Thesis Writing Guidelines
- 1. WRITING YOUR DISSERTATION: SOME GUIDELINES
- 2. Getting started (Planning) Selecting a Supervisor Choosing a Topic Putting it all together (Research) Find Information Draft a Thesis Statement Make a tentative dissertation outline Writing it out (Writing) Writing the First Draft of the Thesis Revise the first draft: Organizing the Thesis Typing the final draft Three Stages in Writing a Dissertation
- 3. conform to accepted methodologies, university policies, and style of presentation submit typed/printed manuscripts only have regular meetings be honest when reporting on progress follow advice given and incorporate suggestions for improvement Supervisor ‘s Expectations
- 4. Choice of topic likely to be influenced by factors such as: Relevance Supervision Interest Competence Scale Choosing a Topic
- 5. Some tips Keep the following guidelines: Narrow down your topic into a specific title Be Concise Avoid waste words Do not indicate dates in the title Avoid jargons, symbols, formulas, acronyms, initials, and abbreviations Choosing a Topic
- 6. Do not put the titles in sentence forms. Change “How Virginia Woolf Influenced Jeanette Winterson” to “The Influence of Virginia Woolf on Jeanette Winterson” Topic does not need to be totally new Avoid controversial topics Must be brief and grammatically correct Must be accurate and complete enough to stand alone. Choosing a Topic
- 7. A two- or three-word title may be too vague. A 14- or 15-word title is unnecessarily long. “Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, June Jordan, Maya Angelou, and Rita Dove: A Critical Study of Black Consciousness, Negritude, Black Feminism, Cultural Divide, and Crafted Art” “A Study of Immigrants’ Journey Towards Self/Space in the Selected Fictional Writings of M G Vaasanji, Neil Bissoondath, Shyam Selvadurai, and Sky Lee” Short and Long Titles
- 8. Women’s Detective Fiction The Poetry of Richard Crashaw Tennyson and after South-Asian Diaspora Writing in Britain and America Shakespeare's Domestic Tragedies Middle English lyric poetry Creative Writing The English Epyllion Time and Space in H. G. Wells Psychology and the Modern Novel Some vague titles
- 9. A Reappraisal of the Short Stories of Mary Lavin Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney: A Study of Similarity and Contrast The British Boy Detective: Origins, Forms, Functions, 1860-1930 Hospitality in Shakespeare's Problem Plays 1597-1603 Domestic Iconography: Representations of Family Life in the Mid to Late Victorian Period “Such Genius as Hers”: Music in New Women ‘s Fiction Roland Barthes and English-language Avant-garde Poetry, 1970-1987 The Forging of Identity and Community in India and Welsh Writing from a Postcolonial Perspective Medievalism in Virginia Woolf and Lynette Roberts: Ritualism, Spirituality, and Community Representations of Women's Rage and Violence in Five Contemporary American Films Acceptable Topics
- 10. You can choose to write about literature belonging to different countries American literature African-American literature Indian writing in English Commonwealth Literature You can write about the literature types of a particular age. The most prominent forms, styles, and kinds of poetry that make up that era. Some Areas of Research in English Literature
- 11. You can write only about one author. You may have to research on the life of the author his typical styles his famous literary works all his achievements etc. Some Areas of Research in English Literature
- 12. You can research on the different characters in a particular novel. You may study the different themes in a novel. You can write about the different literary devices used in a work of literature. You can discuss the same literary term used differently in different novels. Whichever topic you choose to write on, you are bound to face some limitations. Some Areas of Research in English Literature
- 13. Find Information Check out print and other materials Books Periodicals (for articles, critical essays, reviews, abstracts) Readers’ guide to periodical literature Computer-based materials and on-line resources Published and unpublished papers Dissertations and thesis Contemporary and classic works Edited collections and literature reviews Research
- 14. The Broader Survey Typically includes more general works. Should help you in several ways: to decide on the issues you will address to become aware of appropriate research methodologies to see how research on your topic fits into a broader framework to help you not to “reinvent the wheel” to help you avoid any well-known theoretical and methodological pitfalls to prepare you for approaching the critical review Research
- 15. Look at bibliographies of established scholars Look at recent research, constantly updating your notes Use electronic sources Research
- 16. Jot down full bibliographical information: For books--author, full title including subtitle, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, volume number, edition, and page numbers. For periodical articles—author, full title of the article including subtitle, full title of the periodical, volume number and issue number (if any), date of issue, inclusive page numbers of the article. For electronic sources—author, title, print source, URLs, creation or modification dates on Web pages, page numbers and volumes etc., if available and your date of access. Research
- 17. Drafting a Thesis Statement The Thesis Statement marks the transition from the research process to the writing process. is the core essence of the dissertation. can be defined as a statement advancing an original point of view as a result of research—expresses the controlling idea of the dissertation. states the subject, indicates the purpose, uses specific language, and specifies the scope of the topics and subtopics. Research
- 18. The thesis statement must be adequately limited in scope. “Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.” “In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.” “Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature.” Guidelines for Writing a Thesis Statement
- 19. A thesis must contain a point or an assertion. Guidelines for Writing a Thesis Statement The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.
