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9781446267851
Acknowledgements ix
The Process of Academic Writing 1
The research thesis 3
Getting the most out of yourself - why do you want to write a research thesis? 3
The nature and varieties of a research thesis 4
Shorter doctoral theses 6
Similarities and differences between a masters and a doctoral thesis 6
The thesis as research training 8
The characteristics of a good thesis 10
Academic writing as a genre 12
General university requirements for a thesis 14
Consulting research theses 15
The intellectual content of the thesis 17
The thesis as an original contribution to knowledge 17
The different kinds of data and evidence which can be included in a thesis 18
Working within a paradigm and incorporating a theoretical perspective 22
The relationship between ontology, epistemology and methodology 23
Testing a hypothesis or developing a theory 25
Exercising caution in making truth claims 26
Presenting alternative viewpoints 27
Developing a coherent argument 28
Intellectual content of a shorter thesis 28
Organizing your work 31
Who is the audience for your thesis? 31
The length of the thesis and of individual chapters 32
Practical matters - typing and organizing the developing thesis 34
Self-imposed writing targets 35
Time management and maintaining progress 36
Accumulating your list of references 38
The order of writing the thesis 39
The role of the supervisor 42
The functions of your supervisor or supervisory team 42
Selecting a supervisor or being allocated one 43
Appreciating your supervisor's perspective 44
Working well with your supervisor 45
What to do if you are unhappy with your supervisor 46
Negotiating targets and deadlines 47
Arranging a pattern of tutorials 48
Advice on methodology and design 49
Advice on structuring the thesis 49
Reading sections of the thesis as it is written 51
Selecting the team of examiners for the viva voce 52
Grammar, punctuation and conventions of academic writing 54
First person or third person? 54
Gender-neutral language 56
Layout for quotations 57
The Harvard system of referencing 58
Referencing websites 62
Use of notes and footnotes 62
Non-English terms and expressions 63
English and American spellings 64
Abbreviations 64
Italicizing and capitalization 65
The use of hyphens, dashes, numerals and the apostrophe 65
Consistency, consistency and, above all, consistency! 66
Layout of the thesis 68
Page layout 68
Use of headings, subheadings and titles 69
Frequency of quotations 70
Use of bullet points and formatting 71
Including tables and figures in the thesis 72
Listing references and including a bibliography 73
The use of appendices 75
Consistency, consistency and starting as you mean to go on 76
Writing Your Thesis 79
The preliminary pages and the introduction 81
Title page, abstract and contents 81
Tables, figures, abbreviations, key terms and acknowledgements 83
Why is this particular topic being researched? 84
What is the significance of the topic? 85
Explaining the context of the research 85
The background of the researcher 86
Where is the research being conducted and why? 87
The research aims 88
The research objectives 90
The literature review 92
The purpose of the literature review 92
Style of writing for the literature review 94
Subdividing the available literature 95
Dealing with an apparent lack of relevant literature 96
Making a selection from a wide variety of literature 98
Employing a range of literature 99
Literature from the Internet 100
How old may the literature be? 101
Methodology 103
The relationship between epistemology and methodology 103
Relating choice of methodology to the aims of the thesis 105
The overall research design 106
The selection of the sample 108
The process by which the data is collected 111
Data analysis 112
Strengths and limitations of the methodology 114
Writing about ethical issues 115
Should the methodology have been different? 118
Ethical justifications of research 118
The data analysis chapters 122
Defining a list of chapter headings 122
Selection from the data 123
Writing about the analysis of qualitative data 124
Presenting qualitative data 125
Writing about the analysis of quantitative data 128
Presenting quantitative data 129
Placing sample data in the appendices 131
The conclusion 133
Drawing together the threads of the argument 133
Examining whether the aims have been achieved 133
Emphasizing the contribution to knowledge 134
Developing practical recommendations 135
Limitations of the thesis 136
Possibilities for further research 137
A reflexive account of the research process 138
Writing the abstract 140
Completing the thesis 143
Producing the first complete draft 143
Checking for coherence and internal consistency 144
Proofreading 145
Checks to be made by the supervisory team 147
Checks to be made by supervisors, and those to be made by students 148
Temporary binding 149
Procedure for submitting the thesis 149
Publishing findings during preparation of the thesis 151
Advantages and disadvantages 151
Selecting an element of the findings 153
Selecting a suitable academic journal 154
Following style notes 155
The refereeing process 155
Checking upon the progress of your article 156
The oral examination 158
The role of your supervisor 158
The role of the internal and external examiners 159
Strategies for rereading the thesis 159
Anticipating questions 160
The structure of the viva 162
Coping strategies for questions 163
Defending the thesis 164
Overall strategy for the viva 165
Possible results of the viva 168
References and Further Reading 170
Index 173
Writing Your Thesis / Edition 3 available in Paperback
- ISBN-10:
- 1446267857
- ISBN-13:
- 9781446267851
- Pub. Date:
- 09/03/2013
- Publisher:
- SAGE Publications
- ISBN-10:
- 1446267857
- ISBN-13:
- 9781446267851
- Pub. Date:
- 09/03/2013
- Publisher:
- SAGE Publications
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Overview
Expert guidance for postgraduate and research students on how to plan, prepare and produce a thesis or dissertation.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781446267851 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| Publication date: | 09/03/2013 |
| Series: | Student Success |
