Handout for Thesis Research Students

Completing Your Thesis Research

Successfully

Downloaded Reference Articles

Compiled and Formatted by

Dr. Irfan Hyder

This document contains a selection of articles downloaded from the net that would greatly speed up the completion of thesis research.

Understanding these articles would help in producing good research output.

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Contents1. Writing a Thesis Statement.............................................................................................................3

1.1 How To Write a Thesis Statement..........................................................................................41.2 What is Your Thesis: Dissertation Advice by Olin Shivers....................................................5

2. What is a thesis statement: Attributes and Qualities.......................................................................72.1 Why Write a Thesis Statement?..............................................................................................72.2 How to Write a Thesis Statement............................................................................................92.3 Content of Your Thesis Statement........................................................................................102.4 Checklist for Revising Thesis Statements.............................................................................11

3. How To Write A Thesis/Dissertation: Style..................................................................................124. Why Students Fail to Complete Their Thesis/Dissertations.........................................................19

4.1 Reasons for ABD (All But Dissertation/Thesis) Inertia—The Nature of the Beast.............194.2 Work Smart: Planning to Work When, Where and How You Work Best............................244.3 Internal Stresses that Cause Problems for Dissertation Writers............................................264.4 Getting Down to Business: Tips for Writing Consistently....................................................27

5. Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation...............................................................315.1 The "Thinking About It" Stage.............................................................................................325.2 Preparing The Proposal.........................................................................................................325.3 Thinking About Buying a Book?..........................................................................................335.4 A Handful of Worthwhile Bookmarks -................................................................................33

6. Tips for Successful Writing Groups..............................................................................................356.1 Not Another Meeting!...........................................................................................................356.2 The Benefits..........................................................................................................................356.3 Nuts and Bolts.......................................................................................................................36

7. Thesis Proposals: A Brief Guide...................................................................................................397.1 Thesis Proposals Report........................................................................................................397.2 Thesis Proposals: Theoretical Orientation............................................................................407.3 Some Thoughts on Dissertation Proposal Writing................................................................41

8. Thesis and Dissertation Manual....................................................................................................458.1 Definitions of Theses and Dissertations................................................................................458.2 Legal Issues...........................................................................................................................458.3 Style and Documentation......................................................................................................468.4 Formatting the Final Copy....................................................................................................48

9. How To Cite References - IEEE Style..........................................................................................539.1 Citation Within The Text......................................................................................................539.2 Creating a reference list or bibliography...............................................................................549.3 Electronic documents............................................................................................................599.4 Non-Book Formats................................................................................................................619.5 A reference list: what should it look like?.............................................................................629.6 Abbreviations........................................................................................................................649.7 Other sources of information.................................................................................................65

10. References: For Thesis/Dissertation Help.................................................................................6610.1 A Quick Guide To Dissertation/Thesis Writing....................................................................6610.2 Books on Dissertation Writing, Procrastination, and Graduate School:...............................6810.3 Thesis Proposals: Recommended Reading...........................................................................6810.4 Helpful Websites:..................................................................................................................69

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1. Writing a Thesis Statementhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/general/gl_thesis.html

General Thesis Statement Tips

A thesis statement generally consists of two parts: your topic, and then the analysis, explanation(s), or assertion(s) that you're making about the topic. The kind of thesis statement you write will depend on what kind of paper you're writing.

In some kinds of writing, such as narratives or descriptions, a thesis statement is less important, but you may still want to provide some kind of statement in your first paragraph that helps to guide your reader through your paper.

A thesis statement is a very specific statement -- it should cover only what you want to discuss in your paper, and be supported with specific evidence. The scope of your paper will be determined by the length of your paper and any other requirements that might be in place.

Generally, a thesis statement appears at the end of the first paragraph of an essay, so that readers will have a clear idea of what to expect as they read.

You can think of your thesis as a map or a guide both for yourself and your audience, so it might be helpful to draw a chart or picture of your ideas and how they're connected to help you get started.

As you write and revise your paper, it's okay to change your thesis statement -- sometimes you don't discover what you really want to say about a topic until you've started (or finished) writing! Just make sure that your "final" thesis statement accurately shows what will happen in your paper.

Analytical Thesis Statements

what you are analyzing

o the parts of your analysis

o the order in which you will be presenting your analysis

What did I analyze?

o What did I discover in my analysis?

o How can I categorize my discoveries?

o In what order should I present my discoveries?

Expository (Explanatory) Thesis Statements

what you are going to explain to them

o the categories you are using to organize your explanation

o the order in which you will be presenting your categories

What am I trying to explain?

o How can I categorize my explanation into different parts?

o In what order should I present the different parts of my explanation?

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Argumentative Thesis Statements

your claim or assertion

o the reasons/evidence that support this claim

o the order in which you will be presenting your reasons and evidence

What is my claim or assertion?

o What are the reasons I have to support my claim or assertion?

o In what order should I present my reasons?

Further Resources

o Academic Writing: Developing a Thesis Statement (available at http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/thesis.html)

o Thesis Writing (available at http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/thesis.html)

o The Thesis Statement (available at http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/thesis.htm)

o How to Write a Thesis Statement (available at http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/thesis.html)

o LEO Thesis Statement (available at http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html)

1.1 How To Write a Thesis StatementISS, Indiana University: Writing Tutorial Service

(http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml)

What is a Thesis Statement?

Why Should Your Essay Contain A Thesis Statement?

o to test your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or two

o to better organize and develop your argument

o to provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument

How Can You Write Good Thesis Statement?

o How to Generate a Thesis if the Topic is Assigned.

o How to Generate a Thesis if the Topic is Not Assigned.

o How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Not Assigned.

o take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree

o deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment

o express one main idea

o assert your conclusions about a subject

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak One.

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o A strong thesis takes some sort of stand.

o A strong thesis justifies discussion.

o A strong thesis expresses one main idea.

o A strong thesis statement is specific.

1.2 What is Your Thesis: Dissertation Advice by Olin Shivershttp://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/~shivers/diss-advice.html

I give the same advice to graduate students writing dissertations/thesis so often that I will set it down here to save myself the repetition.

What is your thesis?

First, do you understand the difference between a dissertation and a thesis? A thesis is an idea. A dissertation is a document that supports your thesis. After you write your dissertation explaining why your thesis is a good one, you have to stand up in front of a crowd and defend it -- the thesis defence.

It is best if you can capture your thesis in a single sentence. If you can do this, make it sentence #1 of your dissertation, and repeat this sentence, word for word, wherever you need to drive home the point of your dissertation. This is a tremendous aid in focussing your work. A side benefit is that it provides an unassailable defense to an entire class of attacks on your work. For example, should someone attack your work by pointing out that it does not scale, you simply reply,

“You may be correct, but right or wrong, your point is irrelevant. My thesis is that "crossbreeding gerbils with hamsters provides an order of magnitude speedup over standard treadmill technology." I clearly demonstrate factors of 12-17 in my dissertation; I make no claims beyond an order of magnitude.

This is one of the benefits of focus.

Some examples

When I wrote my dissertation, I began with the opening sentence:

“Control-flow analysis is feasible and useful for higher-order languages.”

Then I spent 200 pages explaining first how to do CFA for higher-order languages (feasible), and second, the kinds of optimisations it enables (useful). My dissertation was nominated for the 1991 ACM Distinguished Dissertation award.

The first chapter of John Ellis' dissertation, Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures, is titled "My Thesis." Not much room for misinterpretation here -- it's clear what the chapter is all about. The first sentence of this chapter is:

Ordinary scientific programs can be compiled for a new parallel architecture called VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word), yielding order of magnitude speedups over scalar architectures.

There is never any doubt in the reader's mind what Ellis is setting out to demonstrate with his book.

Ellis' dissertation received the 1985 ACM Distinguished Dissertation award. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see how to write academic prose: it is the single best piece of academic writing

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I have ever read. It is clear and lucid. It does not get tangled up in stilted, passive, jargon-laden "academic" style. Ideas flow effortlessly off the page and into your head. When something is an opinion, it's obvious that it's an opinion; when something is a fact, it's obvious that it's a fact. You should try to write a dissertation this good.

The first sentence of Henry Massalin's dissertation on the Synthesis operating system is,

“This dissertation shows that operating systems can provide fundamental services an order of magnitude more efficiently than traditional implementations.”

He then spends 140 pages showing how this can be done. Henry's dissertation was nominated for the 1992 ACM Distinguished Dissertation award.

The point is: what are you trying to show? The point is: what is your point? If you can get that straight in your head, and put it up front at the beginning of your document, you will be able to proceed in a straight line. You will know what things are essential, and what things are distractions or detours. You will know when to stop writing: when you have demonstrated your thesis. If your thesis committee makes unreasonable demands of you, you will be able to tell them: "(a) My thesis, as stated, is a solid advancement of the field, and (b) I have supported my thesis. This is all I need to do to graduate; your requests are above and beyond this threshold. Cancel them and give me my degree."

Don't be alarmed if you are unable to precisely state your thesis when you start work in your thesis area -- you may only have a general and long-winded notion of the problem and its solution. But you may find it useful, as you progress in your work, to refine this down to that single sentence (or couple of sentences) that states your thesis. As you grind away on your PhD, and your understanding of your problem matures, it will help you to have a little background voice asking at regular intervals: "What is my thesis?"

Recommended reading

I recommend Mary-Claire van Leunen's A Handbook for Scholars to any academic author who wishes to write well. Mary-Claire's book will help you write clear, unpretentious, unstilted academic prose. She also gives excellent advice on the details of citations and bibliography.

Olin Shivers / shivers@cc.gatech.edu

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2. What is a thesis statement: Attributes and Qualities(Adapted from http://daphne.palomar.edu/handbook/thesis.htm)

A thesis statement is a single declarative sentence that states what you want your readers to know, believe, or understand after having read your thesis document.

There is nothing wrong with putting the thesis statement in the first paragraph, if that will help you to get your point across to your readers. But many excellent thesis documents do not state the thesis statement in the first paragraph. The decision as to whether to do so should be based on what will work best with your subject and your readers. However, the tradition of putting the thesis in the first paragraph has led some students to mistakenly think of the thesis statement as a kind of introduction to the thesis document. In some cases, the thesis statement works well as part of the introduction; in some cases it doesn't. But a thesis statement is not necessarily part of the introduction, and in developing your thesis statement you should not be thinking primarily about how you want your thesis document to start. You should be thinking about what you want the whole thesis document to say, what you want the reader to know or believe at the end of the thesis document, not the beginning. This is why you often cannot finish your thesis statement until you finish your thesis document.

2.1 Why Write a Thesis Statement?Why should you write a thesis statement when you write a thesis document? What is it good for? Is it just busy work? Developing a thesis statement is an important part of the process of writing a thesis document. In fact, you really can't write a good thesis document without developing a thesis statement. Of course, to "develop" a thesis statement doesn't necessarily require writing it down on a piece of paper and handing it in with your thesis document. But that is what I will ask you to do for every thesis document you write. So I'll have to answer this question in two parts: First, why do you need to develop a thesis statement? Second, why do I ask you to write it down and hand it in?

Why do you need to develop a thesis statement when you write and thesis document?First, why do you need to develop a thesis statement when you write a thesis document? The reason is that, using the definition of a thesis statement given above, you can't write a good thesis document without one. In fact, it flows from the definition of a thesis document that a thesis document cannot fail to have a thesis. A thesis document is "a short piece of nonfiction that tries to make a point in an interesting way." The thesis statement, as we have defined it, is merely a statement of the point the thesis document makes. If it doesn't make a point, if it's just a random bunch of paragraphs about the same topic that never come to any conclusion, then it isn't really a thesis document. Notice that the definition says that a thesis document tries to make a point in an interesting way. Most thesis documents don't completely succeed for all readers. Having a thesis is no guarantee of a good thesis document. You might try to make a point, and fail. But if you don't have a point to make, if you don't have a thesis, then you can't possibly succeed.

When I talk about "having a thesis," I don't mean that you have to have the thesis before writing the thesis document. When you write you are creating ideas. One of the things that makes writing so interesting and exciting is that, in the process of writing, you almost always discover ideas and connections between ideas that you didn't recognize before. Even if you have a clear idea of what you think you want to say before you start to write, you will usually discover that in the process of writing your idea changes. Often you will have to start writing with only a question to answer or a topic to explore, and you'll have to write your way to a thesis. You will keep revising your thesis statement as you revise your thesis document. Where the thesis statement is most important is at the end of the

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process, during revision. You want your thesis document to come to a point, to have a clear thesis that every reader will understand.

What's the value of writing out your thesis statement on a piece of paper?

This brings us to the second question. Even if we accept that every good thesis document does have a thesis statement, often that thesis is implied by the thesis document and not explicitly stated. What's the value of writing out your thesis statement on a piece of paper? If you know the point you are trying to make, isn't that enough? The basic answer is "yes." If you really do know what you're trying to say in the paper, if it's crystal clear in your own mind, then it really isn't necessary for you to write down your thesis and label it in order to produce a good thesis document. On the other hand, if your thesis is clear in your mind, it is very easy to write it down on a piece of paper. It just takes a few seconds. No problem. Unfortunately, most of us are not absolutely clear in our minds about what point we are making when we write. Even when we think we know exactly what we want to say, we often discover when we start to write it down that it isn't all there. The main reason you to write down your thesis statement and submit it before, during, and after you write your thesis document is that we will use the trial thesis statement as a tool to discuss and revise your thesis document.

Seeing the relationship between your thesis statement and your thesis document.

Think of your thesis document as a building. You are the architect. As you design the building you construct a scale model so that you and your clients can see what the finished building will look like. It doesn't have all the detail the finished building will, but it does allow us to see the shape and overall design. If you make changes in the design, you will alter the scale model. People's reactions to the scale model may help you to decide how to alter the design. Your thesis statement is to your thesis document as the scale model is to the building. Until construction is complete, you can always make changes. And so your scale model will not be "final" until the building is finished. If you think of the thesis statement as a scale model of your thesis document, you can see why your thesis statement must evolve and develop as your thesis document does, and you won't worry about having a finished thesis statement until you have a finished thesis document. But you will recognize that in working on your thesis statement you are working on your thesis document. If the thesis statement is a good model of your thesis document--if everything in the thesis document is reflected in the thesis statement and everything in the thesis statement is developed in the thesis document--then we can give you useful feedback on your trial thesis statement that will help you to decide how to revise your thesis document.

Having to develop a written thesis statement along with your thesis document also helps you to discover problems with your thesis document and solve them. For example, unless you have a very clear idea of what you want to say when you start writing your thesis document, you are likely to "drift" as you write the first draft. That is to say, you will change your argument as you develop it. This is a good thing because you usually improve your argument as you change it. But it often results in a draft that starts out by posing one question and ends up by answering a different one. The thesis document will often seem to be two separate half-thesis documents pasted together in the middle. This problem is usually not hard to fix, but it may be hard for you to see at first because you are so close to the thesis document that you have just written. A thesis statement can help you to recognize that your thesis document has changed from its original intention. And in trying to revise your thesis statement so that it summarizes your whole thesis document, you will see that that is an impossible task until you have settled on a single direction in which to revise the thesis document. If you think of the thesis statement as a scale model of your thesis document, it will point you toward answers to many of the questions that arise in the process of revision.

Sometimes it will not be easy to see the relationship between your thesis statement and your thesis document. This can be frustrating. You may be tempted to think that if you could just ignore the thesis statement your thesis document would be fine. Usually, this is wishful thinking. One of the

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reasons why it may be hard to come up with a thesis statement that matches your thesis document is that you haven't really decided what you want to say in the thesis document. You may have seven or ten decent paragraphs down on paper. They might even be interesting. But if you can't say for sure what they add up to, what point they make, you probably don't have a thesis document yet. A good thesis statement will tell you when you have finished. This may not sound important, but it is. One of the hardest things about writing good thesis documents--even for very experienced writers--is knowing when you're finished, knowing when you should stop revising, knowing when you've reached the end of the process. Most thesis documents that don't work very well fail because they were never completed. And one reason we hand in incomplete thesis documents is that we don't know how to tell when they are finished. If you make the effort to really develop and revise your thesis statement, you will find that it gets much easier to tell when the finished thesis document has done what it needs to do.

2.2 How to Write a Thesis StatementIf you understand why you are writing a thesis statement, it will be easier to write one. To get started, use whatever techniques seem to work for you: free writing, clustering, talking it over with friends, brainstorming. By the time you write a thesis statement, we will have discussed the topic in class, and you will have an idea how your fellow students--your audience for the thesis document--are thinking about it. You will have read about the general topic and written journals on your reading. Throughout the whole process of reading, writing journals, and discussing the topic lookout for questions and problems that interest you. Don't try to think of the one perfect topic for a thesis document; there probably isn't one. Try to think of interesting issues, several of them. I'll probably ask you to suggest three or four topics that might lead to interesting thesis documents.