- 20. A thesis on a controversial subject should not be wishy- washy. Shakespeare's Hamlet is a play about a young man who seeks revenge. Hamlet experiences internal conflict because he is in love with his mother. Guidelines for Writing a Thesis Statement
- 21. A thesis should reflect understanding of a subject based on fairly extensive reading. Obvious: “There is a lot of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.” Better: “Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character of Pearl.” Guidelines for Writing a Thesis Statement
- 22. The current study investigates the relationship between . . . The focus of this study will be on . . . The objective of this research is to determine . . . The purpose of the present study is . . . This research concentrates on . . . This thesis will deal with . . . My thesis is . . . This study examines . . . This study is an attempt to . . . Opening words for thesis statements
- 23. The present study endeavours to investigate how Gwendolyn Brooks’ inscrutable mind evolves from ego- centricism to ethno-centricism, and how this evolution settled the subject matter of her poetry, especially her perception of race, sex, and aesthetics of art, as delineated in her poetry. Sample thesis statement
- 24. An outline Helps you achieve a unified, supported, well-organized thesis. Shows the order of the various topics, the relative importance of each, and the relationship between the various parts or the order in which the points will be arranged. Outline
- 25. Writing the First Draft Write this draft as quickly as possible Put down everything you know about your topic Do not stop to make corrections, check facts or look up words. Forget about spelling, grammar, and other issues The Writing Process
- 26. Tips Start with the easiest material first. Write as much as you can initially, then refine it later If you get stuck at some point, leave a space on the page and continue Writing the First Draft
- 27. Review your rough draft and make any changes or corrections before writing the final copy. Arrange and rearrange ideas Get someone else to read over what you have written. Fresh thoughts on texts are essential. Quotations, should appear as an integral part of writing Use good Standard English Final draft should never contain typographical, grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors. Make several back-ups Revise Your First Draft: What Makes a Good Thesis
- 28. The text of the thesis is divided into chapters Most theses are five chapters long. Begin with an introduction stating your thesis statement, develop your argument over a series of chapters, and finish with a conclusion. Organization of the Thesis
- 29. Presents an overview Includes a rationale Usually Serves as the frame within which the reader reads the rest of the thesis Provides background information Builds an argument for the research and presents research question(s) and aims, and May present a theoretical starting point Introduction
- 30. The purpose of the literature review is • To show that you are familiar with issues and current debates in the field • To show that there is an area in this field to which you can contribute • To discuss relevant theory Reviewing the Literature
- 31. The reviews should be integrative (broad summaries) rather than detailed examinations Don’t simply provide a long list of separate descriptions of weakly related studies. “Smith (2007) did this,” “Jones (2009) did that ...” "Raines (1990) found ...," etc. Each section should draw on previous ones "Using an older group of students, Brown (1986) found ..." "Walton (1982), however, failed to replicate those results with small classes." "In summary, the above work shows ..." Grouping studies together by type is better Should have a logical structure Reviewing the literature
- 32. What should you include in a literature review? Refer only to research projects which are closely related to your own topic Focus on the most recent papers. Include key studies which are widely cited by others Reviewing the Literature
