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Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation. Alysoun Taylor-Hall October 26 , 2011. Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation. Establishing good research habits & tools Conducting your literature search Getting ready to write Writing: Introduction Abstract Body C onclusion Finishing your thesis

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Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation

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  1. Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation Alysoun Taylor-Hall October 26, 2011

  2. Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation • Establishing good research habits & tools • Conducting your literature search • Getting ready to write • Writing: • Introduction • Abstract • Body • Conclusion • Finishing your thesis • General writing tips • Uploading & Resources

  3. About Me BA in English w/Concentration in Professional Writing Certificate in Technical Writing MBA Program Coordinator for Ph.D. in Engineering Program Technical Writer/Editor for CDOC research group

  4. Establishing Good Research Habits • Document as you go • Keep a research notebook/journal • Archive your data • Learn to use available tools LaTeX: http://www.cs.wright.edu/~jslater/classes/Thesis-Dissertation.html Be sure to check out Dr. Slater’s “archiving data” link Thesis and Dissertation Handbook: http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.html

  5. Conducting Your Literature Search • Conduct your own comprehensive search • Start with current publications, but be sure to check older resources as well • Follow up on the works cited in relevant publications • Talk to other researchers in your field • Contact Phil Flynn, Engineering Librarian, for assistance with your search: phil.flynn@wright.edu 775-2533

  6. Conducting Your Literature Search • Document your search from the very beginning • Use available tools and resources RefWorks: http://www.libraries.wright.edu/quicklinks/refworks/ Jab Ref http://jabref.sourceforge.net/

  7. Getting Ready to Write Audience Analysis Who will be reading your thesis/dissertation? • Types of Audiences • General/lay audience • Expert audience • Executive audience • What do your readers know about your topic? • What do they need to know? Tip: As a writer, you sound “smart” when your reader can understand your ideas

  8. Writing Your Introduction Write your introduction first Use your research notebook/journal Lay out your argument for your topic Organize your thesis to support your argument

  9. Writing Your Abstract Generally a 1-page document that summarizes your research • Write for more of an executive audience • Keep sentences relatively short and direct • Limit explanations of complex concepts • Assume that many readers will only read the first page • Focus on your motivations • Why does this work need to be done? • Who will benefit?

  10. Writing Your Abstract • Allow plenty of time for revision • Ask other readers to read your abstract • Ask someone unfamiliar with your topic • Your abstract shouldbe as clean, clear, and concise as you can make it • Good practice for writing research proposals

  11. Writing the Body of Your Document • Remember audience analysis • What does your “expert” audience already know? • What do they need to know? • Remember to cite as you go • Graphs, figures, tables • Any language that is not your own • Some readers will skip around, so each chapter should stand alone to some extent • Point readers to where they need to go within the document

  12. Writing Your Conclusion • Provides a satisfactory stopping point for the reader • Generally relatively brief • No need to restate the entire abstract • In a thesis or dissertation, conclusion should emphasize findings and future work • Highlight original contribution • The only other part some readers will read • Make sure the conclusion is well edited

  13. Finishing Your Thesis • Allow plenty of time for revision and finishing • Edit your document thoroughly • Use spell-check and grammar tools http://www.cs.wright.edu/~jslater/classes/Thesis-Dissertation.html • Hire an editor if necessary • Follow the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.html • Include Acknowledgments • Be careful of personal acknowledgments • Request a Format Check

  14. Style Guides How do you know what format to use for your citations? Style guides provide specific guidelines: • Examples: MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian • Provide specific guidance on many style issues, including citations • Many disciplines have a standard style • Examples: Psychology uses APA; English uses MLA • Unfortunately, Engineering does not have a standard style guide

  15. Engineering Styles What style should you use? Check the University Libraries website to find style guides for your discipline: http://guides.libraries.wright.edu/content.php?pid=59883&sid=0 Check publications in your discipline and follow their format Ask your professor or advisor Ask the University Librarian

  16. Uploading • Convert your document to a PDF • Follow instructions on SoGS website http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/format.html#FD • Binding options http://www.thesisondemand.com/

  17. General Writing Tips Understand how readers process your writing Your goal is to make the reader’s job as easy as possible Save their energy to focus on your ideas, not your writing Effective writing doesn’t tire the reader

  18. General Writing Tips Understand how readers process your writing, cont. • Limitations of short-term memory • Present the information in the most logical order for ease of processing • Allow frequent breaks so readers can process what they’ve read and move it out of short-term memory • Parenthetical information demands more from your reader

  19. General Writing Tips • Punctuation provides sign posts to guide your reader through your document • Punctuation works best when it meets subconscious reader expectations • Written punctuation does not follow spoken “breaks” in the sentence • Learn to punctuate according to American English norms • Good punctuation • Keeps your reader from tiring • Allows your reader to focus on your ideas

  20. General Writing Tips Use active voice: Subject Verb Object not Object Verb (implied Subject) I will take out the trash not The trash will be taken out Active voice is far less tiring than passive voice

  21. General Writing Tips But . . . vary your writing style occasionally • Maintain reader interest • Too many sentences in the same style begin to sound “sing songy” • Invert the order of a few sentences • Combine two sentences • But make sure you do this correctly (not run on)

  22. Help with Writing Skills • EGR 535: Technical Communications for Engineering and Computer Scientists • University Writing Center http://www.wright.edu/academics/writingctr/

  23. Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Workshop • Held every year in the fall • Sponsored by the Graduate School • Contact Lisa Lewandowski: lisa.lewandowski@wright.edu 775-2976

  24. Resources Useful web resources for research writing: The School of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Handbook: http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.html University Libraries: http://www.libraries.wright.edu/ University Writing Center: http://www.wright.edu/uc/success/services/writing-center.html Other University-based Writing Websites: Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ The Writing Center @ Rennselear: http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/wc_web/school/index.htm

  25. Questions?

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