Thesis
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article is about the thesis in dialectics and academia. For other senses of this word, see thesis (disambiguation).
A thesis (literally: 'position' from the Greek θέσις) is an intellectual proposition.
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Dialectics
In dialectics, the combination of a thesis with an antithesis produces a synthesis.
Academia
In academia, a thesis or dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification. A thesis statement is the statement that begins a formal essay or argument.
At Canadian universities, writings presented in fulfillment of undergraduate coursework requirements are normally called papers, term papers or essays. A long paper presented for completion of an honours degree is sometimes called a major paper, or, more rarely, an undergraduate thesis or honours thesis. Major papers presented as the final project for a masters degree are normally called theses; and major papers presenting the student's research towards a doctoral degree are called dissertations. In Francophone universities, the procedure is roughly the same, however, the term applied to a study associated with masters work is referred to as a "mémoire," and one associated with doctoral work is referred to as a "thèse." Either work can be awarded a "mention d'honneur" (excellence) as a result of the decision by the examination committee, although these are rare.
At UK universities, the term thesis is usually associated with a Ph.D. (doctoral) or M.Phil. degree, while dissertation is the more common term for the research project required for an M.A. or other postgraduate degree. The equivalent for undergraduate degrees is usually referred to as a research project.
In many US doctoral programs, the term dissertation can refer to the major part of the student's total time spent (along with 2-3 years of classes), and may take years of full-time work to complete. At some universities, dissertation is the term for the required submission for the doctorate and thesis refers only to the master's degree requirement. At many others, the word thesis is used for both.
Thesis defense
A thesis defense ("defending one's thesis") is a type of final examination for a Ph.D. candidate, and sometimes for a master's or bachelor's candidate. Certain undergraduate schools, whose students are largely expected to matriculate into graduate programs, also require students to defend theses.
A thesis defense differs from a typical examination in several respects. The biggest difference is that the candidate often knows more about the topic than the examiners ("the committee," or the "jury"), having researched the topic extensively, typically over a number of years; some candidates may have devoted the better part of a decade to the work being examined. The purpose of the thesis defense is to test the candidate's knowledge of his or her subject area and thinking in related areas, and to test the candidate's knowledge of and ability to explain his or her dissertation.
The examining committee normally consists of professors from the university, including the candidate's primary supervisor (without whose presence the defense cannot proceed) and members of his or her advisory committee, as well as professors from other departments or faculties and, sometimes, an external examiner (someone not otherwise connected to the university). Each committee member will have been given a completed copy of the dissertation prior to the defense, and will come prepared to ask questions about the thesis itself and the subject matter.
The atmosphere is formal; the candidate typically gives a short presentation on his or her thesis, usually lasting no more than thirty minutes, after which the examiners are free to ask questions, usually starting with the primary supervisor and then proceeding by seating order. Thesis defenses are usually open to the public; they may be attended by friends or family of the candidate, members of the university, especially other students in the candidate's department, and members of the community (note, however, that in many schools masters thesis defenses are restricted to the examinee and the examiners). Audience members are often permitted to ask questions when all the examiners have finished.
Questions are typically about the content of the dissertation and the claims made therein. Examiners may need clarification on a point or points, or may ask the candidate to explain his or her reasoning or research further. Questions are often friendly, but may also challenge the candidate's views, methods, or conclusions. Part of the evaluation is based on how well the candidate can defend his or her work.
At the end of the defense, the candidate and other persons who are not members of the jury are asked to leave the room. The committee then deliberates and reaches a unanimous decision (sometimes called a "verdict"), usually in the form of a number from one to five (this varies from school to school). Potential decisions include:
- Accepted.
- The thesis is accepted as presented.
- The thesis must be revised.
- Revisions (i.e. correction of numerous grammatical or spelling errors; clarification of concepts or methodology, addition of sections) are required. One or more members of the jury and/or the thesis supervisor will make the decision on the acceptability of revisions and provide written confirmation that they have been satisfactorily completed. If, as is often the case, the needed revisions are relatively modest the examiners may all sign the thesis with the verbal understanding that the candidate will review the revised thesis with his or her supervisor before submitting the completed dissertation.
- Extensive revision required.
- The thesis must be revised extensively and undergo the evaluation and defense process again from the beginning with the same examiners. Problems may include theoretical or methodological issues. A candidate who is not recommended for the degree after the second defense must normally withdraw from the programme.
- Unacceptable
- The thesis is unacceptable and the candidate must withdraw from the program.
- This verdict is given only when the thesis requires major revisions and when the thesis defense makes it clear that the candidate is incapable of making such major revisions.
The candidate is immediately informed of the results; in the event of a successful defense the candidate's supervisor will often greet the candidate with the words, "Congratulations, Doctor X". At this moment a bottle of champagne is often produced.
In practice, the latter two verdicts are extremely unusual, since the thesis supervisor (and the other members of the jury) will normally have reviewed the thesis before the thesis defense. Such an outcome is generally regarded as a major failure not only on the part of the candidate but also by the candidate's supervisor (who should have recognized the substandard quality of the dissertation long before the defense was allowed to take place). It is also fairly rare for a thesis to be accepted without any revisions; the most common outcome of a defense is for the examiners to specify minor revisions (which the candidate typically completes in a few days or weeks).
In the case of a successful defense, frequently many of the questions and much of the discussion will focus less on the dissertation at hand and more on further avenues of research the author might wish to explore in future.
United Kingdom
In the U.K. the thesis defence is called a viva voce examination (viva for short). Involved in the viva voce are two examiners and the candidate and as such they are much more private affairs than mentioned previously. One examiner is an academic from the candidate's own university department (not any of the candidate's supervisors) and the other is an external assessor from a different university. The content of a viva is roughly the same as explained above in as much as the candidate must present their work and answer questions for a substantial length of time (normally over two hours). The possible results of a viva are
- Pass with no corrections (rare)
- Pass with minor corrections (most common)
- Pass with major corrections
- Fail
Again, the last two results are not very common as supervisors do not generally allow the submission of substandard work.
External links
References
- International Standard ISO 7144: Documentation — Presentation of theses and similar documents
See also
da:Tese de:Dissertation es:Tesis doctoral fr:Doctorant io:Tezo id:Disertasi nl:Proefschrift ja:論文 pl:Dysertacja pt:Tese ru:Диссертация sl:Disertacija fi:Väitöskirja sv:Dissertation vi:Đồ án tốt nghiệp