What  You  Can  Do  to  Write  Your  Thesis/Dissertation  Consistently!

IT  MEANS  TO  KEEP  COHERENCE  AMONG  THE  DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  YOUR  THESIS/  DISSERTATION.  IN  OTHER  WORDS,  ALL  ITS  PARTS  SHOULD  FIT  TOGETHER  AS  A  WHOLE.!

What  Does  “Write  Consistently”  Mean?!

Types  of  Consistency!

•  Coherence  of  Ideas  •  Coherence  of  Wording  •  Coherence  of  Habits!

Coherence  of  Ideas  (I)!

It  is  also  called  logical  coherence.  All  ideas  should  be  related  so  as  to  contribute  to  achieve  the  purpose  of  the  thesis/  disserta;on.  Ideas  can  either  support  or  challenge  the  points  of  view  that  cons;tute  the  main  focus  of  the  study  ,  but  they  cannot  be  unrelated  to  it.  In  other  words,  ideas  should  be  harmonically  connected  like  sound  waves  in  a  song.  

Coherence  of  Ideas  (II)!

Ideas  must  be  coherent  throughout  the  whole  thesis/  disserta;on.  

Their  discussion  has  to  follow  the  same  line  of  thought  in  each  chapter  and  very  especially  with  pivotal  elements  like:  

• Problem  • Purpose  • Research  Ques;on  • Theore;cal  Framework  • Methodology  

Counterexample  of  Coherence  of  Ideas!

Problem:  High  school  students  of  a  Texan  school  district  who  are  taught  using  a  tradi;onal  lecture  approach  get  low  scores  in  Science  tests.  Purpose:  The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  know  why  students  do  not  like  Science  subjects.  Research  Ques;on:  Why  do  Science  teachers  prefer  lectures?  Theore;cal  Framework:  This  study  will  be  based  on  theories  like  the  drive  theory  of  mo;va;on  and  construc;vism.  Methodology:  A  quasi-­‐experimental  research  design  will  be  used.  

Can  you  iden+fy  the  inconsistencies  of  the  previous  slide?    

!

Hints  to  iden;fy  the  inconsistencies:    1.  Establish  the  focus  of  each  pivotal  element.  2.  Do  all  pivotal  elements  have  the  same  focus?  Are  they  harmonically  connected?  

Coherence  of  Wording  (I)!

It  is  also  called  textual  coherence.  Some  texts  are  perceived  as  easy  to  read  while  others  require  too  much  effort  to  interpret.  Text  readability    is  the  result  of  the  interconnec;on  between  text  surface  (elements  like  words,  grammar,  style,etc.)  and  the  concepts  and  rela;ons  that  underlie  it.  In  other  words,  wording  should  not  only  be  right  from  the  gramma;cal  point  of  view  but  also  express  the  right  concepts  and  their  rela;onships.  

Coherence  of  Wording  (II)!

Consistency  of  wording  is  achieved  by  means  of  ac;ons  like:  

• Applying  the  rules  associated  to  the  type  of  text  that  is  expected  in  a  thesis/  disserta;on.  

• Using  the  language  devices  that  assure  a  cohesive  text  surface  (for  example,  signal  words  and  phrases).  

• Linking  concepts  and  rela;ons  explicitly  or  implicitly.  

• Using  the  same  wording  for  pivotal  concepts.  

• Paraphrasing  other  elements.  

Ac;ons  to  assure  consistency  of  wording  will  be  discussed  in  the  conference  Wri$ng  Chapters,  Paragraphs,  and  Sentences  on  November  16th,  2013  

Habits  

Counterexample  of  Coherence  of  Wording!

Wordings  of  what  a  study  intends  to  do  (purpose)    

In  chapter  1:  This  study  wanted  to  know  how  effec;ve  differen;a;on  is  to  teach  Science  in  High  School.    In  the  literature  review:  This  study  was  focused  on  effec;ve  strategies  to  teach  Science.    In  chapter  5:  Since  this  study  intended  to  find  out  a  way  to  improve  Science  teaching,  ….  

Can  you  iden+fy  the  inconsistencies  of  the  previous  slide?    

!

Hints  to  iden;fy  the  inconsistencies:  

 1.  Determine  the  focus  of  each  established  purpose.  2.  Do  all  they  have  the  same  focus?  Do  all  they  mean  the  same  from  the  research  point  of  view  (same  associated  problem,  research  ques;on,  and  methodology  ?  

Coherence  of  Habits  (I)!

It  can  also  be  called  wri0ng  rou0ne.  It  refers  to  a  set  of  ac;ons  that  you  can  do  whenever  you  have  to  write  a  sec;on  of  your  thesis/disserta;on  in  order  to  achieve  consistent  results.  Although  each  writer  may  find  a  different  set  of  ac;ons  that  fits  her/his  style  be_er,  academic  wri;ng  is  usually  approached  using  a  basic  pa_ern.  

Coherence  of  Habits  (II)!

1.  Prewri;ng  Ac;vi;es  2.  Write  Dra`  3.  Review  Dra`      

Prewriting  Activities  •  Think  about  what  you  want  to  communicate  in  the  thesis/  

disserta;on  sec;on  in  order  to  establish  its  focus.  •  Review  literature  to  find  support  for  your  arguments  and  also  

counterarguments  that  may  challenge  your  points  of  view.  •  Iden;fy  cita;ons  that  can  be  used.  •  Create  an  outline  for  the  sec;on.  •  Review  the  outline  to  know  if  its  ideas  flow  well.  

Write  Draft  •  Write a first draft of the section using the outline as a!guide.!•  Do the actions suggested to assure text and logical!coherence.!•  Read the draft to check readability.!•  Check if it follows the outline.!•  Write as many drafts as you consider necessary to be sure!the text reflects your ideas accurately.  

Review  Draft  •  Check the coherence of the section in relation to other

parts of the thesis/dissertation.!•  Proofread draft.!•  Have other people read draft to check readability.!•  Edit draft as needed.  

Now  You  Know!

!

•  What  “write  consistently”  means  

•  Types  of  consistency  •  Coherence  of  ideas  •  Coherence  of  

wording  •  Coherence  of  habits  •  How  to  recognize  

them

Any  question?  

You  are  invited  to  use  the  DoctoralNet  Academy  Map  at  h6p://www.gliffy.com/publish/3116574/  And  see  the  different  stages  that  you  should  follow  to  develop  your  thesis/  disserta;on  

Thanks  for  reading!Hope you find this conference useful and want to meet us soon!