BVA303 - PBR guide2006 outline of a thesis

1. Introduction

Four key elements are briefly described in this section.
i.The Problem
This is a concise statement of the research question or issue that the thesis addresses.
ii.The Context
What is the main work that has been done that gives rise to the question and what is its
significance?
iii.The Method
The approach to solving the problem (experimental, practice based, analytic etc) is described
in this part, leaving the justification to chapter three.
iv.The Outcomes
Here the key contribution(s) to knowledge are concisely described. They are the things that
arise from the work that are new and shown to advance understanding or practice
internationally. The value of these outcomes will be to one or more community (computer
scientists, artists, theoreticians etc) and it is important to be clear who they are.

2. State of the Art Review

This chapter presents the results of a literature survey of the area(s) of study. It should be a critical
review in the context of the stated research question and related issues. This chapter answers questions
such as: Who is doing what? Who has done what? Who first did it or published it? The survey is taken
from published papers, research monographs, catalogues etc. It must be based on and refer to primary
sources, not textbooks or other such reports on the work of others. It is to be expected that this chapter
provides a new structured view of the field of study.

3. Methodology

This is a key chapter that provides a description and justification of the research methods used.
Normally, the methods will be selected from known and proven examples. In special cases the
development of a method may be a key part of the research, but then this will have been described in
section one and reviewed in two.

4. Foundation Work
This, optional, chapter is a chance to describe earlier work done by the author/candidate (possibly with
others) that provides a foundation or significant background. It may be helpful to revisit and reassess
earlier work in the light of the research focus of the PhD. This chapter will not be needed in some PhDs
where the work is from a fresh start.

5. New Studies

The core of the thesis is a description of the new studies/software/artwork and the process of production.
It answers the questions: What has been done, how was it achieved and what was the rationale? This can
be, for example, a report on the design and execution of a set of experiments or the development of an
innovative software system or the making of innovative art works. In a practice based PhD an artwork,
for example, might be presented for examination. If so, this chapter will illuminate it by explaining, at
the very least, what is important and novel

6. Results

The evaluation of the new software/artwork or analysis of the results or processes of the new studies will
have led to certain results or conclusions. Placing the new results in the context of Chapter 4 is
important. The outcomes, as promised in chapter 1, are shown to have been achieved in this section.

7. Conclusions

A discussion can now be provided that puts a wider perspective on the results and discusses the
implications of them for other broader areas and domains. Future work and outstanding questions are
normally also discussed.

8. References/Bibliography (including published papers)

Use a standard reference format, such as Harvard, and be careful to check each entry. It is temping to
presume that software such as End-Notes will ensure a perfect reference list, but that all depends on
exactly how each entry was stored. There is no substitute for a line-by-line check.