Thesis Handbook for Master of Science – Computing and Information Systems

The thesis route provides an opportunity for an MSc CIS student to focus on an investigation that is of interest to that individual and that culminates in an original contribution to the discipline of Computing and Information Systems. With respect to the implications of this choice for the student, the thesis route consists of foundation courses (3–12 credits), core courses (9 credits), a minimum of one elective course (3 credits), and a thesis (15 credits).

The thesis is carried out under the supervision of a supervisory committee and should be completed by the end of the student’s program. The student and the supervisor should work together to form the supervisory committee. The supervisor should fill out the Master’s Thesis Supervisory Committee Approval form and obtain approvals and signatures from the committee members, program director, and FGS dean. Please visit the Graduate Handbook for details about the roles and responsibilities of the student, supervisor, and supervisory committee.

To complete the credit requirements for the thesis, the student must complete the following courses:

• COMP 600. The student may register for this course and start the thesis only after completing the required foundation and core credits. This course serves as both an orientation to research as well as an opportunity for completing the initial tasks of the research thesis.
• COMP 676. The student can enroll in COMP 676 and start the thesis only after completing COMP 600. The course focuses on developing a proposal for the thesis, forming a thesis supervisory committee, and completing the thesis proposal examination.
• COMP 677. The student can enroll in COMP 677 anytime after they have successfully completed COMP 676. During this course the student should work on advancing the research work toward designing a solution for the investigated problem.
• COMP 678. The student can enroll in COMP 678 anytime after they have successfully completed COMP 677. During this course the student should work on advancing the research work toward implementing a solution for the investigated problem.
• COMP 679. The student can enroll in COMP 679 anytime after they have successfully completed COMP 678. During this course the student should work on advancing the research work toward the evaluation of the implemented solution.
• COMP 680. The student can enroll in COMP 680 anytime after they have successfully completed COMP 679. By the end of this course, the student should produce the final thesis report and submit it to the supervisory committee.
• COMP 700. The student can enroll in COMP 700 anytime after they have successfully completed COMP 680. This course is dedicated to completing the research review and examination as well as making any revisions recommended by the examination committee.

Note: The thesis courses are not conventional courses; however, they are treated similarly for administrative purposes. The student must register for these courses in sequence and will be given a mark of Pass or Fail according to the thesis supervisory committee’s decision after completion of each course.

Master’s Thesis Requirements

The thesis usually requires some explorative research effort and may be initiated based on a research problem that has been identified but not well defined and a research question that has not necessarily been explored and requires some investigation. So, the student will be required to do a comprehensive state-of-the-art study in order to elaborate a thesis proposal that clearly defines the research question and the problem to be solved.

The thesis can involve the development of computing systems, integration of existing systems, and/or data collection and analysis for improving computing solutions. The thesis can also deal with the development of technologies for intra- and inter-organizational systems in the form of an integrated technical architecture (hardware, software, networks, and data) to serve organizational needs in a rapidly changing competitive and technological environment. A master-level thesis should satisfy an acceptable combination of the following criteria:

• It deals with novel exploratory research, the results of which will be of some interest to the computing and information systems community.
• It involves novel implementation techniques for computing and Information Systems.
• It involves the implementation of a practical piece of nontrivial software whose availability could have some impact on information technology users.
• It examines a practical problem or series of problems that can be adequately addressed in reasonable time and effort.

After completing COMP 600, students taking the thesis route should have completed the research scoping, the research initialization and a good part of the literature review that helps with grasping different aspects of the research question and problem to be solved. So, during following courses of the research thesis (COMP 676–700), the student will focus on writing the thesis proposal, designing the solution, implementing the solution, evaluating the solution, writing the thesis final report, and completing the thesis examinations. The thesis involves two milestones for evaluation: a thesis proposal examination at the end of COMP 676 and a final thesis examination that takes place in COMP 700 after completing the research work. Each examination includes an oral defence in addition to the written report, both of which are assessed by an examination committee.

COMP 676: Research Proposal Writing and Oral Examination

Purpose of the Thesis Proposal

The purpose of having thesis proposals is twofold:

• First, it helps ensure that students are prepared to undertake the work they are proposing.
• Second, it helps ensure that the work being proposed is of appropriate scope and depth for an MSc degree and has value to the community.