| Edition description: | Third Edition |
| Pages: | 248 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.60(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Paul Oliver is an academic writer and researcher. He has either authored or edited 19 books in the areas of Research Methods, Education, Philosophy and Religion. He has had books translated into seven languages. For many years a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, he was course leader there for the Doctor of Education programme. He has wide experience of both supervising and examining master's and doctoral theses.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ix
The Process of Academic Writing 1
The research thesis 3
Getting the most out of yourself - why do you want to write a research thesis? 3
The nature and varieties of a research thesis 4
Shorter doctoral theses 6
Similarities and differences between a masters and a doctoral thesis 6
The thesis as research training 8
The characteristics of a good thesis 10
Academic writing as a genre 12
General university requirements for a thesis 14
Consulting research theses 15
The intellectual content of the thesis 17
The thesis as an original contribution to knowledge 17
The different kinds of data and evidence which can be included in a thesis 18
Working within a paradigm and incorporating a theoretical perspective 22
The relationship between ontology, epistemology and methodology 23
Testing a hypothesis or developing a theory 25
Exercising caution in making truth claims 26
Presenting alternative viewpoints 27
Developing a coherent argument 28
Intellectual content of a shorter thesis 28
Organizing your work 31
Who is the audience for your thesis? 31
The length of the thesis and of individual chapters 32
Practical matters - typing and organizing the developing thesis 34
Self-imposed writing targets 35
Time management and maintaining progress 36
Accumulating your list of references 38
The order of writing the thesis 39
The role of the supervisor 42
The functions of your supervisor or supervisory team 42
Selecting a supervisor or being allocated one 43
Appreciating your supervisor's perspective 44
Working well with your supervisor 45
What to do if you are unhappy with your supervisor 46
Negotiating targets and deadlines 47
Arranging a pattern of tutorials 48
Advice on methodology and design 49
Advice on structuring the thesis 49
Reading sections of the thesis as it is written 51
Selecting the team of examiners for the viva voce 52
Grammar, punctuation and conventions of academic writing 54
First person or third person? 54
Gender-neutral language 56
Layout for quotations 57
The Harvard system of referencing 58
Referencing websites 62
Use of notes and footnotes 62
Non-English terms and expressions 63
English and American spellings 64
Abbreviations 64
Italicizing and capitalization 65
The use of hyphens, dashes, numerals and the apostrophe 65
Consistency, consistency and, above all, consistency! 66
Layout of the thesis 68
Page layout 68
Use of headings, subheadings and titles 69
Frequency of quotations 70
Use of bullet points and formatting 71
Including tables and figures in the thesis 72
Listing references and including a bibliography 73
The use of appendices 75
Consistency, consistency and starting as you mean to go on 76
Writing Your Thesis 79
The preliminary pages and the introduction 81
Title page, abstract and contents 81
Tables, figures, abbreviations, key terms and acknowledgements 83
Why is this particular topic being researched? 84
What is the significance of the topic? 85
Explaining the context of the research 85
The background of the researcher 86
Where is the research being conducted and why? 87
The research aims 88
The research objectives 90
The literature review 92
The purpose of the literature review 92
Style of writing for the literature review 94
Subdividing the available literature 95
Dealing with an apparent lack of relevant literature 96
Making a selection from a wide variety of literature 98
Employing a range of literature 99
Literature from the Internet 100
How old may the literature be? 101
Methodology 103
The relationship between epistemology and methodology 103
Relating choice of methodology to the aims of the thesis 105
The overall research design 106
The selection of the sample 108
The process by which the data is collected 111
Data analysis 112
Strengths and limitations of the methodology 114
Writing about ethical issues 115
Should the methodology have been different? 118
Ethical justifications of research 118
The data analysis chapters 122
Defining a list of chapter headings 122
Selection from the data 123
Writing about the analysis of qualitative data 124
Presenting qualitative data 125
Writing about the analysis of quantitative data 128
Presenting quantitative data 129
Placing sample data in the appendices 131
The conclusion 133
Drawing together the threads of the argument 133
Examining whether the aims have been achieved 133
Emphasizing the contribution to knowledge 134
Developing practical recommendations 135
Limitations of the thesis 136
Possibilities for further research 137
A reflexive account of the research process 138
Writing the abstract 140
Completing the thesis 143
Producing the first complete draft 143
Checking for coherence and internal consistency 144
Proofreading 145
Checks to be made by the supervisory team 147
Checks to be made by supervisors, and those to be made by students 148
Temporary binding 149
Procedure for submitting the thesis 149
Publishing findings during preparation of the thesis 151
Advantages and disadvantages 151
Selecting an element of the findings 153
Selecting a suitable academic journal 154
Following style notes 155
The refereeing process 155
Checking upon the progress of your article 156
The oral examination 158
The role of your supervisor 158
The role of the internal and external examiners 159
Strategies for rereading the thesis 159
Anticipating questions 160
The structure of the viva 162
Coping strategies for questions 163
Defending the thesis 164
Overall strategy for the viva 165
Possible results of the viva 168
References and Further Reading 170
Index 173
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