Dissertation/Thesis Writing Dr Íde O’Sullivan, Lawrence Cleary Shannon Consortium Regional...

Dissertation/Thesis WritingDissertation/Thesis WritingDissertation/Thesis WritingDissertation/Thesis Writing

Dr Íde O’Sullivan, Lawrence ClearyDr Íde O’Sullivan, Lawrence Cleary

Shannon Consortium Regional Writing Shannon Consortium Regional Writing CentreCentre

Regional Writing Centre 2

Workshop outline

• The writing process• Planning and outlining• Writing strategies

– Getting going– Keeping going– Getting unstuck– Finishing on time

• Peer review


Where am I?

• What writing have you done for the dissertation/thesis, and what writing do you need to do in order to complete the dissertation/thesis on time?

• Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes.• Write in sentences.• Do not edit or censor your writing.• Private writing — no one will read it.• Discuss what you have written in pairs.


Reflection and discussion

• ReflectionWhat impact did the previous exercise have on you?How might this type of writing activity be useful?

• DiscussionWhat do you worry about or struggle with when faced with a writing task?


Good writers engage in a writing process that

works

• Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing and Proofreading

• Assessing the context into which you write

• Assessing your own writing strategies, what works, and what is not working


The writing process

• Pre-writing• Drafting• Revising• Editing and Proofreading• Talking about writing• Getting feedback on writing


Prewriting• Planning

– Evaluating the rhetorical situation, or context, into which you write

– Choosing and focusing your topic– Establishing an organising principle

• Gathering information– Entering the discourse on your topic– Taking notes as a strategy to avoid

charges of plagiarism– Evaluating sources


Planning: Assessing the Rhetorical

Situation

• The Occasion• The Audience• The Topic• The Purpose• The Writer


Drafting• Try to visualise your dissertation or thesis.

Work toward that vision.• Begin to structure it—establish your section

headings; give them titles. These do not have to be permanent.

• Examine the logical order of ideas reflected in those titles.

• Do not get hung up on details; elements of the draft are subject to change in the revision stage.

• Start to write the sections that you are ready to write. Don’t try to write the Introduction merely because it comes first.


Structure• Chapter 1- Introduction• Chapter 2 - Background and

literature review• Chapter 3 – Research design and

methodology• Chapter 4 - Data analysis / results

and discussion • Chapter 5 – Conclusions and

recommendations


Outlining (Murray, 2006)

• Title and summary• Level 1 outlining

– Main headings

• Level 2 outlining– Sub-headings

• Level 3 outlining– Sub-sub headings


Writing goalsOutline Words/Timeframe

TitleChapter 1 (title)

Section 1 (title)Section 2 (title)Section 3 (title)

Chapter 2 (title)Section 1 (title)Section 2 (title)Section 3 (title)

Chapter 3 … … …


Drafting• Continue to reassess your rhetorical

situation.• Does what you have written so far

contribute to the achievement of your purpose?

• Experiment with organisation and methods of development.

• Don’t get bogged-down in details; focus on the big issues: organisation and logical flow.


Revising• Is your report logically organised?

– A good way to check the logical flow of your ideas is to outline your report AFTER you’ve completed your draft.

• What organises your text? Questions/Hypothesis/Claims

• Does each section contribute to your reader’s understanding of your topic? Does your report service your purpose, aims, and objectives?


Revising• Outline each section. How does each

paragraph contribute to our understanding of the topic of that section?

• Take a close look at paragraphs: Does each paragraph have a central idea? Does it have unity? Is it coherent and well developed?

• Is there a correspondence between the title of your report, your section headings and sub-headings and the central ideas in your paragraphs?


Flow• Logical method of development• Effective transition signals• Good signposting• Consistent point of view• Conciseness (careful word choice)• Clarity of expression• Paragraph structure

– Unity– Coherence


Paragraph structure• Chapters or sections are divided into

paragraphs in a meaningful way.• Like chapter and section headings,

paragraphs also signal the logically organised progression of ideas.

