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ThesisWritingGuide
TheWritingCenter
American
University
of
Beirut
ThisguidewascomposedfortheWritingCenterbyOlgaHabre,Fall2007.
ThisguidewasreformattedandupdatedbyEmilyCraigheadAbuatieh,Fall2010.
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CONTENTSHOWTOUSETHISMANUAL............................................................................................................3 CONTENTREQUIREMENTSFORTHESIS............................................................................................4 THEPROCESS:PREPARINGANDWRITINGTHETHESIS.....................................................................5 PREPARINGTOWRITETHETHESIS ..................................................................................................6BEREALISTIC ..........................................................................................................................................6
THEWRITINGPROCESS ............................................................................................................................6
CHOOSINGATOPIC.................................................................................................................................. 7
KEEPINGARESEARCHLOG ........................................................................................................................ 7
CONDUCTINGAPRELIMINARYSTUDY ..........................................................................................................7
SCHEDULING...........................................................................................................................................8
CHOOSINGACOMMITTEEANDADVISOR .....................................................................................................8
CHECKLISTBEFOREMOVINGON .................................................................................................................8
WRITINGTHEPROPOSAL ................................................................................................................9PURPOSEOFTHEPROPOSAL ...................................................................................................................... 9
TITLEOFTHEPROPOSAL ...........................................................................................................................9
WRITINGTHEPROPOSAL .......................................................................................................................... 9
BROWSINGSAMPLETHESES ...................................................................................................................... 9
WRITINGTHELITERATUREREVIEW .............................................................................................................9
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................10
METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................10
PROPOSALMEETING ..............................................................................................................................10
WRITINGTHETHESIS.....................................................................................................................11 THERESULTSSECTION............................................................................................................................11
TABLESANDGRAPHS..............................................................................................................................11
THEDISCUSSIONSECTION .......................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................11
WRITINGANABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................................11
FORMATTINGTHETHESIS .............................................................................................................12REVISING..............................................................................................................................................12
STYLE ..................................................................................................................................................12
ORGANIZATION .....................................................................................................................................12
CITATIONANDDOCUMENTATION .............................................................................................................12
AUBREQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................................12
COPYRIGHTINGYOURTHESIS........................................................................................................13 TIPSANDADVICE ..........................................................................................................................14THETHESISDEFENSE.....................................................................................................................15 OTHERHELPFULRESOURCES.........................................................................................................16 APPENDICES..................................................................................................................................17
APPENDIX1:THESISPROPOSALOUTLINES .................................................................................................17
APPENDIX2:SAMPLEPAGES ...................................................................................................................19
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HowtoUsethisManualWritinga thesiscanbebothadifficultandexciting task.Yet thecreativityof theproject,
thoroughnessof theresearch,and insightof theanalysisareonlypartof thework.Many
graduate
students
are
not
sure
how
to
begin,
what
to
put
into
a
thesis,
and
how
to
organize
the work. This booklet is a comprehensive guide to writing a thesis at the American
UniversityofBeirut. Although it isspecificallycateredtomasterstheses,thismanualcan
alsoserveasaguideforthosecompletingPh.D.dissertationsandotherwritingprojects.
Areyouhavingproblems thinkingofa topic?Checkout ThePreparationStage section.
Have you gotten started, but are having problems actually writing and organizing your
thesis?Takea lookatTheWritingStagesegment. Ifyouvedone thewritingbutarent
surewhatitshouldlooklike,youmaywanttoconsultTheFormattingStage.
Alongwithstepstowritingyourthesis,thishandbook introducesandexplainsthedefense
of
the
thesis
in
the
Submitting
and
Defending
section.
Guidance
from
your
advisor
is
essential,butyoullfindtheanswerstoyourbasicquestionsanduncertaintieshere.
DisclaimerThisguidewaswrittenfortheAUBWritingCenter,andisintendedasasupplement,notasa
substitute
for
AUBs
official
Thesis
Manualthe
university
guidelines
for
submitting
a
thesis,postedontheJafetLibrarywebsiteat:
http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/thesismanual.htm
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ContentRequirementsforThesisBlankpage RequiredTitlepage RequiredThesis
approval
page
Required
Thesisreleaseform Required
Acknowledgements Ifany
Abstract RequiredPreface Optional
Tableofcontents RequiredListoffigures/illustrations Ifany
Listoftables Ifany
Listofabbreviations Ifany
Glossary Ifany
PreliminaryPages
Dedication Ifany
Introduction
Literaturereview
Methodology
Results
Discussion
BodyofText
Conclusions
Required;
Organized
accordingto
conventionsof
specific
disciplines
Appendix Ifany
FootnotesandEndnotes Ifany
Bibliography/References/WorksCited RequiredEndPages
Index Ifany
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TheProcess:PreparingandWritingtheThesisWritinga thesis canbe complicated,but itdoesnthave tobe.Often,graduate students arenot
familiarwiththeprocessthatgoes intowritingandsubmittingathesis.Here isabasicoverviewof
whatstocome:1.Preparingforthethesismaytakeasmucheffortasthethesisitself.Itisimportantthatyouhavea
topicwhich isboth interesting toyou (youwillbespendinga lotof timeon it!)and realistic;you
shouldhaveanideaofwhatyouaregettingyourselfintobeforeyoustart.Preparationalsoinvolves
pickinganadvisorandacommitteeinfrontofwhomyouwilldefendyourthesis.
