Unit-3
Communication in science
Thesis:-
A thesis is a detailed and formal document that presents your original research work. It is
the result of the research you have done independently. The aim of a thesis is to
contribute something new to your field and to present your work systematically –
explaining how you did it, what methods you used, what results you obtained, and what
those results mean.
The thesis begins with a Title Page that includes the thesis title, your name, your
supervisor’s name, the institution’s name, and the date. Next comes the Abstract, a 150–
300 word summary that briefly describes what your work was, how you did it, and what
results you found. After that, you have the Table of Contents, which lists all the chapters
and page numbers so that the reader can easily navigate your work.
Then you have the Introduction, where you define the research problem, explain why
it’s important, and state your objectives. Following the introduction is the Literature
Review, where you discuss the work of other researchers – what they have done, what
gaps remain, and how your research addresses those gaps.
After the literature review is the Methodology, where you describe in detail what
chemicals, equipment, or instruments you used. You also explain step by step how you
conducted your experiments, mention any safety measures, and state the data analysis
tools or software you used to interpret the results.
The Results section follows, where you present the data you collected using tables,
graphs, or figures. This section is factual and does not include your interpretation of the
data. In the Discussion section, you interpret what your results mean, compare them
with other studies, and discuss any limitations or uncertainties.
Then comes the Conclusion, where you summarize your key findings, explain their
significance, and suggest areas for future research. At the end of the thesis, there is the
References section, where you list all the sources you used in the proper format.
Sometimes you also include Appendices, which contain raw data, extra tables, or
calculations that support your thesis.
2.Word processing, LaTex, Chemdraw, Chemsketch
cte) in the design and prepration of thesis, layout,
structure (chapter plan) and language of typical
reports:- To prepare a thesis or research report today, there are several tools
available that make the process of writing and designing easier and more efficient. First,
word processing software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs is commonly used.
These tools help you to format chapters properly by managing headings, subheadings,
page numbering, line spacing, and referencing style. Such features ensure that your
thesis has a professional and polished look.
For more advanced formatting,
LaTeX is often used. LaTeX is a typesetting software that handles mathematical
equations, complex chemical structures, and scientific notations beautifully. It is widely
used in technical and scientific fields because it creates a consistent layout automatically,
which is very helpful when dealing with long documents like a thesis.
In the field of chemistry,
software like Chemdraw and Chemsketch are essential for drawing chemical structures
and reactions clearly. These tools allow you to create diagrams of molecules, reaction
schemes, or even laboratory apparatus. These diagrams are then inserted into the thesis
as figures, helping readers clearly understand the chemical aspects of your research.
Talking about the layout and structure of a thesis, it is written in a well-organized manner
to help readers navigate easily. A thesis begins with a Title Page that includes the topic
name, researcher’s name, supervisor’s name, and the date. After that comes the
Abstract, which is a short summary of your work. Then, a Table of Contents is included
so that readers can see which chapter is on which page.
The main body of the thesis is divided into several Chapters. It starts with the
Introduction chapter, explaining the research background and objectives. Then comes
the Literature Review, which discusses what work has been done before and how your
research fills the gaps. Next is the Methodology chapter, where you describe the
experimental procedures in detail. Following that are the Results and Discussion
chapters, which present your data and interpret them. The thesis concludes with a
Conclusion chapter, summarizing your findings and suggesting future work. You also
include References and Appendices at the end.
The language of a typical thesis or report is formal and precise. Sentences are short and
clear, technical terms are carefully used, and unnecessary jargon is avoided. In scientific
writing, the passive voice is often preferred – for example, “The experiment was
conducted…” – to focus on the work rather than the researcher. This approach ensures
that a good thesis or report is clear, concise, and professional, with a perfect balance of
structure, layout, and language.
Illustration and table: When you write a thesis or research report, illustrations
and tables play a very important role in visually representing your data. Illustrations
include any visual figures such as diagrams, graphs, charts, or photographs. Tables are
used to show numerical or textual data systematically in rows and columns.
Illustrations, like chemical reaction diagrams, apparatus setups, or experimental
flowcharts, help explain experiments or concepts visually. When you describe a complex
reaction mechanism or an experimental setup, it’s hard for the reader to understand
through text alone. But if you create a clear diagram using Chemdraw, Chemsketch, or
any other software, it becomes much easier for the reader to grasp how each step works
or how the molecules react.
Similarly, tables allow you to organize large sets of data in a systematic way. For example,
if you studied catalyst activity, you can show the results for different catalysts in a single
table – including catalyst names, temperature, yield percentage, reaction time, and so on.
Tables give a concise, comparative view that helps the reader see patterns and
relationships easily.
In a thesis or report, illustrations and tables are properly labeled and numbered – like
“Figure 3.1” or “Table 2.2” – so the reader knows which chapter or section they belong to.
Each figure and table also has a short caption below it that briefly explains what it shows.
