THE M. TECH (ARCHITECTURE) THESIS:
CONTENTS AND PECULIARITIES
ARC 805 (RESEARCH METHODOLOGY)
SUBMITTED BY:
AKINSELOYIN, OLUBUKOLA MOSUNMOLA
ARC/01/9206
M.TECH I
COURSE CO-ORDINATOR:
PROF. OGUNSOTE O. O.
MARCH 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1.0 INTRODUCTION 2
2.0 CONTENTS 3
2.1 Title Page 3
2.2 Preliminary Pages 3
2.3 Table of Contents 3
2.4 Abstract 3
2.5 Chapter One: Introduction 4
2.6 Statement of the Problem 4
2.7 Aims and Objectives of the study 4
2.8 Scope of study 4
2.9 Significance of the study 4
2.10 Limitations of the study 5
2.11 Definition of terms 5
2.12 Chapter Two: Literature Review 5
2.13 Chapter Three: Case Study 5
2.14 Chapter Four: Research Methodology 5
2.15 Chapter Five: Data Analysis 6
2.16 Chapter Six: Summary 6
2.17 Conclusion 6
2.18 Recommendations 6
2.19 Bibliography and References 6
2.20 Appendices 7
3.0 PECULIARITIES 8
3.1 Formatting 8
3.2 Presentation 8
REFERENCES 9
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The M.Tech Architecture Thesis is a report of a research undertaken by the student at the end of his academic coursework. A student writes it under close supervision by a lecturer. It is a fundamental part of the requirements for the award of the Master of Technology Degree in Architecture. It usually covers a specific area of knowledge, often times using a particular area as a case study e.g. “Effects of Culture on Residential Housing Design: A case study of Okitipupa”. It is supposed to formulate a hypothesis and test whether it is true. For instance, the hypothesis in the above example is “Culture is a determinant in the design of Residential Houses”, and thus the research seeks to prove this statement true or false. It should be stated however, that a hypothesis might not always be used when researching a topic.
The M. Tech thesis is made up of several parts, which combine to form a whole. These divisions or chapters, help in the organisation of the report. It usually starts with a proposal, which is based on a formulated hypothesis, and ends with summed up conclusions, making useful recommendations based on the conclusions.
The writing of this report is usually the final stage of academic work and would be subject to examining by a competent juror, who awards marks to the student based on what he has written.
2.0 CONTENTS
2.1 Title Page
The Title page comes first in the report. As it suggests, it gives the title of the project. Apart from this, other information given by the title page includes the name and matriculation number of the student who has written the report, the department to which it is been submitted (in this case Architecture) and the month and year of submission.
2.2 Preliminary Pages
These pages come immediately after the title page and before the abstract. They include:
· Declaration: The writer declares that he did the work under supervision, stating his supervisor’s name.
· Certification: Quite similar to the declaration page, the writer certifies the work is his and has not be previously presented elsewhere for the award of a similar degree. This, however, would not be easy to prove except one has a list of all the research topics that had ever been presented in all the schools of architecture nationwide at the least. He, his supervisor and departmental head all append their signatures on this page.
· Dedication: The work is dedicated to whomever the writer wishes, usually to God and at times to parents or other people.
· Acknowledgement: The writer acknowledges the people who have inspired or supported him in one way or the other. Usually appreciation goes to God, parents, siblings, his project supervisor, other lecturers, close friends and colleagues.
2.3 Table of Contents
The table of contents lists out all that is contained in the report and the page numbers on which they can be found. It starts with the title page and ends with the references or appendix as applicable.
2.4 Abstract
An abstract is a summary of the research. Normally very brief and on one page, the abstract gives relevant and precise information on the what the research is about and thus an intending reader can decide whether or not to read the whole report or just parts of it. It is usually about a 100 to 175 words long. Since it is a summary, it is written after the main body of the report is completed although it appears at the beginning of the report.
2.5 Chapter One: Introduction
The introduction, as typical of any book, puts forth what the contents are about. It always begins the first chapter of the report. In this part, the researcher explains the need for the study and what it seeks to achieve and the impact or benefits that are derivable from it. It is possible that the writer gives here a brief history or “Background of the study”, another label for the Introduction.
2.6 Statement of the Problem
This is also referred to as Problem definition. Here the researcher expantiates on the research problem telling the reader what the problem is about in all entirety. At times this could be done in the form of questions. The questions asked are a pointer to the problems posed, to why the research was embarked upon or to the issues to be resolved.
2.7 Aims and Objectives of the study
This is also known as the purpose of the study. What the research seeks to achieve. Most examples of M. Tech architecture thesis usually have one aim and some objectives that carrying out the research hopes to achieve. They are usually listed out sometimes in the form of goals.
