Redrafting your dissertation
Dissertation workshop for coursework postgrads
Dr Cheryl Lange
You’ve finished the first draft - well done
• Don’t race off to show it to your supervisor yet.
• There are still a couple of important things you need to
do.
Set aside your work for a few days
Redraft
Many ideas in this presentation are adapted from Evans, D & Gruba, P 2002 (2nd ed.) How to write a better thesis,
Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, pp. 123-139.
Things to check
1. Structure
2. Spelling, grammar, punctuation,
formatting, etc.
Structure – some questions
• Is there a table of contents? (check that there is
agreement between the table of contents and your
chapter headings)
• Does the Introduction mention
–
–
–
–
why the research was done
what the aim is
how the aim was achieved
what the scope of the dissertation is?
• Do the conclusions correspond with the aim?
Note areas to be improved in the
margins of the text
Redraft questions – ask yourself
• Does the logic of my argument flow from introduction to
conclusion? (If not, fix up any gaps, repetitions, problems
with order, etc.)
• Has my aim shifted during my research? (If yes, re-write
your aim.)
• Is there material in the body that would be better off in an
appendix? (If yes, move it to an appendix.)
• Have important points emerged that I didn’t consider
when structuring my first draft? (If yes, work out
how/where to incorporate them.)
Results – more questions
• Are the results of my experiments, interviews or other
aspects of my own work clearly presented and
explained?
• Am I discussing the implications of my results as I go?
(OK if you are doing a dissertation in the humanities and
some social sciences. NOT OK, for dissertations in
physical, biological sciences.)
Discussion and Conclusions
• Have I discussed my findings in terms of improving or
extending current theory or practice? (This may not be
necessary for some coursework dissertations.)
• Do my conclusions follow on from my discussion? (They
should.)
• Have I introduced new discussion topics into my
conclusion? (If yes, you will have to rewrite your
discussion to include the new ideas or rewrite your
conclusion and leave them out.)
• Do my conclusions explain the implications of my work
for theory or practice or provide recommendations?
(They should, depending on your dissertation
requirements.)
More redrafting questions
• Does my formatting confirm to the specifications of my
unit/discipline?
• Have I checked my spelling thoroughly (don’t rely solely
on spell check)
• Does my punctuation help the reader understand my
various points of view?
• Have I labelled all my tables and figures correctly?
• Have I meticulously checked my referencing?
Redrafting takes time but it MUST be done
Redrafting your Abstract
1. Have I stated briefly what my research is about?
2. Have I included my research question?
3. Have I contextualised my research in terms of previous
studies?
4. Have I stated why my research is important, e.g. what
gap or limitation it is addressing?
5. Have I reported my findings?
6. Have I mentioned the major conclusions and /or
implications of my findings for my field of research?
7. Have chosen the most appropriate key words?
What’s a good title?
• [T]he fewest possible words that adequately describe the
contents of the paper1.
• It’s catchy, yet informative.
• It summarises what you found, not what you did.
1. Day,RA
1983 How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, (2nd edn), ISI Press, p. 9.
Effective titles
Compare – which is more effective?
1.Lamb loses more moisture during cooking than mutton.
2.Studies on the cooking of lamb and mutton.
Adapted from
http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/students/assignments-exams
More examples
•Becoming sinless : converting to Islam in the Christian
Solomon Islands (D. McDougall)
•Loss in anchor embedment during placement anchor
keying in clay (Z. Song)
Want to impress your examiners?
Use a clear, direct writing style
Tips for writing concisely
Circle the prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into)
Draw a box around the "is" verb forms
Ask, "Where's the action?”
Change the "action" into a simple verb
Move the doer into the subject (Who's kicking whom)
Eliminate any unnecessary slow wind-ups
Eliminate any redundancies.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/635/1/
An example
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/635/1/
More help?
• See Guide to Grammar and Writing Concise Sentences
for lists of redundant phrases:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/concise.htm
• About.Com Grammar and Compositions lists 200
Common Redundancies:
http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/redundancies.htm
Drop in 1pm-2pm daily during teaching weeks
Reid Library - Mon, Wed, Thurs
Science Library – Tues, Fri
Writing Clinics Tues and Fri 10 am – 12 noon
Generic study skills workshops Mon – Thurs usually between 11am
- 2pm
Individual consultations – make your appointment and submit your
draft at least 2 days prior to when you want your consultation.
Contact details
Phone: 6488 2423 - Student Support Reception
www.studysmarter.uwa.edu.au
study.smarter@uwa.edu.au
www.lace.uwa.edu.au
cheryl.lange@uwa.edu.au