2. Writing a thesis proposal is the first formal writing step in the process. The proposal cansometimes be the first three chapters of the thesis (the introduction, literature review and
methodology),orattheveryleast,theirbeginnings.Whenaproposalhasbeenwritten,aproposalmeeting,ordefense,takesplacebetweenyouandthecommitteemembers inordertoverifythat
yourresearchplanisacceptable.
3.After
the
research
or
experiment
has
been
thoroughly
completed,
the
remaining
sections
of
the
thesisneedtobecomposed.Theseareusuallydivided intotheresults,discussion,andconclusions
chapters.
4.Onceyouvewrittenthethesis,youwillneedtowriteanabstracttoaddtothebeginning.
5.With the important thoughtsonpaper, you should consider theformatting aspect ofwriting:
style,generalorganizationandothertechnicaldetailsofthethesis.Therearealsocertainuniversity
requirementsofpaper,size,andotherlogisticalfeaturesthatneedtobecompleted.
6.After the thesis iscomplete,youwillneedtosubmit thethesis toyouradvisorandcommittee
members in advance, to give them a chance to read it before your defense. The actual thesisdefenseisapresentationofyourwork,followedbyquestioningbythecommittee.
GeneralResourcesTheAssociationforSupportofGraduateStudentshttp://www.asgs.org/
FirstThoughtstoFinishedWritinghttp://www.sss.uq.edu.au/linkto/phdwriting/
WritingandPresentingyourThesisandDissertation,byS.JosephLevinehttp://learnerassociates.net/dissthes/
TheWritingCenter,UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html
WritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDaybyJoanBolker,availableinAUBJafetLibrary
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PreparingtoWritetheThesisWriting a thesis is different frommany of the previous things youmay have done because it is
almost entirely defined by you and you have the freedom to do research an area of your own
interest. Itisimportantforyoutohavealotofacademic,aswellasemotionalsupport,duringthis
time,whether
from
your
advisor,
your
fellow
Masters
or
Ph.D.
candidates,
or
others.
BeRealisticIt isessentialtoberealisticaboutwritingyour thesis.Thethesis isanacademicrequirement,and
muchofitspurposelies initsprocessandwhatyou learnfromit.Second,itis importanttorealize
howmuchtimeyouarewillingtospendonthisprojectandtoactaccordingly.Ifyouraimistohave
astudythat lastsforyearsandyouhavethemeansandwilltodo it,thenforgeahead! However,
thinktwicebeforejumping intoastudythatyouwillbeunabletocomplete. Itsalso importantto
haveatopicwhichisnarrowenoughtobemanageable.
TheWritingProcessNeedlesstosay,yourthesiswill involvea lotofwriting.Ifyouareunsureofyourskillsasawriter,
perhaps you should brush up on your knowledge of the writing process.Writing is more than
copyingdownwords.Therearecertainstepsthatmustbe followedtoensurethatyourwriting is
coherent and clear. An important idea to remember is thatwriting is a process; you should be
writing throughout theprocess,notjustwhen the timecomes to turn ina finishedproduct. Its
helpful to keepanotebookof ideasand roughdraftsathandandcontinuouslywritedown your
thoughts.
TheWriting Center at AUB is a good place to go if you need any kind of help inwriting, from
brainstorming,organizing,editing,ortutorials ingrammarandmechanics.Somewebsitesthatwill
helpyouinthewritingprocessare:
TheAUBWritingCenterhttp://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webwrite/index.html
WestHall,Room336
AUBextension3157
Email:[email protected]
TheOWL(OnlineWritingLab)atPurdueUniversityhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
WritingforChangebyAlanBarker,FirozeManil,andJudithCharltonhttp://www.idrc.ca/IMAGES/books/WFC_English/WFC_English/
TheWritingCenteratPrincetonUniversityhttp://webware.princeton.edu/sites/writing/writing_center/wcwritingresources.htm
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ChoosingaTopicThefirststepinanywritingprocessistochooseatopiconwhichtowrite.Ifyouarenotsureabout
howtostart,which is likelytobethecase,youshouldtrybrainstorming. Itsagood ideato read
relevantarticlesandbooksthatcoverthegeneralareaofyourstudy.Articlesareavailablethrough
AUBlibrariesathttp://olib.aub.edu.lb/cgibin/jl_w207.sh.Thenthinkofallpossibleideas,anddont
leaveanything
out;
you
never
know
how
one
idea
might
lead
to
another.
Dont letotherpeople interferewithyouoryour ideas inanegativeway.Afterall,thisresearch is
yours,soyoushouldbemakingallthedecisions.Beascreativeasyoucanbe,andmostimportantly,
write all your thoughtsdown.Whatmay seem like a doubtful ideaonemomentmay eventually
becomemoreandmorepromising.Writingdown ideashelpsyou to remember themandmakes
themmoreconcrete,somethingyoucanaddtoandbuildon.
