thesis writing in general

THESIS WRITING IN GENERAL

By. Dr. Permata WulandariPresented for ISEFID on 14 April 2017

START WITH AN END IN MIND

RESEARCH

MINDSET

WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS!!

WHY DOES ALLAH CREATE THINGS IN PAIRS??

day night

SHORT & TALL

LEFT & RIGHT

RESEARCH QUESTION?

THINKING

THINKING PROCESS

Expressing ideas through mind mapping

diagrams

Short notes

VERN’S DIAGRAM ON INTER-RELATED IDEAS

Overlapping ideas

The Venn Diagramis great for comparing & contrasting!

1) This type of organizer allows students to compare features that are common, and contrast those that are different. 2) Whether students are working on writing ideas or characters, each gets one circle. Then, they put details about each into its own circle. 3) The overlapping areas of the circles show the common points, and the non-overlapping areas show the unique points.

Copyright 2012 www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources Copyright 2012

Sample Network Tree

complexity of going back to

college

researching a school

applying for admission

enrolling in classes

location courses transcripts deadlines times prerequisites


The Network Tree1) In this type of graphic organizer, students put the main topic at the top of the page and circle it. 2) Then, as if doing a family tree, students diagram each idea that flows from that main topic by branching and, again, circling. 3) Students then continue to add lower levels to show further ideas flowing from those immediately above them.

This organizer may demonstrate how some things cause others, how some things must exist before others can occur,

or how ideas can be narrowed down. Copyright 2012 www.time4writing.com/free-writing-resources Copyright 2012

Spider Map

The Idea Map(or Spider Map)

1) With this type of graphic organizer, students put the main topic of their essay in the center of the page. 2) Then they brainstorm, writing supporting ideas all around the page. 3) They should put ideas that relate to each other together, in the same section of the page. 4) Eventually ideas (and related details) that they can use to support their main topic become clear.


Sample Flow Chart

Ideas flow logically into each other, coming to a final conclusion.

It's autumn!

trees drop their

leaves

ready for winter

need to sweep leaves


The Flow ChartThis is often the simplest type of graphic organizer.

Students list ideas or events in a sequential order:

•chronologically, or•by a cause & effect relationship, or•based on a logical progression, or•mapping out different possibilities or outcomes


WHAT GOALS DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE IN RESEARCH?

1)TOPIC – CURRENT, HOT

2)ISSUES / PROBLEMS – WHAT ARE THEY?

3)OBJECTIVES – WHAT ARE THEY?

4)METHOD – HOW PEOPLE DID IT?

5)RESULTS – FINDINGSWHAT ARE THE FINDINGS ?WHY ARE THE FINDINGS LIKE THAT?

THINKING PROCESS

Academic Research ProcessCommon structure of dissertation/thesis

IntroductionLiterature reviewMethodologyResultsDiscussionConclusionsAppendicesBibliographyPublications

Requirements for writing dissertation/thesis

DissertationDissertation/Thesis/Thesis

• AnalyzeAnalyze• Gather dataGather data• ExperimentExperiment• TestTest• DesignDesign• CompareCompare• Calculate Calculate

• OrganizeOrganize• WriteWrite• EditEdit• ReviewReview• ProofreadProofread• VerifyVerify• clarifyclarify

TechnicalTechnicalSkillsSkills

Writing Writing SkillsSkills

ARE YOU HERE?

BUILDING UP FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUR STUDY?

AT THE CROSS ROAD?

OR

TOPIC??

SUPERVISION- A WAY TO PHD SUCCESS

Angry?

Sad?

Satisfied?

Which is you now?

do YOU MANAGE YOUR SUPERVISOR?? SUPERVISION- A WAY TO PHD SUCCESS

You need to manage your supervisor for GOT PhD completion.

