Course Objectives
The distinguishing mark of graduate research is an original contribution to knowledge. The thesis is a formal document whose sole purpose is to prove that you have made an original contribution to knowledge. Failure to prove that you have made such a contribution generally leads to failure.
To this end, your thesis must show two important things:

• you have identified a worthwhile problem or question which has not been previously answered,
• you have solved the problem or answered the question.

Your contribution to knowledge generally lies in your solution or answer.
Because the purpose of the graduate thesis is to prove that you have made an original and useful contribution to knowledge, the examiners read your thesis to find the answers to the following questions:

• what is this student's research question?
• is it a good question? (has it been answered before? is it a useful question to work on?)
• did the student convince me that the question was adequately answered?
• has the student made an adequate contribution to knowledge?

A very clear statement of the question is essential to proving that you have made an original and worthwhile contribution to knowledge. To prove the originality and value of your contribution, you must present a thorough review of the existing literature on the subject, and on closely related subjects. Then, by making direct reference to your literature review, you must demonstrate that your question (a) has not been previously answered, and (b) is worth answering. Describing how you answered the question is usually easier to write about, since you have been intimately involved in the details over the course of your graduate work.
If your thesis does not provide adequate answers to the few questions listed above, you will likely be faced with a requirement for major revisions or you may fail your thesis defence outright. Always remember that a thesis is a formal document: every item must be in the appropriate place, and repetition of material in different places should be eliminated