Thefollowingwebsitesmayalsobehelpful:
"SomeThoughtsonDissertationProposalWriting,"byChrisM.,Goldehttp://chris.golde.org/filecabinet/disspropose.html
KeepingaResearchLogAfteryouhavesome ideaofwhatyouwanttodo,anotherhelpfulsuggestionmightbetokeepa
recordofrelevantorpotentiallyrelevantliterature.Thiswayitwillbeeasierforyoutoactuallyget
towriting.Youcanwritedownnamesofbooksandcitations,photocopyarticles,andorganizethem
accordingtocategories.
ForhelpwithresearchatAUB,youcanvisittheJafetLibraryandattendaThesisClinic:
http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/tclinics/tclinics.htm
Youcanalsocreateyourowndatabaseofelectronicresources(RefWorks)atAUB. Tolearnhowto
usethis
citation
software,
consider
scheduling
an
appointment
with
alibrary
specialist.
Youmayalsowanttoscheduleoneononeappointmentswithlibraryspecialiststohelpyoulocate
informationonyourtopicinallthelibrarysresources,includingprintandelectronicresources. To
fillouttheappointmentrequestformvisit:
http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/forms/instrform.html
ConductingaPreliminaryStudyIts issmart tohaveapreliminarystudy thatprecedesyourofficial research.Thiswillgiveyouan
ideaofwhatyourthesismightbe,howmuchtimeyouwillneed,orifyouliketheideaatall.Useit
asanexperimenttotestoutsomeideasyouhave.
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SchedulingKeepingascheduleisakeyaspectofwritingathesis.Creatingaroughtimelineorchecklistwillhelp
you focusondeadlines,universitydetermineddeadlinesand/orthoseyouveset foryourself. It is
alsohelpful toput this timeline inaplacewhereyouwillalways see it, inorder tobeconstantly
remindedofyourwork.
Youmightthinktoorganizeyourtimelineshouldintofivesections:
1. preparingforthethesis2. writingaproposal3. conductingresearch4. writingthethesis5. revisingthethesis
Giveyourselfenoughtimeforeachsectionandstayonschedule!
Thefollowingwebsitemaybehelpfultoyou:
TheWritingCenter,UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html
ChoosingaCommitteeandAdvisorChoosingacommitteeandadvisor isanothercrucial step in theprocessofpreparingyour thesis.
Whetheryoupickanadvisorfirstandthenchooseatopicwiththeirhelp,orpickatopicandthen
choose a suitable advisor, isup to you.Regardless, a good advisor canbe a veryuseful asset in
helpingtodirectyouthroughyourthesiswritingaswellastoguideandsupportyourideas.Agood
advisorwill have time to listen and respond thoughtfully. An advisory committee needs to be
chosenaswell; itsbesttopickpeoplewhoareencouragingofyour ideasandwillhelpyourather
thanharmyouduringyourwritinganddefense.
Checklistbeforemovingon1. AmIfamiliarwithresearchdonebyotherpeopleinmyfieldofresearch?2. DoIhaveaclearunderstandingofthestepsIwilltaketoconductmystudy?3. DoIhavetheabilitytogetthroughthestepsandcompletemystudy?4. AmImotivatedtogetthroughmyentireresearchstudy?
Ifyouansweredyestoallofthesequestions,thenyouareprobablyreadytomoveontothenext
stage:writingtheproposal!
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WritingtheProposalPurposeoftheProposalThepurposeofaproposalistoexplaintothecommitteeatyourproposalmeeting,thetype,scope,
andnatureofyourresearch.Theproposalisthefoundationofthethesis.
Writingaproposal isthefirstformalstep inwritingthethesis. It is importantnottorush intothis
beforeclearlydefiningyourideasandcompletingeachstepofthepreparationstageproperly.
TitleoftheProposalYourproposal should includeaworking title, that is,one thatmaybechanged later.Agood title
mentionsthemostimportantkeytermsinthebeginningandusesclear,unambiguousphrasing.
WritingtheProposalAproposaliswritteninfuturetenseandusuallyconsistsofthefirstthreechaptersofthethesis:the
introduction, literaturereviewandmethodology.Although it ishelpfultowritethefullchaptersat
this
point
and
not
pile
up
the
work,
many
people
do
not
actually
write
the
full
three
chapters.
A
solid
foundationforthechaptersissatisfactory.
BrowsingSampleThesesAgoodwaytostartwritingaproposalistoreadanexampleofonetogetanideaofwhatitshould
looklike.Youradvisorshouldhavesomeoldproposalsforyoutoexamineoryoucouldfindthemon
yourownattheAUBlibrariesusingthefollowinglink:
http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/how/find_thesis.pdf.
YoucanalsoaccessDigitalDissertationathttp://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/gateway.This isan
onlinedatabaseofthesescompleted intheUSandEuropewhichoffersa24pagepreviewofthe
thesisfor
free.
It
will
give
you
achance
to
see
what
topics
people
outside
of
Lebanon
are
writing
aboutaswellastheformatstheyusefortheirtheses.
WritingtheLiteratureReviewTheliteraturereviewallowsyoutoprocesstheavailableresearchrelatedtoyourtopic.Thisiswhere
your research log of relevant literature will come in handy. The literature review should be a
comprehensivereviewofalltheresearchthatsbeendoneinthefieldofyourstudy.Youshouldnot
simply summarize books and articles in your literature review, but insteadmention key issues,
researcherstheories,experiments,andproposedstudiesinthisfield.
