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10 votes
5 answers
2k views

When should a reference be given for a theorem when writing a PhD dissertation in pure mathematics?

The Question: When should a reference be given for a theorem when writing a PhD dissertation in pure mathematics? Context: There's a grey area here, sure. Let's focus on broad, guiding principles. ...
0 votes
0 answers
68 views

Can a pure mathematics PhD dissertation consist largely of incomplete and/or failed attempts at theorems (with an overarching theme)? [duplicate]

The Question: Can a pure mathematics PhD dissertation consist largely of incomplete and/or failed attempts at theorems (with an overarching theme)? Background: I have just started my third year of a ...
12 votes
3 answers
5k views

Fifth year PhD student with no progress on my thesis because of advisor, what to do?

I am currently in the fifth year of my PhD in theoretical physics at a reputable school in the USA. For the past three years, I have been working with my advisor on a highly mathematical topic that ...
0 votes
1 answer
248 views

Writing a Master's thesis "pre-proposal" in pure math

I've recently learned that I have to write a Master's thesis pre-proposal for my application to the ETH Zürich scholarship program ESOP. This is basically a thesis proposal, but written before one ...
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is there a way to do a PhD such that you get a broad view of a field or subfield as a whole?

I will aim to keep this as general as possible, given the already narrow scope of the question. I am looking for a way to design a PhD around the broader study of mathematics. I want to learn more ...
0 votes
3 answers
310 views

Should I switch my math master’s programme for better grades, thesis opportunities, and a stronger shot at a PhD?

I am currently pursuing a master's degree in mathematics at one of the top two institutes in India. The coursework here is very fast-paced. Many of us who joined this programme are encountering these ...
9 votes
5 answers
22k views

What is the acceptable similarity in a mathematics PhD dissertation when checking by Turnitin?

I have checked the originality of my PhD thesis in mathematics using Turnitin. The similarity was 31%. Is this percentage acceptable by most committees?
8 votes
4 answers
6k views

Is it acceptable to not give someone credit in a math thesis for minor guidance?

This question is related to this question. If I write a thesis and encounter a small problem that I can't resolve on my own, maybe because I didn't sleep well this day, and someone, like my mother or ...
1 vote
3 answers
250 views

Master's thesis on uninteresting topic not really related to my background

I have started a master thesis in applied mathematics with the aim of studying a paper of my supervisor. This paper uses some "basic" results of a theory (semi algebraic geometry i.e. SAG) ...
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Organisation of a math thesis

Do you think it's appropriate to introduce notational aspects right after presenting the main topic in the introductory section of your thesis? Personally, I prefer not to include notations in an ...
112 votes
7 answers
27k views

What happens if a math PhD student fails to find a proof that is the main objective of their thesis topic?

How exactly do Math theses/dissertations work? Is it fair to assume that the work involves trying to prove something? What happens if you can't? I did a thesis in Computer Science, and though my ...
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

How will not doing a bachelor thesis affect my chances of masters and PhD?

My university (math major) offers the option to write and present a bachelor thesis instead of taking 3 courses. Due to my changing tracks (from applied maths to pure maths) I have lost my ability to ...
23 votes
4 answers
11k views

Found critical errors in my master‘s thesis after officially submitting

I submitted my master‘s thesis a few days ago. The official deadline is next Friday. Today I spotted some serious issues in my thesis. In particular, in my main theorem and the main proposition that ...
0 votes
1 answer
275 views

Dilemma when my supervisor isn't necessarily a mathematician

I am a mathematics master's student. I intentionally decided to chose a thesis supervised by a PhD student with a non-mathematical, but pretty quantitative background, as the project is very ...
4 votes
5 answers
2k views

Is it a good idea to combine the glossary and the list of notations in a mathematical PhD thesis?

I am considering including a glossary and a list of notations in my PhD thesis on mathematics. Is it a good idea to write them separately or combine them? For example, a typical entry of the list of ...
1 vote
1 answer
873 views

research statement/proposal for a (pure-)math-PhD?

When applying for PhD programs outside your home university, the university you apply to usually requires a research statement from you. However, this isn't the case when you reach out for a Bachelor'...
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Is it ethical to dedicate a thesis whom I want to choose as a referee?