Once you have a topic, the actual development of a thesis statement begins. At first, your goal is just to get your rough idea down on paper. You should not expect to just sit down and write a perfect thesis statement. It doesn't work that way. Your first trial thesis statement is only a rough approximation of what you will eventually end up saying. But it gives you something to work with, something to improve. Usually, the process of revising a trial thesis statement consists of making your point clearer and more specific, narrowing down and filling in what you can really do in the thesis document, saying more about less. This is a process that writers have to go through in order to produce good work. It's normal and healthy. It's a form of success, not a sign of failure. If you expect not to have to revise your thesis statement, you are bound to feel bad when you do. It's the false expectation that causes the problem. So expect to revise your thesis statement and you will neither be surprised or disappointed. You can just get on with it.

Ask and answer the questions "why?" and "how?" of your trial thesis statement.

One of the most common problems with a trial thesis statement is that you have given the final conclusion you want to reach in the thesis document, but you haven't stated your reasons. Often you will devote much more space in your thesis document to giving reasons than to stating conclusions. A quick test is to look at your trial thesis statement and see if it makes sense to ask either "why?" or "how?" of your thesis statement as you have written it. If it does, then answer the question and write the answer down. The answer to that question will often be a better thesis statement than your original.

Some thesis statements need to state both a conclusion and a premise. Often these take the form of "X because Y." If you don't answer the question "why?" in your trial thesis statement, try adding a "because clause." If you do so, be careful to make it a clause and not a phrase. That is, make it a group of words with a subject and a verb, not just a string of nouns and modifiers. If you use "because" in your thesis statement, don't ever follow it with "of." "Because of" leads to a prepositional phrase; it will give you a static topic, but won't tell who is doing what to whom. Always use "because" in the form "because somebody does something."

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Make your thesis statement a positive statement, not a negative one.

Tell us what somebody did, not what they didn't do; what caused the problem, not what didn't cause it; what you know, not what you don't know. Be very careful about using the word "not" in a thesis statement. The problem with making your thesis statement a negative claim is that the only way to support it is by making a positive claim. So if your thesis statement is worded negatively, you probably haven't said what you need to say yet. Notice that if you ask the question "why?" of a negative claim, you will almost always have to answer it with a positive one. This suggestion is about the wording of your thesis, not your attitude. I don't mean that your statement must be "positive" in the sense of optimistic, just that it must be worded as a positive claim, rather than one that uses terms like "not."

Use the active voice in every clause in your thesis statement.

Most of the time, the active voice is clearer, more informative, and more direct than the passive voice or than clauses using linking verbs (for example, "is" or "was"). But we are sometimes, though very rarely, justified in using the passive voice in writing for variety or emphasis. But when we are writing thesis statements, we should always use the active voice when we can. And we almost always can. We want a thesis statement to express action, not just join topics together. We want a thesis statement to express what we are going to say, not just what we are going to write about. If we try to put every clause in every thesis statement in the active voice it will help us to find out what we really want to say and to write better thesis documents faster.

If you still find the concept of the active voice confusing or difficult, don't think you're the only one. Many students come into English Composition without a clear understanding of the idea of voice. But it is important. So please do the tutorial on The Active Voice.

2.3 Content of Your Thesis StatementSo far, we have been discussing fairly formal tests of a thesis. But as you start working with actual thesis statement, you will have to look at the meaning of the thesis, the ideas it contains, and ask whether what your thesis says expresses the right content, the meaning you want the thesis document to have.

Make it clear and unambiguous.

Make sure it couldn't be interpreted to mean something other than what you want it to mean. It should be unambiguous. Ask whether the sentence could mean different things to different people. If it could, revise it to remove the possible meanings that you don't want to convey.

Make it precise and limited.

State no more than you are willing to defend. Probably the most common problem with trial thesis statements is that they are too broad, that they claim too much. In a good thesis document, you will say more about less, not less about more. That is, you will develop your thesis document through specifics, examples, and evidence of some detail that you can directly relate to your own experience or to specific sources. The test is will you answer the question "how do you know?" to the satisfaction of your readers for every major claim you make?

Make it controversial or informative.

Your thesis statement should be a statement about which your audience's knowledge or thinking is deficient or erroneous. You should be telling them something they don't already know or don't already believe. The point you make in your thesis document shouldn't be obvious. If most of your

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readers are likely to believe your thesis without even reading your thesis document, you probably don't need to write a thesis document to support that thesis.

Make it defensible.

Can you move your audience to accept this thesis statement in a thesis document of the length you propose to write? Just as you can't write a very good thesis document pointing out something that is already obvious to your readers, you shouldn't make a claim that is so controversial that you really don't have a chance of getting your readers to accept it.

Remember, for all working drafts and thesis documents, you will put your thesis statement for the thesis document at the very end, as the last lines in the document, labeled "Thesis Statement."

2.4 Checklist for Revising Thesis StatementsUse this checklist to revise your trial thesis statement.

Is your thesis statement a single declarative sentence?

Does your thesis statement state what you want your readers to know, believe, or understand after reading your thesis document?

Does your thesis statement reflect everything in the thesis document? Does your thesis document develop everything in the thesis statement?

Can you ask and answer the questions "why?" and "how?" of your trial thesis statement?

Is your thesis statement a positive statement, not a negative one?

Do you use the active voice in every clause in your thesis statement?

Is your thesis statement clear and unambiguous?

Is your thesis statement precise and limited?

Is your thesis statement controversial or informative?

Is your thesis statement defensible?

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3. How To Write A Thesis/Dissertation: Style or Bedtime Reading For People Who Do Not Have Time To Sleep

http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.dissertation.html

The General Idea:

A thesis is a hypothesis or conjecture.

A PhD dissertation is a lengthy, formal document that argues in defense of a particular thesis. (So many people use the term “thesis” to refer to the document that a current dictionary now includes it as the third meaning of “thesis”).

Two important adjectives used to describe a dissertation are “original” and “substantial.” The research performed to support a thesis must be both, and the dissertation must show it to be so. In particular, a dissertation highlights original contributions.

The scientific method means starting with a hypothesis and then collecting evidence to support or deny it. Before one can write a dissertation defending a particular thesis, one must collect evidence that supports it. Thus, the most difficult aspect of writing a dissertation consists of organizing the evidence and associated discussions into a coherent form.

The essence of a dissertation is critical thinking, not experimental data. Analysis and concepts form the heart of the work.

A dissertation concentrates on principles: it states the lessons learned, and not merely the facts behind them.

In general, every statement in a dissertation must be supported either by a reference to published scientific literature or by original work. Moreover, a dissertation does not repeat the details of critical thinking and analysis found in published sources; it uses the results as fact and refers the reader to the source for further details.

Each sentence in a dissertation must be complete and correct in a grammatical sense. Moreover, a dissertation must satisfy the stringent rules of formal grammar (e.g., no contractions, no colloquialisms, no slurs, no undefined technical jargon, no hidden jokes, and no slang, even when such terms or phrases are in common use in the spoken language). Indeed, the writing in a dissertation must be crystal clear. Shades of meaning matter; the terminology and prose must make fine distinctions. The words must convey exactly the meaning intended, nothing more and nothing less.

Each statement in a dissertation must be correct and defensible in a logical and scientific sense. Moreover, the discussions in a dissertation must satisfy the most stringent rules of logic applied to mathematics and science.

What One Should Learn From The Exercise:

All scientists need to communicate discoveries; the PhD dissertation provides training for communication with other scientists.

Writing a dissertation requires a student to think deeply, to organize technical discussion, to muster arguments that will convince other scientists, and to follow rules for rigorous, formal presentation of the arguments and discussion.

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Definitions And Terminology:

Each technical term used in a dissertation must be defined either by a reference to a previously published definition (for standard terms with their usual meaning) or by a precise, unambiguous definition that appears before the term is used (for a new term or a standard term used in an unusual way).

Each term should be used in one and only one way throughout the dissertation.

The easiest way to avoid a long series of definitions is to include a statement: “the terminology used throughout this document follows that given in [CITATION].” Then, only define exceptions.

The introductory chapter can give the intuition (i.e., informal definitions) of terms provided they are defined more precisely later.

Terms And Phrases To Avoid:

Terms/Phrases Why these terms should be avoided

Adverbs Mostly, they are very often overly used. Use strong words instead. For example, one could say, “Writers abuse adverbs.”

jokes or puns They have no place in a formal document.

“bad”, “good”, “nice”, “terrible”, “stupid” .

A scientific dissertation does not make moral judgments. Use “incorrect/correct” to refer to factual correctness or errors. Use precise words or phrases to assess quality (e.g., “method A requires less computation than method B”). In general, one should avoid all qualitative judgments.

“true”, “pure”, In the sense of “good” (it is judgemental).

“perfect” Nothing is.

“an ideal solution” You're judging again.

“today”, “modern times” Today is tomorrow's yesterday.

“soon” How soon? Later tonight? Next decade?

“we were surprised to learn...”

Even if you were, so what?

“seems”, “seemingly”, .. It doesn't matter how something appears;

“would seem to show” all that matters are the facts.

“in terms of” usually vague

“based on”, “X-based”, “as the basis of”

careful; can be vague

“different” Does not mean “various”; different than what?

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Terms/Phrases Why these terms should be avoided

“in light of” colloquial

“lots of” vague & colloquial

“kind of” vague & colloquial

“type of” vague & colloquial

“something like” vague & colloquial

“just about” vague & colloquial

“number of” vague; do you mean “some”, “many”, or “most”? A quantitative statement is preferable.

“due to” colloquial

“probably” only if you know the statistical probability (if you do, state it quantatively

“obviously, clearly” be careful. obvious/clear to everyone?

“simple” Can have a negative connotation, as in “simpleton”

“along with” Just use “with”

“actually, really” define terms precisely to eliminate the need to clarify

“the fact that” makes it a meta-sentence; rephrase

“this”, “that” As in “This causes concern.” Reason: “this” can refer to the subject of the previous sentence, the entire previous sentence, the entire previous paragraph, the entire previous section, etc. More important, it can be interpreted in the concrete sense or in the meta-sense. For example, in: “X does Y. This means ...” the reader can assume “this” refers to Y or to the fact that X does it. Even when restricted (e.g., “this computation...”), the phrase is weak and often ambiguous.

“You will read about...” The second person has no place in a formal dissertation.

“I will describe...” The first person has no place in a formal dissertation. If self-reference is essential, phrase it as “Section 10 describes...”

“we” as in “we see that” A trap to avoid. Reason: almost any sentence can be written to begin with “we” because “we” can refer to: the reader and author, the author and advisor, the author and research team, experimental computer scientists, the entire computer science community, the science community, or some other unspecified group.

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Terms/Phrases Why these terms should be avoided

“Hopefully, the program...”

Computer programs don't hope, not unless they implement AI systems. By the way, if you are writing an AI thesis, talk to someone else: AI people have their own system of rules.

“...a famous researcher...”

It doesn't matter who said it or who did it. In fact, such statements prejudice the reader.

Be Careful When Using “few, most, all, any, every”.

A dissertation is precise. If a sentence says “Most computer systems contain X”, you must be able to defend it. Are you sure you really know the facts? How many computers were built and sold yesterday?

“must”, “always” Absolutely?

“should” Who says so?

“proof”, “prove” Would a mathematician agree that it's a proof?

“show” Used in the sense of “prove”. To “show” something, you need to provide a formal proof.

“can/may” Your mother probably told you the difference.

Voice:

Use active constructions. For example, say “the operating system starts the device” instead of “the device is started by the operating system.”

Tense:

Write in the present tense. For example, say “The system writes a page to the disk and then uses the frame...” instead of “The system will use the frame after it wrote the page to disk...”

Define Negation Early:

Example: say “no data block waits on the output queue” instead of “a data block awaiting output is not on the queue.”

Grammar And Logic:

Be careful that the subject of each sentence really does what the verb says it does. Saying “Programs must make procedure calls using the X instruction” is not the same as saying “Programs must use the X instruction when they call a procedure.” In fact, the first is patently false! Another example: “RPC requires programs to transmit large packets” is not the same as “RPC requires a mechanism that allows programs to transmit large packets.”

Focus On Results And Not The People/Circumstances In Which They Were Obtained:

“After working eight hours in the lab that night, we realized...” has no place in the dissertation. It doesn't matter when you realized it or how long you worked to obtain the answer. Another example:

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“Jim and I arrived at the numbers shown in Table 3 by measuring...” Put an acknowledgement to Jim in the dissertation, but do not include names (even your own) in the main body. You may be tempted to document a long series of experiments that produced nothing or a coincidence that resulted in success. Avoid it completely. In particular, do not document seemingly mystical influences (e.g., “if that cat had not crawled through the hole in the floor, we might not have discovered the power supply error indicator on the network bridge”). Never attribute such events to mystical causes or imply that strange forces may have affected your results. Summary: stick to the plain facts. Describe the results without dwelling on your reactions or events that helped you achieve them.

Avoid Self-Assessment (both praise and criticism):

Both of the following examples are incorrect: “The method outlined in Section 2 represents a major breakthrough in the design of distributed systems because...” “Although the technique in the next section is not earthshaking,...”

References To Extant Work:

One always cites papers, not authors. Thus, one uses a singular verb to refer to a paper even though it has multiple authors. For example “Johnson and Smith [J&S90] reports that...”

Concept Vs. Instance:

A reader can become confused when a concept and an instance of it are blurred. Common examples include: an algorithm and a particular program that implements it, a programming language and a compiler, a general abstraction and its particular implementation in a computer system, a data structure and a particular instance of it in memory.

Terminology For Concepts And Abstractions

When defining the terminology for a concept, be careful to decide precisely how the idea translates to an implementation. Consider the following discussion:

Knowledge Vs. Data

The facts that result from an experiment are called “data”. The term “knowledge” implies that the facts have been analyzed, condensed, or combined with facts from other experiments to produce useful information.

Cause and Effect:

A dissertation must carefully separate cause-effect relationships from simple statistical correlations. For example, even if all computer programs written in Professor X's lab require more memory than the computer programs written in Professor Y's lab, it may not have anything to do with the professors or the lab or the programmers (e.g., maybe the people working in professor X's lab are working on applications that require more memory than the applications in professor Y's lab).

Drawing Only Warranted Conclusions:

One must be careful to only draw conclusions that the evidence supports. For example, if programs run much slower on computer A than on computer B, one cannot conclude that the processor in A is slower than the processor in B unless one has ruled out all differences in the computers' operating systems, input or output devices, memory size, memory cache, or internal bus bandwidth. In fact, one must still refrain from judgement unless one has the results from a controlled experiment (e.g., running a set of several programs many times, each when the computer is otherwise idle). Even if the

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cause of some phenomenon seems obvious, one cannot draw a conclusion without solid, supporting evidence.

Commerce and Science:

In a scientific dissertation, one never draws conclusions about the economic viability or commercial success of an idea/method, nor does one speculate about the history of development or origins of an idea. A scientist must remain objective about the merits of an idea independent of its commercial popularity. In particular, a scientist never assumes that commercial success is a valid measure of merit (many popular products are neither well-designed nor well-engineered). Thus, statements such as “over four hundred vendors make products using technique Y” are irrelevant in a dissertation.

Politics And Science:

A scientist avoids all political influence when assessing ideas. Obviously, it should not matter whether government bodies, political parties, religious groups, or other organizations endorse an idea. More important and often overlooked, it does not matter whether an idea originated with a scientist who has already won a Nobel prize or a first-year graduate student. One must assess the idea independent of the source.

Canonical Organization:

In general, every dissertation must define the problem that motivated the research, tell why that problem is important, tell what others have done, describe the new contribution, document the experiments that validate the contribution, and draw conclusions. There is no canonical organization for a dissertation; each is unique. However, novices writing a dissertation in the experimental areas of CS may find the following example a good starting point:

Chapter 1: Introduction

An overview of the problem; why it is important; a summary of extant work and a statement of your hypothesis or specific question to be explored. Make it readable by anyone.

Chapter 2: Definitions

New terms only. Make the definitions precise, concise, and unambiguous.

Chapter 3: Conceptual Model

Describe the central concept underlying your work. Make it a “theme” that ties together all your arguments. It should provide an answer to the question posed in the introduction at a conceptual level. If necessary, add another chapter to give additional reasoning about the problem or its solution.

Chapter 4: Experimental Measurements

Describe the results of experiments that provide evidence in support of your thesis. Usually experiments either emphasize proof-of-concept (demonstrating the viability of a method/technique) or efficiency (demonstrating that a method/technique provides better performance than those that exist).

Chapter 5: Corollaries And Consequences

Describe variations, extensions, or other applications of the central idea.

Chapter 6: Conclusions

Summarize what was learned and how it can be applied. Mention the possibilities for future research.

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Abstract:

A short (few paragraphs) summary of the dissertation. Describe the problem and the research approach. Emphasize the original contributions.

