Putting Your ThesisPutting Your ThesisTogether Together

Dr Sato Juniper Dr Sato Juniper Graduate Research & ScholarshipsGraduate Research & Scholarships

sato.juniper@uwa.edu.ausato.juniper@uwa.edu.au

ThesesTheses

• 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.

SubSub --thesestheses

• 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 writingFeatures 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 thesisHow to format your thesis

• 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 ponderSome thoughts to ponder• Good writing is not difficult - the thinking

is the really difficult bit

• Many people would sooner die than think. In fact, they do. (Bertrand Russell)

• 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 Data, knowledge, information and wisdomwisdom

• Data: the stuff we measure and record• Information : data that are processed to

be useful; provides answers to how much, which, what, when, where, whoquestions.

• 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

ThinkingThinkingResearch 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 MethodWhat I did to test my hypotheses

Research ResultsWhat I found

Discussion/evaluationWhat my findings mean in relation to my hypotheses and other

research, both past and potential

Thinking: The Thesis BrainstormThinking: 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/thesisstatement/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 StoryboardThe 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.

ReadersReaders ’’ ExpectationsExpectationsEffective 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 reader-focussed …

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 Reader prediction –– topic & contenttopic & 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 Position is pivotal, and so is signpostingsignposting

• 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 phrasesTransition 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 Predictive Statements and OrganisersOrganisers

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 Predictive statements –– 2 kinds2 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 order2. 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

OrganisersOrganisers

• 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 DividersUnifiers 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 (contUnifiers and Dividers (cont ’’d)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 statementsTransition 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…

HintHint

• 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 readersFulfilling your readers ’’ predictionspredictions• 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 fluencyCheck 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 avoidCommon mistakes to avoid

• 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 diagramsCharts, 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

• Make table design simple• Minimise the number of rules• Label graph axes• Use standard units

How to Construct Bad Charts and How to Construct Bad Charts and GraphsGraphs

• 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 writingGiving 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 feedbackReceiving 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.