- 33. The remaining chapters should clarify and amplify the thesis with well-researched statements, documented wherever necessary. Each stage of the dissertation should focus on an individual aspect of the topic and build an argument leading to a summation and synthesis of thought in the conclusion. Each chapter should open with a brief discussion of the portion of the problem to which the chapter is devoted and an enumeration of the points to be covered. The concluding paragraphs of each chapter should summarize the main ideas of the chapter. The Body of the Thesis
- 34. Every point you make must be supplemented by evidentiary support Using quotations effectively is important Focus of the thesis must be your argument, based on primary sources. There should be no gaps in the flow of logic and sense of continuity. Avoid repeating yourself. The Body of the Thesis
- 35. The Conclusion Draws all arguments and findings together Summarizes major findings; does not merely restate the thesis Provides answers or solutions – to the extent this is possible – to the questions or problems raised in the introduction Presents limitations Presents implications Suggests directions Conclusion
- 36. The list of sources used in the of the thesis. Usually, it is written in alphabetical order may be annotated, though usually is not should not include works you found of no use The “Works Cited”
- 37. Implement all the changes to transform your rough draft into a final copy. Good writing is hard to define. Bad writing is easy to spot. A badly-written thesis will have: Misspelled words Missing words Sentences that don’t make sense Poor use of punctuation Type the Final Draft
- 38. While writing the final draft Arrange and rearrange ideas to follow your outline. Correct all errors that you can spot Know the conventions of thesis layout Consult MLA Handbook to find the correct forms of use Proofread the final copy carefully Ensure that the final draft is clean, tidy, neat, and attractive. Get feedback on them from your supervisor(s). Finally, be prepared to write and re-write. Type the Final Draft
- 39. Double space the text throughout Each page should have at least 27 (9 inches) typed lines. Observe well-balanced margins of one inch at top, bottom, and right side of the paper and one and half inch on the left. Do not right justify the lines. Do not divide words at the end of a line Indent the first line of every paragraph five spaces. Presentation of the Thesis
- 40. Short quotes (fewer than four lines) should be located within the text and enclosed by double quotation marks. Single quotation marks are for quotes within quotes. The source of the quote must be written in parentheses immediately after the closing quotation marks, but before the main punctuation that closes the sentence or clause. Presentation of the Thesis
- 41. Leave one space after all punctuation as follows: after commas, colons, and semicolons after punctuation marks at the end of sentences after periods that separate parts of a reference citation after the periods of the initials in personal names Exception: Do not leave a space after internal periods in abbreviations (e.g., a.m. i.e., U.S.) Presentation of the Thesis
- 42. Commas and periods are placed inside the closing quotation marks; colons and semicolons are placed outside the closing quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation marks, not originally in the quotation, go outside the quotation marks; when they are part of the quotation, they go inside the quotation marks. Presentation of the Thesis
- 43. Hyphens, dashes, and minus signs are each typed differently. hyphen: use no space before or after (e.g., trial-by-trial analysis) dash: type as two hyphens with no space before or after (e.g., studies--published and unpublished--are) minus: type as a hyphen with space on both sides (e.g., a – b) Page number should be typed half an inch from the top and one inch from the right edge of the paper. Follow deadlines strictly. Presentation of the Thesis
- 44. Use appropriate verb tenses. Keep the verbs you use in the same tense. eg. Mrs. Mallory sees her returning son and, in her excitement, twisted her ankle rather badly. Her sister calls the doctor immediately. Switching verb tenses upsets the time sequence of narration. Little Writing Tips: Some Dos and Don’ts
- 45. When you quote directly from a text or allude to the events in a story (as in a brief plot summary), use "the literary present." Quoting an essay, you would write, Annie Dillard wrote Pilgrim at Tinker Creek when she lived in Virginia's mountains. In the book's chapter, "Seeing," Annie Dillard contends that "vision . . . is a deliberate gift, the revelation of a dancer who for my eyes only flings away her seven veils" (17). Writing Tips