The proposal must ensure that these two points are clearly addressed so that the committee can approve the thesis proposal.

The proposal must be a complete, self-contained description of the proposed research work. Any important details omitted will suggest that the student lacks mastery of the area. Having said that, the committee realizes that, at the stage of a thesis proposal, it is not possible for the student to have reviewed all background material (and thus have perfect mastery), nor is it possible to present all the details of the proposed work. The committee will, however, look to see that the student has covered reasonable breadth in their review of the area and that their solution methodology is clear and well thought out. These criteria will give the committee confidence that the student will have mastery by the time the thesis is complete.

Required Components

Key components of the thesis proposal include

• an abstract of the proposed work.
• a clearly specified problem statement (where problem is taken in the broadest sense).
• an introduction to the problem and a proposed solution.
• a review of related work, describing how it relates to the proposed work (this review is not intended to be exhaustive but rather representative of existing work in the area).
• a statement of how the student proposes to solve the problem, including sufficient methodology to show that the proposed solution is likely to be successful.
• a description of precisely how the student will evaluate the success of their work.
• a statement of the resources required to complete the work and how they will gain access to them.
• a description of the expected results and why these results are of interest to the field.
• a timeline for the completion of the thesis, providing realistic dates for finishing milestone events.
• if appropriate, a statement of how they will manage any sensitive data that they might have access to or create during the course of their research.
• a risks and mitigation plan that identifies potential risks affecting the timeline or success of the research and outline potential mitigations.
• a detailed, quality bibliography of work related to the proposed thesis research.

Length and Structure

The length of a proposal often varies somewhat depending on the area of the proposed work and the topic itself. In general, a proposal is normally between 20 and 30 letter-size pages, single column, with 1.5 line spacing, 12-point font, and 2.54-centimetre margins. This page count includes figures and references. Be aware, however, that excessively lengthy documents may be sent back unread for revision to provide better focus. An upper bound of close to 25 pages is a good limit in practice.

Appendix A provides a template for the thesis proposal. While the exact structure and organization of a thesis proposal may vary from the suggested structure, all the material discussed in each item described in the template should be included somewhere in the proposal and should be presented in a logical order.

Proposal Writing

In this phase, the student develops a thesis proposal that defines the research questions and outlines the implementation plan. The proposal should clearly describe the problem to be examined, articulate the research questions, describe supporting literature, identify data sources, and list potential participants. The thesis proposal should also present the hypothesis made and the research methodology to be used for the research problem.

The student should consider the following quality aspects when producing the thesis proposal:

• Does the proposal properly identify the research problem and research question?
• Are the research question, hypothesis, and verification mechanisms defined?
• Does the literature review consider all appropriate sources of information?
• Does the proposal adequately describe the research methodology and outline the steps for developing the solution?
• Does the proposal describe the general architecture or design of the proposed solution?
• Are the needed resources (i.e., hardware and software environment) outlined in the proposal?
• Do the proposed research methodologies conform to the research ethics policies of AU?

The student is expected to review Ethics Policies, Guidelines, and Permissions and the Student Academic Misconduct Policy with their supervisor to ensure compliance throughout the research process.

The student is encouraged to present and discuss the thesis proposal with peers on the COMP 676 discussion board. This peer review may take the form of formal and informal presentations and discussions (e.g., poster presentations, abstracts, or draft proposals).

Some theses are done in collaboration with other partners (industrial, governmental, etc.) in the form of sponsorship. The sponsorship can take different forms, either through financial contribution, or providing access to resources and data for the research or providing other in-kind contribution. If the thesis involves a sponsor, the student must ensure that the proposal reflects the sponsor’s priorities and constraints. This can be achieved by involving the sponsor in the proposal development. All areas that involve the sponsor, their subordinates or superiors, or processes that may potentially be out of the ordinary for the normal workflow should be reviewed with the sponsor before the thesis proposal is submitted and approved. A qualified member from the sponsoring entity can serve as a co-supervisor or participate as member of the thesis supervisory committee.

Supervisory Committee Formation

A supervisory committee must be established for the thesis proposal review and oral examination. The supervisor works with the student on selecting the supervisory committee. A master’s thesis supervisory committee is normally comprised of a minimum of two people, one being the supervisor.