• Just as an essay is guided by a thesis statement, a paragraph is organised around its topic sentence.

• A topic sentence informs the reader of the topic to be discussed. It contains controlling ideas which limit the scope of the discussion to ideas that are manageable in a paragraph.


Paragraph structure: Unity

• Paragraphs should be unified.• ‘Unity means that only one main idea

is discussed in a paragraph. The main idea is stated in the topic sentence, and then each and every supporting sentence develops that idea’ (Oshima and Hogue, 1999: 18).


Paragraph structure: Coherence

• Coherence means that your paragraph is easy to read and understand because – your supporting sentences are in some

kind of logical order– your ideas are connected by the use of

appropriate transition signals– your pronoun references clearly point to

the intended antecedent and is consistent

– you have repeated or substituted key nouns. (Oshima and Hogue, 2006: 22)


Revising• Do the methods used to illuminate your topic

lead to logical discovery?• No truths are self-evident. • Claims have to be defended with evidence.

– Processes have to be described and explained;

– Design features and research methods have to be justified;

– The justification for generalisations and conclusions need to be made explicit;

– The criteria used to qualify our results also needs to be explicitly put forward and evaluated for objectivity;

– Underlying assumptions need to be evaluated for their objectivity.


Editing and proofreading

• This is the careful editing of each line and each graphic to ensure that the material is expressed in simple, clear correct English.

• Once the report is cogent, it must be made to be coherent.

• Work methodically, checking one feature at a time.

• Do not exclude formatting issues.• Editing and proofreading is more than just

grammar and punctuation; it is also about voice, rhythm, tone, style and clarity.


Tips for editing• Set it aside for a few days and come

back with a fresh eye• Get someone else to proofread it as well

as you• Use the print preview button to check

layout • Always proofread on hardcopy• Hold paper below the line you are

proofreading• Use the find button to make changes• Be consistent!!


Editing a reference list• Check that in-text dates and page

numbers match reference list.• Only enter names in reference list that

you have mentioned in your text – it’s not a bibliography.

• Make sure that if a name is mentioned in the document that is in included in the reference list.

• Do a separate edit of your reference list, checking everything matches, everything is included and it is consistent.


Revision: Checklist• Macro Issues

− content and organisation− logical sequence of ideas− audience adaptation− purpose

• Micro Issues− grammar− style− format

• Only edit one thing at a time• Listen to your voice


Revision: Checklist• Revising the structure

– Introduction– A clear logical structure– Your arguments / evidence– Conclusion

• Revising the research methodology/design and methods

• Revising the content – Accuracy– Style– Use of words


Revising the structure

• Introduction– Have you stared what you are doing

and why?– Have you outlined the structure?– Have you mapped the plan?

• Swales’ (1990) CARS model• Create a Research Space


CARS model• Establishing a territory

– Claiming centrality– Reviewing items of previous research

• Establishing a niche– Counter-claiming– Identifying a gap– Question-raising

• Occupying the niche– Outlining purpose

Swales’ (1990:141)


Revising the structure

• A clear logical structure– Did you lead the reader clearly through

the dissertation?– Did you follow the map outlined in the

introduction?– Did you give directions to the reader?

(Check coherence, topic sentences and transition signals.)

– Have you delivered on all your promises?


Revising the structure• Your arguments / evidence

– Is each argument developed sufficiently?– Do you give enough evidence to support

your argument?– Do you use the appropriate language to

reflect the evidence?– Is the content of each paragraph

relevant?– Does irrelevant information get in the

way?• Conclusion


Revising the research methodology

• Is the methodology appropriate? • Are the following clear and appropriate?

– Sampling strategy– Data collection– Data analysis

• Are the findings presented clearly?• Are the findings supported by sufficient

data?• How important are the findings?