Thesewebsiteshelpspecificallyinwritingaliteraturereview:
"TheLiteratureReview:AFewTipsonConductingIt,UniversityofTorontohttp://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specifictypesofwriting/literaturereviewTheWritingCenter,UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html
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IntroductionThe introduction describes your thesis briefly. The introduction will include the background
information, theproblemyour studyaddresses,a rationale forwhyyour research isneeded,and
what you plan to research. You also need to state the research questions thatwill guide your
research.Theywilllinkbetweenyourresearchandpreviousresearch.
MethodologyThenyoucanmoveontothemethodologysectionofyourproposal.Methodologyshouldbechosen
carefully;considerallofyouroptionsbeforechoosinghowyouwillproceedwithyourexperimentor
analysis. Sometimes youwill even be able to use combinedmethodology or develop your own
instruments. Ifyouhavefinancialneedsforyourexperimentoranalysis,besuretobudgetforyour
methodology.
Themethodology sectiondescribeshowyour researchwillbeperformedand theprocessyougo
through. This includes the typeof researchmethodsaswell as a stepbystepdescriptionof the
research. You can alsodiscuss the differentmaterials and apparatuses youwilluse in the study,
includinganything
from
surveys
in
the
social
sciences,
to
raw
materials,
or
chemicals
and
equipment
inthehardsciences.Youwillalsoneedtodiscusstheparticipants ifrelevanttoyourstudy): how
youchoose them,onwhatbasis,who theyare,background information,etc.Discussinghowyou
plantoanalyzeyourdata isalso important.Youmayalsomentionwhenandwhereyourresearch
willbeconducted.
Eachdepartmentmayhavedifferentguidelines for this sectionof the thesis so it is important to
checkwith your advisor. InAppendix1 youwill find five sampleproposals fordifferent types of
studies.
ProposalMeetingOnce
you
have
finished
writing
athesis
proposal,
you
will
need
to
submit
one
to
the
deans
office,
as
wellastomembersofyourcommitteeforyourproposalmeeting.Planforyourmeetingwell;bythe
endoftheproposalmeeting,thecommitteeshouldfullyunderstandthatyouarereadytotakeon
thetaskofmovingforwardwithwellplannedresearch.
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WritingtheThesisAfter youhave finished theproposal and collecteddata, you shouldbeginwriting the thesis. Its
reasonabletostartwritingwhateverpartofthethesisyoufeelmostcomfortablewith.Youcanthen
movesectionsaroundandsequencethemasyouseefit. Atthispointyouwillneedtochangethe
tenseof
your
methodology
section
to
past
tense,
to
reflect
what
you
have
already
done.
You
may
needtoeditoraddtoyouroriginalproposalandmakeitintothethesis.
Theorganizationalformatprovidedinthismanualisasuggestedmeansoforganizingthethesis,but
isnotnecessarilyrequired foralldepartments.Remember,yourthesisadvisor is thegotoperson
foreverythingregardingyourthesis!
TheResultsSectionInthissection,youwillneedtostate theresultsofyourresearchwithoutdiscussingthem.There
maybegraphs,tables,figures,etc.,allofwhichyouneedtodescribe.Thissectionmaybeoptional
andvariesdependingonthedisciplineanddepartment.
TablesandGraphsMake sure you introduce anddescribe all graphs and figures in your text (youwill also need to
discusstheminthediscussionsection). Usesimilarwordingtodescribesimilargraphsforthesake
of clarity. At early stages in thewriting, keep the graphs simple or even handwritten.Creating
graphsonthecomputerwillonlytaketime,andmaynotbeusedormaybemodified;dontwaste
yourtimenowyoucanalwayscreatecomputergeneratedgraphsforthefinalproduct. Asection
inthepreliminarypagesshouldbededicatedtoalistoffiguresandgraphsinyourthesis.
TheDiscussionSectionIn the discussion section, youwill need to discuss the previouslymentioned results. You should
addressyourresearchquestionsandexplainhowyourresearchrelatestopreviousresearch.
ConclusionsIntheconclusionssection,makesure thatyouarediscussingoraddingsomethingnewabout the
research, and notjust restating the discussion chapter. Help the reader understand what your
researchmeansor implies.Writeabouthow thekey ideas inyour thesiscanbeapplied toother
fieldsofstudy.Sometimesthissectionisdonebestaftertakingabreakfromtherestofthethesis.
Beforeyoufinish,gobacktothebeginningofyourthesis,tothe introduction,andmakesurethat
everythingyousaidyouwouldcover iscompleted.Makesure thattheconcepts intheconclusion
arepresentedintheintroduction.Deliverwhatyoupromise!
WritinganAbstractAn
abstract
is
avery
brief
summary
of
the
main
points
of
your
research
that
will
be
placed
at
the
beginningofyourthesis.Itisimportanttoidentifytheresearchquestionsthatyoudealwithinyour
thesis. Makesureitcontainsthestatementoftheproblem,describesmethodsandprocedures,and
brieflyintroducestheresultsandconclusions.Thepurposeofanabstractistogiveotherresearchers
anideaofwhatyourthesisisabout.Givingtherightinformationinanabstractisimportantbecause
itwill informyourreadersaboutyourthesisquickly,allowingthemtodecidewhetherornot it is
relevantfortheirownresearch.Anabstractisusuallymaximumonepagelong,andoftenevenless.