I am a Ph.D. student in mathematics and am currently writing my Ph.D. thesis. One old mathematician (emeritus), very famous for his work in number theory, philanthropically helped me through my Ph.D. ...
24 votes
2 answers
9k views

Will plagiarism software find my drafts in Overleaf?

I am a Ph.D. student in mathematics and soon will start writing a thesis on my published papers. I think Overleaf (online cloud) would be more flexible to write the thesis instead my TeXstudio editor. ...
0 votes
0 answers
205 views

Should I tell my co-authors that I don’t have any energy left for an undergrad dissertation that is taking forever?

I have been working on my undergrad dissertation (which is a joint paper with two other authors) for about 7 months now. I have written a manuscript, but I keep on discovering bugs. Basically, I have ...
19 votes
5 answers
4k views

Citing "common knowledge" blogs?

I am a masters student in the process of writing a thesis in computer science. In particular, there is someone who works in industry who is probably one of, if not the world leading experts in a ...
0 votes
1 answer
929 views

How is thesis evaluated in pure mathematics for PhD?

I am a Ph.D. student in pure mathematics with a few published works in my field. I would like to know how Ph.D. students are evaluated by the examiners before the defense. What are essential points to ...
0 votes
2 answers
316 views

Naming a Lemma In Math Thesis

In my pure math thesis I have an important lemma and I want to name it. The statement is quite technical so I will omit quite a lot of details. I want to call this lemma “the adding lemma”. My ...
1 vote
1 answer
256 views

Advice to get new PhD opportunities

I have a master's degree in Mathematics in a specialty X. I got a scholarship to do a PhD thesis in a specialty Y in another country. I have started working on my thesis and I have devoted most of my ...
4 votes
3 answers
408 views

Can I use English terminology in my German-language thesis?

I am currently writing my mathematics master's thesis (in topology) in my native language, German. Most of the literature is in English and some of the words are hard to translate. Is it ok to mix ...
2 votes
1 answer
331 views

What's the correct way to write units of measure about time and angles in scientific document?

I have a question on how to write units of measure of angles and times in my MSc thesis. What is the correct form between "13.2 degree" and "13.2 degrees"? A similar question about ...
1 vote
1 answer
364 views

How correctly write ordinal numbers in a scientific thesis?

I'm wrtiting my Master of Science thesis in Aerospace Engineering and I've a doubt about wrtiting of ordinal numbers? Let' us consider the following alternatives:$i$th, $i$-th. What is the correct ...
3 votes
1 answer
478 views

Worried about my progress

I'm a 3rd year PhD student in pure Math in a Canadian university. I feel like in last one year I haven't made much progress. I definitely tried some problems, had regular discussions with my ...
0 votes
1 answer
68 views

Finding a thesis advisor for master's degree in physics of complex system [closed]

I'm currently in my last year of my master's degree program "Physics of Complex System". I would like to write my master thesis about stochastic processes, but I'm having trouble in finding ...
-1 votes
4 answers
672 views

What is the philosophy or purpose of applied mathematics? [closed]

The title might seem vague but please bear with me: I always liked pure mathematics, I believe I understood the purpose of applied mathematics as well, but just until I am finishing up now my thesis. ...
4 votes
2 answers
134 views

Finding dissertations as reference material

I'm a mathematician/computer scientist (my interests lie around the intersection of the two), and often when I want an introduction to a new research area I find that well-written dissertations are ...
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can I get a good phd with a poor master thesis?

I am a month away from graduating in Math. I spent the last six months working on what I consider now a poor master thesis. I was asked to discuss some connections between model theory and ...
0 votes
3 answers
1k views

Weird/Dumb question: What does a thesis do when the non-thesis option means more courses?

Actually, this is my question: which option should i prefer Thesis vs Non-thesis for MS in CS? but I hope this post will not be closed as either off-topic or duplicate because I hope to be specific. ...
1 vote
3 answers
1k views

How to follow up with a master's advisor who abandoned me?