Suggested Order For Writing:

The easiest way to build a dissertation is inside-out. Begin by writing the chapters that describe your research (3, 4, and 5 in the above outline). Collect terms as they arise and keep a definition for each. Define each technical term, even if you use it in a conventional manner.

Key To Success:

By the way, there is a key to success: practice. No one ever learned to write by reading essays like this. Instead, you need to practice, practice, practice. Every day.

Parting thoughts:

We leave you with the following ideas to mull over. If they don't mean anything to you now, revisit them after you finish wirting a dissertation. After great pain, a formal feeling comes.

-- Emily Dickinson

A man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly to it.

-- Samuel Johnson

Keep right on to the end of the road.

-- Harry Lauder

The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but the transference of bones from one graveyard to another.

-- Frank J. Dobie

The Writing CenterUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb

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4. Why Students Fail to Complete Their Thesis/Dissertations

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html

What this handout is about...

Graduate school pundits often cite 50% or more as the attrition rate for ABD (All But Dissertation/Thesis) students. Why? This handout will not only answer this question, but will also give you good, practical advice on starting, drafting, and completing your dissertation.

4.1 Reasons for ABD (All But Dissertation/Thesis) Inertia—The Nature of the Beast

Why don't doctoral candidates manage to get rolling on the dissertation any sooner, or KEEP rolling once they get started? Partly because the dissertation is a completely new experience that is much larger and more independent than your previous academic work.

Writing a dissertation is a completely new experience.

To this point, being a graduate student has been, more or less, an extension of your earlier life as a student. Many people, in fact, go to graduate school because they have always been "good at school," and want to continue with something that brings them success and self-confidence. The reading assignments, labs, papers, and tests you have been assigned as a graduate student may not have been so different from your undergraduate course work. The dissertation, on the other hand, is a new kind of academic project, unlike anything else you've done. It is the academic project that marks your transition from student to scholar.

Writing a dissertation is not only new, it's also a very large, very independent project.

Writing a dissertation is a lot like writing a book. It is, by definition, a self-directed process. There are usually no weekly deadlines from professors, no regular discussions with classmates, no reading assignments, no one telling you what to do—you are on your own, writing something longer than you've ever written, and doing it without a net. This independence can make the process seem very intimidating

The dissertation marks the transition from student to scholar and is stressful as a result.

When you embark on this large, independent project, you may begin to ask yourself questions about your future in academia. After all, the dissertation is the beginning of the end of a graduate career. When you finish your dissertation, you have to change your life pretty dramatically —you may go on the job market, begin work as an independent scholar, develop classes, move out of a community that you have grown to love, and so on. You may also feel like your dissertation will begin to define your professional identity. You may feel like your research interests, your theoretical influences, and your skill as a writer may all be evaluated by this first piece of serious scholarship. Whether any of these points are true or not, you may find yourself questioning your commitment to your chosen profession or topic and unable to begin the dissertation.

4.1.1 What can you do if you are questioning your commitments?If you find yourself questioning your commitment to your dissertation or a career in academia, consider these tactics:

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Do some soul-searching.

This may be a time to ask yourself what the Ph.D. means to you and whether you really want to continue. Remember that what it means to you and what it means to your partner, family, or friends may be very different. You might make a list of all the reasons you want to get the Ph.D. and all the reasons you would rather not. You might try free-writing about your topic and the reasons it inspires you. You might plan out your life's possible courses for the next 2, 5, 10, or 20 years if you do and if you don't proceed with the degree. Through all this, ask yourself "What will make me happy? And why?"

Seek help from other sources of advice.

If you are too close to your own graduate school anxieties to think critically about them, visit campus resources that can help you sort out your thinking on this difficult and important issue. Your advisor or colleagues in your department may be able to help you if you have a good relationship with them. Other graduate students, especially those who are about to finish or have finished, may be particularly helpful. University counseling services may prove helpful as well. They regularly talk with students about just this issue.

Remember that there is no shame in not pursuing this advanced degree.

Many, many people lead happy, fulfilling lives, build lucrative and rewarding careers, make important contributions to knowledge, share interesting ideas with others, and generally get along just fine without three letters after their names. Deciding not to continue with a Ph.D. does not mean that you have "quit" or that others who remain in the program are smarter, more driven, or more virtuous than you are. It also does not mean that you have wasted the time and money that you invested in the degree up to the ABD stage. It may simply mean that after considering your own personal motivations and goals, you decided this career choice wasn't for you—and that you plan to use the skills you honed as a graduate student in other ways that are more suited to you.

4.1.2 What if you decide that the dissertation is for you? The good news!

You will build skills in writing your dissertation that you will use throughout your career.

The dissertation is not a one-shot deal. Unlike the elaborate study strategies you developed in order to pass your comprehensive exams, writing the dissertation will enable you to start developing a set of valuable research and writing skills. Thinking analytically, synthesizing complicated information, writing well, and organizing your time will all serve you well regardless of the career you begin. If you choose a career in academia, the systems of support, research strategies, work schedules, and writing techniques that help you do the dissertation will help you write books, articles and lectures for many years to come. 

The document itself may become an important part of your early career.

If you take some care in developing your dissertation, the document can be transformed, after graduation, into a book or series of articles that can help launch your academic career. Unlike earlier course papers that just received a grade and were then shuttled off to a filing cabinet or trash bin, your dissertation can be used and revised  for years to come. On the other hand, it can be an end as well as a beginning—you don't have to develop the dissertation beyond the completion of the degree if you don't want to. If you're sick of the topic, you can focus on just finishing it for the degree, and then move on to other projects.

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4.1.3 With all that good news, what's the problem?Sometimes, even if you appreciate the differences between the dissertation and previous work and know that you really want to complete the degree, you may still have trouble. Why? Both external and internal stresses can cause the dissertation process to be more difficult than it has to be.

4.1.4 Your Topic, Your Advisor and Your Committee: Making Them Work for You

By the time you've reached this stage, you have probably already defended a dissertation proposal, chosen an advisor, and begun working with a committee. Sometimes, however, those three elements can prove to be major external sources of frustration. So how can you manage them to help yourself be as productive as possible?

Managing your topic.

Remember that your topic is not carved in stone. A lot of people change their topics as they work, paring down certain parts of the project or adding others. While you want to keep your advisor and committee informed about major changes in your focus, in most disciplines you do not have to follow strictly the research and writing plan that you suggested in your dissertation proposal. In fact, most people don't.

Think about variables that could be cut down and how changes would affect the length, depth, breadth, and scholarly value of your study. Could you cut one or two experiments, case studies, regions, years, theorists, or chapters and still make a valuable contribution or, even more simply, just finish?

Talk to your advisor about any changes you might make. He or she may be quite sympathetic to your desire to shorten an unwieldy project and may offer suggestions.

Look at other dissertations from your department to get a sense of what kind of topic produces an acceptable dissertation—you may find that it's not the kind of magnum opus you were imagining but that you can work on a much smaller, more compact topic instead.

Managing your advisor.

At this stage in your graduate career, you should expect to assume some independence. By the time you finish your project, you will know more about your subject than your committee does. The student/teacher relationship you have with your advisor will necessarily change as you take this big step toward becoming his/her colleague.

Talk with your advisor about how the two of you should work during the dissertation process. You might ask questions like: How often should I be in contact with you about my progress? Do you prefer to see whole drafts of chapters, relatively polished drafts, or are you happy to see smaller chunks of less-well-formed writing? If I give you a draft of a chapter on Monday, what do you think the turn-around time would be? Do you want to see the chapters in the order I write them, or in the order they'll wind up?

Tell your advisor what kind of feedback would be most helpful to you. Sometimes an advisor can be giving unhelpful or discouraging feedback without realizing it. Letting him or her know, very specifically, what kinds of responses will be helpful to you at different stages of the writing process can help your advisor know how to help you.

Keep your advisor informed. Advisors can be most helpful if they know what you are working on, what problems you are experiencing, and what progress you have made. A weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meeting or progress report can prove helpful.

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Talk to other students who have the same advisor. You may find that they have developed strategies for working with your advisor that could help you communicate more effectively with him or her.

If you have recurring problems communicating with your advisor, you can make a change. You could change advisors completely, but a less dramatic option might be to find another committee member who might be willing to serve as a "secondary advisor" and give you the kinds of feedback and support that you may need.

Managing your committee.

You may assemble your committee for the proposal defense, and then never see them until the final dissertation defense. That may work fine for you, or you may decide that you would prefer more frequent contact.

Talk with your advisor about how committees usually work with doctoral candidates in your department.

Ask the members of your committee whether they would prefer to see drafts of your chapters individually, or wait to see the final complete draft.

Keep in regular contact with your committee, even if they don't want to see your work until it has been approved by your advisor. Let them know about fellowships you receive, fruitful research excursions, the directions your thinking is taking, and the plans you have for completion. In short, keep them aware that you are working hard and making progress.

It doesn't hurt to talk to your committee when you're floundering either. Too often, we only talk to our professors when we're making progress and hide from them the rest of the time. If you share your frustrations or setbacks with a knowledgeable committee member, he or she might offer some very helpful suggestions for overcoming the obstacles you face—after all, your committee members have all written major research projects before, and have probably solved similar problems in their own work.

It’s important not to get too hung up on how your committee does (or doesn’t) relate to you. Ultimately, you have to go forward no matter what they do.

4.1.5 "Too Busy to Work": Exhaustion, Money and Time ManagementEven when you are dedicated to your dissertation and have no problems with your topic, advisor or committee, you can have trouble getting your dissertation written. Simple exhaustion, financial stresses, and family responsibilities can seem to conspire to keep you from doing the work that you need to do. While you can't do anything about many of these stresses —the rent needs to be paid, and the Grad School still wants you to know two foreign languages, for examples—you can change the way that you deal with these external concerns and minimize their impact on your psyche and productivity.

1. Seek help with the exhaustion.

Often, graduate students juggle many personal and professional responsibilities while working on their dissertations. You may be teaching an undergraduate course, working a second job to make ends meet, seeking child care, writing conference papers, serving on committees, and more. All of these activities and worries can leave you feeling exhausted. Sometimes, finding time to exercise, meditate, or participate in relaxation programs (yoga, stretching, massage therapy, and so on) can help you cope with tiredness better, even if those things do little to alleviate the work load. The Student Recreation Center offers several exercise classes that may prove useful and relaxing. Good nutrition can also go a long way toward improving your sense of well-being.

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2. Seek external sources of funding.

A fellowship, grant or scholarship can provide enough financial cushion that you can quit at least one job, and perhaps even find full funding for a year. The Graduate School offers funding workshops and a GrantSource library that can help you identify potential sources of funding. Full fellowships or grants, though, can be a mixed blessing. Often, having one part-time job or other commitment while researching or writing can help you structure your day, get to campus early in the morning, and so on. Without that structure, the day can slip by pretty quickly. With a whole year ahead of you with nothing to work on but the dissertation, there's a tendency to feel like you can put off the dissertation for a day, a week, or more—there's no sense of urgency. So while fellowships can be tremendously helpful, they also require great discipline to prove effective.

3. Work on time management.

Effective time management can be another way to alleviate some of the external stresses of graduate school. Here are a few strategies: 

Plan each day. Block out the 30 minutes, hour, 3 hours, or whatever that you want to work on the dissertation.

Choose a scheduling strategy that works for you. Some people like to schedule their daily dissertation work in terms of hours and minutes worked, and others in terms of "problems solved" or "pages written." Figure out which works best for you.

Find a calendar, chart or other scheduling device that you like. Some dissertation advice books offer elaborate scheduling mechanisms that require you to keep calendars of the entire year, of each month, of each week, and of each day (broken down by hour). This might be overdoing it, but find some sort of daily, weekly or monthly planner that makes sense to you and use it. Refer to it each morning to get a sense of what you plan to do each day.

Stick to your schedule. If you write down that you will work on grading exams only until 2 P.M. and then turn to your dissertation, do it! Sometimes just setting that schedule can make you more efficient at grading (since you know you have only a set amount of time in which to get a lot of it done) and also ensure that you leave room in your life for the dissertation.

When planning your long-range goals, work backwards from commencement. When do you need to turn in the dissertation to the Graduate School? To do that, when would you need to defend? To do that, when would you need to get it to the committee? Get specific—don’t use "this semester" as a deadline, use a specific date.

Don't let immediate concerns take over the time you want to devote to this important long-term project. It's easy to let the dissertation (with no regular or immediate deadline) sit on the shelf because something with a more concrete deadline (a presentation to someone's class on a specific date, for example) seems to be looming large. Plan for those events in advance, and don't let them eat up all of your dissertation time. 

Learn to say "No." Don't accept every invitation to give a guest lecture, present at a graduate student forum, or attend a conference. Similarly, try not to agree to drive every needy friend to the airport, watch every neighbor's cat while they're away, and meet everyone you know at the Daily Grind at their convenience. If you find you can work steadily on your dissertation while doing some of these activities, by all means do them—but don't be "guilt tripped" into doing favors you don't have time to do.

If you are having trouble learning to say no or learning to budget time for your dissertation, try dividing your workload into "urgent tasks" (things that have impending deadlines) and "important tasks" (things that are important to you, but don't have immediate deadlines). Make sure that your

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important task (writing the dissertation) isn't overwhelmed by things that are unimportant, but urgent. Organize so that you save time for what's important and minimize the possibility of urgent items consuming your attention.

Finally, when all else fails, try the strategy of working on your dissertation for five minutes a day. Surely you can find five minutes in between classes, after you brush your teeth, or while you wait for dinner to cook, right? Sometimes the biggest hurdle to time management isn't finding big blocks of time in which to work—it's simply starting to work in the available time. Once you work for five minutes (really work—no computer solitaire), you may find that another five minutes wouldn't be so bad. Getting in the habit of working on the dissertation every day, even for a short period of time, can be an important time management strategy. As a side benefit, you may find that daily contact with your dissertation keeps it on your mind and enables ideas to percolate all day. If you're keeping in daily touch with the ideas in your dissertation, you may discover that while waiting in line at the bank or standing at the bus stop, you come up with new ideas and think through problems, and make your work go much more smoothly in the long run.

Think about this process as an opportunity to build self-trust. When you make a promise to yourself that you will work for five minutes or an hour, keep it. Become someone you can count on.

4.2 Work Smart: Planning to Work When, Where and How You Work Best

When scheduling your dissertation time, think about when, where and how you work best. By giving some thought to these details, you can ensure that the hours you schedule for dissertation work are productive.

1. Work on your dissertation during times that you are most productive.

Do you write well in the morning, or are you too sleepy to do academic work? Can you work in the evening after a 9-5 day, or do you really need a break? Do you like to read/research on the same day that you write and, if so, do you prefer to write first and then turn to other sources, or the reverse? Once you determine the hours that are most productive for you (you may need to experiment at first), try to schedule those hours for dissertation work. If at all possible, plan your work schedule, errands and chores so that you reserve your productive hours for the dissertation. Directors of Graduate Studies and other employers may be pretty sympathetic to this desire to schedule your best hours for your dissertation—after all, the dissertation is your reason for being here and should be your number one priority.

2. Work on your dissertation in a space where you can be productive.

Figure out where you work well and plan to be there during your dissertation work hours. Do you get more done on campus or at home? There's no sense in planning to work at home two days a week if you wind up watching Oprah every time you try to work at your kitchen table. Similarly, if you do your best work in your home study, try to avoid planning your days so that you are stuck on campus all day every day, without access to your best work space.

Carrels work well for some people because they limit distractions—but others find them intolerably quiet and austere. Figure out whether or not one might work for you.

If your work space is at home, make every effort to remove it from your bedroom. Many people don't sleep well if their work space and their sleep space are in the same room—their anxieties about their work can prevent them from getting to sleep quickly and having a restful night.

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Wherever you work, make sure you have good lighting, a comfortable, "healthy" chair, a sturdy desk, and whatever wrist-rests, mousepads, and so on you need to keep you posture and health in good order. The University Health and Safety office offers guidelines for healthy computer work.

If you get "stuck," try a change of scene. Take a book you've been meaning to read to a coffee house, to one of the campus libraries, to a park bench, etc.

3. Figure out how you work best, and try to work that way.

Develop rituals of work that might help you get more done. Lighting incense, brewing a pot of a particular kind of tea, pulling out a favorite pen, and other ritualistic behaviors can signal your brain that "it is time to get down to business."

Critically think about your work methods—not only about what you like to do, but also what actually helps you be productive. You may LOVE to listen to Aerosmith while you write, for example, but if you wind up playing air guitar half the time instead of writing, it isn't a strategy worth keeping.

Decorate your work space for productivity. Some people find that having pictures of family and friends on their desk helps—sort of a silent "cheering section"—while others find that a photo of Mom and Dad just makes them homesick or dredges up fears of inadequacy. Some people work well with neutral colors around them, and others prefer bright colors that perk up the space. Some people like to put inspirational quotations in their workspace or encouraging notes from friends and family. You might try reconfiguring your work space to find a décor that helps you be productive.