HOW?. STUDY HIM AS A PERSON – HE IS HUMAN. GET TO KNOW HIS PERSONALITY. RESPECT , LISTEN. AND THINK

. NEGIOTATE FOR REGULAR APPOINTMENTS. MEET HIM ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE LITTLE PROGRESS OR NO PROGRESS. DISCUSS YOUR PROBLEM

. WRITE WHAT HAVE BEEN AGREED/MAIN POINTS IN A HANDBOOK. BRING THE BOOK WITH YOU FOR EVERY APPOINTMENT.

BE HELPFUL TO HIM WHERE POSSIBLE.

Choosing Topic

Useful Tips

Broad Discipline Area

Topic- what should it be?• Current and hot• Topic which you are passionate about within the

broad discipline area.• Advisable to browse PhD topics, read thesis or

dissertations on related topics to familiar with the ideas, writing style.

• Better if the topic is in the area you are familiar with.

• Discuss with your supervisors/experts for guidance.

Sources of ideas for topics• Supervisor’s area of research interest• Your masters thesis expand old ideas • Your work experience• Think of many ideas narrow down to one

main research question• Write these ideas; do mind mapping

How to identify master/Phd topic?• The topic reflects the issues

• The depth of the issues

• Data availability

• Are there implications from such a study on the topic?

Change Topic?

Challenges faced…….

WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING ??

What is Academic Writing?

• It is a formal writing.• Charcteristics of Academic writing:

a) A formal tone b)Use of the third-person rather than first-

person perspective c)Clear focus on the issue or topic rather than

the author’s opinion d)Precise word choice e) The writing follows a certain Process

Academic writing• Types of Academic Writing

– essay – research paper– Master Project paper/ PhD thesis– journal article– book review– Synthesis or an abstractt– review of the literature – annotated bibliography

What is not an academic writing?

• It is an informal writing• Examples: a) diary entries b) blogs c) letters

d) emails

Academic vs Non academic

• Non-academic eg. “ I find the article is very bad, many mistakes in

the grammar”The writer writes in a personal capacity, using the

word “I”. It also contain personal opinion• Academic Eg: The article is bad as it contains many grammatical

mistakes. The writer writes as a third person, avoid strong

adjectives like “very bad”, focus on the issue which is the article

Conventions of writing acadmic writing/report

• Spelling- What are wrongs with spelling?• Punctuation - what should you do?• Capitalization – capital letters?• Grammar – broken sentences• Paragraphing - what should paragraphs be?

WHAT IS EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC WRITING??

LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION IN THE MINDS OF THE READER

EASY, COMPREHENSIBLE, INTERESTING TO READ

BROUGHT A CHANGE IN SOMEONE’S LIFE

The Ingredients of Effective Writing

• Strong writing. -THINKING precedes writing. (mind-mapping ideas) - Solid PLANNING. Observe the Table of contents of completed theses to

observe the coverage. For journal article, observe the layout - spend time to DISTILL information from literature/ articles reviews

• Excellent Grammar and writing conventions (tenses, spelling, punctuation, comma, conjunctions)

• Connection of ideas. Sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph

Examples & Excercises

Solutions for Writing Issues Use Fully grammatical sentences and punctuation.Use coherent paragraph form.Each paragraph must has follow from the previous one. Use Simple sentence structure.Every sentence must contain one idea onlyEach sentence must follow logically form the one before. (continue…)

Continue ..Avoid slang and informal language.Avoid abbreviations.Link your ideas in a sensible sequence.Avoid passive voice wherever possible.Avoid repeating words and phrases in close proximity to one another..

WRITE AND REWRITE OVER TIMES TO ACHIEVE ORIGINALITY

What are the Features of Effective Writing?

• The five Features of Effective Writing are:

a) focus, b)organization, (mind mapping, table of

content) c)support and elaboration, d)style, and e) conventions

Focus

• Focus is the topic/subject established by the writer in response to the writing task. The writer must clearly establish a focus as he/she fulfills the assignment of the prompt

Organization & Connectivity

• Organization is the progression, relatedness, and completeness of ideas. The writer establishes for the reader a well-organized composition, which exhibits a constancy of purpose through the development of elements forming an effective beginning, middle, and end. The response demonstrates a clear progression of related ideas and/or events and is unified and complete.

