JBS Talk: What Examiners Look For in a Thesis

Key Concepts

• Thesis
• Viba (Viva Voce)
• Examiners (Internal & External)
• Supervisor
• Proposal Preparation
• Literature Review
• Research Framework
• Methodology (Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods)
• Data Analysis
• Plagiarism
• Originality
• Justification
• Correction (Minor, Major, Revival)
• MPhil

Introduction: Thesis and Viba

• Thesis Definition: An academic document required for obtaining a Master's or PhD degree. It must fulfill academic requirements set by the university.
• Thesis Quality: The quality of a thesis depends on the student and supervisor, not the university's status.
  • Example: PhD students from reputable universities sometimes receive revisions, while students from smaller universities pass with minor corrections.
• Thesis Scope: A thesis should focus on in-depth analysis of a specific issue, not attempt to solve multiple world problems.
• Thesis Originality: The work must be original, avoiding plagiarism and ensuring any similarities to previous work are approached differently.
• PhD Journey Phases:
  1. Dying: Proposal preparation (can take up to a year).
  2. Surviving: Data collection and initial analysis.
  3. Progressing: Refining analysis and writing.
  4. Accelerating: Finalizing the thesis.
• Five Main Questions to Address in a Thesis:
  1. What do you intend to study (problem/scope)?
  2. Why is this topic important (significance)?
  3. How will you study it (methodology)?
  4. Where will you conduct the study (location/respondents)?
  5. How long will it take to complete (timeline)?
• General Thesis Components: Abstract, Chapters 1-5 (Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results, Discussion/Conclusion). The number of chapters can vary by university.
• Thesis Length:
  • Master's: Generally 80-150 pages.
  • PhD: Generally 200-300 pages.
  • Note: Some universities (e.g., in Australia) measure by word count (85,000-100,000 words for PhD) rather than page number.
• Good Thesis Criteria: Clarity, justification (citations), coherence, well-structured, originality.
• Viba Definition: An oral examination where the student defends their thesis. It provides an opportunity to convince examiners, even if the written thesis has shortcomings.
• Viba Absence: In some countries (e.g., New Zealand, Australia), thesis evaluation is solely based on the document, requiring meticulous justification.
• Viba Format: Can be face-to-face, online, or blended.

Viba Processes

• Before Viba:
  • Supervisor nominates internal and external examiners (PhD often requires a full Professor).
  • Nomination approved by faculty and university committee.
  • Some universities have pre-Viba sessions (e.g., UTM).
  • Examiners receive the thesis one month prior to the Viba and submit a report at least two days before.
• During Viba:
  • Members: Chairman, assistant chairman, internal and external examiners (two external examiners are now standard in Malaysian local universities).
  • Student and supervisor leave the room for initial committee discussion of the thesis and examiner reports.
  • Student presents the thesis (usually 20-30 minutes, but some universities use pre-recorded videos).
  • Examiners ask general and specific questions.
  • Student and supervisor leave the room again for final result discussion.
  • Chairman shares recommendations and final result.
• After Viba:
  • Official correction form provided.
  • Student addresses corrections within a given timeframe.
• Viba Results (Six Levels):
  1. Pass with no correction (very uncommon).
  2. Pass with minor correction (3-6 months, approved by supervisor and internal examiner).
  3. Pass with major correction (6-9 months, may require approval by all examiners).
  4. Revival and resubmit (rare, requires significant revisions and another defense).
  5. Recommended for MPhil (very rare, thesis doesn't meet PhD standards after Revival).
  6. Fail (very rare, often with opportunity for MPhil).
• Viba Length: Longer Viba doesn't necessarily indicate problems; it may reflect examiner engagement. Shorter Viba can indicate satisfaction or dissatisfaction (e.g., examiner stopping the Viba early due to fundamental flaws).