The point is, figure out what works and DO THAT. If something seems to keep you from working, GET RID OF IT. And once you have the "ritual that works," do it as often as you can when you write. Educational theorists have described "state-dependent learning," which essentially means that the conditions under which one learns something are the conditions under which the individual is most likely to be able to remember and use that information. So working in a consistent setting can help you not only get great work done in discrete sessions but also pull together ideas from past work and use them constructively.

4. Don't let the fact that you know when, where and how you work best prevent you from working in other times, places, and ways.

Of course, while it's ideal to plan your days to enable you to spend your most productive work time in your most productive work space working in your most productive method, you can't always do that. So practice working elsewhere, and at other times. Being away from your favorite fountain pen is not an excuse not to write! Neither is losing your lucky rabbit's foot, having to work on campus, or having to schedule something during your "work time." Try to be flexible, and don't use your rituals as excuses.

4.2.1 Thesis/Research RegulationsGraduate students sometimes report that they feel bogged down by departmental requirements, graduate school regulations, and other bits of bureaucracy. Here are a few tips to keep you sane:

Investigate graduation requirements early and plan a meeting with your department's graduate secretary or Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to make sure you are making appropriate progress toward the degree.

Keep a list or calendar of all the departmental and graduate school regulations and requirements and dates. Check things off as you complete them, and write down upcoming deadlines.

Keep good records. If you are granted any exceptions to departmental or University rules or if you do anything unusual to fulfill a particular requirement, make sure that you get a letter stating that you

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have fulfilled the given requirement in writing and keep a copy of it. You never know when your current DGS might leave the position or retire. The next person to hold the job may not know about your exception and may not be willing to uphold it without written proof.

Make sure, if you are using human subjects in your dissertation research, that you have followed all of the Graduate School regulations for your work. The human subjects paperwork can be quite time consuming and it is, of course, very important that it be done correctly.

A final tip: follow the rules for margins, fonts, table formats, and so on in early drafts. It is much easier to write your dissertation with all the formatting correct than to have to reformat several computer files at the last minute.

4.3 Internal Stresses that Cause Problems for Dissertation WritersSome sources of graduate student stress are not external—instead, they come from within. Competition with other students, feelings of inadequacy, and plain ol' procrastination can all slow you down.

4.3.1 CompetitionCompetition is rampant among graduate students. Departments often hold meetings in which graduate students are ranked in order to determine who should be given funding or teaching appointments. Scholarships pick and choose the "best and the brightest," and seminars can turn into arenas where students vie to make the smartest, most insightful comment in front of the professor. This competition can lead to a cut-throat atmosphere that encourages hostility and fears of inadequacy and also inhibits much-needed personal support. If you’ve reached the ABD stage, you’ve probably seen some of this action already. But what can you do if you feel that competition within your department is hindering your ability to get work done?

Remember that you are not in competition with the students in your department. Your only competition is more than likely with the graduate students at other universities who will be applying for jobs in your field at the same time you are. So you have NOTHING to fear from the other people in your department. After all, the people you go to grad school with will be the people who recommend you for tenure one day, review your book favorably, or greet you with a warm smile at your field's annual conference.

Realistically, even the grad students at other schools aren't really your "competition"—rather, they are your colleagues. After all, if two people are writing dissertations on political theory in the civil rights movement, they may be in initial competition for jobs, but once they get jobs, they will be far more likely to work in a collegial way. They may present papers at the same conferences, be asked to review one another's work, edit journals together, and so on. Thinking of them as "the enemy" will do little to foster a positive spirit of academic professionalism.

If you are having problems with competition in your department, you can try to transform the sense of competition into one of cooperation. Try working on some collaborative projects with students in your department (like co-authoring a conference paper with a student doing similar research). Or form a writing and support group—the Writing Center can help you do that. Sometimes the idea of "we're all in this together" can override the idea of "they're all out to get me."

Remember, if you ever feel inadequate or like you "don't measure up," that almost everyone feels that way at some point or another. Many graduate students report feeling like a fraud at some time during (or through most of!) their graduate careers. Talking with one another may help you realize that the anxieties you have are shared by all, so there's no reason to feel threatened by those who seem to be making more progress . Deep down, they're as scared as you are.

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It may be helpful to find a person who is AHEAD of you in the process (maybe a friend who has defended) to serve as support and to urge you to keep moving. It may also prove beneficial to help a student who is further behind in the program than you are, say, someone who hasn't taken comps. Gathering wisdom from those who have gone before and passing it along to those who are coming up can foster a marvelous spirit of collegiality in a department and help everyone get more and better work done.

If all else fails, and the competitive atmosphere among other students continues to cause you undue anxiety, don't hang out in your department much. Come by to see your advisor. Stay in close contact with your committee. Meet bright, generous people in other departments. Let the Writing Center help you start an interdisciplinary writing group. Go to conferences and meet interesting supportive people on other campuses who will e-mail with you and share your joys, rather than trampling on them. Don't let anyone else, in short, slow you down!

4.3.2 The Procrastination MonsterPeople procrastinate for a lot of reasons, some of which you already know. The key to beating procrastination, though, seems to be figuring out why you are procrastinating, so that you can develop strategies for stopping it. Good books and websites on the subject can help (see bibliography), and UNC resources are available to help with procrastination, writer's block and other internal dissertation problems. The University Counseling and Psychological Service sponsors a dissertation support group, for example, that allows students to meet with a counselor in groups to work through dissertation problems.

4.4 Getting Down to Business: Tips for Writing Consistently

Things to Write When You Don't Want to Write

Okay, so you've figured out what you can do to manage the external stresses in your life, and you've done your best to fight your procrastination demons and do battle with feeling that you're not worthy. You've got your workspace set up and time scheduled and you sit down to write and...nothing. Not a word is coming to you. Here’s what to write when you don't feel like writing:

Make a list of all the little things you need to do for a given section of the dissertation, no matter how small. Write down everything that you need to do to get it out the door. Then when you don't feel like tackling something big, like relating a key point in your argument to the relevant literature, you can insist that you do something else, like photocopying an article you've been meaning to consult or checking your citations. You don't have to do everything on the list during the time you've allotted for dissertation work, but tell yourself that you DO have to do SOMETHING. You'll be surprised that the habit of getting something (no matter how small) done on the dissertation every day can be addicting.

When you don't feel like writing, do "big picture" stuff that the graduate school needs you to do. Reformat margins, work on bibliography, and all that.

Work on your acknowledgements. Remember all the people who have helped you and the great ideas they've helped you develop. You may feel more like working afterward.

Write a part of your dissertation as a letter (or e-mail) to a good friend who would care. Sometimes setting aside the academic prose and just writing it to a buddy can be liberating and help you get the ideas out there. You can make it sound smart later.

Free-write about why you're stuck, and perhaps even about how sick and tired you are of your dissertation/advisor/committee/etc. Venting can sometimes get you past the emotions of writer's block and move you toward creative solutions.

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Boosts to Keep You Going

So let's say you DO feel like writing.  How do you go about it in a consistent way?

First, leave your work out where you can see it and work on it conveniently. If it's out of sight, it's out of mind. However, if you leave the next book you need to read on your desk, it's much more likely that you'll read it. Similarly, if you leave the chapter you need to edit out, and don't have to dig through the filing cabinet to find it, chances are it will get edited more quickly.

If you're really feeling disorganized, clean your workspace. A clear desk and an organized set of notes can go a long way toward clearing your head and getting you back on track. Don't make the office-cleaning-ritual your number one choice for procrastination, though.

Don't be afraid to work in "the wrong order." Some people like to work on one chapter at a time—the first chapter first, then the next chapter, and then the next until they are done. That's the model that a lot of us have for writing, but not everyone works like that. Some people find that they have to write up big ideas first, and then see how they fit together. Some people write chapter 5 before they write chapter 4. Some people do lots and lots of freewriting. The way to write a dissertation is the way that gets pages produced. If that means breaking the "rules," then break them.

Give yourself permission to write the junkiest dissertation ever floated past an unwitting committee. That can be very liberating and help you get pages produced so that you can then edit them later. Get something on paper and then worry about making it perfect. 

Remember, when you feel anxious about the quality of your work, that dissertations aren't master works. They are your FIRST TRY at this, and no one's is really all that good, frankly. (Want proof? Order your advisor's dissertation from interlibrary loan.)

Be reasonable. A lot of people beat themselves up with expectations to work 10 or 12 hours a day—many people recommend a max. of 4 or 5 hours. You simply can't write productively all day long, and trying will just burn you out. Schedule in breaks and time for procrastination. Your brain needs a rest every now and then—better to schedule one than to have your brain mutiny on you and take one anyway.

Find the people in your department who are serious workers and emulate them. If you don't know who they are (often, they come to campus much earlier and leave much later than the rest of us, making them elusive indeed!), ask your advisor. He or she can probably tell you who they are. Ask them to share their tips for working consistently with you, and try out their advice.

Similarly, find the non-workers in your department (they're easier to find—check the Daily Grind), and try NOT to emulate them. It can be easy to fall into a sort of fraternity/sorority of alleged dissertation writers who are bound by the mantra, "I'm not getting any work done." You certainly won't get any work done if you hang out with those folks.

Write your dissertation in single-space. When you need a boost, double space it and be impressed with how many pages you’ve written! Then add the page numbers—it’s even longer!

As you print out chapter drafts, bibliographies, and such, put them in a notebook with dividers for each section. You’ll see the notebook get thicker and thicker as the semester goes along, and it will encourage you to keep working.

Finally, quit while you’re ahead. Sometimes it helps to STOP for the day when you're on a roll. If you've got a great idea that you're developing and you know where you want to go next, write "Next, I want to introduce x, y, and z and explain how they're related—they all have the same characteristics of 1 and 2, and that clinches my theory of Q." Then save the file and turn off the computer, or put down the notepad. When you come back tomorrow, you will already know what to say next—and all that will be left is to say it. Hopefully, the momentum will carry you forward.

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Feedback, Rewards and Punishments as Motivators

Many people use rewards, feedback and punishments as motivators in the dissertation process.

A writing group, your advisor, trusted friends, and loving family members can all give you feedback that can be a motivator. When you are looking for motivational feedback, choose people to ask who you know will give you the sort of feedback you need to keep you going. Grandmothers are great at telling you you're brilliant, for example.

And tell them what kind of feedback you want. It's okay to tell a reader, "I know this is rough, but I just want to make sure that you can understand my main argument." Then when they come back and say, "Yes, I understood," you can feel great!

Give yourself rewards along the way. When you meet a deadline, have coffee with a friend, rent a movie, buy yourself an ice cream, write a letter to a friend, or do something else that will make you feel good about your accomplishment. Having a tangible reward, however small, can provide some added motivation to get work done.

Some people schedule daily motivational rewards. If they really love to do the crossword, get a cappuccino, or watch a particular show every day, they tell themselves they can't do that thing until they have done the allotted amount of dissertation work.

Punishments can also work. Some people find it useful to say, "If I don't get this done by that date, then I can't do ________."

Feeling Like a Professional

One of the most important parts of becoming a scholar is feeling like one. The transition from student to scholar is a huge mental step toward completion. Here are a few tips that can help:

Some people find it helpful to think about the dissertation as a 9-5 job.

Attend conferences and read broadly in your field.

Deliver papers on your research (if writing up papers for conferences helps, rather than hinders, your progress on the dissertation). 

Start conversations with scholars at other schools who do similar work, and engage in exciting, intellectual conversations. Guest lecture in a friend's classes.

Dress the part.

Essentially, do things that help you feel like you have a legitimate place in academia. Some people find that if they pretend to be something they don't think they are for long enough, that they become it without even realizing they have done so.

Will

It may sound silly, but a major part of the dissertation writing a dissertation is simply having the will to write it—making yourself do it, even when you don't want to. The dissertation is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will take endurance, determination, and perseverance. Developing and sustaining the will to complete a complicated, long-term project is a habit that will serve you well in other areas of life.

Get Silly

Take time to laugh at the process and at yourself. Make up a Top 10 lists of "rejected" dissertation titles. Figure out who would play whom in the movie version of your dissertation (or of your

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dissertation defense)! Come up with "dissertation proverbs" that will help you survive. Here is a partial list:

"P" stands for Ph.D.

A good dissertation is a done dissertation.

What do you call a grad student who barely squeaks a lousy dissertation past her committee? Doctor.

You ain't painting a masterpiece.

Do you know of others? Send them to the Writing Center.

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5. Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation

(Last Updated: 02/12/2006 03:39:44)

http://www.learnerassociates.net/dissthes/

Introduction

Summary of Key Ideas in this Guide

The Thinking About It Stage

1. Be inclusive with your thinking. 2. Write down your ideas.

3. Don't be overly influenced by others-it's your research. 4. Try and set a realistic goal.

5. Set appropriate time lines. 6. Take a leave of absence when it will do the most good.

7. Try a preliminary study to help clarify your research.

Preparing The Proposal

8. Read other proposals. 9. Prepare a comprehensive review of the literature.

10. Photocopy relevant articles.11. Proposal should be first 3 chapters of dissertation.

12. Focus your research. 13. Include a title on your proposal.

14. Organize around a set of questions. 15. Some considerations for designing your research:

a. Design your research so the subjects benefit. b. Choose your methodology wisely.

c. Consider combining methodologies. d. Carefully select location for your research.

e. Avoid conducting research in conjunction with another agency.

16. Use your advisory committee well.

a. Select faculty who will support you. b. Your major professor is your ally.

c. Provide committee with well written proposal. d. Plan the proposal meeting well.

Writing The Thesis Or Dissertation

17. Begin writing with sections you know the best. 18. Rewrite your proposal into dissertation sections.

19. Use real names/places in early drafts of dissertation. 20. Print each draft on a different color paper.

21. Use hand drawings of graphics/tables for early drafts. 22. Make your writing clear and unambiguous.

23. Review other dissertations before you begin to write.

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24. Introduce tables in the text, present the table and then describe it. 25. Use similar or parallel wording whenever possible.26. Let your Table of Contents help you improve your manuscript. 27. Write real conclusions and implications - don't restate your findings.28. Make your Suggestions for Further Research meaningful. 29. Chapter One should be written last.

The Thesis/Dissertation Defense

30. Attend some defenses before it's your turn. 31. Discuss your research with others.

32. Don't circulate chapters to committee.33. The defense should be team effort - you and adviser.

34. Don't be defensive at your defense. 35. Organize your defense as an educational presentation.

36. Consider tape recording your defense. 37. Prepare an article on the outcomes of your research.

5.1 The "Thinking About It" Stage The "thinking about it stage" is when you are finally faced with the reality of completing your degree. Usually the early phases of a graduate program proceed in clear and very structured ways. The beginning phases of a graduate program proceed in much the same manner as an undergraduate degree program. There are clear requirements and expectations, and the graduate student moves along, step by step, getting ever closer to the completion of the program. One day, however, the clear structure begins to diminish and now you're approaching the thesis/dissertation stage. This is a new and different time. These next steps are more and more defined by you and not your adviser, the program, or the department.

5.2 Preparing The Proposal I am familiar with other research that has been conducted in areas related to my research project.

(___Yes, it's me)( ___No, not me)

I have a clear understanding of the steps that I will use in conducting my research.

(___Yes, it's me)( ___No, not me)

I feel that I have the ability to get through each of the steps necessary to complete my research project.

(___Yes, it's me)( ___No, not me)

I know that I am motivated and have the drive to get through all of the steps in the research project.

(___Yes, it's me)( ___No, not me)

...having the most important words appear toward the beginning of your title,

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...limiting the use of ambiguous or confusing words,

..breaking your title up into a title and subtitle when you have too many words, and

...including key words that will help researchers in the future find your work.

WRITING THE THESIS OR DISSERTATION

THE THESIS/DISSERTATION DEFENSE

5.3 Thinking About Buying a Book? I have spent time identifying a number of different books that are available to help in writing a thesis/dissertation. The quality of the books, as can be expected, varies greatly. If you would like

to see a listing of the books I have identified and my reactions to them, please click here.

5.4 A Handful of Worthwhile Bookmarks -If I only had time to visit a single website for help with my thesis I'd probably go directly to the Thesis Handbook (http://www.tele.sunyit.edu/ThesisHandbook.html) maintained by the

Telecommunications Program at SUNY Institute of Technology. Especially helpful are the accompanying Thesis Workbook and Frequently Asked Questions where you will find a wealth of clearly written and helpful information. (Selecting a topic; Developing a search strategy for going after relevant literature: Deciding which tense to use in your writing; etc.)

An extensive set of hints and ideas on how to improve your dissertation/thesis writing. How To Write A Dissertation or Bedtime Reading For People Who Do Not Have Time To Sleep

(http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.dissertation.html) lays out suggestion after suggestion in direct and non-confusing form. A great list to bring out after you've completed the first draft of your writing, are rather tired of your topic, and you are not sure where to begin your fine tuning.