Support and Elaboration• Support and Elaboration is the extension and development of the

topic/subject. The writer provides sufficient elaboration to present the ideas and/or events clearly.

• Two important concepts in determining whether details are supportive are the concepts of relatedness and sufficiency. To be supportive of the subject matter, details must be related to the focus of the response. Relatedness has to do with the directness of the relationship that the writer establishes between the information and the subject matter. Supporting details should be relevant and clear.

• The writer must present his/her ideas with enough power and clarity to cause the support to be sufficient. Effective use of concrete, specific details strengthens the power of the response. Insufficiency is often characterized by undeveloped details, redundancy, and the repetitious paraphrasing of the same point. Sufficiency has less to do with amount than with the weight or power of the information that is provided.

Style

• Style is the control of language that is appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context of the writing task. The writer’s style is evident through word choice and sentence fluency.

• Skillful use of precise, purposeful vocabulary enhances the effectiveness of the composition through the use of appropriate words, phrases and descriptions that engage the audience.

• Sentence fluency involves using a variety of sentence styles to establish effective relationships between and among ideas, causes, and/or statements appropriate to the task.

Spotting Mistakes and Pitfalls in Thesis Writing

Handouts and exercises

STEPS TO DO BEFORE WRITING

• DO LITERATURE REVIEW FIRST

• WHY?

• IT IS THE PRIMARY FEATURE OF ACADEMIC WRITING TO PROVIDE YOU WITH IDEAS OF WHAT HAVE BEEN COVERED IN YOUR STUDY BY PAST RESEARCHERS.

WHY DO YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO WRITE??

• YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF KNOWLEDGE PROCESSING & WRITING TECHNIQUE

• MENTAL LAZINESS- DO NOT WANT TO THINK. • FEEL CONVENIENT TO ABSORB AND STORE INFORMATION • DO NOT PUSH HARDER TO STRETCH YOUR SELF TO WRITE

AND RE-WRITE MORE IMPORTANTLY

• SELDOM OPERATIONALISE YOUR PRAYER TO THE ALMIGHTY, THE MOST KNOWLEGEABLE AND MERCIFUL

It is about knowing the Process..

Literature Review Process

THE REVIEW PROCESS - MADE UP OF MANY STEPS

YOURTOPIC

Al-QURAN (?);EXISTING STUDIES -JOURNALS

EXISTING THEORY, KNOWLEDGE IN TEXT BOOKS

DOCUMENTS, MANUSCRIPTS, OTHERS

REVIEW WHAT?RELATED

OBSERVATION- IDENTIFY & SEARCH FOR KEY WORDS

PROCESS IN PREPARING LITERATURE REVIEW

STEP 1SORT OUT THE JOURNAL ARTICLES ACCORDING

TO PRIORITIES BASED ON HOW RELATED THEY ARE TO YOUR STUDY

a) top priority – mark at corner as 1, 2nd priority as 2 etc.

b) File them properly according to the priority given. Eg. File A for articles/documents marked 1.

PROCESS IN PREPARING LIT REVIEW

STEP 2: PREPARE A FACT SHEET a) read an article and consciously look for the

information to fill the column in the Fact Sheet.

b) Fill the column with key information and points

c) Do this for every article to review systematically.

PROCESS IN PREPARING LIT REVIEWSTEP 3: WRITE YOUR REVIEWa) Read them and start converting the points into

sentences in a paragraph or two paragraphs based on the headings of the columns in the fact sheet.

b) State : (i) finding of author A supports or opposite to

finding of author B or C (ii) highlight any differences between the

studies (iii) bearing in mind the objectives of your

study, establish what have not been covered in the past studies. Establish these gaps.

