Writing A Postgraduate Thesis Or Dissertation: Tools For Success

Writing A Postgraduate Thesis Or Dissertation: Tools For Success Description: Writing a Postgraduate Thesis or Dissertation discusses the challenges that students encounter in their writing and provides thoughtful advice on how to address those challenges. It provides guidance on writing about literature, methodology and methods and shows the importance of stating a contribution to knowledge. Providing key insight into the process of writing a dissertation or thesis, this book: • explains the process of writing and provides insight into strategies that support good writing • considers the audience and purpose of a report as well as the voice of the writer • discusses the structure and organisational features of theses and dissertations, highlighting the central role of the research question Writing a Postgraduate Thesis or Dissertation is an ideal guide for doctoral and masters students in the social sciences. Table of contents : Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of figures and tables Preface 1. About writing Why is writing important? Why is writing a challenge? How can you become a more productive writer? Thinking about the process of writing An example of planning and writing Summary Where to read more 2. Showing knowledge of your field Why is reading important? Reading strategies How to take notes Using notes to construct an account A short note on summarising, paraphrasing, and patchworking Theoretical and conceptual frameworks What if someone has done a literature review already? Being critical Summary Where to read more 3. Showing knowledge of methodology How do I show knowledge of ontology and epistemology? An example: Writing about riots How do I show knowledge of methodologies and methods? Writing about data collection Writing about data analysis Analysing more than one set of data Being critical Summary Where to read more 4. Showing you have made a contribution Addressing your research questions explicitly Comparing to the literature Generalising your findings Moving from description to explanation Making the contribution clear Making recommendations Being critical Summary Where to read more 5. The presentation of a thesis or dissertation What is common to most reports? Templates for the main body of the report Organisation of chapters, sections, and paragraphs The importance of words Editing and proof reading Finding a voice Being critical Summary Where to read more 6. Final thoughts A recap of the book A holistic approach to academic writing Tips for success Key terms Index