An excellent website with lots of highly specific information (especially if the focus of your work is in a scientific or technical area) has been developed by Joe Wolfe at The University of

New South Wales (Australia). How to Write a PhD Thesis (http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/thesis.html) provides a variety of very useful suggestions on how to get from the beginning to the end of your thesis project - and survive the process!

Wouldn't it be great if there were a bunch of theses/dissertations available for reading right on the web? Well, there are some resources you should be aware of that will let you see what the

finished product could look like. First, there is an Experimental Digital Library of M.I.T. Theses (http://theses.mit.edu/) which includes electronically-submitted theses. Next, you can always purchase a copy of most US dissertations/theses. These are available from UMI's website - UMI's Online Dissertation Services (http://www.umi.com/hp/Products/Dissertations.html). The University of Wisconsin has a site which lists Sites with Full Text Access to Dissertations (http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/Memorial/elecdiss.htm#fulltext). You should also be aware of the various Electronic Dissertation/Thesis (ETD) projects that are currently underway. A good access to this area is via the library at the University of Virginia which has a page dealing with Electronic Theses and Dissertations in the Humanities (http://etext.virginia.edu/ETD/).

Another website that's worth visiting is maintained by Computer Science & Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and also the Computer Science

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Department at Indiana University-Bloomington. How to Be a Good Graduate Student/Advisor (http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.html) "attempts to raise some issues that are important for graduate students to be successful and to get as much out of the process as possible, and for advisors who wish to help their students be successful."

Prof. John W. Chinneck at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) has created a very practical and well written webpage on the preparation of your thesis. How to Organize your Thesis

(http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/chinneck/thesis.html) starts with a description of what graduate research/the graduate thesis is all about and then moves point-by-point through a "generic thesis skeleton".

If you are in need of some gentle prodding and a bit of humor to go along with it, check out the Dead Thesis Society (www.deadthesissociety.org) - a support group for graduate students.

Lots of well organized information that is moderated by Frank Elgar, a graduate student in Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Mike Hart, Professor of Business and Informatics at King Alfred's College, has put together a very helpful website focused on successfully completing the "final year project." Final Year

Projects(http://final-year-projects.com/) is loaded with numerous ideas and suggestions for helping the student get started in the project and then to keep going until the project is finished.

Don't let the title scare you away. Discussion On Ph.D. Thesis Proposals in Computing Science (http://john.regehr.org/reading_list/proposal.html) has lots of excellent suggestions to

assist in creating a meaningful proposal in just about any academic discipline. The ideas will serve to not only get you started on your research project but also establish a foundation for actually completing it.

Not sure of all the administrative steps at your university that are required to successfully complete a dissertation? Check out this well thought through website from Pepperdine

University's Graduate School (http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/studentservices/dissertation/education/). Everything seems to be included from a definition of exactly what is a dissertation all the way to exactly how many spaces between the title and your name."

Feeling a bit lonesome in the process of writing your thesis or dissertation? Take a minute to find out who else has visited this website and read what others have said about this Guide

(http://LearnerAssociates.net/dissthes/results.htm) and their own situation. It might just be reassuring!!

And finally, when all else fails, you might want to see what other sites have included a link to this Thesis/Dissertation website. These other sites will have a variety of additional resources to

check out.

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6. Tips for Successful Writing GroupsDr. Chris M. Golde

University of Wisconsin-Madison608/265-6241

cmgolde@facstaff.wisc.eduWriting groups are a powerful tool for peer mentoring, particularly for students in the later stages of their doctoral work. In general, groups meet weekly. One or two group members present their work for discussion at each meeting. In many cases group members are presenting and discussing written work, and the person who is "on" gives a copy of the text to group members 2-3 days in advance. By structuring the group thoughtfully, it can be a useful educational experience. These tips emerged from participation in and discussion with several such groups when I was a graduate student. These are offered as suggestions; each group should use what seems relevant in an effort to meet the needs of its members.

Now that I am moving on in my career, these groups have continued to be important to me: we are beginning to co-author papers with one another, we use electronic media to keep in touch and provide a variety of forms of support for one another, and we continue to share drafts of written work with each other for feedback.

6.1 Not Another Meeting! A clear sense of the goals and mission of the group can focus it and make its value immediately apparent.

Groups are best organized along different lines and themes: Higher Education Research, Feminist Scholars, The Cohort of 1994, etc. Having a shared bond is an important basis for building intellectual trust.

Select people with a similar commitment to the group. It is very frustrating to be in a session in which half the group is missing.

A long-term commitment to the group is important. A semester is minimum, a year is better.

Limit the number of participants. The size of the group should be geared to frequency of presentation. If the group meets weekly, and one person presents their work, and everyone wants to be "on" monthly, a group of 4-7 is best. More people mean less frequent presentation, but less personal pressure. A smaller group can meet every other week.

A group convener helps: someone to reserve a space, remind people who is "on" and convene the group at the start of terms or after holiday breaks.

6.2 The Benefits The benefits of a group usually far outweigh the cost of time and energy. However, at the initiation phase of every group there is a waiting period, as each person determines the usefulness of the group for themselves.

By meeting as students, without faculty involvement, students develop skills developing an intellectual community, in giving feedback, and developing original research.

Peer mentors are often harder critics than faculty. Practicing a proposal defense or conference presentation in a group can help iron out all of the kinks. A group of students familiar with your work ask harder questions than most faculty! It is confidence building to satisfy your peers.

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A group is a source of emotional support. Because you are all going through the same process, you can understand, vent, bolster, encourage, sympathize and crack the whip. Fellow students are excellent procrastination detectors.

A group can become a community in a what may seem to be an uncaring and anonymous university.

A group can open up possibilities for research collaboration.

A writing group can supplement input from faculty in important ways: Students are also able to give each other time in ways that faculty members are unable to. There are not power imbalances between students as there are between faculty and students.

If a group does not meet the needs of a participant, either through content or style, it is OK for that person to leave the group.

6.3 Nuts and Bolts Set specific goals as a group, and discuss these goals and expectations early on. Each member should set specific goals for themselves, as well. Select a meeting space conducive to working. A seminar table, a white board and a quiet location are helpful.

Set a clear schedule 2-3 months in advance. Who will present on which week? What day will the work be available in advance? On occasion of vacations, conferences, finals, it may be better to skip a week or two.

Determine a convenient location to pick up papers being distributed for feedback.

Be honest about your ability to commit time at various points in the year.

Set up an e-mail list to facilitate sending out reminders, requests, updates etc.

Time is a precious resource for graduate students, so it is important that the group be an efficient and constructive use of everyone's time.

Be on time.

Write regularly. Writing bi-weekly, or monthly can be a good prod to making progress.

Produce work when it is your turn. Hand it out in a timely manner, for most thoughtful feedback.

Be strict about time keeping within the group. If you only have an hour, agree how the time will be spent, and be firm about moving on to the next topic.

Agree on the amount of time each person will spend reading and preparing feedback in advance. Establishing these norms can also help the "on" person focus their requests and the amount of text they provide.

A good group has a high level of trust between members. This has to grow and develop; it is earned. There is a difference between a group of colleagues and a good writing group. You can trust it and count on a good writing group, which allows room for other kinds of shared experiences.

Laugh together. Read each others work in advance. Set aside time to do this thoroughly and thoughtfully, and review it before the meeting.

Be honest and thoughtful in your feedback.

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Hold each other accountable for the commitments you make. Don't accept excuses for not reading work, or for skipping meetings.

Don't apologize for your work. Don't be embarrassed by it.

A group is a safe place to try out new ideas and present work very much "in progress." Use it to take intellectual risks.

Set time to update each other on milestones, triumphs, frustrations, personal lives, etc.

Celebrate together.

Creatively develop and employ the strategies that most effectively motivate you and your group. In one of my groups we mandated that the last person to arrive must bring cookies the following week. This cut tardiness dramatically. We once wrote a timeline for one person's proposal writing, and we all signed it!

Ask for and give focused feedback. I often attach a cover note to the draft I am handing out explaining what is new, what I am trying to do, and what I would like in the way of specific feedback. I might say: "Please focus on the explanation of and integration of the conceptual framework," or "I really need some positive feedback, so tell me what you particularly like," or "Please be picky about grammar and wording this time." The more clearly you know what you want and can articulate it to others, the more likely you are to get the help you need.

On some occasions, we have had the "on" person listen and take notes, without responding to the feedback and discussion. This may continue for 30-45 minutes. While it is awkward and frustrating at first to listen to people discuss you as if you weren't there, it can be illuminating to hear the group try to understand and explain your work to each other (rather like discussing a reading in class). This can lead to a nuanced understanding of how you are expressing your ideas which might never emerge if you had been able to respond and explain immediately.

Have someone else take notes, or tape record the session. This frees the "on" person from having to record the discussion in detail, and allows them to focus on the discussion and their participation.

Use the group for tasks beyond writing proposals, dissertation chapters and papers. In my groups we have: discussed interview protocol or survey drafts, discussed approaches (which fellowships to apply for), talked about career possibilities, analyzed transcripts, developed timelines, rearranged an outline, practiced presentations for conferences, shared drafts of CVs, discussed how to approach particular faculty members, talked about negotiating the terms of a job offer, etc.

Alternate bringing snacks to the meeting. This makes the meeting more enjoyable.

One group took a weekend retreat together. This was a time for team building, and longer discussions of work in progress.

Maintain a sense of humor. Share funny things when they occur, or when you stumble across them. I frequently spread the odd things that come across my e-mail.

The higher education system has its competitive aspects. For example, we compete for the attention of faculty, for fellowships, for plum TA/RA opportunities, for conference presentation slots, and ultimately for jobs. The conundrums of competing with those students with whom we work most closely and cooperatively deserve attention. Clear communication about expectations (Do you tell each other about newly discovered opportunities? Do you share bibliographic information and sources? Do you practice job talks in front of each other or the rest of the group?) and anxieties (acknowledging the presence of competition) is crucial for maintaining trust.

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Intellectual property rights are increasingly debated on college campuses. If you are studying topics similar to that of other students in your group, it is important to air these issues. How do you acknowledge and cite each other? Who retains the "rights" to ideas developed within the group?

Conflict may arise, for example, one member may demand more than they give back. Conflict resolution techniques may need to be employed.

The time of renewal for a group, when considering adding new members, can be a difficult period. Discussions of who to include must be conducted with candor and confidentiality. The integration of new members requires patience.

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7. Thesis Proposals: A Brief Guidehttp://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/thesis.pdf

This guide is for students who are enrolled in a postgraduate research degree and whohave been asked to submit a thesis proposal.The aim of the thesis proposal is to convince your school that:

There is a need for the research; it is significant and important.

You are contributing something original to the field.

The topic is feasible in terms of availability of funding, equipment, supervisors, and data.

The research can be completed in the expected time period. UNSW recommends completing a Ph. D. in 6 sessions (3 years) for full-time candidates.

Ethical issues have been considered and approval has been given for the research by the University Ethics Committee.

The topic matches your interests and capabilities.

What is the Difference between a Masters and a Doctorate thesis proposal?

Your post graduate coordinator and your supervisor are best placed to give detailed clarification of your school’s expectations. While differences are likely to be in the length and complexity of the research, the main difference is that a Ph. D. must contain something new.

Who is my audience?The proposal will be presented as a written report and is usually presented in a seminar as well. It can be presented to a Postgraduate Committee or to staff more directly involved in your candidature, such as your supervisor, cosupervisor and your school's postgraduate coordinator.

Your GoalThe thesis proposal helps you focus your research aims, clarify its importance and the need, describe the methods, predict problems and outcomes, and plan alternatives and interventions.Getting It DonePreparing your proposal will be an iterative process. You will discuss a number of drafts with your supervisors. You should be writing regularly to have your proposal completed by the due date. This can vary from the first 3–9 months of your candidature.Your work will make a worthwhile contribution to the field if it fulfils one or more of the following:

it provides evidence to support or disprove a concept, theory, or model; it contributes new data/information, new or improved solution, analysis procedure

or a new improved research methodology; it results in a new or improved concept, theory or model.

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7.1 Thesis Proposals ReportThe following sections are recommended for your thesis proposal report. Check with your supervisors for optional sections, variations and additional sections that may be required.

Routine InformationThis can be a full cover page or a quarter page header.• Name• Address, telephone and email details• Degree for which you are a candidate• Supervisor’s and co-supervisor’s names• Thesis proposal title• DateStatement of TopicIntroduce the reader to the recognised general subject area and how your topic is related. Briefly point out why it is a significant topic and what contribution your work will make.Aims of the thesis/dissertationSet out specific objectives of the research.Review of the literatureThis, together with the following section on the theoretical orientation, will be the main substance of the proposal and will lay the basis for your discussions of your methods and your total research program. The literature review should explain the relation of your topic and research aims to significant literature and recent (and current) research in your field. The form of the literature review may vary according to the nature of the field: experimental, philosophical, theoretical, comparative, etc., but its purpose will be the same in all fields. The literature review should place your proposed research topic clearly in its relevant research context, and should demonstrate your awareness of significant similar or relevant research. You may need to make qualitative judgements concerning the literature.

Be careful not to allow the evaluation of previous work to become a large open-ended task. You should consult with your supervisors on the types of questions you need to be asking and what boundaries you should place on your literature review. In one sense the literature review for the proposal is incomplete. You will continue to expand and update the literature as your research progresses and as you locate new publications. The final literature review will be included in your thesis.

Ask Yourself . . .Which pieces of research seem to have been most successful, the most promising and which less so?What are the major lines of criticism that can be levelled at previous work?What major omissions, gaps or neglected emphases can be identified?

7.2 Thesis Proposals: Theoretical OrientationYour aim here is to state your basic ideas on the topic. First, state the various theoretical approaches taken in your topic. Which one do you propose to use in your research and why? Where, tentatively do you stand on the topic? If there are various theories on your

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topic or in your field, which one(s) will you use in your conceptual framework for your thesis? Which terms or trends do you wish to follow up from the literature review? Do you have any fresh suggestions of an explanatory, interpretative, or programmatic kind?Think it ThroughPerhaps the best way to approach this section is to set down your main insights, hypotheses, hunches, or even hopes about your topic. In view of past theory and research, and your emerging issues, what are the areas that you expect to have findings?For empirical theses you may need to formulate explicit hypotheses.MethodologyDescribe your proposed methods in sufficient detail so that the reader is clear about the following:• What kind of information will you be using?• From what sources will the information be obtained?• What resources will you require?• What methodology will you be using?• Why have you selected this approach?• What ethical and safety issues have you identified and how do you propose to proceed?Research program timetable – milestonesThis will usually be from the date you began your degree to when you expect to submit the completed thesis/ dissertation. For Psychology, a time-line up to the end of your second session is the minimum requirement. The time-line can be formatted as a table or a list. Include when you will start and finish important aspects of your research, such as: literature research, required training or attending courses, stages of experiments or investigations, beginning and completing chapters, reviews and seminars you will give, and completing the thesis.Tentative thesis chapter outlineYou should check with your supervisor if this is a required section of the thesis proposal. Present the chapter outline as a draft contents page with brief annotations of expected content or stages. Follow the standard sections relevant to your type of research. Look at past theses in your area and discuss your ideas with your supervisor.ReferencesList all publications cited in your proposal. Use the style recommended by the school or your supervisor. This may be a standard style the whole school follows or it may be the style of the leading journal in your field.

Acknowledgments:Thank you to the following academics, staff and students, for their contributions and advice:Professor David Trimm, Professor John Trinder, Dr. Jacquelyn Cranney, Professor StaffanKjelleberg, Dr. Tony Partridge, Professor Clive Fletcher, Professor Chris Sorrell, Professor Jason

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Middleton, Dr. Khosrow Zarrabi, Professor Marilyn Fox, Professor Michael Wootton, DominicFitzsimmons, Gwyn Jones.For suggestions and comments please contact Pam Mort, The Learning Centre 93851150,p.mort@unsw.edu.auFor more resources like this one, visit The Learning Centre Website:http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au

7.3 Some Thoughts on Dissertation Proposal Writinghttp://chris.golde.org/filecabinet/disspropose.html

Dr. Chris M. GoldeUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

608/265-6241cmgolde@facstaff.wisc.edu

Writing a dissertation proposal is, in my opinion, the hardest part of the dissertation process. In Education, where few students are working closely with an established research project led by a faculty member, the student is developing a project on their own. In creating a proposal you are crafting something out of nothing. Developing an understanding of an issue, identifying, reading and summarizing the relevant literature, and developing your own take on the problem are time consuming and often frustrating processes. In many ways the methodology is the easiest part to develop. Once you have a clear idea of the first pieces, the methods should follow easily.

In general I think that proposals should be in the 20 page range. I think that a proposal should have the following parts:

Introduction

o Summary of the larger puzzles and issues

o Locating your work in a larger issue

o Main research question

Problem Statement

o What is the issue?

o What are the specific questions?

o What is the context and background?

o Why does this matter?