Revising the content• Accuracy

– Facts: Is the content accurate?– Quotations: Is it clear which ideas

are mine / those of others?– Are all sources and references

acknowledged?– Is everything in the bibliography?


Revising the content• Style / use of words

– Are there words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs that are unnecessary?

– Will the reader get lost in long sentences?– Are there any obscure / ambiguous

words?– Is the appropriate voice used?– Are there unnecessary modifiers?

• Final read– Does it flow smoothly / read well?– Is it interesting?– Is the pace / rhythm appropriate?– Does it look neat and professional?


New writers’ errors(Murray, 2005:4)

• “Writing too much about ‘the problem’.”

• “Overstating the problem and claiming too much for their solution.”

• “Overstating the critique of others’ work.”

• “Not saying what they mean, losing focus through indirect writing.”

• “Putting too many ideas in one paper.”


Sample comments• The main criticism of the thesis is that the

research was not focused enough in the topic under discussion.

• There was a sense of ‘stop & start’ throughout the thesis, particularly in the earlier chapters making it a challenge to follow the argument.

• A bit unwieldy, lacking clarity and focus. A research topic needs to be more than ‘interesting’.

• Descriptive analysis only and little basis to support conclusions.

• The qualitative approach was very subjective - this needed additional explanation.


Writing strategies• Where and when do you write?• Why are you not writing?• Write about why you are having

difficulty making advances in your paper– “I don’t feel ready to write.”– Writers’ block– … … …


Writing strategies• Why write about why you are having

difficulty? – It gets the fingers tapping and the cerebral

juices flowing.– An awareness of fears and anxieties helps

you to develop strategies to overcome those emotional roadblocks.

– You may discover that the reason that you are having difficulty is that there is some chink in the logic of your argument that you must either fill or that requires a major rethinking of the line of reasoning.


Writing strategies• Getting unstuck

– Writing to prompts/freewriting (write anything)

– Set writing goals– Write regularly– Integrate writing into your thinking– Break it down into a manageable process

• Be patient• Be creative• Taking pleasure in writing • Be proud of your writing


Writing strategies

• Don’t allow yourself to freeze up. When you are feeling overwhelmed…– Satisfy yourself with small advances

until you feel more confident and unstuck.

– Seek help. Talk to friends. Talk about how you feel, but talk about your ideas as well.

– Eat lots of ice cream and candy.


Writing a ‘page 98 paper’

• Early: to establish direction/focus• Associate your project with the literature• Distinguish your project from the literature• Build on research question/hypothesis• Focus reading/thinking• Manageable writing task: 325 words• To develop thinking about your thesis

thesis?• Late: to focus thinking as you draft

conclusion and revise your introduction(Murray, 2006: 105)


Writing a ‘page 98 paper’

• My research question is … (50 words)• Researchers who have looked at this

subject are … (50 words)• They argue that … (25 words)• Debate centres on the issue of … (25

words)• There is work to be done on … (25 words)• My research is closest to that of X in that

… (50 words)• My contribution will be … (50 words)

(Murray, 2006: 104)


Peer support• Dialogue about writing • Getting feedback on writing• Peer-review

– Generative writing– The “writing sandwich” (Murray,

2005:85): writing, talking, writing– Writing “buddies” (Murray and

Moore, 2006:102)– Writers’ groups– Writers’ retreats


Works cited• Brown, R. (1994/1995) ‘Write Right First Time’,

Literati Club, Articles on Writing and Publishing, Special Issue for Authors and Editors.

• Elbow, P. (1973) Writing without Teachers. New York: Oxford University Press.

• Murray, R. (2005) Writing for Academic Journals. UK: Open University Press.

• Murray, R. (2006) How to Write a Thesis. UK: Open University Press.

• Murray, R. and Moore, S. (2006) The Handbook of Academic Writing: A Fresh Approach. UK: Open University Press.

• Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. (2006) Writing Academic English, 4th ed. New York: Pearson Education.

• Swales, J. (1990) Genre Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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