Writing Your Thesis or
Dissertation
ALYSOUN TAYLOR -HALL
NOVEMBER 12, 2014
Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation
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Entering the conversation
Establishing good research habits & tools
Conducting your literature search
Getting ready to write
Writing:
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Introduction
Abstract
Body
Conclusion
 Finishing your thesis
 General writing tips
 Uploading & Resources
About Me
 BA in English w/Concentration in Professional
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Writing
Certificate in Technical Writing
MBA
Program Coordinator for Ph.D. in Engineering
Program
Technical Writer/Editor for CEPRO research group
Adjunct Instructor for EGR 3350: Technical
Communication for Engineers and Computer
Scientists
Entering the Conversation
 Research as an ongoing conversation
 You are being invited to join the conversation
 Start by listening to what’s already been said
 Practice good manners
Establishing Good Research Habits
 Document as you go
 Keep a research notebook/journal
 Archive your data
 Learn to use available tools
LaTeX:
http://www.cs.wright.edu/~jslater/classes/Thesis-Dissertation.html
Be sure to check out Dr. Slater’s “archiving data” link
Thesis and Dissertation Handbook:
http://www.wright.edu/graduate-school/graduate-thesis-dissertationhandbook
Conducting Your Literature Search
 Conduct your own comprehensive search
 Start with current publications, but be sure to check
older resources as well
 Follow up on the works cited in relevant publications
 Talk to other researchers in your field
 Contact Phil Flynn, Engineering Librarian, for
assistance with your search:
phil.flynn@wright.edu
775-2533
Conducting Your Literature Search
 Document your search from the very beginning
 Use available tools and resources
RefWorks:
http://www.libraries.wright.edu/quicklinks/refworks/
Jab Ref
http://jabref.sourceforge.net/
Getting Ready to Write
Audience Analysis
Who will be reading your thesis/dissertation?
 Types of Audiences
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General/lay audience
Expert audience
Executive audience
 What do your readers know about your topic?
 What do they need to know?
Tip: As a writer, you sound “smart” when your reader
can understand your ideas
Writing Your Introduction
 Write your introduction first
 Use your research notebook/journal
 Lay out your argument for your topic
 Organize your thesis to support your argument
Writing Your Abstract
Generally a 1-page document that summarizes your
research
 Write for more of an executive audience
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Keep sentences relatively short and direct
Limit explanations of complex concepts
Assume that many readers will only read the first page
 Focus on your motivations
 Why does this work need to be done?
 Who will benefit?
Writing Your Abstract
 Allow plenty of time for revision
 Ask other readers to read your abstract
 Ask someone unfamiliar with your topic
 Your abstract should be as clean, clear, and concise
as you can make it
 Good practice for writing research proposals
Writing the Body of Your Document
 Remember audience analysis
 What does your “expert” audience already know?
 What do they need to know?
 Remember to cite as you go
 Graphs, figures, tables
 Any language that is not your own
 Some readers will skip around, so each chapter
should stand alone to some extent
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Point readers to where they need to go within the document
Writing Your Conclusion
 Provides a satisfactory stopping point for the reader
 Generally relatively brief
 No need to restate the entire abstract
 In a thesis or dissertation, conclusion should emphasize
findings and future work
 Highlight original contribution
 The only other part some readers will read
 Make sure the conclusion is well edited
Finishing Your Thesis
 Allow plenty of time for revision and finishing
 Edit your document thoroughly
 Use spell-check and grammar tools
http://www.cs.wright.edu/~jslater/classes/Thesis-Dissertation.html
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Hire an editor if necessary
Follow the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook
http://www.wright.edu/graduate-school/graduate-thesis-dissertationhandbook
 Include Acknowledgments
 Be careful of personal acknowledgments
 Request a Format Check
Style Guides
How do you know what format to use for your
citations?
Style guides provide specific guidelines:
 Examples: MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian
 Provide specific guidance on many style issues,
including citations
 Many disciplines have a standard style
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Examples: Psychology uses APA; English uses MLA
 Unfortunately, Engineering does not have a
standard style guide
Engineering Styles
What style should you use?
 Check the University Libraries website to find style
guides for your discipline:
http://guides.libraries.wright.edu/content.php?pid=59883&sid=0
 Check publications in your discipline and follow their
format
 Ask your professor or advisor
 Ask the University Librarian
Uploading
 Convert your document to a PDF
 Follow instructions on SoGS website
http://www.wright.edu/graduate-school/graduate-thesis-anddissertation-handbook-procedures
 Binding options
http://www.thesisondemand.com/
General Writing Tips
Understand how readers process your writing
 Your goal is to make the reader’s job as easy as
possible
 Save their energy to focus on your ideas, not your
writing
 Effective writing doesn’t tire the reader
General Writing Tips
Understand how readers process your writing, cont.
 Limitations of short-term memory
 Present the information in the most logical order for
ease of processing
 Allow frequent breaks so readers can process what
they’ve read and move it out of short-term memory
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Parenthetical information demands more from your reader
General Writing Tips
 Punctuation provides sign posts to guide your reader
through your document
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Punctuation works best when it meets subconscious reader
expectations
Written punctuation does not follow spoken “breaks” in the
sentence
Learn to punctuate according to American English norms
Good punctuation
Keeps your reader from tiring
 Allows your reader to focus on your ideas
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General Writing Tips
Use active voice:
Subject Verb Object
not
Object Verb (implied Subject)
I will take out the trash
not
The trash will be taken out
Active voice is far less tiring than passive voice
Examples Using Active Voice
Examples:
Passive:
The steak was eaten by the puppy.
Active:
The puppy ate the steak!
Passive:
In this work, questions were investigated . . .
Active:
This work investigates questions . . .
More on Active Voice: http://www.uark.edu/campusresources/qwrtcntr/resources/handouts/activepassive.htm
General Writing Tips
But . . . vary your writing style occasionally
 Maintain reader interest
 Too many sentences in the same style begin to sound
“sing songy”
 Invert the order of a few sentences
 Combine two sentences
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But make sure you do this correctly (not run on)
Help with Writing Skills
 EGR 3350/5350: Technical Communications for
Engineering and Computer Scientists
 University Writing Center
http://www.wright.edu/academics/writingctr/
Thesis and Dissertation Preparation
Workshop
 Held every year in the fall
 Sponsored by the Graduate School
 Contact Lisa Lewandowski:
lisa.lewandowski@wright.edu
775-2976
New Workshop
Get Your Cite Right for Engineers
 Sponsored by the Dunbar Library
 Taught by Phil Flynn and me
 Walks through the research process from beginning
to end
Resources
Useful web resources for research writing:
The School of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Handbook:
http://www.wright.edu/graduate-school/graduate-thesisdissertation-handbook
University Libraries:
http://www.libraries.wright.edu/
University Writing Center:
http://www.wright.edu/uc/success/services/writing-center.html
Resources
Other University-based Writing Websites:
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/
Rensellaer Center for Communication Practices:
http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/resources/
 Purdue Writing Center
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Non-university-based, but still good:
 Grammar Girl:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl
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Questions?