• The chair of the committee shall be the supervisor, normally from the student’s faculty or centre/school.
• The other committee members may include the sponsor (if applicable) and co-supervisors (if applicable), or one FST faculty member.

The committee members must meet the eligibility criteria requirements and must not be in a position of conflict of interest, such as having been or being currently associated with the student, supervisor, or co-supervisor as a close friend or relative or being in a commercial, business, or financial relationship.

Once the committee is selected, the student should fill out the Master’s Thesis Supervisor Approval form and obtain signatures from the supervisor, program director, and FGS dean.

Submission Timing

This handbook states that your thesis proposal must be approved at the end of COMP 676. However, you should not put off sharing your proposal with your supervisory committee. There are several reasons for this.

First, when you submit a so-called proposal after the bulk of the research work has been done, it is not really a proposal but is, instead, a summary of what you have done. This is not the purpose of the proposal! If you submit at a late stage, you run the risk of having done a good amount of research on a topic that is not acceptable to the supervisory committee. In this case, you might be asked to select an entirely new topic and start all over again. While this is the worst-case scenario, it is not impossible, and it is certainly within the rights of the supervisory committee to reject a proposal entirely. In general, you should prepare the thesis proposal and have it accepted before undertaking most of your MSc thesis work.

Further, sharing your proposal at an early stage helps you get feedback and get advice on what specifically needs to be done to successfully complete the research, which is therefore advantageous to you.

Finally, early sharing of your proposal allows you to receive potentially valuable feedback from the members of the supervisory committee, who commonly make suggestions and pose questions related to your proposed work as well as critically reviewing the proposal. Often their suggestions are valuable in helping you produce a better thesis proposal more expediently.

Proposal Review and Oral Examination

After the thesis proposal has been completed, the supervisor will distribute it to the thesis supervisory committee for review.

The assessment of the thesis proposal is done through formal adjudication of the proposal and an oral examination that involves the supervisory committee. Please refer to the Master’s Study Regulations for more details.

The assessment of the written proposal may result in one of four outcomes: Pass; Pass, Subject to Minor Revisions; Pass, Subject to Major Revisions; or Fail. The assessment of the oral presentation may result in one of the three outcomes: Pass, Fail, or Adjournment.

Once the proposal and the oral examination are adjudicated, the supervisor needs to complete the Master’s Thesis Proposal and Oral Examination Report.

Once the thesis proposal is approved and if a sponsor is involved in the thesis, before starting COMP 677, both the student and sponsor must sign a Letter of Agreement (see Appendix B). The Letter of Agreement will act as an informal contract between the student and the organization sponsoring the thesis (the sponsor). Any commitments from both sides needed for the implementation of the thesis should be described in the Letter of Agreement. An original signed copy of the Letter of Agreement must be forwarded to the program director, the supervisor, the thesis sponsor, and the graduate program advisors at fstgrad@athabascau.ca.

Once the thesis proposal examination is complete and any eventual revisions are incorporated into the final proposal, the supervisor must communicate the examination results to the graduate program advisors at fstgrad@athabascau.ca no later than one month after completing COMP 676. The student will be able to register to COMP 677 after receiving a PASS grade for COMP 676.

COMP 677: Research Stage 1: Solution Design

After completion of COMP 676 and approval of the thesis proposal, the research questions and investigated problem should have been well defined.

The purpose of this stage is to advance toward the elaboration of a solution for the investigated research problem. The solution design and/or data collection are performed during this stage according to what has been described in the thesis proposal. Upon completion of COMP 677, the literature review and critical analysis of similar works should be completed. Also, the solution design and/or data collection should be completed.

A draft report outlining the solution design and data collection as well as the achieved tasks must be reviewed and approved by the supervisory committee before registering in COMP 678.

COMP 678: Research Stage 2: Solution Implementation

After completing COMP 677, the solution design and/or data collection should have been completed. The purpose of this stage is to advance toward the implementation of the designed solution for the investigated research problem. Upon completion of COMP 678, the solution implementation and/or data analysis should be completed.

The design of the proposed solution is sometimes refined during this stage and adjusted according to technical challenges or constraints faced while doing the implementation. Such challenges need to be documented and reported in the thesis report. For the successful completion of the research thesis, the student must produce a solution to the identified research problem in accordance with the deliverables specified in the approved thesis proposal.