2.8 Scope of study
The scope of the whole research is outlined here. It states clearly what area the research covers. This is especially advantageous in helping another researcher; who is interested in the same field; know to what extent the research covers and where he may then begin his own research.
2.9 Significance of the study
This will tell the importance of the research, why it is worth embarking on and probably suggest the people who would find it useful.
2.10 Limitations of the study
Here the researcher states the limitations he has encountered in his research. Often times these limitations, may hamper the outcome of the study or even reduce the research scope the researcher intended initially or set out to cover.
2.11 Definition of terms
The language used, especially the technical terms, is defined such that a reader who is not familiar with the field or research has an understanding of what is meant.
2.12 Chapter Two: Literature Review
This review of literature usually comes in chapter two. The researcher, having read and reviewed writings in his field of study, uses this review to form a theoretical base for his own research. It examines previous works in that field of research and what it has accomplished. The literature review might be historical in nature often times. It starts with a small introduction at the beginning and a short summary at the end.
2.13 Chapter Three: Case Study
The case studies, if more than one are treated in this chapter. Usually, where a town, village or city has been used as a case study point, the chapter starts by giving a history of the town; it’s people, their origin, their cultural values and their way of life.
2.14 Chapter Four: Research Methodology
This chapter, which is an important one, states the research methods employed i.e. the methods used in collecting information or data used in testing the hypothesis and how he went about it. It includes each step of the experiment in the order in which it was carried out. This allows for duplication of the study in another situation and helps the reader evaluate the findings and conclusions. These methods usually include resource from books or the library, the Internet, observation, interviews, administration of questionnaires.
2.15 Chapter Five: Data Analysis
This may run into more than one chapter depending on the amount of data presented for analysis. Here the data collected as a result of the interviews, questionnaires, books, etc is presented and analysed. The researcher is supposed to be objective in his presentation without any biases.
2.16 Chapter Six: Summary
This, along with the conclusions and recommendations, comes in the last chapter of the report. The summary serves as an outline that could be read first to see if the study is worth further reading. The summary should not be a repetition of the sections of previous chapters but rather detailed information that is comprehensive enough for the reader to obtain a general picture of what was done, and whether he should read through the entire study.
2.17 Conclusions
Based on the findings of the research, the researcher, having logically presented his findings, draws direct conclusions in a logical manner. The number of conclusions arrived at are dependent on the number of questions asked in the statement of the problem.
2.18 Recommendations
Recommendations are made based on the conclusions drawn and inline with the aims and objectives set out at the beginning of the study. Often times the recommendations are to government agencies at any of the three tiers, depending on the scope of study, to individuals or to academicians in the field of study of the report.
2.19 Bibliography and References
References and bibliographies are used as pointers to more relevant information. References are in actual fact, a list of the materials that have been consulted in the course of writing the report. It gives the names of the authors of the books consulted, their year of publication, name of publishers, page number from which reference was drawn, etc. Bibliographies go on a little further than this however, giving the list of other materials that are relevant to the research topic, whether or not it has been used in the research study. A standard format for writing references is that of the American Psychological Association (APA).
2.20 Appendices
These are materials that can be used to support what has been written in the report. They usually come at the end of the report where they are too bulky to be included in the main body. They include tables, figures, plates, questionnaires, etc.
3.0 PECULIARITIES
3.1 Formatting
· Paper Size: The paper size is first determined. For a thesis, the standard paper size is the A4 (210mm x 297mm). Only one side of this sheet is typed upon. It is possible to have headers and footers on each page. Sometimes, the header shows the title of the project while the footer shows the name of the researcher.
· Numbering: The page numbers are usually placed at the bottom centre of every page. The preliminary pages are numbered using roman numerals (i, ii, iii…) and then from chapter one, it changes to Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…). The page number is not shown on the title page.
· Line Spacing: The double line spacing is the standard used throughout except for indented quotations and footnotes, which should be typed using single spacing.
· Line Justification: The full line justification is preferably used for writing theses.
· Character attributes: The font type that has become a sort of standard is the Times New Romans. The standard font size is 12; the only place where it is not usually so is on the title page, where different sizes may be used to make emphasis. The chapter headings are usually in bold font and sometimes underlined. Some sub headings also appear in bold.
3.2 Presentation
The thesis is presented bound with hard cover. The information contained on the title page is repeated on the front cover of the binding. Usually, the colour for the cover binding is purple (this colour is used for all post graduate thesis or reports). The selection of colours is to easily differentiate it from those of the undergraduate students.
REFERENCE
www.google.com
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