Creating and shaping the thesis

1. Creating and shaping the thesis Aspects on composing the thesis Sven-Erik Hansén & Jan Sjöberg ÅboAkademi University 2013

2. To be a doctoral student • To be committed(ethics of research) • To decisively choose and keep the road • To re-organize the working life • To decisively believe in the project • To work systematically and persistently • To formulate realistic time frames • To identify the personal way of working • To read current literature and make continuous notes • To be engaged in cooperation; to conquer a scientific culture (networks, colleagues, congresses etc.) • To actively apply for funding • To participate and present research in congresses and seminars • To write and publish scientific articles in journals, preferable referee journals, during the research process • To live a good life

3. Structuring the thesisOne rational Research questions Research problem Concluding discussion Results conceptualized Selection of method Description of method and data Theoretical background Description of the results The overall aim Positioning The topic Principles of analysis Validity, Reliability

4. The relationshipbetween a monography and an articlebaseddoctoralthesis Methodological approach, data, Principles of analysis Concluding discussion Results conceptualized Research- problem Theoretical frame Presentation of the results Article 1 Article 2 Article 3

5. The structure of the thesis”Check list” A schematic example Problem and overall (general) aim • Motives behind the selection of the topic • The overall aim • Positioning of the topic The theoretical frame • Earlier research within the topic • Theories of the topic • Definitions of notions and arguing discussion • Conclusions Method, material • Research questions (Specific questions) Generated from the problem, the general aim and the theoretical frame Directed to the empirical material • Principles of collecting empirical data • Principles of describing and analyzing the empirical data • Reliability and validity Description of the results • The structure • Figures, tables, excerpts etc • Description – interpretation Concluding discussion • Return to the point of departure – the problem and the general aim • The main results • Relating the results to other research findings • Critical discussion (design, methods etc.) • Suggestions for further research

6. Research problem What is a research problem? The starting point Might refer to personal experiences, bad conditions, tendencies of change, lack of research, debates etc. Might be expressed in terms of motives or reasons Part of the research task Can change through the research process

7. The statement of the research problem A schematic example Introduction, background Statement of the research Problem in terms of motives or reasons (examples: personal, shortage of research, current societal problem etc.) Relevance of the study Positioning the topic Theoretical background. literature review Stating the overall aim Structuring the thesis

8. Research problem (2) • Needs to be clearly specified, and targeted • Conducts the selection of the theoretical perspectives, and the methodological approach • Functions as an ingress to the research task • Forms the criteria of relevance • The overall aim stems from the research problem • The overall aim points to the selected theoretical themes

9. Theoretical background, literature reviewA schematic example What themes? Why these themes? 1 Theme 1 Research questions stemming from the theoretical background The overall aim Keywords pointing to the themes in the theoretical background 2 Theme 2 Summarizing discussion Research problem Theme 3 3 Arguing and analyzing text

10. Composing the theoretical background (Literature review) • Coverage • Criteria for exclusion and inclusion • Synthesis • Writing a synthesis of research done within the field and exposing the need for research • Methodology • Critical discussion about the relevance of the methods in the used research (advantages and disadvantages) • The ground under the results • Significance • How does the used research illuminate the practical and scientific significance of the chosen research problem? • Rhetoric • Linguistic shape, notions, coherence and structure • (Boote & Beile, 2005)

11. Scoring the TheoreticalFramework

12. How to structure a chapter or a sub-chapter Ingress: Arguing meta text: Which themes and why? 1 2 3 1 1 Arguing meta text: Which sub themes and why? 1 2 3 Summarizing remarks 2 Arguing meta text: Which sub themes and why? 1 2 3 Summarizing remarks 3 Arguing meta text: Which themes and why? 1 2 3 Summarizing remarks Concluding discussion The essence of each theme (1,2,3) and the total picture. Coherence between ingress and conclusion

13. How to conceptualize the text Theory 1 Operationalized definition Theory 4 Theory 2 Theory 3

14. Academicwriting: The sentence • The sentence to understand should make a smooth transition from old information to new ones. • Start with something familiar to readers and ending with new information. • A well-written paper requires that all sentences start with “old” information (i.e. linked backward). • The golden rule for writing the start of a sentence is to ask yourself this question: • Have did I introduced this concept before? • In the majority of papers that are difficult to read, new concepts are often used without proper introduction.