Additionally, whenever you mention an illustration or table in the text, you refer to it by its
number – for example, “As shown in Figure 2.3…”
Illustrations and tables also make your thesis more visually appealing and improve its
flow. When the reader sees visuals, they understand data and results more quickly, which
enhances readability and makes your work look more professional.
Bibliography: In thesis or research report writing, bibliography is a very important
part. Bibliography means the list of sources or references you used for your research,
such as books, research papers, websites, or reports. It appears at the end of your thesis.
The main purpose of a bibliography is to acknowledge all the ideas, facts, or data you
have taken from other sources. This avoids plagiarism because you’re showing clearly
how your work is built on the foundation of existing knowledge. When readers see the
bibliography, they get an idea of how strong your research base is and what reliable
sources you have consulted.
When creating a bibliography, you have to follow a specific referencing style, like APA,
MLA, Harvard, or Vancouver style. Each style has its own rules – for example, how to
write the author’s name, how to mention the publication year, or how to include the name
of the journal. In chemistry theses, ACS (American Chemical Society) style or Harvard
style are commonly used.
The entries in a bibliography are usually arranged in alphabetical order by the surname
of the author. If there are multiple sources by the same author, you arrange them in
chronological order (oldest first, then latest).
For example, if you are using the Harvard style, a bibliography entry would look like this:
Smith, J. (2020). Introduction to Organic Chemistry. Oxford University Press.
When creating your bibliography, it’s important to ensure that all the information is
accurate – the author’s name, the publication year, the title of the book or article, the
publisher’s name, and the journal’s name if it’s an article. This accuracy is important
because it’s a sign of academic honesty
Referencing: Styles (APA, Oxford etc):
When you write research or a thesis and use ideas, data, or quotes from others, you need
to properly reference them. Referencing means giving credit to the original sources where
you took the information from. This is part of academic honesty and helps to avoid
plagiarism.
Different fields use different referencing styles. Some common referencing styles are
APA, Oxford, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver. Each style has its own rules about how to cite
in-text, how to format the bibliography, and how to reference sources.
APA (American Psychological Association) style is mostly used in social sciences. In
this style, the author’s last name and publication year are included in parentheses in the
text, for example (Smith, 2020). The bibliography also follows this format with author,
year, title, and publisher details.
Oxford style is a footnote referencing system. Here, you use footnotes or endnotes in
the text to give full details of the source at the bottom of the page or the end of the
document. When you use a fact or quote, you place a number in the text that corresponds
to the footnote or endnote reference. This style is popular in humanities and law fields.
Every referencing style has its own consistent format so that readers do not get confused.
When writing a research paper or thesis, you should choose one style and follow it
consistently throughout your document. This makes your work look professional.
In chemistry and science papers, ACS (American Chemical Society) style or
Vancouver style are commonly used. These are numeric referencing styles where you
place a reference number in the text and list sources in the bibliography by their numbers.
Nowadays, referencing software like Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote are very helpful. These
tools automatically create, manage, and format your references and bibliography, and
allow you to select your preferred style easily.
Annotated bibliography:
An annotated bibliography is a special type of bibliography where, instead of just listing
references, you also provide a short summary or explanation below each source. In this,
you explain what the source is about, the important information it contains, and how it is
useful for your research.
In a simple bibliography, you only give the author, title, and publication details. But in an
annotated bibliography, you briefly explain the key points of the source. This summary is
usually 100-200 words and discusses the source’s reliability, relevance, and main ideas.
An annotated bibliography is very useful for researchers because it is like a critical
evaluation of each source. You show your readers that you have carefully read and
understood each source and how it contributes to your research.
During the early stages of a thesis or research paper, when you are collecting literature,
creating an annotated bibliography is helpful. It helps you organize your references and,
later when you start writing, you know which source is important for which topic.
Citation management tools: Mendeley, Zotero and end
note: When you do research, you have to collect a lot of references from books,
research papers, and articles. Managing all these references and citing them accurately
can be very time-consuming. That’s why citation management tools were created –
they help you organize all your references, keep a record of them, and easily insert them
into your thesis or paper whenever needed.
Mendeley, Zotero, and EndNote are three very popular citation management tools.
Mendeley is a free tool that allows you to collect, organize, and share your references.
You can store PDFs, make notes, and collaborate with your research team. Mendeley
integrates with Word and LibreOffice so you can insert citations directly into your
documents and automatically generate bibliographies.
Zotero is also a free, open-source tool that makes saving research material from the web
very easy. By installing the Zotero plugin in your browser, you can add data from websites,
articles, and books to your library with one click. Zotero also integrates with Word and
Google Docs for citation purposes.
EndNote is a more advanced and paid software, but it is very powerful for organizing
references and formatting citations. It is often used in professional research, especially in
universities. EndNote allows customization of your references and supports many citation
styles.
With the help of these three tools, you can systematically manage your references, avoid
plagiarism, and make your writing process much smoother. These tools save time and
make your research more accurate and professional.
