Masters in Project Management: Academic

Writing and the Research Question

Lawrence Cleary and Íde O’Sullivan

Shannon Consortium Regional Writing Centre

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Workshop Procedure

• Summary Review of the Features of Academic Writing

• Developing a Research Question

• Lunch

• Developing a Research Question (con’t)

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What’s Academic about Academic Writing?

When someone says academic

writing, what features characterize

that kind of writing for you?

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Changes• Freewriting Prompt: How has your academic

writing developed since we last met?• Freewriting (Murray 2006):

– Write for 5 minutes– Write complete thoughts (sentences)– Do not stop– Private writing -- no one will read it– Write about the topic or sub-topic– Like brainstorming in sentences– Structure and coherence not required– Explore many angles, do ‘open’ writing

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Academic Writing

• Complexity

• Formality

• Objectivity

• Explicitness

• Hedging

• ResponsibilityResponsibility

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Writing to Prompts (Murray, 2005)

• Joining the conversation• Broad and narrow conversations• “An area of project management that

I would like to research is …… “– Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes.– Write in sentences.– Do not edit or censor your writing.– Discuss what you have written in pairs.

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Reflection and Discussion

• What impact did the previous exercise have on you?

• How might this type of writing activity be useful?

• How do you now move from this broad area to selecting a topic that is manageable/ doable within the scope of the dissertation?

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Choosing Your Topic: ScopeScope

• The time / space continuum: what can I meaningfully talk about in 80 to 100 pages, or 20 to 25 thousand words, after 15 months of reading, research, analysis?

• E=PM2

• Try to do what can be done in this much space and time.

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Selecting a topic• Your starting point for finding a topic may be to try to

answer some of the questions below (Unit 2):– Is there a managerial problem or issue relating to

your job or organisation that you would find interesting to investigate?

– Is there a subject area that, if you were to become more of an expert in it, would enhance your career?

– Did you come across any theory or model during your programme of studies that you found intriguing, challenging or feel is highly appropriate or relevant to your own business area?

– Is there an area of business practice that you feel is currently under-researched and there is scope for further investigation?

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Reinventing the Wheel

• What has been done before? (See Appendix A in Unit 6).

• What are some of the topics?– Case studies– Risk management– The Application of a tool to achieve a desired

outcome– Statistical evaluation– Etc.

• Value Engineering as a method of Professional Stress Reduction

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While Reading

• Read broadly and deeply, but do not be afraid to concentrate on areas that interest you.

• Come to a good understanding of how the aspects of Project Management that interest you fit into the bigger picture. How will additional knowledge in this area benefit the field as a whole?

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While Reading

• Look for the literature that attempts to answer questions that you want answered. What are they saying and what questions are not being addressed or definitively answered.

• Look for gaps in the knowledge or debates about the reliability or applicability of what is known.

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Narrowing the Topic

• Google Project Management

• Google Project Management +time

• Google Project Management +time tracking

• Google Project Management +time tracking + software

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Gaps in the Literature

• Read, read, read.• What seems to go unexplained or what

seems to be based on less than absolutely reliable evidence?

• What question seems to go unanswered or not answered to your satisfaction?

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Gaps in the Literature

• Why is that? Has no one done the research? Or is the research so old that the confirmation of the knowledge has led to it being a given assumption in this area of research?

• Do a search. Confirm your hunches.

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Developing and Refining the Research Question

• How do you now refine this topic into a question that is answerable within the scope of the dissertation?

• Ask yourself what questions need to be answered in order to fill the gaps in the literature.

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Developing and Refining the Research Question

• These are your tentative research questions.

• What questions need to be answered in order to answer the research question?

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Developing and Refining the Research Question

• The research question/problem is at the heart of every research project:

“To see the problem with unwavering clarity and to state it in precise and unmistakable terms is the first requirement in the research process” (Leedy and Ormrod, 2005:43).

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Developing and Refining the Research Question

• The research question must be – carefully phrased;

– stated clearly, completely and precisely;

– representative of the goal(s) of the research project.

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Developing and Refining the Research Question

• Important considerations– Feasibility– Validity (see Unit 2)

• Refining and fine-tuning the research question

• Delimiting the research

• Defining the terms

• Questioning the question

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Developing and Refining the Research Question

• ‘Does senior executives’ perception of environmental uncertainty affect the strategic functions of construction firms?’ (Phua, 2007:753-761)

• Analyse and evaluate this research question?

