Writing Your Thesis Dr Alison Coates March 21 st 2014

To Cover Thesis structure Document Specifics (using Word) see document map handout Polishing, checking and proof-reading Submitting drafts to your supervisor Things to watch out for

Thesis Structure Thesis Title  Clear, concise and unambiguous title that should capture the focus of your research  Remember first impressions can be important, your title is what other people will encounter first (and this goes beyond the duration of the Honours program)  Careful selection of the key terms in your title

Thesis Structure Mapping out your thesis Develop a outline of your proposed thesis Summarise what will be addressed in each chapter (eg list possible headings) Share this with your supervisor Compare it to other theses that you read

Thesis Structure Check what information will be needed at beginning of thesis: ◦ Title page ◦ Declaration (see page 10 of Program Information Booklet) ◦ Abstract ◦ Acknowledgements ◦ Table of contents ◦ List of figures ◦ Formatting requirements (see page 10, 11 of PIB) Approximately 18,000 words ( 3,000 to 4,000 words per chapter ) ◦ THIS IS A MAXIMUM- YOU DON’T HAVE TO USE ALL THESE WORDS

Thesis Structure Theses are typically 5 to 6 chapters: ◦ Chapter 1 - Introduction ◦ Chapter 2 - Background / Literature Review ◦ Chapter 3 – Method / Methodology ◦ Chapter 4 – Results ◦ Chapter 5 – Discussion / Implications / Recommendations ◦ Chapter 6 – Conclusion ◦ References ◦ Appendices

Document Specifics MS Word ◦ Font 12 (eg Times Roman) ◦ 1.5 line spacing ◦ One side of the page printing only ◦ Check margin dimensions (about 3.5 cm left, 2 cm elsewhere) ◦ Page numbers as footers or headers

Polishing and Checking Careful proof reading is needed: ◦ Repeated reading ◦ Read aloud, read in a different location, change the font and then read ◦ Have other people read it ◦ Remember to include tables and figures in the check

Supervisor Input The supervisor provides technical guidance and expertise, not proof-read Suggestions to optimise this: ◦ Show them your outlines ◦ Give them warning when large documents will be submitted ◦ Plan ahead so that there is time for them to read it

Things to watch out for The thesis should provide all that is need for the reader and should not need the researcher’s presence to be interpreted It must present an argument that has a coherent line of reasoning throughout the document Appropriate style of writing, free from errors and poor grammar Watch your tense Remember to keep the reader with you, introduce each new section Uncommon terms and abbreviations explained

Tables and Figures- when to use? All tables and figures should be referred to in the text, numbered consecutively (with Arabic numerals), and placed as close as possible to the original text reference. Table captions are placed above the table. Figure captions are placed beneath the figure. ◦ Abbreviations, stat explanations etc. should be underneath both tables and figures Tables and figures should be able to stand alone, without any text explanation. ◦ each should contain all relevant information, including complete source information as in the References listing, and be complete in itself without reference to text or any preceding or subsequent tables and figures. Text material should highlight analysis or findings, summarizing only important details rather than reiterating the entire table or figure. ◦ If you can restate the material in your table or figure clearly in a sentence or two, you probably don’t need them.

Tables and Figures- layout rules The term “figure” includes all types of graphic illustrations: charts, graphs, photographs, illustrations, maps, etc. Consider colour vs black and white printing ◦ Shadings are difficult as they do not always reproduce well in black and white, consider choosing patterns instead. ◦ Colour can be attractive, but be sure it reproduces well in black and white. Quality must be good or detracts from thesis Figures should be oriented vertically, in portrait mode, wherever possible. ◦ If you must orient them horizontally, in landscape mode, orient them so that you can read them from the right, not from the left, where the binding will be.

Examine your figures with these questions in mind: Examine your figures with these questions in mind: Is the figure self-explanatory? Are your axes labeled and are the units indicated? Show the uncertainty in your data with error bars. If the data are fit by a curve, indicate the goodness of fit. Could chart junk be eliminated? Could non-data ink be eliminated? Could redundant data ink be eliminated? Could data density be increased by eliminating non-data bearing space? Is this a sparse data set that could better be expressed as a table? Does the figure distort the data in any way? Are the data presented in context? Does the figure caption guide the reader's eye to the "take-home lesson" of the figure?

Hints Read someone else’s Honours thesis from your own discipline: – Format & layout – Writing style and standard of writing (eg any spelling errors, what’s grammar like) – Structure of argument Write as you go, don’t wait till end – By the end of first half of your program, the first half of your thesis should be written

Hints Protect your work from viruses, computer malfunctions, accidental deletions, corrupt disks ◦ Backup and send drafts to your supervisor for storage ◦ Have hardcopies ◦ Careful labelling of documents