How to Write a Thesis Toby Walsh UCC

How to Write a Thesis Toby Walsh, UCC & Uppsala

Thanks u My supervisors n n u Prof. Alan Bundy Prof. Fausto Giunchiglia My students n n n 1. 2. 3. Emmanuel Hebrard Dr. Zeynep Kiziltan Dr. Brahim Hnich (1) Dr. Kostas Stergiou (2) Dr. Simon Colton (3) Dr. Renato Busatto-Neto (3) with P. Flener with I. Gent, P. Prosser with A. Bundy

Tutorial of two parts

The Good News u You only have to write ONE thesis n u Except you French and Germans who have to do a habilitation At the end, you can add “Dr” to your name n Good for upgrades on planes

2 nd half of the tutorial

The Bad News u Writing a thesis is hard, painful work n u You’ve already done the fun part (the research) It’s unlike any other document n Thesis writing is not a marketable skill

The Bad News u Some people never manage to write one n n u 99% perspiration 1% inspiration? If you’re lucky, your thesis will be read by: n n Your supervisor Your committee

Why write a thesis? u It’s the union card for academia n u You all have to suffer like we did! In the procces, you will learn n n How to research How to write

Why write a thesis? u It’s the union card for academia n u You all have to suffer like we did! In the procces, you will learn n How to write Shorter conference & journal papers will be easy!

Why write a thesis? u You get to add “Dr” to your name n u Great aunts, etc. are most impressed It will introduce you/your research to a wider audience n n Thesis committee …

Why write a thesis? u It will make you famous n n u Unlikely Look at the statistics It will radically change science n n Unlikely Look at the statistics

Why write a thesis? u It will advance our knowledge n n u Just a little Main benefit is in teaching you to research It will be read by others n n Your thesis committee If unlucky, it will suffer the same fate as my thesis! Edinburgh, 7 th December 2002

Ok, when do I start? So I’m motivated u When do I actually start writing my thesis? u n 6 months before the end of my grant?

Ok, when do I start? So I’m motivated u When do I actually start writing? u n n n 6 months before the end of my grant? No, the day you start your Ph. D Write it all down!

Ok, when do I start? So I’m motivated u When do I actually start writing? u n n n 6 months before the end of my grant? No, the day you start your Ph. D Write it all down! u Don’t worry, it’s never too late to start

What a thesis isn’t? u What I did in the lab over the last 3 years n n u I first read the background material I then implemented an algorithm I ran some experiments … A thesis is a logical reconstruction n Not a historical narrative

What a thesis isn’t? u A brain dump of everything you’ve done n n u You get to leave out the dead-ends But you have to fill in any obvious gaps! A thesis is a logical reconstruction n With a single coherent message

What a thesis isn’t? u Available to buy n n Even if www. thesismaster. com offer you one at $15/page I wish I got those rates!

What is a thesis? u Demonstration of an understanding of the state of the art n u Critical appreciation of existing work A novel contribution n Evaluated systematically

Read some theses? u Good way to get a feel for the beast n n n ECCAI best thesis UK BCS best thesis CP best thesis?

Ph. D thesis u u u Opens a new area Provides unifying framework Resolves long-standing question Thoroughly explores area Contradicts existing knowledge Experimentally validates theory u u u Produces ambitious system Provides empirical data Derives superior algorithms Develops new methodology Develops new tool Produces negative result Due to Alan Newell?

So, how do I start? u Write a thesis message n n n 1 sentence 1 paragraph 1 page

So, how do I start? u Write a thesis message n n n u 1 sentence 1 paragraph 1 page Everything you write should be directed at this n Thesis (noun). 1. A proposition maintained by argument 2. A dissertation advancing original research

Thesis message u You’re tackling an important research problem n u E. g. symmetry in CP You’ve made an original contribution to its resolution n E. g. efficient and effective global constraints for breaking symmetry

Zeynep’s thesis message To deal with a common type of symmetry in CP, we propose some ordering constraints and develop novel algorithms for efficiently and effectively propagating them. Row and column symmetry is a common type of symmetry in CP. Existing methods have difficulty dealing with the exponential number of symmetries in a problem with row and column symmetry. We therefore propose some ordering constraints which can effectively break such symmetries. To use these constraints in practice, we have developed some efficient linear time propagators. We demonstrate their effectiveness on a wide range of problems.

What next? So, I’ve got a good thesis message u What do I do next? u

What next? So, I’ve got a good thesis message u What do I do next? u n n Write the table of contents Logical structure of your thesis

Table of Contents 1. Introduction Thesis message 2. Background Context, defs, notation 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Theoretical or algorithmic developments Empirical results Analysis Related work Conclusions List contributions

Table of Contents u Background & related work overlap n n u Need to discuss related work at start to set scene Need to discuss related work at end to demonstrate your originality Often one chapter per workshop or conference papers n But not cut and paste!

