ABSTRACT
The thesis or dissertation is a report that presents the research question and then formally collects and reports on the research decisions made, organizes the data that was documented, and summarizes the findings and their implications. Longer report styles have the advantage of more space and opportunity to elaborate on the data, methods, and findings with less pressure to be ruthlessly concise. When discussing the design selected for an experiment, a researcher could reflect on the merits and limitations of the particular design. Someone who conducted quantitative research might compare and contrast various measures and indicate the rationale for selecting one over the others for use in the thesis/dissertation research. The selection is usually based on which study is judged especially strong in terms of its research methodology, although the discussion will cover both its strengths and weaknesses.