During this stage, the student is responsible for both the execution of the implementation tasks and the management of implementation processes that include

• conducting meetings with potential participants and supervisory committee.
• determining the hardware and software environment and tools.
• working out the testing scenarios (cases) of the implemented system.
• conducting the testing and collecting evaluation data.
• producing advancement reports and/or advancement updates to the supervisory committee.

A draft report outlining the completion of the implementation tasks as well as the achieved deliverables must be reviewed and approved by the supervisory committee before registering in COMP 679.

COMP 679: Research Stage 3: Solution Evaluation

After completing COMP 678, the solution implementation and/or data analysis should be completed.

The purpose of this stage is to evaluate the implemented solution and draw any conclusions from the findings. Upon completion of COMP 679, the solution evaluation and results interpretation should be completed. The student is responsible for completing data analysis and results interpretation as well as discussing the results and findings with the supervisory committee.

A draft report outlining the completion of the thesis tasks as well as the achieved deliverables and findings must be reviewed and approved by the supervisory committee before registering in COMP 680.

COMP 680: Thesis Report Writing

After completing COMP 679, students taking the thesis route should have completed the solution implementation and assessment as well as data analysis and interpretation of the findings.

The purpose of the thesis writing stage (COMP 680) is to produce a final thesis report that satisfies the requirements of the program and the university and to ensure that the thesis objectives have been achieved. While writing the final report, the student should brief the thesis supervisory committee and other participants about the findings, hypothesis verification, conclusions, and recommendations drawn from the thesis results. The student should seek final feedback from all involved parties before submitting the thesis final report. The final thesis report should be produced in accordance with the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines and Template.

This phase may also include finalization of the thesis findings through data analysis and interpretation of results. The student can use previously produced advancement reports and presentations, including the thesis proposal, to produce the final report. While writing the report, the student should brief the thesis supervisory committee and other participants about the findings, hypothesis verification, conclusions, and recommendations drawn from the thesis results. The student should seek final feedback from all involved parties before submitting the final thesis report.

The student should consider the following quality aspects when producing the thesis report:

• Does the literature review consider all appropriate sources of information?
• Does the student properly address the problems identified in the thesis proposal using valid tools or methods?
• Does the final report adequately describe how the student applied the research methodology and steps outlined in the original thesis proposal?
• Does the final report clearly describe the student’s contributions throughout the thesis?
• Are the hardware and software environment, the running environment, the user manual, testing cases, experimental settings (e.g., subjects), and data-gathering techniques (when appropriate) described in or attached to the final report?
• Does the final report demonstrate the proper and effective use of software engineering tools such as UML diagrams, statistical analysis, or qualitative analysis tools when appropriate?
• Are the developed software package, findings, conclusions, and recommendations in the thesis supported by collected evidence and other information described in the literature review?
• Does the thesis conform to the research ethics policies of AU?
• Will the thesis stand up to rigorous academic scrutiny?

Important: While writing the thesis report, the student with the help of the supervisor should ensure that all copyright issues have been resolved. For more information about intellectual property, please refer to the FGS intellectual property guidelines. Also, once the thesis report has been submitted for examination, the student must not make changes to the report unless requested to do so by the examination committee.

COMP 700: Research Review and Examination

Once the thesis report is ready, the student should submit it to the supervisory committee, who will review the submission, provide their feedback, and indicate that the student is ready to proceed to the examination.

The supervisory committee will provide their preliminary acceptance indicating that the thesis is ready to be reviewed by the examination committee by submitting the Preliminary Acceptance of Thesis Prior to Final Examination form.

Once the supervisory committee provides their preliminary acceptance, the supervisor should work with FGS to set up the examination committee and arrange for the final thesis examination. For more details about the final thesis examination, please refer to the Master’s Study Regulations.

Examination Committee Formation

An examination committee must be established for the thesis review and oral examination. The supervisor works with the student on selecting the examination committee. A master’s thesis examination committee is normally comprised of all members of the supervisory committee plus one external member at arm’s length. For details about the formation of examination committee, thesis oral defence, and thesis submission, please see the Master’s Study Regulations.

The committee members must meet the eligibility criteria requirements and must not be in a position of conflict of interest, such as having been or being currently associated with the student, supervisor, or co-supervisor as a close friend or relative or being in a commercial, business, or financial relationship.

