Writing a minor thesis 1

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Writing a minor thesis 1 Monica Behrend Learning
Adviser International postgraduate students
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Outline

• Session 1
• Introduction
• Expectations of a thesis
• Thesis writing skills writing strategies
• Writing the literature review
• Session 2
• Thesis sections
• Writing a logical argument
• Academic writing style
• Critical reading and thinking

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Introductions getting to know you

• 1. What program level?
• Masters (coursework)
• Masters (research)
• Doctorate (coursework)
• Doctorate (research)
• PhD
• Honours
• Final year undergraduate
• Other .

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Introductions getting to know you

• 2. What workshops did you attend this week?
• Exploring academic writing
• Improving your oral communication
• Mind mapping for studying learning
• Structure language of reports
• Reading critically
• Referencing and avoiding plagiarism
• Improving your grammar

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Introductions getting to know you

• 3. At what stage are you with your thesis
  writing?
• Not yet started getting ready!
• Beginning - topic, reading, writing a proposal
• Middle collecting analysing data, reading,
  drafting chapters
• Completing analysing data, reading, finalising
  chapters
• Your home campus?
• CE CW MG
  ML

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What are key thesis writing skills?

• Academic library research, information
  management, critical thinking,
• Self-management time management,
  resourcefulness, self-awareness, planning,
• Communication writing, presenting, using
  information, IT skills,
• Interpersonal team work, negotiation, peer
  assessment,
• Which are top 3 priorities for you?
• (UTS 2003, Strategies to advance research)

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What are key thesis writing skills?

• Academic library research, information
  management, critical thinking,
• Self-management time management,
  resourcefulness, self-awareness, planning,
• Communication writing, presenting, using
  information, IT skills,
• Interpersonal team work, negotiation, peer
  assessment,
• (UTS 2003, Strategies to advance research)

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Report genre is similar familiar

• Discipline All
• Purpose to test investigation assessment
• Tone formal objective with a heavy reliance on
  numbers and data
• Key features
• Highly predictable in its structure
• Numbered sections and subsections
• High use of tables and graphic representations of
  data
• High use of sources and reference list
• Often produced in teams

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Thesis genre

• Discipline Science humanities based
• Purpose to explore, in depth, a topic area by
  idenityfing a problem and solving it through
  thorough exploration (e.g. observation,
  interview, experimentation)
• Tone formal objective with a heavy reliance on
  numbers and data
• Key features
• Associated with postgraduate study
• Developed in close collaboration with a
  supervisor
• Highly predictable structure
• High use of tables and graphic representations of
  data
• High use of sources and reference list
• Examined

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• 1 Social cultural context 2 Purpose
• 3 Content 4 Writer
• 5 Intended audience 6
  Relationship
• 7 Setting 8 Structure
• 9 Tone
• 10 Discourse community expectations
• 11 Shared understanding between participants
• 12 Assumed background knowledge
• 13 Key vocabulary items
• 14 Typical patterns of grammar
• 15 Relations of genre with other genre

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• TASK
• Use the handout and in groups of 2-3 discuss
• What does each aspect of the thesis genre mean?
• What implications does the meaning have for your
  thesis writing?

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Social cultural context
• Complete a masters
• Status
• Good job prospects
• Proud of yourself
• High self-esteem
• Great sense of achievement

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Purpose
• Demonstrate ability to research
• Show learning in program
• Address a research issue
• Career step to PhD!

