How-to-Write-a-Better-Thesis

More documents

Recommendations

Info

$math_puzzles_book_$

Summary of Chapter 12: Beyond the Thesis 149 has become so routine and familiar that some students despair of anyone ever finding it interesting. But do not worry, as you write-up the significance of what you have done will soon become obvious. The final phase, perhaps as long as 9 months in a PhD, is very different and requires total commitment and focus. As you create a complete thesis you need to be familiar with every detail of your work as presented in a sequence of chapters, and this requires removal of distractions. You may have to give up your outside interests and social life, and make sure that your partner, or children, or parents, or whoever it is you live with, is aware of your needs and constraints. This phase can be very stressful—I’ve known students who share an office to come to blows over trivialities such as a habit of tapping a pencil on a desk—which means that you need to learn to identify safety valves and when to make use of them. This may sound surprising, but you may also need to prepare for life after submission. If you have worked all your waking hours for months on end to get a thesis finished, submitting it can leave a void in your life. Line up activities such as parttime work, or plan a holiday. Even a small break can make a big difference. Summary of Chapter 12: Beyond the Thesis Publishing: • Make sure that the good work you are doing in your project gets published. • The only way to ensure this is to have a dissemination plan. The plan should be geared to publishing while you are still working on your project. • Regularly give research seminars. Doing so gives you feedback on your project, and will also form the basis for conference papers and papers in learned journals. • Research papers have a different set of rules and conventions from theses. To publish papers, you need to address a different readership using these different conventions. • Papers written on the basis of work done as part of your project should in general be written jointly with your supervisor and possibly other colleagues too. You need to do this in a way that respects the input of both parties. Spoken presentations: • Spoken presentations are entirely different from written presentations of the same material. Never just read your written paper to the audience, or even the same paper with bits left out. • Take the effort to develop your skills as a speaker; these skills will be essential to your professional life. Being a graduate student: • Think and act like the professional researcher that you are striving to become, taking responsibilities for your work, seeking collegial advice when needed, and maintaining a sustainable regimen of work. Seek to rectify your weaknesses.
150 12 Beyond the Thesis • Consider taking on other academic commitments, such as teaching, reviewing, and mentoring. • Balance life and work commitments, paying particular attention to the demands of partners and other family. • Anticipate that ‘life’ will seemingly get in the way at times, and learn to cope. • Expect the write-up phase to be a committed, focused slog where you have eliminated distractions. Online resources. There are many excellent websites on how to give spoken academic presentations, including material on topics such as: • Overall techniques for giving talks. • Learning to speak with confidence, and overcoming stage fright. • Effective data presentation. • Good style in slide design (regardless of whether your preferred tool is Power- Point, OpenOffice, Beamer, or whatever).
Page 2 and 3:
How to Write a Better Thesis
Page 4 and 5:
David Evans † University of Melbo
Page 6 and 7:
Preface to the Third Edition When I
Page 8 and 9:
Introduction Thesis writing can be
Page 10 and 11:
Contents 1 What Is a Thesis? ......
Page 12 and 13:
Contents xiii 8 Outcomes and Result
Page 14 and 15:
Chapter 1 What Is a Thesis? Simply
Page 16 and 17:
Types of Thesis 3 These questions
Page 18 and 19:
Examiners’ Reports 5 layout. See
Page 20 and 21:
Summary of Chapter 1: What Is a The
Page 22 and 23:
10 2 Thesis Structure Research is u
Page 24 and 25:
12 2 Thesis Structure Some of these
Page 26 and 27:
14 2 Thesis Structure are ‘finish
Page 28 and 29:
16 2 Thesis Structure 2. Background
Page 30 and 31:
18 3 Mechanics of Writing that even
Page 32 and 33:
20 3 Mechanics of Writing have oddi
Page 34 and 35:
22 3 Mechanics of Writing I recomme
Page 36 and 37:
24 3 Mechanics of Writing • Frequ
Page 38 and 39:
26 3 Mechanics of Writing There is
Page 40 and 41:
28 3 Mechanics of Writing The agric
Page 42 and 43:
30 3 Mechanics of Writing wrong. Th
Page 44 and 45:
32 3 Mechanics of Writing • Long
Page 46 and 47:
34 3 Mechanics of Writing might giv
Page 48 and 49:
36 3 Mechanics of Writing thesis. Y
Page 50 and 51:
Chapter 4 Making a Strong Start In
Page 52 and 53:
Creating a Structure 41 are trying
Page 54 and 55:
Initial Efforts 43 of it in detail
Page 56 and 57:
Starting, and Starting Again 45 ad
Page 58 and 59:
The Creative Process 47 you must a
Page 60 and 61:
Writing an Individual Chapter 49 H
Page 62 and 63:
Literature 51 From ‘Chapter Five
Page 64 and 65:
Styles of Working 53 And don’t f
Page 66 and 67:
Working with Your Supervisor 55 Th
Page 68 and 69:
Working with Your Supervisor 57 pa
Page 70 and 71:
Summary of Chapter 4: Making a Stro
Page 72 and 73:
62 5 The Introductory Chapter at th
Page 74 and 75:
64 5 The Introductory Chapter curre
Page 76 and 77:
66 5 The Introductory Chapter From
Page 78 and 79:
68 5 The Introductory Chapter resea
Page 80 and 81:
70 5 The Introductory Chapter the f
Page 82 and 83:
72 5 The Introductory Chapter 3. Ai
Page 84 and 85:
74 6 Background Chapters Developing
Page 86 and 87:
76 6 Background Chapters Establishi
Page 88 and 89:
78 6 Background Chapters Throughout
Page 90 and 91:
80 6 Background Chapters • You un
Page 92 and 93:
82 6 Background Chapters • In som
Page 94 and 95:
84 7 Establishing Your Contribution
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 106 and 107: Chapter 8 Outcomes and Results In a
Page 108 and 109: From Data to Results 99 Jackie’s
Page 110 and 111: Presentation 101 Presentation In t
Page 112 and 113: Analysis 103 haste, and overconfid
Page 114 and 115: Quantitative or Qualitative, Revisi
Page 116 and 117: Reflection 107 in his thesis, wher
Page 118 and 119: Illustrations 109 interpreted, and
Page 120 and 121: Illustrations 111 they can read an
Page 122 and 123: Chapter 9 The Discussion or Interpr
Page 124 and 125: Structuring the Discussion 115 can
Page 126 and 127: Writing with Authority 117 criteri
Page 128 and 129: Summary of Chapter 9: The Discussio
Page 130 and 131: 122 10 The Conclusion One way that
Page 132 and 133: Chapter 11 Before You Submit You ha
Page 134 and 135: From First to Second Draft 127 abo
Page 136 and 137: Dotting the ‘i’s and Crossing t
Page 144 and 145: Chapter 12 Beyond the Thesis Studen
Page 146 and 147: Kinds of Dissemination 139 Feedbac
Page 148 and 149: Dissemination Plans 141 • Primar
Page 150 and 151: Seminar and Conference Presentation
Page 152 and 153: Being a Graduate Student 145 more
Page 154 and 155: The Arc of a Research Degree 147 t
Page 158 and 159: Appendix Afterword The creation of
Page 160 and 161: Appendix 153 Appendix: Analysis of
Page 162 and 163: Appendix 155 • The text is unnece
Page 164 and 165: 158 Notes on Further Resources Phil
Page 166 and 167: 160 Index Books, writing, 25 Bracke
Page 168 and 169: 162 Index H Harvard reference syste
Page 170 and 171: 164 Index Proper names, 20 Punctuat
Page 172 and 173: 166 Index discussion of results, 12
show all

How-to-Write-a-Better-Thesis

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?