The supervisor, after consultation with the graduate program director, submits the External Examiner and Notice for Final Thesis Oral Exam to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) for approval.

For more details about the preparation for the final thesis examination, please refer to the Master’s Study Regulations.

Thesis Examination

After the thesis has been completed and the supervisory committee has submitted their preliminary acceptance, the student is required to defend their thesis through an oral examination. The thesis and the oral examination are adjudicated at the same time; however, they are given different ratings. The supervisor who chairs the oral thesis examination is responsible for ensuring that the examination proceeds according to the oral examination guidelines.

The decision of the examination committee is based on the merits of both the oral examination and the written thesis. The chair is responsible for communicating the adjudication outcome to the student and informing them about any required revisions, including approval procedures. All examination committee members must sign the Master's Thesis and Oral Examination Final Report, indicating their decision.

For more details about the final thesis examination, please refer to the Master’s Study Regulations.

The student will be able to apply for graduation after receiving a PASS grade for COMP 700.

Final Thesis Report Submission and Application to Graduate

Thesis Revision

The student is responsible for revising their submitted thesis according to the supervisory committee’s requests for changes. If the committee requests minor revisions, a copy of the revised thesis should be submitted to the supervisor for validation of the revisions. If the committee requests major revisions, a copy of the revised thesis should be submitted to the thesis supervisory committee for validation of the revisions. The student will not be recommended for graduation if the revised thesis is not validated.

Thesis Submission

The final thesis report should be formatted in accordance with the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines and Template.

For more details about the final thesis submission, please refer to the Master’s Study Regulations.

Submission of Thesis Report

A copy of the .pdf version of the approved thesis and supporting materials must be submitted to Athabasca University before students can be authorized for graduation. The thesis files should be submitted to the graduate program advisors at fstgrad@athabascau.ca, who will check the files and arrange to have them stored in the Athabasca University Digital Thesis and Project Room (DTPR).

Application to Graduate

Once the program requirements have been met and the final thesis submitted, the student must contact the graduate program advisors at fstgrad@athabascau.ca to apply for graduation.

For guidance on using AI in your research process, refer to the Research Orientation Handbook.

There have been a number of problems with previous thesis proposals and final reports that have occurred so frequently that it is worth identifying them explicitly. Some of these are major problems that will typically require major revisions to your proposal, while others are less serious but make your reviewers’ tasks difficult.

The following are the most common serious problems seen in previous MSc CIS thesis:

• Failure to identify and clearly state a specific problem that you are addressing.
  You must make it clear to the committee what you are intending to do. Even if you are planning on doing work that is more generally focused (such as developing a taxonomy or a framework) rather than, for example, solving a specific implementation problem, you must clearly identify what it is you intend to do. A good guideline is that you should be able to specify what it is you are trying to do in a single sentence, perhaps with a couple of sentences of clarification afterward.
• Failure to clearly describe the methodology you will use to complete your work.
  While, at the time you are writing your proposal, you will be unable to provide complete details on how you will solve your problem, you must be able to describe the techniques you plan on using and explain why they are appropriate for what you are trying to do. You should also discuss whether and how you would alter the proposed techniques for use in your work.
• Failure to properly organize your thesis proposal or report.
  If you do not organize your proposal in a logical fashion, it is extremely difficult for the reviewing members of the supervisory committee to tell that you have a good understanding of the area and are therefore prepared to begin your proposed work. Most importantly, your thesis proposal or final report itself, and each section within it, must have good flow. This means that each statement must logically follow the one preceding it. You must always present complete trains of thought. There should be no leaps of faith required to understand what you are writing about. This reflects the process of scientific reasoning. Ideas should carefully follow from one step to the next as in a mathematical proof. It is also a good practice to look at each paragraph in each section individually and ask yourself, “Does this paragraph correspond to the title of this section?” If your answer is “No,” then you need to consider removing or refocusing that paragraph. A common example of this occurs when related work is discussed in a different section. (This is often easily identified by the presence of many citations in the paragraph in question, like in a paragraph about the design or implementation of the proposed solution.)
• Failure to make comparisons between related work.
  It is insufficient to simply enumerate work related to your proposed research. You must logically organize and discuss the related work, so it is clear to the reader how the various previous research efforts relate to each other and, especially, how they relate to what you are proposing.
• Failure to remember that the review committee is, by its constitution, a multidisciplinary committee.
  You must write your proposal accordingly. You are not writing to an expert audience within your specific chosen area of study. Consequently, you must always define all acronyms and explain terms before you use them. You may assume only a general, undergraduate-level of knowledge and must, in your thesis proposal, explain everything beyond that. Always follow the adage, “Know your audience!”