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Content
• Focused on one topic
• Up-to-date
• Linked to program
• Relevant
• Useful
• Logical argument

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Writer
• High level of written English
• Postgraduate level
• Intended audience
• Academic
• Interested in learning new knowledge from thesis

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Relationship between participants
• Respectful
• Supportive
• Seeking best outcome
• Setting
• Australian University
• International links
• Industrial links

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Structure
• Preliminaries (T, A, ToC)
• Introduction
• Literature review
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References
• Appendices

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Tone
• Formal
• Academic
• Discourse community expectations
• Clear, logical
• Easy to read
• Conform to regulations, template
• Professional presentation

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Shared understanding
• Concepts, skills attitudes
• Approach to thesis
• Disciplinary thinking
• Assumed background knowledge
• Using content from courses in program
• Accurate
• Up-to-date

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Expectations of the thesis genre

• Key vocabulary items
• Fit with discipline
• Technical language
• Typical patterns of grammar
• Correct and appropriate
• Verbs vary
• Some use of passive
• Use reference for linking
• Relationship with other genres
• Report writing

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Finding out more about expectations

• Find a thesis and examine it
• Ask your supervisor
• Go to library
• Search the Australian Digital theses online
• Check (refer to Craswell 2005, p. 28-30)
• Use of information
• Linguistics (the way language is used)
• Organisation
• Example
• Angela Clewer thesis some pages
• Activity Examine sections of the thesis, what
  evidence do you see of the expectations?

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TASK Writing an abstract

• Examine the structure of an abstract (Andrea
  Duff)
• Write your own abstract
• What is the context for your research? (1-2
  sentences)
• What is the purpose of your research? (1)
• What method(s) have you/will you use? (1-2)
• What are your results? (1-2)
• What is the significance/implications of your
  results? (1-2)
• Explain your research to another person

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Writing strategies

• What are three useful writing strategies you use?
  
• 1
• 2
• 3

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Writing strategies

• Three useful writing strategies I use are
• 1 EndNote or RefWorks to manage information,
  and read write critically
• 2 e-Research Diary date, time, words,
  action, reflection, plan, observation
• 3 100 words a day! ?

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Needs analysis - your thesis writing

• What is working well for you? Why?
• What is new different? Why?
• What seems most difficult at the moment? Why?
• What skills and strategies would you like to
  develop? Why?
• What burning questions do you have, that you
  would like answered?

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Lets take a break!
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Writing a literature review

• What is it?
• Why is it important?
• What is expected?
• How to write it?

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What is a literature review?

• Demonstrates
• depth of your reading
• scope of your reading
• your ability to critically analyse readings
• Identifies a gap in the research knowledge
• Presents your understanding of the topic

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Why is a LR important?

• Provides a basis and framework for your research
• Situates your research in previous research
• Presents your understanding of the topic

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What is expected?

• Logical order to information from the general to
  the specific
• Presents background to research
• Presents an argument (point of view)
• Establish the field
• Show topic is relevant
• State what is known
• Summarise previous related research
• Prepare for present research
• Show the gap why research is needed
• Introduce present research
• State purpose
• Present outline of research

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How to write a LR citation style

• Information integral, author non-integral
• The major impetus for this shift has
  predominantly stemmed from soaring mental health
  costs evident throughout the late 1980s and
  early 1990s (Eisen Dickey 1996)
• Author integral
• Campbell (1996) contended that psychologists are
  more adequately prepared to embrace this change.
• Author less integral
• In the literature, stress has been commonly
  viewed as contributing to the onset, progressions
  and relapse of several psychological disorders
  (Matheny et al. 1996 Pelletier 1992).

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How to write a LR order of info

• Different approaches or theories
• Most distant information research to closest
• Chronological - following date order

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How to write a LR - changing tense

• Information integral, author non-integral
• PRESENT tense
• Numerical models illustrate that these exchanges
  are deeply affected by land surface properties
  (Sato et al. 1989)
• Author integral
• SIMPLE PAST tense
• Campbell (1996) contended that psychologists are
  more adequately prepared to embrace this change.
• Author less integral
• PRESENT PERFECT (several authors, general
  research)
• In the literature, stress has been commonly
  viewed as contributing to the onset, progressions
  and relapse of several psychological disorders
  (Matheny et al. 1996 Pelletier 1992).

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Questions and feedback

• See you later!