Putting Your Thesis
Together
Dr Sato Juniper
Graduate Research & Scholarships
[email protected]
Theses
• The outcome for your thesis will be as
strongly influenced by the way in which
you construct and write it as by the
content.
• Effective academic writing is an important
skill that is not automatic. It can be
developed and enhanced by the use of
careful thought, planning, and some
simple techniques.
Sub-theses
• Effective writing benefits both the writer
and the reader
• In a thesis, effective writing is vital (often
the deal-breaker)
• You can enhance the effectiveness of
your writing by understanding and
managing the relationship between
yourself as the writer and your reader/s.
• There some simple techniques that you
can use to manage the relationship with
your reader/s.
Features of good academic writing
• accurate
• precise, clear, brief in that order of importance;
• effective structure, with all sections containing
appropriate information;
• simple, clear language;
• short, correctly structured sentences and
paragraphs;
• correct spelling and grammar;
• simple, clear illustrations;
• easy to read and understand;
• Interesting.
How to format your thesis
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Title Page
Summary or Abstract
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Statement of Student Contribution
Main Text
Bibliography or References
Appendices
• General Introduction: sets out the context
of the thesis and explains the
organisation and structure of the thesis
• General Discussion: draws together the
main findings of the thesis in the context
of previous research, and establishes the
significance of the work.
Some thoughts to ponder
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Good writing is not difficult - the thinking
is the really difficult bit
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Many people would sooner die than
think. In fact, they do. (Bertrand
Russell)
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Three minutes thought would suffice to
find this out; but thought is irksome and
three minutes is a long time. (AE
Houseman)
• Data are not information, information
is not knowledge, knowledge is not
understanding and understanding is
not wisdom. (Russell Ackoff)
Data, knowledge, information and
wisdom
• Data: the stuff we measure and record
• Information: data that are processed to
be useful; provides answers to how much,
which, what, when, where, who
questions.
• Knowledge: application of data and
information; answers how questions.
• Understanding: appreciation of why.
• Wisdom: evaluated understanding why it
is (or is not) important, and what it means
in the total scheme of things
Thinking
Research Field
(the research is about…)
Mineral composition of the solar system
Research Problem
(why the research is needed)
The composition of the moon is not known (and we really need to
know this because…)
Research Question
(the question/s the research will answer)
What is the moon made of?
Thesis statement/ Hypotheses
(your educated guess/es about the findings)
The moon is made of 60% kryptonite ,20% iron and 20% cheese.
Research Method
What I did to test my hypotheses
Research Results
What I found
Discussion/evaluation
What my findings mean in relation to my hypotheses and other
research, both past and potential
Thinking: The Thesis Brainstorm
Choose a section of your thesis that you would like to plan (ie
that you have not already planned). This may be a chapter, a
section of a chapter or even the whole thesis – you choose. In
the middle of a large piece of paper, write the key point/thesis
statement/main purpose of the section.
Then, wherever you like on the paper, brainstorm the section.
What are the ideas/concepts/information that must/could be
included? Start anywhere and do not attempt to put the ideas in
order. Use abbreviations and notes, ignore spelling etc and do
not filter ideas at this stage. Avoid cop-outs such as “introduce
x”
Now, review your brainstorm. Circle the points that represent
main headings or subsections. Mark subsidiary points. Cross
out any points that do not relate to the main point you first
wrote (save them for later).
The Thesis Storyboard
Transfer your main headings or subsections to Post-it notes,
one per Post-it.
On a second piece of paper, experiment with the order of
the Post-it notes until you arrive at a logical sequence of
ideas for your “story”. Add more Post-it notes as you think of
new points. Delete some if necessary (save them for later)
When you are happy with the story, record the main points
and use them as topic headings or topic sentences.
Continue this process for each chapter, section and even
paragraph.
Readers’ Expectations
Effective reading is a process of anticipating
what the author is going to say and expecting it
as one reads (Tannen, 1979).
•Readers actively seek a basis for predicting what will come
next.
•Readers make predictions that relate to both the topic and
the organisation of text.
•Readers expect to continue predicting from the beginning
to the end.
•Readers become confused and irritated when their
predictions are not fulfilled.
So, given that our task as academic writers is to be readerfocussed …
We can use techniques to help
readers to predict and follow the
stories we want to tell.
Predictive statements and
organisers are useful tools for this.
Reader prediction – topic & content
• Readers’ predictions are based on both
convention and what the writer tells them
• Topic predictions may be fulfilled by word
repetition, predictable word groups
• Items that fulfil readers’ predictions need
to be in a noticeable position – at the front
of the text unit (the power of position).