Conceptual Framework

o How do you look at this puzzle?

o What is the theoretical framework (what is this a case of?)?

o What are the key constructs?

o What are specific terms you are using and how do you define them?

o Model of what you think is going on

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Methods

o What do you plan to do and why

o How do these link to the questions and the CF?

Bibliography

Appendices

o Survey drafts

o Pilot data

o Timeline

In general I do not like a separate section labeled "Literature Review" although I know that people have different opinions about that. In addition, some projects may be more appropriately organized that way. Instead, I think that you should interweave the literature into the PS and the CF. This informs the reader of what we do know and what we need to know. This serves to bolster the argument, which you are crafting. Rather than summarizing the various pieces of literature in detail (by reviewing the methods and the dependent variable and the findings) you should be explaining what matters about that study. This can be as brief as (these examples are from my own proposal):

The decisions of students are a complex interaction of internal, external and institutional factors (Cabrera, Castaneda, Nora, & Hengstler, 1992).

Or take a paragraph to summarize several studies:

While this macro-level description of women in doctoral education turns attention to systemic problems, problems are also located at the individual level. The sexist micro-inequities which many women endure have been dubbed the academic "chilly climate," which impacts female graduate students as well as undergraduates (Berg & Ferber, 1983; Female Graduate Students at MIT, 1983; Hall & Sandler, 1982; Sandler & Hall, 1986). For example, women may be rendered invisible, and rarely asked for their advice or expertise, or may be interrupted. Lott has analyzed the ways in which competent women are evaluated less favorably than comparable men (1985), a bind women are unable to escape. Women doctoral students may be the victims of sexual harassment, and may be particularly reluctant to speak out, given their reliance on faculty support for their chosen careers (Dziech & Weiner, 1984; Schneider, 1987). Women students may be less likely to find mentors, as faculty are more likely to mentor same-sex students (Berg & Ferber, 1983).

Only when there is direct bearing on the study you are doing, might you want to describe a study in depth. (I don't have a very good example of this, because I don't do this much.)

Bowen and Rudenstine (1992) computed doctoral student attrition rates for a 10 university sample, of which Stanford was one participant. They found a 52% attrition rate for the entering cohorts of 1972-76 (p. 108). They also computed rates for two groups of departments (English-History-Political Science and Math-Physics) in a sub-set of 4 universities (including Stanford), and found a 40% attrition rate for the EHP departments and a 24.7% rate for the MP group. Like many studies, these data are quite old. More recent data from the Stanford Provost's Committee on the Recruitment, Retention and Graduation of Minority Graduate Students (Stanford University, 1994) suggest an attrition rate near 20%.

Regardless of what organizational strategy you use to present the literature, keep in mind to do ANALYSIS of the literature. What are the conceptual and methodological strengths and weaknesses? What are the things we can say with confidence, and what is speculative and tentative? What is clearly established and what is missing? By identifying the gaps, you can locate your own work. In the CF you want to convince the reader of your way of looking at things. Here you take the literature

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and summarize and reorganize it in order to bolster the points you are trying to make. Rather than marching through a number of studies (A said this, B said that, C and D are contradictory) I used this strategy, as an example.

As described in detail in the section which follows, the research literature has identified four primary forces which shape the departmental context of the doctoral student experience. Figure 3 identifies these four forces, two of which are external influences from the larger communities in which the department is located, the campus community and the disciplinary area. The other two forces are internal, they categorize the way in which organizational members and organizational rules, policies and practices create the departmental organization.

I also believe strongly in drawing diagrams and models of what you think is going on and how you see the world. Others might disagree, but I think this can be done for exploratory and qualitative work. Even if you are not hypothesis testing, you have an idea of what components are salient. And if you revise your view in the light of the data, so much the better.

Your understanding and conceptualization may, of course, change as you collect the data. The proposal is not cast in cement. Instead, it is a blueprint. It is a map which guides you on your data collection and analysis journey. The more thoroughly you have thought about the issues in advance, the more likely you are to be on sure ground later.

I also believe (and virtually require for students whose dissertations I chair) that you should find a group of other students and form a writing group. (See Tips for Writing Groups). This is a place to share your writing as it evolves, and a group to provide feedback on the concept, the implementation and the larger process. If you find a group you trust and can work with, you will create much stronger work, and use your advisor's time more effectively. In addition, you will learn to write better, and learn how to ask for and give feedback.

version 1.2August, 1997

Chris M. Golde

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8. Thesis and Dissertation ManualAdapted/Abridged from Howard University Manual January 2002

8.1 Definitions of Theses and DissertationsA thesis/dissertation is an original, formal, scholarly piece of work which is written as part of the requirements for a master's degree and which presents the writer's position on a proposed topic of his or her own choosing or the findings from a research project.

A dissertation is an original, formal, scholarly study presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Traditionally, the expectation is that the dissertation will present arguments of greater complexity and material more substantial than those presented in the master's thesis; both documents, however, demand effort, excellence, and time. Although in some instances the words "dissertation" and "thesis" are used interchangeably, at Howard University the term "dissertation" refers to the formal written presentation required for the doctor of philosophy degree, while "thesis" refers to the written presentation that may be required for the Master's degree.

A thesis or dissertation, a copy of which is archived in Founders Library, represents a candidate's special contribution to the world of knowledge. In essence, the thesis and dissertation are sources which other scholars and researchers may consult.

The method of research--whether primary, secondary, or a combination of both--on which a thesis or dissertation is based is usually controlled by the demands of the subject matter and decided upon by the respective departments.

8.2 Legal Issues

Copyright Law and Fair Use

The subject of Copyright Law involves protection of your work from unauthorized use, and protection for the material created by others that you use in your thesis or dissertation.

Copyright Law

For writers of theses/dissertations, the law establishes important rights of ownership and control over your new work. When the Graduate School deposits the archival copy of your work in Founders Library, the thesis/dissertation becomes "published." The U.S. Copyright Law gives authors exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and make most other uses of their original works. Copyrighted works are not limited to those that bear a copyright notice. As a result of changes in copyright law, works published since March 1, 1989 need not bear a copyright notice to be protected under the statute.

If you choose to include the copyright notice in the final copies of your work, it must contain three elements: (1) the symbol "" or the word "Copyright"; (2) the year of first publication; and (3) the name of the owner of copyright. For example:

1999 John Brown All Rights Reserved

The copyright page is inserted following the title page of the work. The notice is centered on the page, with the first line resting on a line four inches from the top of the page. This page is not counted in the numbering sequence and, therefore, carries no page number.

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Fair Use

Your thesis/dissertation will likely include quotations, pictures, charts, standard tests, or other materials. If a large portion of another author's work is used, you must obtain written permission. Using someone's material without permission is considered infringement of copyright and can be the basis of legal action against you. Copyright law provides a right of "fair use" that allows limited copying without consent. Excerpts of up to 150 words are generally considered "fair use." Before using another author's work, writers are advised to review the copyright law as it relates to the fair use of a copyrighted work.

8.3 Style and Documentation

Selecting the Style Manual

Each department will decide upon a style manual that will be used as the departmental standard for writing the thesis/dissertation and the documentation style used to include references. It is incumbent on each advisor to inform the candidate of the style manual appropriate for his or her field of study. Since this manual will guide the writing style of the thesis or dissertation, the advisor should assume the responsibility that this style is adhered to before the candidate presents final copies for defense.

Candidates should also use a dictionary and a punctuation, grammar, and usage reference manual as they research and write. For final formatting regulations, the candidate and the advisor must consult this manual.

Forms of Documentation

Each discipline documents references differently. The advisor will guide the candidate in selecting an established reference style appropriate to the field of study. MLA and APA reference styles, the documentation style suggested by The Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition), and the citation systems of leading journals in your field are acceptable styles.

The following five styles of documentation are widely used in scholarly writing.

Endnotes, with numbered citations in the text keyed to documentation notes placed at the end of chapters and bibliographic listings at the end of the text.

Footnotes, with number citations in the text keyed to documentation notes placed at the bottom of the page where they occur and bibliographic listings at the back of the text.

Author-date citations , author's name, publication date, and page numbers placed in the text, with full documentation/bibliographic data in a list at the end of the text.

Parenthetical citations, author's name and page number placed in parentheses in the text, with full documentation/bibliographic data in a list at the end of the text.

Internet and electronic source citations , the style manual (APA, MLA, The Chicago Manual of Style, etc.) used in your discipline will list the preferred method of citing information from an electronic source. It is important to cite the author, date (if known), title, source, medium, and how the information is available, with full documentation/bibliographic data in a list at the end of the text.

Dedication Page

The Dedication page is an optional page, but if used, you are giving special recognition to persons, organizations, or others who provided extraordinary encouragement during your academic career. Unlike persons mentioned in the acknowledgment, those in the dedication may not have made any

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contribution to the work. A dedication may be made to a cause, a group, or an ideal, as opposed to a single person. This page is formatted with the heading resting on a line one inch from the top of the page, and text beginning three spaces below. Margins, line spacing, and paragraph indentations are the same as for general text.

Acknowledgment Page

The Acknowledgment Page is also an optional page. If used, the purpose of this page is to recognize persons to whom you are grateful for any special assistance, and any grant fund support you may have received for your work. This page is formatted with the heading resting on a line one inch from the top of the page, and text beginning three spaces below. Margins, line spacing, and paragraph indentations are the same as for general text.

The Abstract

An abstract, which is a summary of a longer work, is defined in terms of the purpose that it serves:

Although requirements and space dictate the length of an abstract, each academic abstract

should contain the following:

(a) the problem being studied and its resulting thesis/dissertation, research question, or hypothesis

(b) the methodology and statistics, where appropriate

(c) the results or findings

(d) the conclusions, discussion, implications, and recommendations, if any.

Consistent with microfilm specifications, the number of words in an abstract should be as

follows:

(a) a maximum of 150 words for a thesis;

(b) a maximum of 350 words for a dissertation.

Table of Contents

The Table of Contents is the only index of your thesis/dissertation. It reveals the nature and course of your research and the method you have chosen to present the results of your work. For thesis/dissertations submitted to the Graduate School, the chapter is the basic unit of division, with subdivisions where appropriate. Use either the heading scheme or the decimal system to organize the chapter sections. (See Examples #3 and #4.) The organization scheme of your work must match the scheme displayed in the text. The system of indenting you use in the Table of Contents to indicate subdivisions within chapters must match the subdivision system in the chapters. The title of each entry must correspond exactly to the title listed in the text. Use dot leaders (...) to connect the last word of each entry to the page numbers.

All preliminary pages are listed in the Table of Contents. (If you have included the copyright page in your thesis/dissertation, it is not listed.) The use of dot leaders (the dots on each line of the Table of Contents connecting the headings of the page numbers) is required. The dots in the leader must line up appropriately at the end of each line of the Table of Contents. Most word-processing software includes a feature for creating a Table of Contents that includes dot leaders. Most word processing packages can create a Table of Contents with dot leaders, from the headings in a document. For Microsoft Word, you use styles to create the different headings. For example, set heading 1 (for Chapter Titles), heading 2 (for level two headings), heading 3 (for level 3 headings) and heading 4 for

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(level 4 headings). When you type the heading, select the appropriate heading style based on the level of heading. When you generate the Table of Contents, not only will the headings be exact, the page numbers also will be exact. If you revise the document, regenerate the Table of Contents and the headings and page numbers will be exact. However, this feature works differently depending on which software package you use. All entries and page numbers must match the text exactly. Please double-check these details for accuracy.

Bibliographies and Reference Lists

All sources cited in the text must be carefully listed in your reference section. This reference section will be titled "References" or "Bibliography" and will be placed at the end of the text. Carefully select an established reference style appropriate for your field of study. This list allows anyone reading your work to view the scope of your research. A mistake many students make is that the citations in the text do not match the reference list or bibliography. Even when they include all the citations, sometimes the names are spelled differently, the dates are different, or they do not include all the required bibliographical information. The easiest way to avoid this is to proof the document with the thesis/dissertation on the left and the reference/bibliography on the right. As you read the document, check the citations against the reference section or the bibliography.

Appendix

The Appendix will contain additional illustrative material such as forms, questionnaires, documents, long and complex tables, figures, and computer printouts. This material is not essential to the text but helpful to a reader seeking further clarification. The Appendix is not a repository for data that should appear in the text.

When more than one Appendix is used, each must be assigned a letter (Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, etc.) as well as a title. Each appendix with its title must be listed separately in the Table of Contents as a subdivision under the heading APPENDICES.

8.4 Formatting the Final Copy

Order of Pages

1. Title Page

2. Copyright Page (optional)

3. Committee Approval Form

4. Dedication (optional)

5. Acknowledgments (optional)

6. Abstract

7. Table of Contents

8. List of Tables

9. List of Figures

10. List of Abbreviations

11. List of Symbols

12. Main Body

13. Chapter 1 (which includes an introduction)

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14. Chapters 2, 3, etc.

15. Appendices

16. Bibliography/References

Pagination

All pages in the thesis/dissertation must be counted and numbered. (If you have included the copyright page, it is not counted or numbered.) The title page is counted but not numbered. The preliminary pages (Committee Approval Form, Dedication, Acknowledgments, etc.) are numbered with small Roman numerals, (ii, iii, iv, etc.).

The remaining parts of the thesis/dissertation, including text, illustrations, appendix, and bibliography should be numbered with the appropriate Arabic numerals. All pages of the thesis/dissertation are numbered at the bottom, with the page number centered one -half inch above the bottom edge of the page. Please number pages carefully. Inserted pages using both numerical and alphabetical numbering, for example, 43a, are not acceptable.

Margins

The left margin for all pages must be 1.5 inches.

The top, right, and bottom margins must be 1 inch each.

Spacing

Use standard double-spacing for the text pages such as dedication, acknowledgments, the abstract, and the body of the thesis/dissertation. Single-space items in lists, notes, and lists of tables and figures, but double-space between each entry. (This also applies to the Bibliography section and the Reference section.)

Single-space all table headings, all figure captions, and block quotations that are four lines or longer. Indent block quotations one-half inch from both the left and right margins.

Double-space between paragraphs.

Indent paragraphs consistently.

The spacing above and below headings throughout your paper must be consistent.

8.4.1 Word Processing Regulations

Use a laser printer.

Use 12-point type for all text, including footnotes and endnotes, numbers of tables and figures and captions of tables and figures.

A smaller font size may be used within the tables and figures. The font size for the table headings and the figure captions must remain at 12-point.

Different fonts and font size may be used within the appendices.

Limit your font selection to Courier, Times New Roman, Times, Arial or Helvetica. Italic print may be used for foreign words, for emphasis or titles of publications. Please consult your selected style manual for correct usage of italics or underlining.)

Type on one side of the page only.

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Center and type in uppercase letters all major section titles on the heading pages, for example, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, ABSTRACT, Chapter TITLE, and BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Place footnotes at the bottom of the appropriate page, or place endnotes in numerical order at the end of each chapter.

Do not split references, bibliographic entries, table headings, or figure captions across two pages. (However, footnotes at the bottom of the page may continue to the following page.)

Use left-only justification. Fully justified margins are not recommended because there could be instances where there are gaps in a line or the letters are compressed to achieve the justification. If you do use full justification, be sure your computer does not produce large gaps or inappropriate spaces between words.

Do not hyphenate the last word in a paragraph or split a word across two pages. No more than two consecutive lines should end with divided words. Divide words as they are in the dictionary.

Do not leave a heading as the last line on a page. Do not submit a page with only one line of text.

A heading near the bottom of a page must have at least two lines of text beneath it. When the first line of a paragraph appears as the last line on a page, it is referred to as an “orphan” line. When the last line of a paragraph appears as the first line on a page, it is referred to as a “widow” line. To avoid orphan or widow lines, use the “orphan and widow” features of the word processing package. If the word processing package does not have this feature, use a page break to keep at least two lines together, which will result in a wider bottom margin on the previous page.

Do not use correction tape or correction fluid on the pages of the thesis or the dissertation.

Paper Quality

Each candidate must submit one original and two photocopies of the thesis/dissertation.

The original copy must be printed on white 8½ x 11- inch 20-pound bond finish paper, with a 25 percent (minimum) cotton fiber. Do not use erasable paper.

The photocopies must be reproduced onto a 20-pound photocopy paper.

8.4.2 Preparing Illustrations

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures are types of illustrations, which supplement rather than duplicate the material in a text. You must acknowledge the source of any table or figure you reproduce or modify from another author or work. Tables and figures in the text should appear as soon as possible after they are first mentioned. In cases where numerous tables or figures would disrupt the flow of the text, you may group them at the end of the chapter, in the order they were mentioned in the text. If a table or figure is less than half a page, you may integrate it on the page of text. Set it off from the text with at least three spaces above and below. You may also group several small tables or figures on a single page.

Follow these guidelines when preparing tables or figure.

