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TDDD89 Scientific Method

Seminars: General Information


Seminars: General information

The UPG2 part of the course mainly consists of six mandatory seminars, where we alternate between reading about how to write a thesis, reading sections from published Masters' theses, and iteratively writing sections of a thesis plan.

This is the general outline for the seminars in the course:

Seminar Read in published thesis Write (extended thesis plan) Additional reading
1 Chapters covering Introduction, Background and Related Work (Theory), Method
  • Checklist
  • Instructions for theses
  • On academic writing
2 Introduction, (Background)

(in total 2-3 pages* plus references)
  • Theme-specific papers
  • Group members' thesis introductions
Feedback session on research questions
3 Background, Related work

(in total ca. 5 pages* plus references)
  • Literature related to your thesis' subject area
4 Chapters covering Results, Discussion, Conclusion
  • Papers on ethical aspects, including the wider effects of IT systems
5 Project plan (Method paragraph, Time plan, Milestones, Risk analysis).

(in total ca. 8 pages* plus references)
  • Group members' complete thesis plans
* The given page numbers are approximations of what is expected, and refer to the IDA LaTeX master thesis style that we use in the course. The final submission (UPG1) is expected to have (at least) 10 pages in total, including references but excluding generated tables of contents etc.

The five lectures of the course connect to these seminars as follows:

LectureTopicPrepares for seminar
1-2Course introduction1-2
3Information search and evaluation3
4Introduction to academic writing in English2, 3, 5
5Research methods3-5
6Feedback on language and grammar5

Getting Started

The first step is to find some potential thesis topic (usually, this not the "real" one yet) and a partner for the work in this course.
(Work on writing an extended thesis plan is done in pairs. As an exception we allow singleton groups for those who already know their real final thesis topic and that they will do it alone.)
If you do not already have a partner for the course, you might use the matchmaking spreadsheet on Lisam.
You need to have found a partner and a topic to work with during the course by Thursday in the first week, where you hand in your one-page thesis topic outline document in a special folder on Lisam.

Based on your one-page thesis topic outline submitted by Thursday in the first week, you will be divided in topic groups, where all students in each group will have a common denominator such as the topic area or general method that will likely be employed in the thesis. The topic groups will then be assigned to the seminar groups A-F, as shown in the schedule.

Groups

After you have been assigned to a seminar group (WebReg groups), you will use LISAM as a platform for collaboration within your groups. You will receive comments from each other during the course in this way through peer-review. You will need to consider the comments that you received by writing short changelogs of how your submission has changed from one seminar to the next. Try to be descriptive in your changelog as to simplify for your peers in understanding your changes.

Using LISAM

In LISAM, the course has a "collaborative workspace" where, for each seminar, your topic group has a subfolder where you can upload material.
To simplify finding documents during the course, here is a suggested standard way of naming documents:

  • When writing answers to texts that you are reading during the course, you simply upload your answers in the folder pertaining to the seminar, with a file name LiU-ID_seminar_1.pdf.
  • When writing parts of your extended thesis plans, you create a folder for each pair of students for the respective seminar, upload your texts in that folder and upload your comments in the folders pertaining to other students' texts with descriptive names of all files that you upload.
    As an example, for Seminar 2, if students with LiU-ID:s X and Y work together in team A1, they go to the folder Seminar2/A1 where they create a subfolder X_Y where they upload their manuscript, aptly named X_Y_thesis_plan_seminar_2.pdf or similar. Then, their team mates Z and W upload their reviews of the text written by X and Y in the same X_Y folder, but they name their files Z_review_of_X_Y_ext_thesis_plan_seminar_2.pdf and W_review_of_X_Y_ext_thesis_plan_seminar2.pdf, respectively.

Feedback

You are expected to provide detailed enough feedback to each other to help each other in writing good thesis texts, and you will get to train on how to write good feedback during the course.

Most of the feedback from staff will be provided during seminars. Please keep notes of any open issues where the group was uncertain in their answer to a question, and ask your seminar leader when entering your group room. As far as time permits, it is also possible to ask individual questions to your seminar leader at the end of the seminar.
In addition, there are two sessions when staff will give more detailed feedback on your 2-3 pages thesis plan introduction submitted at the end of the third week:
In the fourth week we will have a dedicated feedback session seminar where you can discuss your submission and feedback with staff, and where we will discuss your research questions.
Also, in the last lecture there will be a specific session for feedback on academic English by Shelley Torgnyson (see the schedule), where also individual questions on the feedback can be asked in the extended break, as time permits.
(Please understand that due to the large number of students - not only in this course - and very limited availability of English language experts at LiU, language feedback can only be given on the introduction, and that reviewing all submissions for the language takes about 3 weeks.)

