Thesis Writing Clinic

1
Thesis Writing Clinic

• Roles
• General Writing
• APA Format
• Empirical Thesis
• Non-Empirical Thesis
• Organization of the Thesis

2
Supervisors Role

• Hands-on involvement will vary somewhat depending
  on the individual supervisor.
• Guide mentor
• Big picture issues
• Design issues
• Answering questions
• NOT an assistant, or a personal life-coach or a
  copy-editor

3
Students Role

• This is YOUR project.
• It is YOUR responsibility.
• Keep yourself motivated
• Do your own research
• Write regularly
• Ask questions of your supervisor. They are a
  resource for you.

4
General Writing

• Writing is a process. A GOOD thesis is NOT
  completed with 1 or 2 drafts!!
• Step 1 Planning, organizing information
• Step 2 Write, Read, Edit
• Step 3 Write, Read, Edit
• Step 4 Write, Read, Edit
• Step N Write, Read, Edit
• Repeat these steps several times, then give it to
  your supervisor, and then repeat AGAIN.

5
General Writing

• Write as though you are submitting it for
  publication (which may actually happen).
• Spelling and grammar are important.
• E.g., behaviour
• Use complete sentences.
• Make sure the verb agrees in number (i.e.,
  singular or plural) with its subject, regardless
  of intervening phrases.
• E.g. The percentage of correct responses, as well
  as the speed of the responses, increases with
  practice.

6
General Writing

• Do not use contractions.
• E.g., rather than dont, cant, or shouldnt,
  use do not, can not, and should not.
• Use the possessive correctly.
• E.g., its, not it's your, not you're.
• Use the past tense when discussing studies
  conducted in the past.
• E.g., First-year university students were
  recruited to participate in the study.

7
General Writing

• Avoid the passive voice (to be versions of
  verbs). It is a wordy and weak style.
• Passive Studies have been conducted to
• Active Smith (2006) conducted a study
• Avoid wordiness in any form. Do not use 10 words,
  when 5 will suffice.
• E.g., drop the phrase "in order to" it's just
  filler.
• Avoid using colloquialisms, and melodramatic,
  judgmental, or inflammatory language this is
  science, not a soapbox. Slang is also not
  appropriate.

8
General Writing

• Try to avoid using the first person, singular or
  plural. Occasional use is not prohibited if it
  avoids a stilted style.
• Do not try to sound smart by using big words or
  long complicated sentences. Keep your
  writing simple. Trying to write smart just reads
  stupid.

9
General Writing

• Do not put information, other than citations, in
  parentheses. Brackets imply the information is
  not important  if it is worth saying at all,
  then work it into the text.
• Do not use "since" when you mean "because." They
  are not synonyms. Since requires the passage
  of time.

10
General Writing

• Keep the use of direct quotations to a minimum.
  Paraphrase as much as you possibly can.
• Punctuation goes within the quotation marks.
• Page number must be included with the citation.

11
General Writing

• Use punctuation marks correctly
• Periods and commas are the main forms of
  punctuation.
• Periods (full stops) are used to end sentences
  and as part of some abbreviations (et al.).
• Keep the use of exclamation (!) and question
  marks (?) to a minimum.

12
General Writing

• The proper uses of a comma are
• to indicate a slight pause in a sentence
• to mark off additional information which is not
  essential to the meaning, but adds something
  extra
• to mark off phrases beginning with, for example,
  'when', 'if', 'after', 'unless', 'although'
• when there is an incomplete verb at the start of
  the sentence or phrase
• joining two independent clauses separated by a
  conjunction (such as "and" and "but")
• separating items in a list

13
General Writing

• The proper uses of a colon are
• following a grammatically complete introductory
  clause where the final phrase or clause
  emphasizes the preceding idea, or consists of a
  list. If the clause following the colon is a
  complete sentence, it begins with a capital
  letter.
• E.g., There are three countries I wish to visit
  New Zealand, Australia, and Peru.
• My mother gave me one good piece of
  advice It is a waste time and energy to worry
  about things that cannot be changed.
• in ratios and proportions.
• E.g., The probability of rolling snake-eyes is
  136.
• in references, between the place of publication
  and the publisher.
• E.g., Toronto, ON Oxford University Press Canada

14
General Writing

• The proper uses of a semi-colons are
• to link independent clauses not joined by a
  coordinating conjunction, and only if those
  independent clauses are closely related. Each
  clause must be a complete sentence (i.e. a period
  could replace the semi-colon and still make
  sense).
• to separate items in a list, but only if those
  items contain an internal comma (a semi-colon
  never precedes a list that is the job of a
  colon).
• to join two independent clauses separated by a
  conjunctive adverb (accordingly, consequently,
  hence, however, moreover, otherwise, therefore,
  and thus).

15
General Writing

• Commonly misused words
• Affect as a verb, means to influence as a
  noun, it refers to emotional state.
• E.g., The medications affect mood, thus allowing
  patients show appropriate affect.
• Effect as a verb, means to bring about as a
  noun, it refers to a result.
• E.g., One effect of elections is to effect a
  change in government.
• For more examples, see Northey and Timney (2005).

16
General Writing

• Abbreviations
• Define any abbreviations you will be using.
• E.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  (ADHD) is.
• Other than et al., the use of abbreviations such
  as e.g., i.e., etc. should be limited to
  parentheses. In the text, write them out in full
  (e.g., for example).
• Use only in parenthetical citations (Smith
  Jones, 2006) use and for citations in the
  text, such as Smith and Jones (2006).