A table is a columnar arrangement of information organized to save space and convey relationships at a glance. While most tables present quantitative data, some tables consist mainly of words that present quantitative comparisons or descriptive information. The format

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of the table (e.g., title, numbering, and borders) should be determined by the style manual being used. However, in all instances, the table number and title must be above the table.

A figure is a graphic illustration, such as a chart, graph, diagram, map, photograph, or plate.

Give numbers and headings or captions to all tables and figures that appear in the text. Number the tables and figures consecutively throughout the paper, or use a decimal system to number them by chapter.

Position table numbers and headings flush left or centered two lines ABOVE the table.

Position figure numbers and captions centered two lines BELOW the figure.

The number and heading or caption should follow the same horizontal or vertical direction as the table or figure.

Use the same font type and size for all table numbers and headings and all figure numbers and captions. This font should match that used for the text. You may use different font sized within the figure or table.

The number, heading or caption, and page number of each table or figure must be identical to the number, heading or caption, and page number used in the List of Tables and List of Figures.

You may continue with the consecutive numbering system for tables and figures in the appendix, or you may use an appendix numbering system. (The first table in the appendix would be Table A.1, the first figure would be Figure A.1, and so on.)

All appendix tables and figures must be listed in the List of Tables or the List of Figures.

All tables and figures must fit into the same margin requirements as the text. If you continue a table or a figure onto succeeding pages, both pages are labeled with the word "continued." Do not repeat the heading or the caption.

Oversized tables or figures can be printed sideways (landscape orientation) on the page. However, do not landscape the page number. Print the page number in its usual (portrait) orientation. (Such tables are printed without a page number and then fed back through the printer later to put the page number on.) Tables or figures landscaped on a page should have their top edge near the left binding side of the paper.

Photographs

Photographs must be securely fastened to the page. You may use dry mount tissue, dry mounting adhesive sheets, or a spray adhesive. Do not use tape or rubber cement.

List and caption all photographs as figures. A note attached to the caption should indicate the original source.

8.4.3 Filing ProcedureAll degree candidates enrolled in the thesis/dissertation option must submit the final copies of their theses or dissertations to the Graduate School no later than ten working days after the oral defense.

Required Number of Copies

Each candidate must submit one original and two photocopies of the thesis or dissertation to the Dean of the Graduate School.

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Required Certification

The final copies cannot be submitted without departmental certification.

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9. How To Cite References - IEEE StyleThe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Style is used primarily for publications in engineering, electronics, telecommunications, computer science and information technology.

These guidelines follow the principles given in the Information for Authors : IEEE Transactions, Journals and Letters published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2003 and the Reference Guide: IEEE Style, University of Illinois at Urbania Champaign, College of Engineering, 1998. An additional source of information on the citation of electronic resources was Numeric Referencing, University of Wales, Swansea, 2004.

IEEE Style uses a notation method of referencing when referring to a source of information within the text of a document. In its simplest form, a citation is given consisting of a number enclosed by square brackets. The full details of the source are given in a numerical reference list at the end of the document.

9.1 Citation Within The Text

Indicating the relevant reference in the textA number enclosed in square brackets, eg. [1] or [26], placed in the text of the essay, indicates the relevant reference. Citations are numbered in the order in which they appear in the text and each citation corresponds to a numbered reference containing publication information about the source cited in the reference list at the end of the publication, essay or assignment. Once a source has been cited, the same number is used in all subsequent references. No distinction is made between print and electronic references when citing within the text.

Each reference number should be enclosed in square brackets on the same line as the text, before any punctuation, with a space before the bracket.

Here are some examples of this kind of referencing :

"...end of the line for my research [13].""The theory was first put forward in 1987 [1]." "Scholtz [2] has argued that......." "Several recent studies [3, 4, 15, 16] have suggested that..." "For example, see [7]."

It is not necessary to mention either the author(s) or the the date of the reference unless it is relevant to your text.It is not necessary to say " in reference [26] ..." "In [26] ..." is sufficient.

Citing more than one reference at a timeWhen citing more than one source at a time, the preferred method is to list each reference number separately with a comma or dash between each reference:

Preferred [1], [3], [5] [1] - [5]

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Although the following method is also acceptable: Acceptable [1, 3, 5] [1-5]

Personal CommunicationsPersonal comunications include conversations, letters, interviews, e-mails and telephone conversations.IEEE style states that you cite only published works, forthcoming published works, and unpublished materials available to scholars in a library, a depository, or an archive.For interviews or other "non-recoverable" information, no citation number is necessary. This does not mean that an attempt to identify the author is unnecessary, but that it needs to be done in the text itself.

"In a personal interview with Bill Gates, he suggested that he would soon rule the world.""In a letter to the author, Professor Mueller detailed his expereinnces with using this data collection software."

9.2 Creating a reference list or bibliography

A numbered list of references must be provided at the end of the paper. The list should be arranged in the order of citation in the text of the assignment or essay, not in alphabetical order. List only one reference per reference number. Footnotes or other information that are not part of the referencing format should not be included in the reference list.

The following examples demonstrate the format for a variety of types of references. Included are some examples of citing electronic documents. Such items come in many forms, so only some examples have been listed here.

Print Documents

BooksNote: Every (important) word in the title of a book or conference must be capitalised. Only the first word of a subtitle should be capitalised. Capitalise the "v" in Volume for a book title. Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.

Standard format

[#] A. A. Author/editor, Title: Subtitle (in italics), Edition(if not the first), Vol.(if a multivolume work). Place of publication: Publisher, Year, page number(s) (if appropriate).

Single author

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[1] W.-K. Chen, Linear Networks and Systems. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993, pp. 123-135.

[2] S. M. Hemmington, Soft Science. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan Press, 1997.

Edited work

[3] D. Sarunyagate, Ed., Lasers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.

Later edition

[4] K. Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management, 3rd ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2004.

[5] M. N. DeMers, Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, 3rd ed. New York : John Wiley, 2005.

More than one author

[6] T. Jordan and P. A. Taylor, Hacktivism and Cyberwars: Rebels with a cause? London: Routledge, 2004.

[7] U. J. Gelinas, Jr., S. G. Sutton, and J. Fedorowicz, Business processes and information technology. Cincinnati: South-Western/Thomson Learning, 2004.

Three or more authors

Note: The names of all authors should be given in the references unless the number of authors is greater than six. If there are more than six authors, you may use et al. after the name of the first author.

[8] R. Hayes, G. Pisano, D. Upton, and S. Wheelwright, Operations, Strategy, and Technology: Pursuing the competitive edge. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2005.

Series

[9] M. Bell, et al., Universities Online: A survey of online education and services in Australia, Occasional Paper Series 02-A. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training, 2002.

Corporate author (ie: a company or organisation)

[10] World Bank, Information and Communication Technologies: A World Bank group strategy. Washington, DC : World Bank, 2002.

Conference (complete conference proceedings)

June 29, 2006 55

[11] T. J. van Weert and R. K. Munro, Eds., Informatics and the Digital Society: Social, ethical and cognitive issues: IFIP TC3/WG3.1&3.2 Open Conference on Social, Ethical and Cognitive Issues of Informatics and ICT, July 22-26, 2002, Dortmund, Germany. Boston: Kluwer Academic, 2003.

Government publication

[12] Australia. Attorney-Generals Department. Digital Agenda Review, 4 Vols. Canberra: Attorney- General's Department, 2003.

Manual

[13] Bell Telephone Laboratories Technical Staff, Transmission System for Communications, Bell Telephone Laboratories, 1995.

Catalogue

[14] Catalog No. MWM-1, Microwave Components, M. W. Microwave Corp., Brooklyn, NY.

Application notes

[15] Hewlett-Packard, Appl. Note 935, pp. 25-29.

Note: Titles of unpublished works are not italicised or capitalised. Capitalise only the first word of a paper or thesis.

Technical report

[16] K. E. Elliott and C.M. Greene, "A local adaptive protocol," Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, France, Tech. Rep. 916-1010-BB, 1997.

Patent / Standard

[17] K. Kimura and A. Lipeles, "Fuzzy controller component, " U. S. Patent 14,860,040, December 14, 1996.

Papers presented at conferences (unpublished)

[18] H. A. Nimr, "Defuzzification of the outputs of fuzzy controllers," presented at 5th International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, Cairo, Egypt, 1996.

Thesis or dissertation

[19] H. Zhang, "Delay-insensitive networks," M.S. thesis, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, 1997.

June 29, 2006 56

[20] M. W. Dixon, "Application of neural networks to solve the routing problem in communication networks," Ph.D. dissertation, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia, 1999.

Parts of a Book

Note: These examples are for chapters or parts of edited works in which the chapters or parts have individual title and author/s, but are included in collections or textbooks edited by others. If the editors of a work are also the authors of all of the included chapters then it should be cited as a whole book using the examples given above (Books).Capitalise only the first word of a paper or book chapter.

[#] A. A. Author of Part, "Title of chapter or part," in Title: Subtitle of book, Edition, Vol., A. Editor Ed. Place of publication: Publisher, Year, pp. inclusive page numbers.

Single chapter from an edited work

[1] A. Rezi and M. Allam, "Techniques in array processing by means of transformations, " in Control and Dynamic Systems, Vol. 69, Multidemsional Systems, C. T. Leondes, Ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 1995, pp. 133-180.

[2] G. O. Young, "Synthetic structure of industrial plastics," in Plastics, 2nd ed., vol. 3, J. Peters, Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964, pp. 15-64.

Conference or seminar paper (one paper from a published conference proceedings)

[3] N. Osifchin and G. Vau, "Power considerations for the modernization of telecommunications in Central and Eastern European and former Soviet Union (CEE/FSU) countries," in Second International Telecommunications Energy Special Conference, 1997, pp. 9-16.

[4] S. Al Kuran, "The prospects for GaAs MESFET technology in dc-ac voltage conversion," in Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Portable Design Conference, 1997, pp. 137-142.

Article in an encyclopaedia, signed

[5] O. B. R. Strimpel, "Computer graphics," in McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, 8th ed., Vol. 4. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997, pp. 279-283.

Study Guides and Unit Readers

Note: You should not cite from Unit Readers, Study Guides, or lecture notes, but where possible you should go to the original source of the information. If you do need to cite articles from the Unit Reader, treat the Reader articles as if they were book or journal articles. In the reference list or

June 29, 2006 57

bibliography use the bibliographical details as quoted in the Reader and refer to the page numbers from the Reader, not the original page numbers (unless you have independently consulted the original).

[6] L. Vertelney, M. Arent, and H. Lieberman, "Two disciplines in search of an interface: Reflections on a design problem," in The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design, B. Laurel, Ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1990. Reprinted in Human-Computer Interaction (ICT 235) Readings and Lecture Notes, Vol. 1. Murdoch: Murdoch University, 2005, pp. 32-37.

Journal ArticlesNote: Capitalise only the first word of an article title, except for proper nouns or acronyms. Every (important) word in the title of a journal must be capitalised. Do not capitalise the "v" in volume for a journal article.You must either spell out the entire name of each journal that you reference or use accepted abbreviations. You must consistently do one or the other. Staff at the Reference Desk can suggest sources of accepted journal abbreviations. You may spell out words such as volume or December, but you must either spell out all such occurrences or abbreviate all. You do not need to abbreviate March, April, May, June or July.To indicate a page range use pp. 111-222. If you refer to only one page, use only p. 111.

Standard format

[#] A. A. Author of article. "Title of article," Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, pp. page number/s, Month year.

Journal articles

[1] E. P. Wigner, "Theory of traveling wave optical laser," Phys. Rev., vol. 134, pp. A635-A646, Dec. 1965.

[2] J. U. Duncombe, "Infrared navigation - Part I: An assessment of feasability," IEEE Trans. Electron. Devices, vol. ED-11, pp. 34-39, Jan. 1959.

[3] G. Liu, K. Y. Lee, and H. F. Jordan, "TDM and TWDM de Bruijn networks and shufflenets for optical communications," IEEE Trans. Comp., vol. 46, pp. 695-701, June 1997.

OR

[4] J. R. Beveridge and E. M. Riseman, "How easy is matching 2D line models using local search?" IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 19, pp. 564-579, June 1997.

June 29, 2006 58

[5] I. S. Qamber, "Flow graph development method," Microelectronics Reliability, vol. 33, no. 9, pp. 1387-1395, Dec. 1993.

[6] E. H. Miller, "A note on reflector arrays," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, to be published.

9.3 Electronic documentsNote: When you cite an electronic source try to describe it in the same way you would describe a similar printed publication. If possible, give sufficient information for your readers to retrieve the source themselves.If only the first page number is given, a plus sign indicates following pages, eg. 26+. If page numbers are not given, use paragraph or other section numbers if you need to be specific.An electronic source may not always contain clear author or publisher details.The access information will usually be just the URL of the source. As well as a publication/revision date (if there is one), the date of access is included since an electronic source may change between the time you cite it and the time it is accessed by a reader.

9.3.1 E-Books

Standard format

[#] A. Author. Title of E-book. Place: Publisher, Date of original publication. [Format] Available: Source.

[1] L. Bass, P. Clements, and R. Kazman. Software Architecture in Practice, 2nd ed. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 2003. [E-book] Available: Safari e-book.

[2] T. Eckes, The Developmental Social Psychology of Gender. Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000. [E-book] Available: netLibrary e-book.

Article in online encyclopaedia

[3] D. Ince, "Acoustic coupler," in A Dictionary of the Internet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. [Online]. Available: Oxford Reference Online, http://www.oxfordreference.com. [Accessed: May 24, 2005].

[4] W. D. Nance, "Management information system," in The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Management Information Systems, G.B. Davis, Ed. Malden MA: Blackwell, 1999, pp. 138-144. [E-book]. Available: NetLibrary e-book.

June 29, 2006 59

9.3.2 E-Journals

Standard format

[#] A. Author, "Title of Article," Title of Journal, vol., no., p. page numbers, month year. [Format]. Available: Database Name (if appropriate), article number (if given), internet address. [Accessed date of access].

Journal article abstract accessed from online database

[1] M. T. Kimour and D. Meslati, "Deriving objects from use cases in real-time embedded systems," Information and Software Technology, vol. 47, no. 8, p. 533, June 2005. [Abstract]. Available: ProQuest, http://www.umi.com/proquest/. [Accessed May 12, 2005].

Note: Abstract citations are only included in a reference list if the abstract is substantial or if the full-text of the article could not be accessed.

Journal article from online full-text database

Note: When including the internet address of articles retrieved from searches in full-text databases, please use the Recommended URLs for Full-text Databases, which are the URLs for the main entrance to the service and are easier to reproduce.

[2] H. K. Edwards and V. Sridhar, "Analysis of software requirements engineering exercises in a global virtual team setup," Journal of Global Information Management, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 21+, April-June 2005. [Online]. Available: Expanded Academic ASAP Int'l Ed, Article A131127489, http://infotrac.galegroup.com. [Accessed May 31, 2005].

[3] A. Holub, "Is software engineering an oxymoron?" Software Development Times, p. 28+, March 2005. [Online]. Available: ProQuest, http://il.proquest.com. [Accessed May 23, 2005].

Journal article in a scholarly journal (published free of charge on the internet)

[4] A. Altun, "Understanding hypertext in the context of reading on the web: Language learners' experience," Current Issues in Education, vol. 6, no. 12, July 2003. [Online]. Available: http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume6/number12/. [Accessed Dec. 2, 2004].

Journal article in electronic journal subscription

[5] P. H. C. Eilers and J. J. Goeman, "Enhancing scatterplots with smoothed densities," Bioinformatics, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 623-628, March 2004. [Online]. Available: www.oxfordjournals.org. [Accessed Sept. 18, 2004].

June 29, 2006 60

Newspaper article from online database

[6] J. Riley, "Call for new look at skilled migrants," The Australian, p. 35, May 31, 2005. Available: Factiva, http://global.factiva.com. [Accessed May 31, 2005].

Newspaper article from the Internet

[7] C. Wilson-Clark, "Computers ranked as key literacy," The West Australian, para. 3, March 29, 2004. [Online]. Available: http://www.thewest.com.au. [Accessed Sept. 18, 2004].

9.3.3 Internet Documents

Standard format

[#] A. Author, "Document title," Webpage name, Source/production information, Date of internet publication. [Format]. Available: internet address. [Accessed: Date of access].

Professional Internet site

[1] European Telecommunications Standards Institute, “Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB): Implementation guidelines for DVB terrestrial services; transmission aspects,” European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETSI TR-101-190, 1997. [Online]. Available: http://www.etsi.org. [Accessed: Aug. 17, 1998].

Personal Internet site

[2] G. Sussman, "Home page - Dr. Gerald Sussman," July 2002. [Online]. Available: http://www.comm.pdx.edu/faculty/Sussman/sussmanpage.htm [Accessed Sept. 12, 2004].

General Internet site

[3] J. Geralds, "Sega Ends Production of Dreamcast," vnunet.com, para. 2, Jan. 31, 2001. [Online]. Available: http://nl1.vnunet.com/news/1116995. [Accessed Sept. 12, 2004].