15. Academicwriting: The paragraph • Each paragraph (or other kind of an integrated unity) should only tell one story about onesubject. • Start with a topical sentence and end with a summary or transition sentence for the next paragraph. • Sentences contained in the paragraph should logically link each other from the beginning to the end and flow from old to new information. • Multiple points in one paragraph will make it difficult for the readers to know what to follow and what the paragraph tries to say.

16. Academicwriting: The paragraphcont. • Topical sentence (key term, expression) at beginning of a paragraph to illustrate • the topic of the entire paragraph • a transition sentence at the end of paragraph to link next paragraph. • Let the text be an integrated whole rather than a random collection of sentences. • A linked article/thesis from title to discussion will make reading understandable and enjoyable for the readers.

17. Cohesion • ”Sammanhållande kraft” mellan olika delar av samma företeelse • Att integrera sammanhängande tankegångar i meningsstrukturen: • Strukturen på en mening: • Början av en mening knyter ihop tankegången med den föregående: • Senare delen av meningen skall bära ny information som bildar utgångspunkten för nästa: Inledning på ny mening: Frågan aktualiserar tre teman... För det andra... Vidare... Dessutom... Därutöver... Ytterligare... En aspekt måste tilläggas... Denna bild måste kompletteras... Såsom redan framhållits... Emellertid... Å andra sidan... Företeelsen är ju... Vänder vi på resonemanget... Hur fungerar principen i följande fall...? Slutligen... Anknytning till föregående tanke och till ny information

18. Methodologicalissues

19. Research questions, method (s), empirical data, principles for description and analysis A schematic example Principles for describing and analyzing data Research questions or Specific aims Selection of and Description of the method (s) Empirical data Instrument (s) Validity, reliability, ethics Description of the results Theoretical background Possible method (s)

20. Describing the results A schematic example Methods, material, Principles foranalysis Conclusions Discussion Presentation of the Results Organizing principle: Description Question 1 Analysis Selection and description of of the method/s Selection of empirical data Principles for analysis Reliability, validity Ethics Description Question 2 Research questions Analysis Description Question 3 Analysis

21. Coding and categorizing(Mainly qualitative data) Open codingSelective coding Aspects Theoretical notions Data: Interviews Questionnaires Observations Documents, etc preliminary categories Focusing Categories of description

22. Exposing variations withina research question The research question Category 3 Category 1 Category 4 Category 2

23. Exposing variations within acategory The nature of the category Aspects Aspects Aspects Aspects

24. Description and analysis of the results

25. Results Outline of the section dealing with the results Structure: According to the research questions Description: Plain description Description and discussion Documentation: Figures Tables Excerpts

26. Results Descriptive design; Plaindescription Abstract Concrete The progress

27. Results Divided design; Description and summarizingdiscussion Abstract Concrete The progress

28. Results Integrated design; Description and analysis Abstract Concrete The progress

29. Discussion(Concluding discussion) • Discussion of the results Discussion/ Interpretation of the results : -conceptualizing the results -practical implications -general picture Critical discussion -method/s -results Further research Back to the starting point Point of departure Overall aim Short description of the results Research questions Connection to the Theoretical framework Method/s Overall aim Theoretical framework

30. Akribi Vetenskaplig noggrannhet, pålitlighet (grek. Akribeia = punktlighet, noggrannhet): • Referenser • Noggrann återgivning av använd litteratur; precisera • Skilj mellan referat och citat • Skilj mellan refererad text och författarens argumentation • Noggrannhet i utformningen av referenslistan (återgivna referenser skall återfinnas i listan) • Konsekvens • I referens- och citatteknik • I rubriksättning och numrering • Välj en princip som följs avhandlingen igenom • I utformning av figurer och tabeller • I figur- och tabelltexter • Språk- och begreppsbruk • Stilmässig jämnhet • Språklig korrekthet • Klart definierade begrepp • Samma abstraktionsnivå och språklig form på begrepp som beskriver företeelser (t.ex. kategorinamn) som är nära relaterade till varandra