The Examiners

• Examiners are Human: Their evaluations can be subjective and influenced by their feelings towards the thesis document.
• Supervisor's Role: Important to select examiners familiar with the research area and avoid those with overly strict standards.
• Examiner Expectations: Examiners have their own ideas about what a thesis should be and may have specific expectations.
• Potential Collaboration: Positive evaluations can lead to future collaborations between examiners, students, and supervisors.
• Examiner Roles (Pre, During, Post Viba): Review thesis, write report, ask questions, discuss final result.
• Examiner Mindset: Examiners generally want students to pass and are enthusiastic about good, interesting theses.
• Enthusiasm Factors: Clear, well-explained, smooth, easy-to-read theses.
• Expertise: Students are the experts on their thesis topic and must be able to justify their work, especially if the examiner is from a different background.
• Seven Tips Regarding Examiners:
  1. Consistency: Examiners tend to give broadly consistent comments.
  2. Expectation to Pass: Examiners expect theses to be passed (less than 1% recommend fail).
  3. Early Judgement: Examiners often make a judgment by the end of the first or second chapter.
  4. Reader Perspective: Examiners read the thesis as academic and normal readers, so it should be enjoyable and well-structured.
  5. Irritation with Errors: Examiners are irritated by errors, which give a poor impression.
  6. Coherence: The thesis should have a coherent flow of logic and ideas.
  7. Senior vs. Young Examiners: Senior examiners focus on broad aspects (framework, issues, significance), while young examiners focus on details (format, references).

How to Be the Thesis Examiner

• Initial Assessment: Most examiners start with the abstract and introduction, then formally assess the thesis. Experienced examiners may start with the research title and framework.
• Common Viba Questions:
  • Why did you choose this PhD project?
  • What is your main contribution?
  • How does your thesis relate to X's work?
  • What is the basic theory?
  • How did you do the method?
• Common Mistakes in Theses:
  • Inappropriate topic selection (too broad).
  • Inconsistent terminology.
  • No coherent flow of ideas.
  • Overclaiming (e.g., "first study," "comprehensive framework").
  • Insufficient literature review (especially for quantitative studies).
  • Wrong methodology.
  • Poor research instrument.
  • Format, referencing, and plagiarism issues.

Detailed Examination of Thesis Components

• Title:
  • Should reflect the study's subject.
  • Common mistakes: Not reflecting the issues, not matching the research problem, being too broad.
  • Example: "Mediating effect of competitive advantage..." - the emphasis is on competitive advantage, not the other variables.
• Abstract:
  • Should be complete, concise, clear, and cohesive (4Cs).
  • Should cover the major parts of the thesis (issues, purpose, methodology, key findings, implication).
• Introduction (Chapter 1):
  • Should provide the context of the study, not be a literature review.
  • Common questions: Why choose this topic? Explain the current context. What problem are you addressing?
  • Common mistakes: Unclear background, problem statement not focused, significant not well stated, missing elements in the scope.
• Literature Review (Chapter 2):
  • Should be like a standard essay with introduction, body, and conclusion.
  • Purpose: To convince the examiner that your idea is established.
  • Examiners review the LR based on the research framework.
  • Long pages don't equal a good LR; relevance is key.
  • Seven common myths: Poor organization, lack of alignment, irrelevant literature, citation failure, wrong theory application, lack of synthesis, variable/hypothesis not well discussed.
  • Synthesis Example: Instead of summarizing individual findings, connect them and write in your own words.
  • Hypothesis Development: Should support your hypothesis with LR findings. PhD theses should have directional hypotheses.
• Methodology (Chapter 3):
  • Examiners ask why you chose the methodology and expect justification.
  • Common mistakes: Too many concepts (like a literature review), poor organization, not justifying choices, instrument development issues.
  • Instrument Validation: Quantitative studies need to validate instruments and report the process clearly.
• Results (Chapter 4):
  • Examiners check if results are clearly documented and answer the research objectives.
  • They check figures and expect consistency.
  • Reporting differs for quantitative and qualitative results.
  • Common mistakes: Lazy formatting, surface-level analysis.
  • In-depth Analysis: Highlight R-squared and F-squared values to show the strength of relationships.
• Conclusion (Chapter 5):
  • Student's chapter to express their own ideas.
  • Should discuss findings and relate them to past literature.
  • Should provide relevant implications and recommendations.
  • Recommendations can be based on results and the context of the study.
• References:
  • Common issues: Missing, not up-to-date, irrelevant, inconsistency, citing own references.
  • Examiners spot-check prominent scholars.

Viba Preparation

• Six Tips for Preparing for the Viba:
  1. Familiarize yourself with your examiner and supervisor's work.
  2. Understand your thesis thoroughly.
  3. Practice summarizing your thesis.
  4. Anticipate general questions.
  5. Conduct mock Viba with supervisor.
  6. Review general questions and answers.
• Five Tips for During the Viba:
  1. Ask for clarification politely.
  2. Don't interrupt the examiner.
  3. Be honest if you don't know the answer.
  4. Maintain confidence without arrogance.
  5. Keep your answers concise and succinct.

Conclusion

Preparation is key to a successful Viba.