A-manual-for-writers-of-research-papers-theses-and-dissertations

You can follow the same procedure to find the key terms that unify each section. Look atthe reason you stated at the top of each reason page, and circle its important words. Some ofthose words should be related to the words circled in the introduction and conclusion. The restshould identify concepts that distinguish that section from others. Select a key term for eachkey concept.Now, as you draft, keep in front of you both the general terms that should run through yourwhole report and the specific terms that distinguish each section from other sections. Theywill help you keep yourself—and thus your readers—on track. If later you find yourselfwriting something that lacks those terms, don't just wrench yourself back to them. In the act ofdrafting, you might be discovering something new.6.2.4 Use Key Terms to Create Subheads That Uniquely Identify Each SectionEven if reports in your field don't use subheads (see A.2.2 in the appendix), we recommendthat you use them in your drafts. Create them out of the key terms you identified in 6.2.3. Ifyou cannot find key terms to distinguish a section, look closely at how you think it contributesto the whole. Readers may think it repetitive or irrelevant.If your field avoids subheads, use them to keep yourself on track, then delete them fromyour last draft.6.2.5 Order Your ReasonsFinding a good order for the sections of a report can be the hardest part of planning. Whenyou assembled your argument, you may not have put your reasons in any particular order (onebenefit of a storyboard). But when you plan a draft, you must impose on them some order thatbest meets your readers' needs. That is not easy, especially when you're writing on a new topicin a new field.When you're not sure how best to order your reasons, consider these options:Comparison and contrast. This is the form you'd choose if you were comparing two ormore entities, concepts, or objects.But there are two ways to compare and contrast, and one is usually better than the other. If,for example, you were comparing whether Hopi masks have more religious symbolism thanInuit masks, you might decide to devote the first half of your paper to Inuit masks and thesecond to Hopi masks. This organization, however, too often results in a pair of unrelatedsummaries. Try breaking the topics into their conceptual parts. In the case of masks, it wouldbe their symbolic representation, design features, stages of evolution, and so on.There are several other standard ways to order your ideas. Two focus on the subject matter:Chronological. This is the simplest: earlier-to-later or cause-to-effect.www.itpub.net