Checkwithyourdepartmentfordetails.
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FormattingtheThesisRevisingRevisingisoftennotgiventheimportanceitdeserves.Makesureyoureviseyourthesisadequately
before submitting it.Revisioncanbeperformedonorganization, ideas,grammar,usage,etc.You
canget
help
from
aprofessional
editor
or
simply
have
peers
read
over
your
work.
The
AUB
Writing
Centerisagoodplacetogotohavesomeonereadyourwritingandhelpyoutorevisewhatyouve
written;afreshperspectiveisusuallyhelpfulingivingnewideasandrefiningoldones.
StyleThereisnospecificlengththatathesisneedstobe,buteachdepartmentmayhavespecifications;
youradvisorwillhelp youdecide thenumberofpages.All thesesneed tobewritten in English,
except theses in theArabicdepartment.Arabic thesiswriting stylesare the sameas theones for
English.Thepartsofthethesisthatrefertoresearchthathasalreadybeendoneshouldprobablybe
written inpasttense. Makesuretouseclearandunambiguouswords inyourwriting.Keepusing
thesametermsthroughouttorefertothesameconcept;itwillhelpkeepyourwritingclear.
Forspecific
questions
regarding
style,
contact
the
Archives
and
Special
Collections
Department
by
e
[email protected],orbytelephone(961)1350000ext.2609/10.
OrganizationThethesisshouldbedividedinto:preliminarypages,text,andendpages.Eachofthesepartsmaybe
dividedintosections.Acleartableofcontentsshouldexplaintheorganizationofthethesis.
CitationandDocumentationCitation isthedocumentingofothersourcesused inyourresearch.Differentdepartmentsrequire
differentcitationstyles.SomemayrequireAPA,othersMLA,stillotherstheChicagoorotherstyles.
Refertoyourdepartmentforinformationoncitationstyle.Ifnostyleisspecified,youshouldusethe
Turabianstyle.
References
on
how
to
use
these
styles
can
be
found
in
the
AUB
libraries
and
on
the
AUBWritingCenterwebsite.
AUBRequirementsTherearecertainrequirementsthatneedtobemet foryourthesistobeacceptedbyAUB.These
includesubmissiondeadlines,numberofcopies,size,paper,typeface,styleandform,organization,
andmuchmore.
Pleasevisitthefollowingwebsiteformoreinformationonthesissubmittingrequirements:
http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/thesismanual.htmDont
wait
until
the
last
minute
to
make
sure
your
thesis
is
formatted
correctly.
Visit
the
Archives
andSpecialCollections(ASC)DepartmentinJafetLibrary,fromMondaytoFriday,8:00am.to5:00
pmor contact themby email [email protected],orby telephone (961)1350000 ext.2609/10 for
questionsandcomments.Thisisalsotheplacetogoforthesissubmission.
Visitthefollowingsiteforquickguidelinesonformattingyourthesis:
http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/how/how.htm#11
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CopyrightingYourThesisAUBgivesstudentstocopyrighttheirthesesfortwoyears.
In the required release form at the beginning of the thesis, students can choose between two
options:
1.AuthorizetheAmericanUniversityofBeiruttosupplycopiesofmythesis/dissertation/projectto
librariesorindividualsuponrequest.
or
2. Do not authorize the American University of Beirut to supply copies of my
thesis/dissertation/projecttolibrariesorindividualsforaperiodoftwoyearsstartingwiththedate
ofthethesis/dissertation/projectdefense.
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TipsandAdvice(adaptedfromJoanBolkersWritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDay)
GettingStartedSometimesgettingstarted isthehardestpart.Hereafewtipstohelpyougetan ideaofwhatyou
wantto
do
1. Whenthinkingofathesistopic,thinkofwhathasinterestedyouinthepast,whatappealstoyou,andwhatyouwould liketoexplorefurther. Determinewhatkindofresearchothers
findinterestingandenjoyabletostudyandread.
2. Askforhelpfromyouradvisorandpeersandbeawareofwhatsourcesareavailableinyourfieldatthelibrary.Youradvisorcangiveyouhelpfulfeedbackonideasthatarefeasibleand
manageable,aswellasonesthatmaybetooextravagantandunrealistic.
3. Sometimesyoumaywanttopursueatopicthatishighlypopularatthemoment.Likewise,youmaywanttopursueanareaofresearchthat isrelativelynew,andthereforepossibly
contributesomething
new
and
exciting
to
the
field.
WhenYoureStuckSoyourewritingyourthesisanddoingfine,andthensuddenlyyougetwritersblock!Thefollowing
ideasmighthelpyougetoveryourwritersblock:
1. Takeabreak:maybeyoujustneeda15minute,orevenafewdaysbreak. Butdorespectyourdeadlines.
2. Make sure the goals you are setting for yourself are realistic. Having extremely highexpectationsforyourselfisoverwhelming.