• What questions need to be answered in order to answer the research question?

• Map out the article outline.

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The Actual Article Outline:1. Introduction 2. Why perceived environmental uncertainty? 3. The link between perceived environmental uncertainty and firm strategy 4. Present study and hypotheses development 5. Study approach and method

5.1. Sample and procedure 5.2. Measurement instruments – perceived

environmental uncertainty 5.3. Firm activities/strategic functions 5.4. Extent of firm change 5.5. Firm variables

6. Analysis and results 7. Discussion and conclusion

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Thesis Statement

“…companies that deal in projects on an ongoing basis thus must learn to deal with crises on a regular basis. It is these crises that are the concern of this paper. Its specific Its specific purpose therefore is to review the nature of critical purpose therefore is to review the nature of critical interruptions that have interfered with project progress of interruptions that have interfered with project progress of an international construction company and reflect upon an international construction company and reflect upon their remedies.their remedies. It is thought that this exposure will add to the projects-as-practice material for academics and the normative literature that assists managers in dealing with crises, especially within construction organisations” (Hällgren and Wilson, 2007: 1-2).

Hällgren, M. and Wilson, T.L. (2007) “The nature and management of crises in construction projects: Projects-as-practice observations”, International Journal of Project Management [online], available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6V9V-4RWC546-1-3&_cdi=5908&_user=103702&_orig=search&_coverDate=02%2F20%2F2008&_sk=999999999&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkzk&md5=bf38af4cd9256c2e5be16be81c52157b&ie=/sdarticle.pdf [accessed 15 May 2008].

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Difficulties Associated with Writing

• What do you worry about or struggle with when faced with this writing task?

• Freewrite on this topic for five minutes

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Difficulties Associated with Writing

• Anxiety and fear of writing

• Lack of confidence and motivation

• Getting started

• Cracking the codes of academic writing

• Lack of guidance, practice and feedback

• Misconceptions of writing– Good writing skills are innate X– Think first, then write X

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Strategies to Develop Academic Writing Skills

• Writing is a process• Create time and space for writing• Freewriting• Writing to prompts

– The next thing I want to write about is…– The reason I am writing this is…– The objectives of my essay are…

• Create your own writing prompts• Experiment with different types of writing

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Strategies to Develop Academic Writing Skills

• Keep a learning diary (Moore and Murphy, 2005:61) / writing diary / process journal (Elbow and Belanoff, 2003:19).– When do you feel most/least

motivated to write?– What strategies have/have not worked

in the past?

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Strategies to Develop Academic Writing Skills

• Write a little bit every day (Moore and Murphy, 2005:117).

• Keep a notebook with you to record ideas when they come to mind (Moore and Murphy, 2005).

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Cracking the Codes

• Analysing the genre/text and modelling• Generate a list of

– The most important features of academic writing

– Criteria to make your writing more effective

– The important conventions in your discipline

– What is/is not acceptable in your discipline

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Cracking the Codes

• Develop a “writing charter” Murray and Moore (2006:135) that you can consult for guidance.

• Journal guidelines for contributors

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Discipline-specific Conventions

• What organisational features/patterns are in evidence?

• How are arguments and counterarguments presented and structured?

• What types of evidence are important in this discipline?

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Discipline-specific Conventions

• What stylistic features are prominent?

• Is the text cohesive? How does the author achieve such cohesion?

• What kind(s) of persuasive devises does the author employ?

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Wrapping Up

• Writing Process—Planning, Drafting, (Discussing / Consulting), Revising, Editing and Proofreading.

• Rhetorical Situation—Occasion for writing, writer, topic, audience and purpose.

• Writing Strategies—cognitive, metacognitive, affective and social.

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References

• Elbow, P. and Belanoff, P. (2003) Being a Writer: A Community of Writers Revisited. New York: McGraw-Hill.

• Leedy, P. and Ormrod, E. (2005) Practical research: Planning and Design (8th edition). New Jersey: Pearson Education International.

• Moore, S. and Murphy, M. (2005) How to be a Student: 100 Great Ideas and Practical Hints for Students Everywhere. UK: Open University Press.

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

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

• Phua, F. (2007) ‘Does senior executives’ perception of environmental uncertainty affect the strategic functions of construction firms?’, International Journal of Project Management, 25(8): 753-761.