I was recently awarded my master's degree. This was a very difficult process since my master's thesis advisor completely abandoned me halfway through. She literally did not answer my e-mails . No -one ...
2 votes
1 answer
246 views

SHA-256 research paper and referencing FIPS

I've posted this first one the Cryptography SE but was advised to move it here due to the very nature of the question. Anyway, for my college thesis I've decided to do a full stack project on SHA-256. ...
5 votes
3 answers
447 views

How important is it for a professor to direct a thesis?

How important is it for a professor to direct a thesis? I mean, what can the professor get from it? I know it will help for his/her curriculum, but is it too much? Is the merit equivalent to the ...
0 votes
1 answer
523 views

Is this plagiarism or something similar in a master's project?

I am a master's student in 3rd world Asian country. My master's thesis guide (who was from a different institute) abandoned me after giving a research paper to read. Now, with no guidance left as no-...
26 votes
5 answers
9k views

Should I post my PhD Thesis on arXiv, if I intend to make a paper based on it?

I am interested in posting my math Ph.D. thesis on the arXiv, but I also plan on writing a shorter paper based on some of the results in my thesis. I plan on posting this paper on the arXiv when I am ...
5 votes
2 answers
202 views

In PhD programs, what type of work are PhD students doing after the coursework?

Suppose some has done coursework in Algebra and Analysis. After that they want to pursue a PhD in commutative algebra or in Ring theory or any pure mathematics topics. My question : In PhD programs, ...
34 votes
10 answers
7k views

How detailed should proofs be in a mathematical PhD thesis?

I heard this suggestion from a mathematics professor: In writing a mathematical Ph.D. thesis, it is far more tolerable to be tediously-lengthy than having a gap in the proofs. I think what he means ...
0 votes
1 answer
333 views

Where to place a variable legend in a math thesis? [closed]

In a math thesis, where do I place a variable legend, i.e. a list that indicates the "type" of each variable used, e.g. x, y, z denote real numbers s, t denote sets of numbers f, g denote ...
2 votes
0 answers
841 views

What do graders expect in a master thesis in pure mathematics?

I am writing a master thesis in pure mathematics the upcoming year and want to know what graders look for in a master thesis. I am in the US. How do they grade the thesis? What are the things that can ...
5 votes
3 answers
494 views

What is the point of questions asked in a mathematics master thesis presentation by the professor?

A student working on a master thesis in mathematics will have to present it at the end of the semester in front of the professor. The professor will ask several questions during the presentation, what ...
24 votes
14 answers
11k views

Is it unwise to pick an old field of research in maths to write a PhD thesis about?

Some areas that come to mind: theory of partial differential equations (analysis and pdes, not numerical PDE) number theory algebra Should I pick a trendy topic so that it is "easier" to write a ...
1 vote
2 answers
437 views

How PhD projects are acquired in pure mathematics [closed]

In pure mathematics (please only answer for this field, as other areas are different), what is the ratio of PhD students finding a project on their own, versus working closely with their supervisor to ...
1 vote
3 answers
428 views

Is this level of citation acceptable in a dissertation?

Please can anybody reassure me that I am okay. I have been so distracted thesis that I’m behind in my revision for my finals. Never once in my project did I take credit for something that wasn’t mine ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Math Thesis Plagiarism Determination

I am an undergraduate student who is submitting my thesis for committee review. However, one of the committee member is unsatisfied and thinks that I attempted plagiarism from my advisor's paper. ...
1 vote
1 answer
80 views

Would a LaTeX glossary contain program function/method purposes/definitions?

I'm writing my dissertation/thesis and it revolves around a program I have made. The program is a Rubik's cube solver that uses pre-existing solving methods, so nothing that exciting. I'm writing out ...
0 votes
1 answer
205 views

Can a phd thesis be in a different area than the master thesis? [duplicate]

First of all let me begin with saying that I have seen there is a question quite similar to this one, but I thought I'd ask again so I could get more specific about my situation since I am guessing it'...
0 votes
0 answers
100 views

Applied Mathematics Master's Thesis Practicality

First a little background on me. I am a first semester masters student in applied mathematics who is on the wait list for a decision on admission to the PhD program. I have reached out to a specific ...
0 votes
2 answers
186 views

Not motivated for the second part of thesis

I am asking for a hint about the following issue. I have this particular (let's call it weakness) that I have to be motivated to do research. I have done a large portion of my thesis in PhD, but not ...