3. Rereadwhatyouvewrittenalreadyandseeifanyinterestingpointsjumpoutatyou.Trytocommenton themand see if it takes you somewhere. Or look further into someof the
smallerconceptsyouvetalkedabout.Trytodigdeeperandseeifitwilltakeyouforward.
4. Inthefuture,endyourwritingatapointthatwillbeeasytopickupagainthenexttimeyouwrite.Writebeforeyoudoanythingelse;giveitpriority.
5. Considermeetingwith a colleague orwriting center tutor to discuss your research andwhereyoumightproceedfromthispoint.
InterruptionsInterruptions can be anything from a failing hard drive on a computer, to lackofmotivation, to
gettingsick.
Thefollowingarethingsyoucandointhecaseofaneventbeyondyourcontrol:
1. Planoutwhatyoucanandcannotdoaboutthesituation.2. Askyourselfifthiswilldelayyourthesisorcauseyounevertofinishit.3. Dontpanic.
IMPORTANTNOTE:Always keephard copy versionsof your thesis! Periodically,printoutahard
copyofyourthesisandkeepitinasafeplace!
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TheThesisDefensePreparingfortheDefenseAlthoughthenamethesisdefensesounds likesomethingfrightening, it isactuallyjustameeting
whereyou
will
explain
your
thesis
and
answer
questions;
you
do
not
actually
need
to
defend
yourself. Trytoattendathesisdefensetoseeexactlywhatitislike.Ifthatisnotanoptioninyour
department,askothersthathavegonethroughittodescribetheexperienceandgivetheiradvice.
Discussresearchwithotherswhomaybring insight intoyourpaper.Thequestionstheyaskcould
helpyouseewhereyouhaveaproblem.
Itsbesttoonlyallowyouradvisortoreadyourthesisasyouarewrite it;sticktothesuggestions
he/shemakes. Its better not to give copies of your thesis to your committee before you have
finishedwriting. Youmay think thiswillhelp,but if twomembersof the committeedisagreeon
something,youmayhaveaproblempleasingeverybody.
Makesure
to
meet
with
your
advisor
to
discuss
how
to
prepare
for
your
defense.
DuringthedefenseItshelpfultorememberthatthethesisdefenseismeanttobecriticalofyourwork.Agoodruleof
thumb is toansweronlyquestions,andnotcomments. Answeringeverythingsaid inthedefense
willonlymakeyoufrustratedandwontbehelpful. Instead,calmlysaythankyou,writeanotefor
yourselftocheckoverthispointlater,andproceedwiththedefense.
Although itshardtodetachyourself fromsomethingyouveputsomuchwork into,thiswillsave
you time,energy,andemotions.Youmayalsowant to tape recordyourdefenseso thatyoucan
actuallylistentothecommentsandleavethenotetakingforlater.
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OtherHelpfulResourcesBolker,Joan.WritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDay.NewYork:HenryHoltand
Company,1998.(AvailableinJafetLibrary)
Gibaldi,Joseph.TheMLAStyleManualandGuidetoScholarlyPublishing.NewYork:Modern
LanguageAssociationofAmerica,1998.
Crews,KennethD.CopyrightLawandtheDoctoralDissertation:GuidelinestoYourLegalRightsand
Responsibilities.AnnArbor:UniversityMicrofilms,Inc.,1992.
Day,RobertA.HowtoWriteandPublishaScientificPaper.5thed.Boulder,Colorado:NetLibrary,
Inc.,2000.Electronicaccess:http://encompass.library.cornell.edu/cgi
bin/scripts/ebooks.cgi?bookid=7615.
Murray,Rowena.HowtoWriteaThesis.Philadelphia:OpenUniversityPress,2002.(Availablein
Reference
section
of
Jafet
Library)
PublicationManualoftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation.6thed.Washington,D.C.:American
PsychologicalAssociation, 2009.
Strunk,William,Jr.,andE.B.White.TheElementsofStyle.4thed.Boston:AllynandBacon,1999.
TheChicagoManualofStyle.15thed.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,2003.
Turabian,KateL.AManualforWritersofTermPapers,Theses,andDissertations.6thed.Chicago:
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,1996.
GraduatestudiesintheFAFS:http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webfafs/pdf/graduate_manual.pdf
GraduatestudiesintheFEA:http://webfea
lb.fea.aub.edu.lb/ece/pages/public/Internal.aspx?tab=Static&Page=academics_graduate__manual
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APPENDICESAppendix1:ThesisProposalOutlines
ExampleOutlinesforFiveTypesofProposalsThe following five proposal outlines are modified from those listed by the Southern
Connecticut StateUniversity School ofGraduate Studies in their Revised Thesis Proposal
RequirementsandGuidelinesdatedMay1999.