9.4 Non-Book Formats

[#] A. A. Person, Responsibility (if appropriate), Title: Subtitle. [Format]. Special credits (if appropriate). Place of publication: Publisher, Year.

Microform

June 29, 2006 61

[1] W. D. Scott & Co, Information Technology in Australia: Capacities and opportunities: A report to the Department of Science and Technology. [Microform]. W. D. Scott & Company Pty. Ltd. in association with Arthur D. Little Inc. Canberra: Department of Science and Technology, 1984.

Computer game

[2] The Hobbit: The prelude to the Lord of the Rings. [CD-ROM]. United Kingdom: Vivendi Universal Games, 2003.

Software

[3] Thomson ISI, EndNote 7. [CD-ROM]. Berkeley, Ca.: ISI ResearchSoft, 2003.

Video recording

[4] C. Rogers, Writer and Director, Grrls in IT. [Videorecording]. Bendigo, Vic. : Video Education Australasia, 1999.

9.5 A reference list: what should it look like?

The reference list should appear at the end of your paper. Begin the list on a new page. The title References should be either left justified or centered on the page. The entries should appear as one numerical sequence in the order that the material is cited in the text of your assignment.

Note: The hanging indent for each reference makes the numerical sequence more obvious.

[1] A. Rezi and M. Allam, "Techniques in array processing by means of transformations, " in Control and Dynamic Systems, Vol. 69, Multidemsional Systems, C. T. Leondes, Ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 1995, pp. 133-180.

[2] G. O. Young, "Synthetic structure of industrial plastics," in Plastics, 2nd ed., vol. 3, J. Peters, Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964, pp. 15-64.

[3] S. M. Hemmington, Soft Science. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan Press, 1997.

[4] N. Osifchin and G. Vau, "Power considerations for the modernization of telecommunications in Central and Eastern European and former Soviet Union (CEE/FSU) countries," in Second International Telecommunications Energy Special Conference, 1997, pp. 9-16.

[5] D. Sarunyagate, Ed., Lasers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996.

[8] O. B. R. Strimpel, "Computer graphics," in McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, 8th ed., Vol. 4. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997, pp. 279-283.

June 29, 2006 62

[9] K. Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management, 3rd ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2004.

[10] M. N. DeMers, Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley, 2005.

[11] L. Vertelney, M. Arent, and H. Lieberman, "Two disciplines in search of an interface: Reflections on a design problem," in The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design, B. Laurel, Ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1990. Reprinted in Human-Computer Interaction (ICT 235) Readings and Lecture Notes, Vol. 1. Murdoch: Murdoch University, 2005, pp. 32-37.

[12] E. P. Wigner, "Theory of traveling wave optical laser," Physical Review, vol.134, pp. A635-A646, Dec. 1965.

[13] J. U. Duncombe, "Infrared navigation - Part I: An assessment of feasibility," IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. ED-11, pp. 34-39, Jan. 1959.

[14] M. Bell, et al., Universities Online: A survey of online education and services in Australia, Occasional Paper Series 02-A. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training, 2002.

[15] T. J. van Weert and R. K. Munro, Eds., Informatics and the Digital Society: Social, ethical and cognitive issues: IFIP TC3/WG3.1&3.2 Open Conference on Social, Ethical and Cognitive Issues of Informatics and ICT, July 22-26, 2002, Dortmund, Germany. Boston: Kluwer Academic, 2003.

[16] I. S. Qamber, "Flow graph development method," Microelectronics Reliability, vol. 33, no. 9, pp. 1387-1395, Dec. 1993.

[17] Australia. Attorney-Generals Department. Digital Agenda Review, 4 Vols. Canberra: Attorney- General's Department, 2003.

[18] C. Rogers, Writer and Director, Grrls in IT. [Videorecording]. Bendigo, Vic.: Video Education Australasia, 1999.

[19] L. Bass, P. Clements, and R. Kazman. Software Architecture in Practice, 2nd ed. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 2003. [E-book] Available: Safari e-book.

[20] D. Ince, "Acoustic coupler," in A Dictionary of the Internet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. [Online]. Available: Oxford Reference Online, http://www.oxfordreference.com. [Accessed: May 24, 2005].

[21] H. K. Edwards and V. Sridhar, "Analysis of software requirements engineering exercises in a global virtual team setup," Journal of Global Information Management, vol.

June 29, 2006 63

13, no. 2, p. 21+, April-June 2005. [Online]. Available: Expanded Academic ASAP Int'l Ed, Article A131127489, http://infotrac.galegroup.com. [Accessed May 31, 2005].

[22] A. Holub, "Is software engineering an oxymoron?" Software Development Times, p. 28+, March 2005. [Online]. Available: ProQuest, http://il.proquest.com. [Accessed May 23, 2005].

[23] H. Zhang, "Delay-insensitive networks," M.S. thesis, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, 1997.

[24] P. H. C. Eilers and J. J. Goeman, "Enhancing scatterplots with smoothed densities," Bioinformatics, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 623-628, March 2004. [Online]. Available: www.oxfordjournals.org. [Accessed Sept. 18, 2004].

[25] J. Riley, "Call for new look at skilled migrants," The Australian, p. 35, May 31, 2005. Available: Factiva, http://global.factiva.com. [Accessed May 31, 2005].

[26] European Telecommunications Standards Institute, “Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB): Implementation guidelines for DVB terrestrial services; transmission aspects,” European Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETSI TR-101-190, 1997. [Online]. Available: http://www.etsi.org. [Accessed: Aug. 17, 1998].

[27] J. Geralds, "Sega Ends Production of Dreamcast," vnunet.com, para. 2, Jan. 31, 2001. [Online]. Available: http://nl1.vnunet.com/news/1116995. [Accessed Sept. 12, 2004].

[28] W. D. Scott & Co, Information Technology in Australia: Capacities and opportunities: A report to the Department of Science and Technology. [Microform]. W. D. Scott & Company Pty. Ltd. in association with Arthur D. Little Inc. Canberra: Department of Science and Technology, 1984.

9.6 AbbreviationsStandard abbreviations may be used in your citations. A list of appropriate abbreviations can be found below:

Ed./Eds. editor/editors

ed. edition

et al. And others

no. number

p./pp. page/pages

para. paragraph

June 29, 2006 64

pt. Part

rev. revised

suppl. supplement

Vol. Volume (book)

vol. volume (journal)

9.7 Other sources of information

Note: This list of examples is in no way exhaustive. Only the most often-used types of references are listed here. Refer to the following publications for more information on citing references:

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., IEEE Transactions, Journals and Letters: Information for authors. Piscataway NJ: IEEE, 2003. Available: http://www.ieee.org/portal/cms_docs/pubs/transactions/auinfo03.pdf. [Accessed May 20, 2005]

University of Illinois, College of Engineering, Reference Guide: IEEE style. Urbana-Champaign IL: University of Illinois, 1998. Available: http://www.ece.uiuc.edu.edu/pubs/ref_guides/ieee.html. [Accessed May 20, 2005].

University of Wales, Library and Information Services, Numeric referencing: Examples of reference types. Swansea: University of Wales, 2004. Available: http://www.swan.ac.uk/lis/help_and_training/htmdocs/bibliographic_referencing/numeric_referencing_examples.asp. [Accessed May 24, 2005].

University of Wales, Library and Information Services, Numeric referencing: Overview. Swansea: University of Wales, 2004. Available: http://www.swan.ac.uk/lis/help_and_training/htmdocs/bibliographic_referencing/numeric_referencing_overview.asp. [Accessed May 24, 2005].

June 29, 2006 65

10. References: For Thesis/Dissertation Help10.1 A Quick Guide To Dissertation/Thesis Writing

http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/academic_services/pdf/dissertation_writing.pdf

ACADEMIC SERVICES • GRADUATE DIVISION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA • BERKELEY[1] Balian, Edward S. The Graduate Research Guidebook: A Practical Approach

to Doctoral/Masters Research. Third edition. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1994.

[2] Becker, Howard S. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think about Your Research While You’re Doing It. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998.

[3] ____________. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article. With a chapter by Pamela Richards. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1986.

[4] Bolker, Joan. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998.

[5] Brause, Rita S. Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation: Invisible Rules for Success. London: Falmer Press (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000.

[6] Chinneck, John W. “How to Organize Your Thesis.” Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/chinneck/thesis.html

[7] Cone, John D., and Sharon L. Foster. Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish: Psychology and Related Fields. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 1993.

[8] Davis, Gordon B., and Clyde A. Parker. Writing the Doctoral Dissertation: A Systematic Approach. Second edition. Hauppage, New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 1997.

[9] Davis, Richard M. Thesis Projects in Science and Engineering. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1980.

[10] Ernst, Mary O’Malley. A Guide through the Dissertation Process. New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1981.

[11] Fisher, Elizabeth, and Daniel Holtom. Enjoy Writing Your Science Thesis or Dissertation!: A Step by Step Guide to Planning and Writing Dissertations and Theses for Undergraduate and Graduate Science Students. London: Imperial College Press, 1999.

[12] Fitzpatrick, Jacqueline, Jan Secrist, and Debra J. Wright. Secrets for a Successful Dissertation. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1998.

[13] Gardner, David C., and Grace J. Beatty. Dissertation Proposal Guidebook: How to Prepare a Research Proposal and Get It Accepted. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C Thomas Publisher, Ltd., 1980.

June 29, 2006 66

[14] Glatthorn, Allan A. Writing the Winning Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 1998.

[15] Guidelines for Submitting a Doctoral Dissertation or a Master’s Thesis. Graduate Division, University of California, Berkeley. http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/degrees/pdf/disguide.pdf

[16] Higgins, Robin. Approaches to Research: A Handbook for Those Writing a Dissertation. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1996.

[17] Krathwohl, David R. How to Prepare a Research Proposal: Guidelines for Funding and Dissertations in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Third edition. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1988.

[18] Levine, S. Joseph. “Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation.” Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. http://www.learnerassociates.net/dissthes/

[19] Locke, Lawrence F., Waneen Wyrick Spirduso, Stephen J. Silverman. Proposals That Work: A Guide for Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals. Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2000.

[20] Luey, Beth. Handbook for Academic Authors. Fourth edition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

[21] Madsen, David. Successful Dissertations and Theses: A Guide to Graduate Student Research from Proposal to Completion. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992.

[22] Mauch, James E., and Namgi Park. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation:A Handbook for Students and Faculty. Fifth edition. New York, NY: M. Dekker, 2003.

[23] Meloy, Judith M. Writing the Qualitative Dissertation: Understanding by Doing. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1994.

[24] Newman, Isadore. Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Writing in the Social and Physical Sciences. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1997.

[25] Nickerson, Eileen T. The Dissertation Handbook: A Guide to Successful Dissertations. Second edition. Dubuque, IA:Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1993.

[26] Piantanida, Maria, and Noreen B. Garman. The Qualitative Dissertation: A Guide for Studentsand Faculty.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 1999.

[27] Preece, Roy. Starting Research: An Introduction to Academic Research and Dissertation Writing. London:Pinter Publishers, Ltd., 1994.

[28] Rudestam, Kjell Erik, and Rae R. Newton. Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process. Second edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2001.

[29] Shivers, Olin. “Dissertation Advice.” http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~shivers/diss-advice.html

[30] Simon, Marilyn K., and Francis, J. Bruce. The Dissertation Cookbook from Soup to Nuts: A Practical Guide to Help You Start and Complete Your

June 29, 2006 67

Dissertation or Research Project. Second edition. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1998.

[31] Sternberg, David. How to Complete and Survive Your Doctoral Dissertation. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1981.

[32] Teitelbaum, Harry. How to Write a Thesis. Fourth edition. New York: Macmillan, 1998.

[33] “Thesis Plus Baby.” UCB Parents Advice about Parenting, Families, & the Community, UC Berkeley Parents Network, University of California, Berkeley. http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/allkinds/thesis.html

[34] Thomas, R. Murray, and Dale L. Brubaker. Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning,Research, and Writing.Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey, 2000.

[35] Van Wagenen, Keith. Writing a Thesis: Substance and Style. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.

[36] Watson, George. Writing a Thesis: A Guide to Long Essays and Dissertations. London: Longman, 1987.

[37] Webster, William G. Developing & Writing Your Thesis, Dissertation or Project: A Book of Sound Advice about

[38] Conceptualizing, Organizing, Developing and Finalizing Your Terminal Graduate Research. San Ramon, CA: Academic Scholarwrite, 1998.

[39] “Writing Your Dissertation.” The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html

[40] “Writing Your Dissertation.” The Graduate. Graduate Division, University of California, Berkeley. Reprint from Volume II, Number 1, spring 1986. http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/publications/thegraduate/Reprints/writing.pdf

[41] Zerubavel, Eviatar. The Clockwork Muse. A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Books.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999.

For more information regarding dissertation writing, please contact Sabrina Soracco, Head of Academic Services, 316 Sproul Hall, (510) 643-9392, academic_services@berkeley.edu.Copyright 2005 Regents of the University of California (August 2005)

10.2 Books on Dissertation Writing, Procrastination, and Graduate School:

[42] Becker, Howard S. with a chapter by Pamela Richards. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article, (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1986).

[43] Bolker, Joan Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998).

June 29, 2006 68

[44] Burka, Jane M. and Lenora M. Yuen. Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It, (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1983).

[45] Fitzpatrick, Jacqueline, Jan Secrist, and Debra J. Wright. Secrets for a Successful Dissertation, (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998).

[46] Mauch James E., and Jack W. Birch. Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Conception to Publication, (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1983).

[47] Peters, Robert L. Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or Ph.D., (New York: The Noonday Press, 1997).

[48] Sternberg, David. How to Complete and Survive Your Doctoral Dissertation, (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1981).

10.3 Thesis Proposals: Recommended Readinghttp://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/thesis.pdf

Here are some of useful resources and texts that you can consult. Your school may also have a postgraduate handbook or specific guidelines on thesis proposals.

[49] Allen, G.R. (1976) The graduate student's guide to theses and dissertations: A practical manual for writing and research. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass.

[50] Cryer, P. (1996) The research student's guide to success. Buckingham, Open University Press.

[51] Davis, G.B. & Parker, C.A. (1979) Writing the doctoral dissertation: A systematic approach. Woodbury, NY, Barrons Educational Series.

[52] Laws, K. (1995) Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation Proposal. University of Sydney.

[53] Phillips, E.M. & Pugh D.S. (1987) How to get a Ph. D.: A handbook for students and their supervisors. 2nd Ed. Buckingham, Open University Press.

[54] Postgraduate Board, Student Guild (1998) Practical aspects of producing a thesis at the University of New

[55] South Wales. 3rd Ed. Available from the Student Guild, First Floor East Wing, Quadrangle Building, The University of New South Wales.

[56] Karathwohl, D.R. (1988) How to prepare a research proposal. Guidelines for funding and dissertations in the social and behavioural sciences. 3rd Ed. New York, Syracuse University Press.

10.4 Helpful Websites:

Other UNC Handouts

Writing the Paper

Argument : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/argument.html

Audience : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/audience.html

Brainstorming : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/brainstorming.html

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College Writing : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/college_writing.html

Conclusions : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/conclusions.html

Introductions : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/introductions.html

Thesis Statements : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html

Getting Feedback : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/feedback.html

Fallacies : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html

Reorganizing Drafts : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/organization.html

Paragraphs: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/paragraphs.html

Plagiarism: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism.html

Reading to Write : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/readingwriting.html

Statistics: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/statistics.html

Summary: using it wisely : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/summary.html

Track Changes: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/comments.html

Understanding Assignments: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/readassign.html

Transitions: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html

Writing Groups : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/writegroup.html

Writing Anxiety : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/writing_anxiety.html

Grammar & Mechanics

APA Citation http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/apa.html

Articles : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/articles.html

CBE Citation : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/cbe.html

Commas: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/commas.html

Evaluating Print Sources : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/evidence.html

Evidence : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/evidence_use.html

Fragments : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fragments.html

Gender-Sensitive Language : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/gender.html

"I": When to use it : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/should_I_use_I.html

MLA Citation : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/mla.html

Quotations : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/quotations.html

Passive Voice : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/passivevoice.html

Procrastination : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/procrastination.html

Proofreading : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/proofread.html

Revising : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/revision.html

Style : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/style.html

Word Choice : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/word_choice.html

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Specific Writing Assignments

Abstracts : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/abstracts.html

Annotated Bibliography : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/annotated_bibliographies.html

Application Essays : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/application.html

Business Letter : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/business.html

Comparing/Contrasting : http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/comparison_contrast.html

Dissertations

Essay Exams

Grant Proposals

Honors Theses

Literature Reviews

Oral History

Poetry Explications

Reviews

Scientific Reports

Speeches

Writing for Specific Fields

Anthropology

Art History

Communications

History

Literature

Philosophy

Political Science

Religious Studies

Sciences

Sociology

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout (just click print) and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb 1998 - 2005

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