- 46. When you write about fiction, use the present tense. At the end of Of Mice and Men, Lennie sees an enormous rabbit that chastises him, making him to think of George. Mrs. Mallard, in "The Story of an Hour," whispers "'free, free, free!'" after learning of her husband's supposed death. The above examples are a plot summary and a direct quotation, both of which use the literary present. Writing Tips
- 47. Use the active voice Poor: The shelter is owned by the town, but the facility is run by members of the humane society and supported, in part, by funds raised by them. Most of the operating expenses, however, are paid by the town. Better: Although the town owns the shelter and pays most of the operating expenses, members of the humane society run the facility and provide additional support through fund raising. Writing Tips
- 48. Use first person when it helps to keep your meaning clear and to express a purpose or a decision. Jones reported xyz, but I (or we) found . . . I (or we) present here a detailed study . . . My (or our) recent work demonstrated . . . Avoid phrases such as “we believe,” “we feel,” “we concluded,” and “we can see,” as well as personal opinions. (Don’t use the royal “we”) Writing Tips
- 49. Avoid informal wording, don't address the reader directly, and don't use jargons, slang terms, or superlatives Be brief Writing Tips
- 50. Omit phrases such as As already stated It has been found that It has long been known that It is interesting to note that It is worth mentioning at this point It may be said that It was demonstrated that Writing Tips
- 51. Use single words instead of phrases a number of many, several a small number of a few are in agreement agree are found to be are at present now if it is assumed that if of great importance important Writing Tips
- 52. Use simple short words. “Use” not “utilize,” “several” not “diverse.” Eliminate Redundancies and Repetitions (already) existing introduced ( a new) (alternative) choices mix (together) at (the) present (time) never (before) (completely) eliminate period (of time) (continue to) remain (private) industry Writing Tips
- 53. Cliches, slangs, and jargons are to be avoided in writing. Cliches are hackneyed, worn-out, over-worked words or phrases quick as a flash (quickly) last but not least (last, finally) as plain as day (clear, obvious) the modern business world (business today) Crack of dawn (early morning) Dead of night (late night) First and foremost (in the beginning) To make a long story short (to summarize) Writing Tips
- 54. Do not try to impress people by using words most people have never heard of. Do not use contractions: for example, "don't" must be "do not" and "isn't" must be "is not" etc. Ensure quotation marks are paired. Don't say "Section X discusses"; you discuss things, not the section! Writing Tips
- 55. Don't say: a. "a lot of" b. "absolutely" c. "are going to" d. "in real life" e. "in recent years" f. "in today's world" g. "nowadays" h. "on the other hand" i. "on top of" j. "would like to" Writing Tips
- 56. Avoid numbers starting a line Avoid starting a paper or section by quoting material Don't start a sentence with "Also," "And," "But," "Especially," "So," "Specially," "Whereas," "Yet," "Then," ... When starting a sentence with "Therefore," "However," "Moreover," and "Hence," follow this word with a comma. Don't use the apostrophe for plurals such as MDs and 1970s. Don't use the "/" (slash) character, as in "A is better/faster than B." Don't wax lyrical! Writing Tips
- 57. "et al." needs a full stop after the "al.“ For numbers less than hundred, write the number out in words, especially numbers less than twenty; for example, write "two items" rather than "2 items." If you're quoting, keep the citation outside the quote, e.g. Bloggs says, "blah blah" (93). Make large numbers easier to read by inserting a small space after every three digits, for example: 850 123 456. Don't use commas for this. Substantiate every assertion. Writing Tips
- 58. Do not use another thesis/dissertation as a model for your work since a particular style or example in a previous year may not meet current guidelines. Writing Tips