ANOUTLINEOFANINVESTIGATIVEOREXPERIMENTALSTUDYA. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction
1. Statementofpurpose(s)2.
Literature
review
Relationship
of
study
to
related
research
and
analysis
of
pertinentresearch
3. StatementofneedorrelevanceofthestudyD. Methodology
1. Experimentaldesign(includemethodsandmaterials)
2. Subjectstobeused,ifappropriate
3. Measures used (surveys, interviews, psychological instruments, protocols,etcetera)
4. PlanfortheanalysisofdataE. ListofReferences
ANOUTLINE
OF
A
DESCRIPTIVE
OR
HISTORICAL
STUDY
A. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction
1. Statementofpurpose(s)2. Literature review Relationship of study to related research and analysis of
pertinentresearch
3. StatementofneedorrelevanceofthestudyD. Methodology
1. Researchplan2. Proposedchapterdevelopmentwithdiscussionofmajorsubheadings
E. ListofReferences
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ANOUTLINEOFANINTERPRETIVE,ANALYTICALORCRITICALSTUDYA. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction
1. Summaryoftheargumentanditssignificanceasacontributiontoknowledge2. Reviewofthecriticismandscholarlyliteratureonthesubject
D. MethodologyDescriptionoftheanalytical,critical,or interpretativemethodsandthetheoreticalapproachesthatwillbeused
E. ListofReferences
ANOUTLINEOFACREATIVESTUDY*A. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction
1. A clear, concise description of the nature and themes of the final creativeproduct
2.An
explanation
of
why
a
creative
thesis
was
chosen
and
why
the
specific
form
andgenrewereselected
D. MethodologyAbriefdiscussionofthemajorelementsofthecraftthatwillbeusedandhowthey
willbeusedtoachievecertainaimsoreffects.
E. ListofReferences*Examplesofresearchcreativemethods:ArtProject,MusicRecital,orCurriculumDevelopment
ANOUTLINEOFAQUALITATIVESTUDY*A. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction
1. Statement of purpose and/or a description of the phenomenon to be studiedincludingitssignificancetothefieldofstudyandresearchquestions.
2. Review of relevant research as appropriate to methodology used (includeresearcher'sperspective)
A. Methodology1. Sampleselection2. Datagatheringtechnique3. Dataanalysismethods4. Limitations5. Ethicalconsiderations
E. ListofReferences
*Examples of research using qualitative methods: phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded
theory,philosophicalinvestigations
adaptedfrom
http://www.tamucommerce.edu/honors/documents/Thesis_Proposal_Guidelines.doc
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Appendix2:SamplePages
BlankPage
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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
THESIS/DISSERTATION FULL TITLE
by
STUDENT FULL NAME
A thesis
submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Artsto the Department of English
of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
at the American University of Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon
Month Year
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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
THESIS/DISSERTATION FULL TITLE
by
STUDENT FULL NAME
Approved by:
[Signature]
______________________________________________________________________
[Dr. Full Name, rank] Advisor
[Department]
(as listed in AUB Catalogue of current year)
[Signature]
______________________________________________________________________
[Dr. Full Name, rank] Member of Committee
[Department]
[Signature]
______________________________________________________________________
[Dr. Full Name, rank] Member of Committee[Department]
Date of thesis/dissertation defense: [Month Day, Year]
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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
PROJECT FULL TITLE
by
STUDENT FULL NAME
Approved by:
[Signature]
______________________________________________________________________
[Dr. Full Name, rank] First Reader
[Department]
(as listed in AUB Catalogue of current year)
[Signature]
______________________________________________________________________
[Dr. Full Name, rank] Second Reader
[Department]
Date of project presentation: [Month Day, Year]
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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
THESIS/DISSERTATION/PROJECT RELEASE FORM
I, [Name of Student in full]
authorize the American University of Beirut to supply copies of my
thesis/dissertation/project to libraries or individuals upon request.
do not authorize the American University of Beirut to supply copies of my
thesis/dissertation/project to libraries or individuals for a period of two years starting
with the date of the thesis/dissertation/project defense.
Signature
Date
(Check whichever wording is applicable)N.B. This form is signed when submitting the thesis to the Archives Librarian.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks are for Mrs. Diana Abi Said, Miss Mona Al-Sayed for their great helpin the computer work and for Mr. Mohammed Naja for his assistance in the technical work.
My recognition and gratitude are addressed to INRA-FRANCE (Institut National de
Recherche Agronomique) for its financial support and for providing tomato seeds, and to
Debbaneh Frres company for providing the greenhouse and tomato seeds.
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF
Rami Ali Dalloul for Master of ScienceMajor: Poultry Science
Title: National Salmonella Surveillance in Poultry Breeders: Antimicrobial
Susceptibility, Virulence, and Molecular Studies
Salmonella organisms were isolated from chicken breeding farms of four provinces
of Lebanon. Twelve out of 800 samples collected in the surveillance were positive forSalmonella. The biochemical characters of the 12 Salmonella isolates from chicken breeding
farms were matching with the genus Salmonella. The somatic and flagellar antigens of the 12
Salmonella isolates were identified and compared to Kauffman-White-Scheme for
Salmonella serotypes. Seven isolates were S. blegdam and the other five isolates were S.
paratyphi B var odense.
The antimicrobial resistance pattern of Salmonella isolates from chickens were
compared to isolates of the same serotype from humans. Among the 9 antimicrobial agents
tested in vitro for effectiveness against Salmonella isolates, only gentamicin and polymyxin
B were 100% effective against chicken and human isolates. There was variation in the
effectiveness of the other antimicrobial agents against Salmonella of chickens versus those of
humans.
S. blegdam was highly virulent in day-old chicks in comparison to S. paratyphiB
var odense and the reference S. typhimurium.
