• It should attempt to describe what the study
  found possible reasons for the findings
• How the findings differ/are similar to those
  described earlier and reasons for differences
  if any
• Obvious drawbacks of the study design (etc.) and
  how these could have influenced the outcome
• Implications of the findings
• Applications of the finding
• Sub-sections depending on variables studied,
  integrating the discussion on each at the end

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Summary

• This Section should ideally Stand Alone if
  anyone reads it they would know why the study was
  done, what was done, what was found..
• It should include
• The Background (1-2 sentences)
• The Aim
• The Methods
• Results
• Implications
• Drawbacks
• Directions for future research

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Well done Thesis has a message

• If Youre tackling an important research problem
• Youve made an original contribution to its
  resolution
• E.g. If you have attempted uncommon problem with
  sincerity

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Well written thesis .

• Concise, yet clear (scientific writing should
  avoid long sentences)
• Attention to grammar, punctuation
• Attention to details (for example, terms written
  in a language other than English should be in
  italics)

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Presented wellsimple, yet important

• Titles, sub-titles, sub-sub-titles (differences
  in case, font size, bold/underlined/italics,
  centered or indented or not-indented)
• Indentation, line spacing
• Fonts (thesis-writers should be discouraged from
  using fonts other than Times NR/ Arial) Font
  size 12, 14
• Bold/Italics/Underlined
• Using the customary sections, using the
  appropriate terms (for e.g., references rather
  than bibliography)

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what is a Accurate, completethesis

• Figures should have a legend regarding the source
  from which they are reproduced
• References cited in the text in the reference
  list should NOT have any discrepancies (e.g.
  authors names, year..)
• Material used for assessments (e.g.,
  questionnaires, recording sheets should be
  provided in an Appendix)

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What a thesis isnt?

• A brain dump of everything youve done
• You get to leave out the dead-ends
• But you have to fill in any obvious gaps!
• A thesis is should be logical reconstruction
• With a single coherent message

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An ideal thesis should..

• Have sound stuff
• Be well written
• Be presented well
• Be accurate, complete

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Be brave to Defend your thesis / dissertation

• Dont panic
• Youre probably the expert on this topic by now!
• Your examiners may not be experts in your area of
  work however you are
• Your examiners are human
• Theyve sat in your seat
• They will help you find what changes (if any) are
  needed to make this the required quality

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What are examiners looking for?

• Review of literature
• Is the literature relevant?
• Is the review critical or just descriptive?
• Is it comprehensive?
• Does it link to the methodology in the thesis?
• Does it summarize the essential aspects?

• Methodology
• Is there a clear hypothesis?
• Are precautions taken against bias?
• Are the limitations identified?
• Is the data collected appropriately?
• Is the methodology justified?

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What are examiners looking for?

• Presentation of results
• Have the hypotheses in fact been tested?
• Are the results shown to support the hypothesis?
• Is the data properly analyzed?
• Are the results presented clearly?
• Are patterns identified and summarized?

• Discussion and Conclusions
• Are the limits of the research identified?
• Are the main points to emerge identified?
• Are links made to the literature?
• Is there theoretical development?
• Are the speculations well grounded?

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What we should do after completing thesis

• Youve finished writing defending your thesis
• What do you do next?
• Turn it into a book now possible to publish as
  e-book
• Publish some journal articles around it

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Teachers should be practical

• As we pass through years of change there is
  change in education, students are wise learn what
  is useful to them which can bring them
  materialistic gains and academic upliftment
• Teachers should be creative to select futuristic
  topics then only our Departments flourish

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What to expect from your Guide /
mentor

• Intellectual support
• Quality assurance
• What standard a thesis should reach
• Indication of when to stop
• Emotional support
• Encouragement
• Constructive atmosphere

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Guiding too much is catastrophic

• The guides should be wise to guide the students,
• Too much and unnecessary guidance will expose the
  ignorance of guides sooner if not later.
• Human relations are more important as our
  students are colleagues tomorrow.
• Best dissertations and research is created when
  guide knows the his job well done
• Practice the best policy as guide
• 1 Speech is silver
• 2 Silence is gold
• 3 If you talk with Knowledge and wisdom it is
  PLATINUM.
• Dr.T.V.Rao MD

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Your dedicated thesis work has support of..
Thank them
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With dedication to many helped in my thesis

• The programme is possible with unselfish
  dedication of my Professor and Guide Dr.B Raja
  Rao MD, Late Dr.Saroja Venugopal MD and all the
  Faculty and Non Teaching Staff members of the
  Microbiology Department of Andhra Medical
  College, Visakhapatnam ( A P ) India and The
  Director and all Scientific Community at National
  Institute of Enteric Diseases , ICMR Kolkata.
  Never to be forgotten the help of Dr.T.N Naik PhD
  to train me and elevate me from darkness to
  light with wisdom and selfless service
  
  Dr.T.V.Rao MD

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• Created by Dr. T.V.Rao MD for e learning
  resources for Medical Students in the Developing
  World
• Email
• doctortvrao_at_gmail.com