What Is A Thesis?
Written by Ari Julianto
Since the beginning of my posting we always mention the word of Thesis (Skripsi). This time, I try to describe a bit about the word of Thesis (Skripsi)..
In dictionary the word Thesis can be defined as follows
thesis n 1 a proposition to be maintained or proved. 2 a dissertation esp. by a candidate for a degree. [Middle English via Late Latin from Greek = putting, placing, a proposition,etc.]
hypothesis 1a proposition made as a basis for reasoning without the assumption of its truth. 2 a supposition made as a starting point for further investigation from known facts. [Late Latin from Greek hypothesis ‘foundation’; Greek hypo ‘under’]
One might infer from the etymology above that a thesis is an (obligatory) offering placed at the desk of the examiner by a candidate who wishes to get a degree. This is the most common, and often only, reason why a thesis is written. But there are other reasons for writing a thesis.
A thesis is a written record of the work that has been undertaken by a candidate. It constitutes objective evidence of the author’s knowledge and capabilities in the field of interest and is therefore a fair means to gauge them. Although thesis writing may be viewed as an unpleasant obligation on the road to a degree, the discipline it induces may have lifelong benefits.
Most of all, a thesis is an attempt to communicate. Science begins with curiosity, follows on with experiment and analysis, and leads to findings which are then shared with the larger community of scientists and perhaps even the public.
The thesis is therefore not merely a record of technical work, but is also an attempt to communicate it to a larger audience. An undergraduate thesis is, at present, graded on the quality of research, the significance of the contributions and the style of presentation.
Thus, the undergraduate thesis is judged on a similar basis to the postgraduate one. Indeed, the three most commonly cited qualities that earn an undergraduate thesis the first class grade are originality, independence, and mastery.
In short, a thesis—whether undergraduate or postgraduate—is evidence of the candidate’s capacity to carry out independent research under the guidance of a supervisor, and to analyse and communicate the significant results of that work.
The format of the undergraduate thesis is similar, except that the title page is followed by a letter from the candidate addressed to the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences saying ‘This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of Engineering (with Honours)’ and certifying that it represents the candidate’s own work.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, a thesis can be called as Skripsi.Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia defines Skripsi as follows
skrip·si n karangan ilmiah yg wajib ditulis oleh mahasiswa sbg bagian dr persyaratan akhir pendidikan akademisnya.
Skripsi is a kind of scientific paper that describes the result of sarjana S1 research. It discusses a certain problem/ phenomenon in a certain field of knowledge by using the rules.
(Taken from various sources)