Preparations before seminars

In preparation for each seminar, you will work partly in pairs and partly individually as given in the seminar instructions, and answer questions in preparation to the seminars. Each WebReg "subgroup" (pair) A1-1 through F4-4 will make contributions that address the questions before each seminar.

For each seminar, there will be reading material specific to the seminar. Reading material pertaining to earlier seminars will be used at later seminars as well. Also, you may need to read more material than explicitly stated for the course in order to produce a good text (i.e., passing the course). For example, the reading requirements listed should not be interpreted as an upper bound on the number of references required for a passing grade in the course.

For all seminars where you read sections from a published thesis, all students in the same topic group read the same thesis from the list of 6 example theses listed in the section on example master theses.

For all seminars where you read sections from each other's reports, make sure to provide enough detail in your feedback that your friends will be able to address the concerns you have. Be constructive and write the kind of feedback you would want from your peers!

Even though you write extended thesis plans in pairs, you are still required to provide feedback individually on other thesis plans.

Note: You will need to make all submissions in the course in English.

Discussions during seminars

To support discussions during seminars, everyone must bring electronic or physical copies of all items on the reading list pertaining to each seminar, along with answers to the seminar-specific questions (on Lisam).

Use a computer with sufficiently large display for running zoom so you can jointly work on the group documents by screen sharing. Smartphones shall only be used as an emergency backup.

Also, everyone must be able to take notes of feedback given during the seminar, meaning either pen and paper or a laptop/tablet is required.

As you discuss and compare answers to questions during the seminars, you may feel a little pressed for time.
Start each seminar with an initial round of questions on what you felt was most difficult in assessing or matters that you have struggled to understand. Make sure that everyone gets to express their main gripes with thesis writing at this stage.
Then, divide the time given by your seminar leader evenly among yourselves, focusing on the issues that most group members thought important to discuss.
It is ok if you do not get to review all questions during seminars, but everyone should feel that the time is well spent and that all submissions have been reviewed.
Take help from your seminar leader if you wish to understand how to interpret questions or instructions.

Make the seminars valuable for yourselves. All your answers need to be justified, and you need to consider the literature available when assessing submissions during the course. That way, you will be able to make the most out of the course.

Give constructive feedback to your group peers. Be polite. Criticize the draft or answer given, not the person(s) behind it.

Passing requirements

For each seminar, you are required to
(1) do the preparations for the seminar according to the instructions and
(2) participate actively in discussions during the seminar.
See how to compensate for a missed seminar or for a late submission.

Preparations for seminars:

  • For the writing seminars (2, 3 and 5): Each pair is required to upload their common submission, and each student is required to upload reviews of others' submissions.
  • For the reading seminars (1 and 4): Each individual is required to upload answers to common questions pertaining to the seminar. Your answers need to be properly justified by referring to the material that you have read.
See also the detailed instructions for each seminar.

Plagiarism / copyright: Plagiarism and violations of copyright are strictly forbidden. You are not allowed to self-plagiarize work submissions in other courses.
See also the LiU information on plagiarism and copyright, and the quiz on the Lisam page for our course, for more information.
Likewise, the use of AI-based text generation tools such as ChatGPT is strictly forbidden in this course, for obvious reasons.
Cases of plagiarism and other types of cheating will be filed with the Disciplinary Board.

Mandatory Attendance in Seminars

Attendance in seminars is mandatory.
If you are unable to attend a seminar, you will need to inform your seminar leader in advance and do a compensation assignment:

  • Interview at least two members from your group on what you discussed during the seminar, and submit a written reflection of 1.5-2 A4 pages on the outcome of the seminar discussions and joint conclusions to your seminar leader one week after the missed seminar at the latest.
This can be done for at most two of the seminars. If you miss more than two seminars, the course is failed and you are welcome again next year.

Late Hand-in of Seminar Preparations

If you miss a deadline for handing in the preparatory assignments for a seminar (on Lisam) or come unprepared to a seminar, you have to hand it in plus do a compensation assignment (see below) within one week after the missed deadline (if you need longer for good reasons, contact your seminar leader in advance). E-mail this material also to your seminar leader for approval.

  • For a missed preparation for a reading seminar (Seminar 1 or 4), the compensation assignment is a 1-2 A4 pages written summary of your group's discussion at the seminar, to be sent to your seminar leader for approval within one week after the missed deadline, see above.
  • For a missed preparation for a writing seminar (Seminar 2, 3 or 5), the compensation assignment consists in writing (individually) extensive feedback (1 A4 page each) for each other ETP draft in your group, taking the seminar discussion into account; put it in Lisam within one week after the missed deadline.

Example Master Theses and Topics

The list of example master theses pertain to the groups' topics. Each thesis in this list has a number of keywords describing it. Student topic groups are formed based on the similarity of the thesis proposals submitted by students and the topics of these theses.

Page responsible: Christoph Kessler
Last updated: 2023-11-29