• Unpredicted/unpredictable topics
increase reader difficulty
Position is pivotal, and so is
signposting
• The beginning of the paragraph or
sentence affirms the topic (gets the
reader comfortable). It is the most
powerful position.
• Each new idea is then linked firmly
to the one before it with transition
words or phrases (signposts).
Transition words and phrases
• Transition words and phrases help guide
the reader through the document. For
example, consider the following: Ideally, a
paragraph in a technical document should
not contain more than about 12 lines.
Another useful rule is that a paragraph
should contain more than one sentence.
However, sometimes this is not
appropriate and the paragraph consists of
a single sentence.
Predictive Statements and
Organisers
Predictive statements and organisers
are statements or words that help a
reader to predict the content and
organisation of the information that
will follow.
Predictive statements – 2 kinds
1. Explicit: This paper will present the key
features of the PhD programme, then
examine the value of a PhD degree, and
finally will outline some strategies for
students preparing to start a PhD.
• Prediction: three sections in known order
2. Implicit: There are four main issues to
consider when commencing a PhD:
choosing a supervisor; choosing a topic;
becoming an independent researcher;
and preparing a PhD thesis.
• Prediction: four sections in known order
Organisers
• occupy a front position in paragraph
or sentence
• occur in sets (minimum of 2)
• may be used to organise the whole
piece of writing or a section
• 2 kinds: unifiers and dividers
Unifiers and Dividers
Unifiers signal continuity of the topic
from one paragraph to the next.
Repeated key words, or different forms
of the same word, are useful unifiers:
reproduce/reproducing/reproductive.
Decide on some key words and stick
to them.
You can also (carefully!) use pronouns:
it; they and adjectives this; these as
long as the subject is 100% clear.
If the baby will not eat the banana,
mash it with a fork
Unifiers and Dividers (cont’d)
Dividers indicate to the reader that there is a
change (even if ever-so-subtle) from one
topic to another, and lead the reader
through it. There are several different forms
of dividers:
Topic indicators: headings or organising
statements
Transition indicators
time indicators: in the morning; later
information hierarchy indicators: first; next;
another; further; finally…
sequence indicators: first; second; third; last.
logic indicators accordingly; thus; therefore;
conversely; however; in contrast…
Hint
• It is important to repeat keywords
• Use variety in the transition words,
ie do not over-use the same ones,
because it is irritating.
• Thus, therefore, accordingly,
consequently, so, it follows……
Fulfilling your readers’ predictions
• Title/headings– use content key words
• Introduction – fulfil the predictions from
the title by using the same key words, in
strategic positions; provide a clear basis
for accurate prediction of the rest of the
document
• Body of text – topic key words and
transition words and phrases in strategic
positions; ensure that there are NO
unpredicted topics. Ensure that the
sequence is logical.
• Conclusion – check that you have used
all the key words and kept your promises.
Check your writing for fluency
Try this with a piece of your own writing:
• In the margin next to each paragraph,
summarise main point of the paragraph.
Is there a single main point in the
paragraph to which every sentence
relates? Is this point written as a single
sentence in the paragraph? Where?
Common mistakes to avoid
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References at the end of chapters
Missing acknowledgements
Unlabelled graphs
Over interpretation of data
Lack of critical analysis
Bad grammar
Spelling errors, especially in the
references
• Wrong title
Charts, figures and diagrams
• Must be original, or attributed with
permision
• Must have numbers
• Must have captions
• Captions must stand alone
• Must be referred to in the text
• In tables, it is easier to compare
terms in columns rather than rows
• Only use significant figures
• Always use same level of
significance
• Large amounts of data better
displayed in graphs
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Make table design simple
Minimise the number of rules
Label graph axes
Use standard units
How to Construct Bad Charts and
Graphs
• Data Ambiguity - what the data
represent
• Data Distortion
• Data Distraction - minimize the ratio
of ink-to-data
• A completely irrelevant map of the world.
• Two entirely different kinds of 3-D charts
displayed at two different perspectives.
• Country names are repeated three times.
• To display 24 numeric data points, 28 numbers
are used to define the scales.
• The countries are sorted in no apparent order
(not even alphabetically).
• Note the use of the letter " I " to separate the
countries on the bottom chart.
Giving feedback on writing
• Determine first what you are being
asked to do.
• Give feedback from your own
perspective (“I don’t understand”
rather than “this is unintelligible”)
• Remember that writing is a personal
exercise – be constructive
• Be honest
Receiving feedback
• Be clear about what you want when you
ask for feedback
• Be open to the feedback you receive and
do not deny the reader’s experience (it’s
ok to disagree about what needs to be
done)
• Use every criticism as an opportunity to
reflect on and improve your writing.