Using the Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis technique, the
protein profiles ofS. paratyphi B var odense from chickens showed a similar banding pattern.
The protein profiles ofS. moscow from chickens showed similarity to isolates from humans.
The protein profile ofS. blegdam from chickens and humans were similar. A clear difference
in banding patterns was present in some S.typhimurium isolates from chickens and humans
showed similarity in protein profiles.
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CONTENTS (A)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .. v
ABSTRACT... vi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xii
LIST OF TABLES.. xiii
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION. 1
II. THE INTERNET ..4
A. Definition of the Internet 4
B. History of the Internet 4
C. Ownership and Control of the Internet .. 5
D. Applications of the Internet 5
1. E-Mail 5
2. Usenet. 6
3. The World Wide Web 6
a. Definition of the World Wide Web 6
b. History and Evolution of the World Wide Web. 6
c. Role of the World Wide Web in the Growth of the
Internet.... 7
III. INTERNET ADVERTISING.. 11
A. Definition of the Internet Advertising 11
B. Models of Internet Advertising... 12
1. The Text-Based Advertising Model .. 12
a. Email Advertising. 12
b. Newgroups Sponsorships..... 14
2. The Multimedia-Based Advertising Model.... 14
a. Web Sites Content Sponsorships.. 14
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CONTENTS (B)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSv
ABSTRACT vi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xi
LIST OF TABLES... xiii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS....
xiv
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION. 1
1.1. Thesis Objective . 1
1.2. Thesis Significance . 5
1.3. Thesis Organization .... 5
2. LITERATURE REVIEW... 6
2.1. Oxide-Coated Sands. 6
2.2. Effect of coating on The Sands Properties . 7
2.2.1. pH of Point of Zero Charge 8
2.2.2. Specific Surface Area of Filter Media ... 9
2.2.3. Iron Content ... 9
2.2.4. Zeta Potential . 9
2.3. Performance of Coated Sands . 14
2.3.1. Filtering Capacity 14
2.3.2. Adsorptive Capacity of IOCS. 17
2.3.2.1. Adsorptive Characteristics.. 17
2.3.2.2. Adsorbing Capability of IOCS ... 20
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2.3.4. Removal of Certain Metals of Concern.. 24
2.3.4.1. Complexed Metal Ions. 24
2.3.4.2. Chromium Removals... 25
2.4. Mechanism of Adsorption 26
2.5. Factors Affecting the Performance of Coated Sands... 30
2.5.1. pH and Temperature 30
2.5.1.1. Crystallinity.... 30
2.5.1.2. Adsorbing Capability. 33
2.5.2. Type of Support Media... 34
2.5.2.1. Comparative Evaluation of The Media...
Properties... 34
2.5.2.1.1. Morphology and Mineralogy... 34
2.5.3. Metal salt used in coating 36
2.6. Sand Coating Techniques.... 39
2.6.1. Using pre-Formed Flocs.. 39
2.6.2. Batch Mixing of Sand, Salt, and Base 39
3. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGIES... 41
3.1. Choice of the Coating Material ... 41
3.1.1. Kind of Metal.. 41
3.1.3. Source of Iron.. 42
3.2. Sand Coating Procedure... 43
3.2.1. Support Media. 43
3.2.2. Sand Preparation. 44
3.2.3. Sand Coating... 44
4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
48
Appendix
1. SOURCE CODE. 50
2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS.. 52
BIBLIOGRAPHY 54
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ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
1. Frictional performance of groups of test sections constructed with
limestone rock asphalt aggregates............................................ 9
2. Non-linear behavior of lightweight source places in the cold region... 30
3. Frictional performance of high quality limestone......................... 33
4. Frictional performance of low quality limestone.......................... 34
5. Frictional performance of limestone rock asphalt......................... 36
6. Frictional performance of low quality siliceous gravel................... 39
7. Frictional performance of high quality siliceous gravel.................. 50
8. The correlation of PV with the PVMSS interaction term................ 54
9. The correlation of MSS with the PVMSS interaction..................... 75
10. PV values for low soundness and varying soundness aggregates....... 86
11. Service life versus PV of low soundness loss aggregates placed in the
warm region at ADT=750.................................................... 101
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TABLES
Table Page
3.1. Statistical results with ranges of significant and related variables for
the general models.............................................................. 8
3.2. Statistical results with ranges of significant and related variables for
the individual aggregate models.............................................. 20
5.1. Three-variable general model: polish value (PV) limits for sound
aggregates placed in the warm region....................................... 52
5.2. Three-variable general model: polish value (PV) limits for sound
aggregates placed in the cold region ........................................ 60
5.3. Three-variable general model: aggregates with varying soundness
losses placed in the warm region............................................. 73
5.4. Three-variable general model: aggregates with varying soundness
losses placed in the cold region............................................... 103
5.5. Three-variable with INRD model: INRD, PV, and LA limits for
aggregates placed in the warm region....................................... 109
5.6. Three-variable with INRD model: INRD, PV, and LA limits for
aggregates placed in the cold region......................................... 129
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TitlepageinArabic
)(
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SampleofTextPagewithsubheadings,bulletsanddashes:http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/app13.rtf
Thesis/Dissertationtemplate:http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/thesis.rtf
Projecttemplate:http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/project.rtf