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English for Computer Science

Lecture 15

Writing CS Papers (2)

Abstract of Master/PhD Thesis Acknowledgements Chapters Contents, Lists and Everything

Else Writing Practice

Abstract of Master/PhD Thesis

It is similar to that of a journal paper, but is considerably longer, spanning 1 – 2 pages.

It clearly tells your reviewer the significance, novelty, contributions of your paper, as well as technical highlights.

Abstract of Master/PhD Thesis Caveats

Many professors on your Board of Examiners will only read your abstract before the thesis defense. So impress them here!

Do not compose the abstract by selecting sentences from your paper. It will be the essence of your paper.

Example

Textbook, p. 30

Acknowledgements

This part shows your gratitude to those who have helped you throughout the course of writing the Master / PhD thesis.

We often thank our supervisor, other professors, colleagues, friends, family, girlfriend/boyfriend, and even our dog.

Acknowledgements Example

First I would like to thank my thesis committee members. Roni Rosenfeld brought me into the wonderful world of research. He not only gave me valuable advices in academics, but also helped my transition into a different culture. John Lafferty guided me further into machine learning. I am always impressed by his mathematical vigor and sharp thinking. Zoubin Ghahramani has been a great mentor and collaborator, energetic and full of ideas. I wish he could stay in Pittsburgh more! Tommi Jaakkola helped me by asking insightful questions, and giving me thoughtful comments on the thesis. I enjoyed working with them, and benefited enormously from the interactions with them.I spent nearly seven years in Carnegie Mellon University. I thank the following collaborators, faculties, staffs, fellow students and friends, who made my graduate life a very memorable experience: Maria Florina Balcan, Paul Bennett, … Jie Zhu. I spent some serious effort finding everyone from archival emails. My apologies if I left your name out. In particular, I thank you if you are reading this thesis.Finally I thank my family. My parents Yu and Jingquan endowed me with the curiosity about the natural world. My dear wife Jing brings to life so much love and happiness, making thesis writing an enjoyable endeavor. Last but not least, my ten-month-old daughter Amanda helped me ty pe the ,manuscr ihpt .

In-Class Exercise

Write down the first paragraph of your acknowledgements, thanking your supervisor and people directly helping you with your thesis.

Chapters

Organize your content in good order and logic. Number them: 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, 2, 2.1 …

The first and last chapters are almost always Introduction and Conclusion.

It is a good idea to base your main chapters on work you have already published.

Contents, Lists and Everything Else

The Table of Contents are automatically generated using your word processor.

Lists of symbols, figures, and tables make your paper more reader-friendly.

Bibliography (References) is a long list of works you have made reference to.

Writing Practice

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The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another.

See you next time.

J. Frank Dobie