PROCESS IN PREPARING LIT REVIEWSTEP 4: RE ARRANGE YOUR REVIEWS BASED ON YOUR

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK ( THEORY, Dependant Variable & Independent Variables)

a) Read them and start converting the points into sentences in a paragraph or two paragraphs based on the headings of the columns in the fact sheet.

b) State : (i) finding of author A supports or opposite to finding

of author B or C (ii) highlight any differences between the studies (iii) bearing in mind the objectives of your study,

establish what have not been covered in the past studies. Establish these gaps.

PROCESS IN LITERATURE REVIEW

STEP 6: CONCLUDING THE LITERATURE REVIEWS

a)Summarise the strengths and weaknesses of the studies reviewed.

b)How the strengths and weaknesses (gaps) lead you to develop your hypotheses and your research framework.

c) Identify the “new” elements in your study.

FACT SHEET LIT REVIEWAUTHOR(YEAR)

TITLE &OBJECTIVES

THEORY METHODOLOGY

FINDINGS GAPS

Ahmad and Ariff (2007)

To find out relation between loan-deposit ratio and credit risk

Intermediation theory, moral hazard theory

Data-loan, deposit of banksSample10 countries, 100 banksAnalysis-MRA

+ ve relationship

•Method,•Study period•region

Converting Fact sheet to write up literature review

Using MRA, Ahmad and Ariff (2007) revealed that loan to deposit

ratio (LD) is significant, positive determinant of credit risk in

Malaysia, USA and France. This is in contrast to Ezeoha (2011)

which found LD to be negatively related to credit risk in Nigeria.

Ezeoha’s finding is supported by Ranjan and Dhaf(2003) that

loan to deposit ratio has significant, negative influence on non-

performing loans in India. These findings suggest inconclusive

result which provides a gap for further investigation in this area.

PROCESS IN LITERATURE REVIEW

STEP 5: ON-GOING JOB. IT IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS THROUGHOUT YOUR RESEARCH.

STARTING

WHILE DOING YOUR ANALYSIS/RESULTS

IN CONCLUDING YOUR FINDING

Vary your sentences in

Ahmad and Ariff (2007) revealed

agrees, asserts, believes, claims, comments, concedes that, concludes, defines, describes, focuses on, goes further, points out, poses….supports

Same author ..many publications in same year

Ahmad (2012) points out that loan loss provision is positively related with credit risk. Ahmad (2012) discovers small banks’ loan loss provision is significantly and positively influenced credit risk.

Write this way :Ahmad (2012a)…….Ahmad (2012b)….

• If there are two or more authors with the same surname, regardless of year of publication, include their first initials to distinguish the publications.

…in the body of a sentence…According to R.B. Holmes (2010)and S.J.(2010),

management principles underlie many organisation practices.

How should be writtenManagement principles underlie many management

practices (R.B Holmes , 2010;J.S. Holmes,2010)

Citing article written by many authors

• 3-5 authors….Include all names for the first citation. On

subsequent sections, cite first author’s name followed by et al.

• 6 and more authorsFor all citations, include the first author’s

surname followed by et al.

Paraphrasing• Paraphrasing means to state the author’s ideas using different

words.

• Unlike summarising, paraphrasing does not focus on condensing or shortening the words.

ParaphrasingAuthor citation in the body of the sentenceAs Leyden (2000) points out, schools are places where children spend a signifi cant amount of time.Beyond merely going to school to learn academic information, Leyden argues that learning occurs within a far wider context as children also learn about who they are, by being in groups, their local community, as well as the wider world which surrounds them. Hence, schools offer the settings to facilitate children’slearning about a great many things.

Examples“Children spend a very large proportion of their daily lives in school. They go there to learn, not only in a narrow academic sense, but in the widest possible interpretation of the word – about themselves, about being a person within a group of others, about the community in which they live, and about the worldaround them. Schools provide the setting in which such learning takes place.”Leyden, S. (2000). Helping the child of exceptional ability. London: Croom Helm, page 38.

thesis writing in general

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