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 Conclusion

Finishing your thesis General writing tips Uploading & Resources

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

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. Slaters archiving data link

Thesis and Dissertation Handbook: http://www.wright.edu/sogs/thesis/index.html

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

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/

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

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

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?

Writing Your Abstract

Allow plenty of time for revision Ask other readers to read your abstract Ask someone unfamiliar with your topic Your abstract should be as clean, clear, and concise

as you can make it Good practice for writing research proposals

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

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

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

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

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

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/

General Writing Tips

Understand how readers process your writing Your goal is to make the readers job as easy as possible Save their energy to focus on your ideas, not your writing Effective writing doesnt tire the reader

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 theyve read and move it out of short-term memory

Parenthetical information demands more from your reader

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

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

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)

Help with Writing Skills

EGR 535: Technical Communications for

Engineering and Computer Scientists University Writing Center

http://www.wright.edu/academics/writingctr/

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

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

Questions?