Thesis planner
6 chapter structure
Feel free to adapt this plan to suit your own needs John Morganjpm@aber.ac.uk
Topic or title
The information given here on writing an introduction is by way of example only. This represents a very common structure in academic writing, however, considerable variation exists on any given structure. |
Chapter 1— Introduction
1.1 Background —
Sequence chosen according to your argument (some aspects may not be relevant
Generalisations---
Informed statements ~
Review of research —
1.2 Issue---------
Only one main focus on the issue is needed:
-counter argument -indicating a.gap -general inquiry -following a research tradition
| Aim of research —
I
I
1.3------------
Aims/structure
— j Hypothesis & outcome j (if needed)
Structure of work
Continued on page 2
*-Add notes of ^-content in *-final column
1
Continued from page 1
According to Hart (1998:27) literature review works towards:
a) distinguishing what has been done from what needs to be done;
b) discovering important variables relevant to the topic;
c) synthesizing and gaining a new perspective;
d) identifying relationships between ideas and practice;
e) establishing the context of the topic or problem;
f) rationalizing the significance of the problem;
g) enhancing and acquiring the subject vocabulary;
h) understanding the structure of the subject;
i) relating ideas and theories to applications;
j) identifying the main methodologies and research techniques that have been used;
k) placing the research in a historical context to show familiarity with state of the art developments.
These points are entirely optional and their presence and sequence in your work depends on your aims in relation to the main issue.
Chapter 2---------
Literature review
I-
j add extra sections j as required
Continued on page 3
Continued from page 2
This is a difficult section to generalise on as the structure of a methodology chapter will vary according to the methods that are used.
One way of looking at it in a specific research methodology perspective (a more quantitative approach) is:
a) Overview of research: connect this back to the issues raised in the introduction and use it as a continuation, or grounding, of the need for this work that was identified through the literature review.
b) Sample: what is the research situation and who are the people or what is the thing/phenomenon being observed?
c) Restrictions: what is the scope of the study and are there any particular limitations that need to be discussed? e.g. things that readers may be expecting in your work, but which will not be covered.
d) Sampling technique: how will you obtain the data? This needs a descriptive account and will be very methodological in focus (not to be confused with point (f) below).
e) Materials: what instruments, survey devices, etc. are being used?
f) Procedure: how did you actually go about conducting the research? This is the actual account of your actions as opposed to the theoretical sampling technique (d) of the methodology itself.
g) Statistical treatment: how will you be able to quantify this data?
You may be including a significant amount of diagrams and tables in this section, so be careful to label and cross reference all figures within your work.
Chapter 3 — Methodology
add extra sections as required
Continued on page 4
(Based on Weissberg & Buker, 1990: 91-92)
Continued from page 3
The results section, if used in quantitative research, may be largely data driven as a consequence of the organisation and treatment of the methodology. This is often the section with the smallest overall word count as it will be directly cross referenced with the previous chapter.
What is specifically needed here is:
a) Description and location of main results, i.e. are they included in diagrams or tables? If so which ones (cross reference figure numbers)? Don't forget to describe all results in writing. Figures should not be left to speak for themselves and they will need to be summarised in words.
b) Most important findings. What is the significance of these findings? Give an indication of the implications that will be discussed in detail in the discussion section (chapter 5).
(Based on Weissberg & Buker, 1990:137)
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Chapters 3 and 4 form the core of the methodology and experimentation within a piece of research and they should not be attempted without prior discussion and approval from a supervisor.
In some cases, in descriptive or qualitative research, method and results need to be treated together. Again discuss these issues well in advance of your writing deadlines.
Chapter 4 Results
add extra sections as required
Continued on page 5
Continued from page 4
Swales (1990:172-173) provides a review of a number of different views on discussion sections. The most common moves included in discussion section are listed here:
Background information: the writer provides a statement or information related to the central problem (intra, move 2) and/or aims (intra, move 3). This essentially repeats information, but serves to re-focus the reader's attention on the main problem. Statement of results: the reader's attention has been re-focused here as a preview to the results obtained from the method/results section. This represents the real beginning of the new information presented in the discussion section.
(Un)expected outcome: the writer often comments on whether the results were expected or unexpected. Reference to previous research: at
this point the current work is once again reviewed in the context of previous writers to provide a basis for the new discussion.
Explanation: this is more common when the writer is reporting on unexpected results or results that deviate somewhat from findings anticipated from the introductory moves of raising a question and continuing a tradition. Exemplification: if an explanation is provided, examples are often provided. Deduction and Hypothesis: if the results can be generalized in a theoretical way they are discussed as part of a deduction or hypothesis. This is more common where concrete evidence is available. Recommendations: if further research into any key issues is required, the writer makes reference to those issues here. This also serves to excuse any limitations within the current discussion.
Chapter 5-----
Discussion
add extra sections as required
Continued on page 6
As always, these moves should be organised according to the needs of your own argument.
Continued from page 5
When   planning   a   conclusion   it is
necessary to know all the above facts and be able to summarise the main points of the whole essay briefly. This is the main reason for drawing all those details together. Crusius and Channell (1998: 104-105) make some interesting observations about writing conclusions:
"Look back at your introduction": did you
ask any particular questions in the introduction or make any particular statements that you could repeat? You may now have an answer. This is a useful method for indicating the background + problem.
"Think about the larger context your argument fits Into": how did you develop the argument in your essay? Extracts from the paraphrased versions of your paragraphs should serve to indicate a basic structural procedure In solving the problem.
What Is the overall value of this Information and do you have a final solution to the problem you discussed?
Do you have any recommendations for further research? This indicates that even if you have not solved the problem, you know what needs to be done next in relation to the aims of your work.
"Pay attention to style, especially In the last sentence: an awkwardly worded sentence will not have a sound of finality, but one with some rhythmic punch or consciously repeated sounds can wrap up an essay neatly." Writers often try to finish with a profound statement that neatly envelops the whole topic in a single statement.
Reference sources:
Brookes, A. & Grundy, P. (1990). Writing for Study Purposes: A Teacher's Guide to Developing Individual Writing Skills. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Crusius, T.W. & Channell, C.E. (1998). The Aims of Argument: A Brief Rhetoric (Second Edition). Mountain View, Ca: Mayfield. Hart, C. (1998). Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. London: sage Publications. Swales, J.M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Welssberg, R. & Buker, S. (1990). Writing up Research: Experimental Research Report Writing for Students of English. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Chapter 6 -Conclusion