The following are some common, less serious, problems often seen in MSc thesis proposals and reports:

• Grammatical and spelling errors.
  The prevalence of such errors speaks negatively to your concern for detail and your industriousness. These are characteristics that are fundamental to success in scientific research and higher-level study such as the MSc degrees. You should remember that negative impressions of your written work will often be reflected later in, for example, reference letters written for you. As a first step, you should always spell-check your proposal or thesis report. Remember, however, that spell-checkers are not perfect and will fail to detect certain errors. Further, grammatical checkers are notoriously bad in certain situations; technical writing, such as that in a thesis proposal, is one such situation. The bottom line is that automatic checking must be only a first step. Careful, human proofreading is also needed. If necessary, it might be useful to arrange to have proofreading of the final (submitted) version of your report done by a professional editor or at least a highly proficient English speaker. A report which has obviously been poorly proofread may be returned for improvement prior to review.
• Inadequate and/or dated citations.
  Whenever you refer to the work of others (including figures you may have reproduced), to specific systems, and/or to specific claims that you do not explicitly justify within your proposal, you need to provide a citation to the related work. Further, such citations should always be made on the original reference to the corresponding system or piece of work. There are no exceptions to these two rules. Further, when selecting citations, you should always pick the best possible reference, where best is judged in terms of direct relevance, quality of the source, and recentness of the citation. Always try to avoid the use of old citations that might have been superseded by more recent work.
• Incomplete and/or inappropriate references.
  Each reference you provide should be as complete as possible. This means that it should include such elements as page numbers and date of publication. Sometimes getting this information requires a little extra work (especially if you find the paper online), but this information should be included so that it is easy for the reader to locate the reference if they need to. (Note also that this will be even more important for your thesis document itself since a larger audience will likely read it.) It is also increasingly common to see references to web-based documents, such as technical reports, that are not refereed and are thus of dubious quality and value. Such references should be used extremely sparingly in your report and certainly should not be used alone to argue for any key point that your work depends on. Always try to find references from recognized journals, books, and top-tier conferences whenever possible. A proposal that obviously makes little or no attempt to provide complete and consistent bibliographic entries may be returned for improvement prior to review.

In rare situations, students may not be able to complete their research thesis for different reasons. If the issues causing such situations cannot be resolved with the help of the supervisor and other supervisory committee members such as the sponsor, the student may be allowed to switch from the thesis-based route to the course- (essay) or project-based route.

The process for switching from thesis to essay or project needs to be initiated by the student through a discussion with their supervisory committee. The steps to consider for this process are as follows:

• The student discusses the issues making the thesis impossible to complete with their supervisory committee and gets their approval to switch to the essay or project route.
• The student prepares an essay/project mini-proposal and gets it approved by their supervisor.
• The student submits the mini-proposal along with approval from their supervisor to the program director.
• Once the essay/project mini-proposal is approved by the program director, the student can register for the essay/project course(s).

The student can elect to do their essay/project on a topic different from the one they were investigating in their thesis or repurpose and rescale their thesis mini-proposal to fit the requirement of essay/project.

Students who completed COMP 600 as part of the thesis route but will be investigating a topic different from their previous thesis will be required to retake COMP 600 before registering in COMP 696 for essay or COMP 697 for project. Any completed thesis courses will not count toward the program, and the student will need to take more core and/or elective courses to fulfil the required credits for the course-based route or the project-based route.

Students who completed COMP 600 as part of the project route and will be investigating the same topic as their previous thesis do not have to retake COMP 600 and can register in COMP 696 for essay or COMP 697 for project once the essay/project mini-proposal is approved. Other completed thesis courses (COMP 676–COMP 680) will not count toward the program and the student will need to take more core and/or elective courses to fulfil the required credits for the course-based route or the project-based route.

• Thesis Proposal Template

• Letter of Agreement Template