Zeynep’s TOC 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Introduction Formal background Matrix models Symmetry breaking in matrix models Global constraint for LEX ordering with SUMs Global constraint for MSET ordering Experimental comparison Conclusions and future work

What next? So, I’ve got a good thesis message u And a table of contents u What do I do next? u

What next? So, I’ve got a good thesis message u And a table of contents u What do I do next? u n Make a timetable Targets to meet u Light at the end of the tunnel u n Prepare your committee

Timetable u u How long will it take? Depends on many factors n n u Heavy-tailed distribution n How long is a piece of string? How much you’ve written as papers … n n n Min = 2 months (v. rare) Max = infinity Mean = infinity Median = 6 -9 months

Timetable u “Your thesis is your baby” P. Prosser n Give it 9 months Write it up u Fill in gaps, expts … u u “You have to know when to let it go” n Put a fence around what you’ve done

Thesis committee u Who should be on your committee? n u Ideally you and your supervisor will come to a mutual decision Important, well-known researchers n n People notice if your committee was “tough” You’ll get good feedback They may employ you They may recommend you to others

Thesis committee u Why decide your committee before you start writing? n n You can target your thesis at them They’re busy people u u Even busy people have open dates in their diaries a year ahead They’ll still manage to schedule other events on the day of your viva

What next? So, I’ve got a good thesis message u And a table of contents, timetable and committee u What do I do next? u

What next? So, I’ve got a good thesis message u And a table of contents, timetable and committee u What do I do next? u n Work to your timetable!

Writing each chapter u u Don’t start with the Introduction or Conclusion Start where you feel happiest n n n u Typically a middle chapter Write outwards Finally Conclusions and end with the Introduction Write everything with your thesis message in mind

Writing each chapter u Get feedback before you write too much n n u One person to read each chapter as it is written Another person to read thesis in order Lay some good groundwork n n La. Te. X macros Bib file Indexing …

Writing each chapter u You’ll discover holes in your research n n Theorems you haven’t proved Experiments you didn’t run u u Different problems or parameters Mix writing with more research

Rule of Three u Within each chapter, repeat yourself 3 times n n n u Within thesis, repeat your contributions 3 times n n n u Intro. We will show. . Body. Show them. . Concl. We have shown. . Intro chapter Main chapters Conclusion chapter But don’t bore reader n E. g. in introduction be brief, in conclusions be broader

Common mistakes u Informal text n u Examiners will jump on imprecision Opinions “. . The main problem in CP is modelling. . ” n A thesis is an argument! “. . A major bottleneck preventing the uptake of CP is modelling [Freuder, AAAI-98]

Common mistakes u Complex sentences full of long words n u A thesis should be a simple, convincing argument! Entertainment or humour n Joke footnote

Common problems u It’s never possible to cover all issues n So you will never finish?

Common problems u It’s never possible to cover all issues n n n So you will never finish? It’s sometimes enough to identify the issues Examiners greatly appreciate you identifying limitations

Common problems u It’s never possible to cover all issues n n n So you will never finish? It’s sometimes enough to identify the issues Examiners greatly appreciate finding a few mistakes

Common problems u Much of your thesis is joint work n n Identify some work that is yours alone Include a statement at the start of your contributions: “Results from this thesis appear in the following publications. Whilst much of this thesis is joint work with my supervisor, I made significant contributions to Chapters 3 -6. In particular, …. “

Common problems u Ideas become obvious to you n n You stop writing to a sufficient level of detail Especially hurts the opening chapters as they are often written last

Common problems u Writing too much n n u There are rules about maximum length But rarely rules about the minimum Nash’s Ph. D thesis n n 27 pages long Won him a Nobel prize Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. Blaise Pascal, 1657

Common problems u At some point, your brain will surely become toast n n u Take a break Eat properly, exercise, sleep … Toasted brain is only temporary n Just look at me?

What to expect from your advisor? u Your not in this on your own u Your supervisor is on your side n Your success is their success

What to expect from your advisor? u Intellectual support n n n u Quality assurance What standard a thesis should reach Indication of when to stop Emotional support n n Encouragement Constructive atmosphere

What not to expect from your advisor? u Smiles n u If draft chapters contain simple spelling mistakes and typos Mind-reading skills n n Motivation dipping Absence = illness

Defending your thesis u Specific to the country n n Private or Public? 2 to 9 jury members? Talk or Questions? Corrections allowed or expected?

Defending your thesis u Don’t panic n u You’re probably the world’s expert on this topic by now! Your examiners are human n n They’ve sat in your seat They will help you find what changes (if any) are needed to make this the required quality

Defending your thesis u Enjoy it n n n u You’ve the world’s experts in the room They want to talk about your work How often will that happen in the future? If you want, have a practice n n Get your supervisor to set up a “dummy” jury Prepare your opening statement

What are examiners looking for? u Review of literature n n n Is the literature relevant? Is the review critical or just descriptive? Is it comprehensive? Does it link to the methodology in thesis? Does it summarize the essential aspects? u Methodology n n n Is there a clear hypothesis? Are precautions taken against bias? Are the limitations identified? Is the data collected appropriately? Is the methodology justified?

What are examiners looking for? u Presentation of results n n n Have the hypotheses in fact been tested? Are the results shown to support the hypothesis? Is the data properly analysed? Are the results presented clearly? Are patterns identified and summarized? u Discussion and Conclusions n n n 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?

It’s all over You’ve finished writing & defending your thesis u What do you do next? u

It’s all over You’ve finished writing & defending your thesis u What do you do next? u n n Turn it into a book Publish some journal articles around it Make copies for your parents, … Make a copy for yourself u Or end up like me!

It’s all over You’ve finished writing & defending your thesis u What do you do next? u n Just think, you’ll never have to do it again!

It’s all over You’ve finished writing & defending your thesis u What do you do next? u n n Just think, you’ll never have to do it again! Unless you’re French or German

Good Luck!