17
General Writing

• Useful sources about writing
• http//www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
• http//www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar
• American Psychological Association. (2001).
  Publication manual of the American Psychological
  Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC American
  Psychological Association.
• Northey, M., Timney, B. (2005). Making sense A
  students guide to research and writing. Toronto,
  ON Oxford University Press Canada.
• Truss, L. (2003). Eats, shoots and leaves.
  Toronto, ON Penguin Books Canada, Ltd.

18
APA Format

• General Format
• Use a 12 pt font (10 characters per inch).
• E.g., Times New Roman
• Margins should be 1 inch.
• Every page (including the Title and Reference
  pages) has a header consisting of the first 2 or
  3 words of the title, and a page number next to
  the header.
• http//www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htmA1

19
APA Format

• Title Page
• Running Head TITLE
• Title, Students name, Nipissing University
• Example
• http//www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htmA1

20
APA Format

• Abstract
• Check with your supervisor to find out if you
  should include an abstract with non-empirical
  theses.
• It should consist of a single (double-spaced)
  paragraph in block format (i.e., do not use
  indentation).
• Provide a brief, comprehensive summary of the
  study including a description of the problem
  being investigated, the methods used, the
  results, and their implications.
• Do not include information that is not in the
  body of the manuscript.
• Limit the abstract to a 120 word maximum.
• Avoid citing references in the abstract.

21
APA Format

• Text pages
• The title of your paper should appear, centred,
  at top of the first page of text (p3 with an
  abstract p2 if no abstract).
• Each page should be double-spaced and
  left-justified only.
• The first line of each paragraph should be
  indented. Do not put gaps between paragraphs.

22
APA Format

• Subtitles are centred, in mixed-case (Abstract,
  Methods, Results, Discussion, References)
• Secondary titles (such as in Methods section) are
  left-justified, and in italics.
• Abstract and References are on separate pages
  from the main body of the paper, so the section
  titles are centred at the top of their respective
  pages.

23
APA Format

• In-text citations take the following formats
• Smith and Jones (2006)
• (Smith Jones, 2006).
• (Flynn, Saari, Stange, Weeks Chow, 2006).
• (Flynn, et al., 2006).
• (Flynn, 2004 Saari, 2000 Weeks, 2006).
• Within a paragraph, you need only include the
  year with the 1st citation with each new
  paragraph, include the year again.

24
APA Format

• References Page
• The section title is centred at the top of the
  page, and is written in mixed case.
• The basic article format is
• Lastname, S. H., Lastname, J. D., Lastname, B.
  S. (2006). Article title in mixed case Only
  first words are capitalized. Journal Title in
  Italics, 33 (2), 340-399.
• An example page can be found at
• http//www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htmA3

25
APA Format

• References Page
• List a maximum of 6 authors. The reference when
  more than 6 authors looks looks like
• Flynn, D.  Saari, M., Stange, K., Weeks, A.,
  Murphy, D., Curwen, T., et al.(2006). Article
  title. Journal Title, 3 (2), 23-32.
• The first subsequent citations looks like this
• Flynn et al. (2006)
• (Flynn et al., 2006).

26
Empirical Thesis

• This projects involves conducting, analyzing, and
  writing up an experiment.
• The main sections are Introduction, Methods,
  Results, Discussion, References.
• The Methods section consists of the following
  subsections Subjects/Participants, Apparatus,
  Design, and Procedure.

27
Non-Empirical Thesis

• This project is an exhaustive review of
  scientific literature.
• This type of thesis has a simple organization,
  consisting of an introduction, a body, a
  conclusion, and the References page.
• The expected length will depend on the topic, so
  speak with your supervisors about their
  expectations.

28
Non-Empirical Thesis

• Typically, you should expect to use about 1
  reference per page, but again, this will depend
  on your topic. Speak with your supervisors about
  their expectations.
• Most sources should be primary sources,
  specifically, peer-reviewed journal articles.
  Keep the use of review articles and books to a
  minimum.

29
Thesis Organization

• Introduction
• Empirical
• This section defines the topic and terms used in
  the paper.
• It also provides a brief history of your project,
  discussing the scientific literature that led to
  your hypothesis.
• The hypothesis, or purpose, of your experiment is
  clearly stated.

30
Thesis Organization

• Introduction
• Non-Empirical
• This section defines the topic and terms used in
  the paper.
• It also outlines the main points presented in the
  paper.

31
Thesis Organization

• Body of the Paper
• Empirical
• Methods
• Subjects/Participants
• Describe the relevant information (species, age,
  gender, etc.).
• Apparatus
• Describe the equipment or tests employed during
  the study.

32
Thesis Organization

• Body of the Paper
• Empirical
• Methods
• Design
• Describe the independent and dependent variables,
  indicating the levels of the independent
  variables, and whether the factor(s) were
  repeated, matched, or independent.
• Discuss how the subjects were assigned to groups.
  
• Describe any control procedures used.

33
Thesis Organization

• Body of the Paper
• Empirical
• Method
• Procedure
• Summarize each step in the execution of the
  study, indicating what a typical test, trial, or
  session involved.
• Describe the various phases of the study, and any
  instructions given to the subjects.
• Results
• Describe the statistical tests used to analyze
  the data.
• Describe the results of those tests in
  mathematical terms.
• Some supervisors will also want to see some
  discussion as well.

34
Thesis Organization

• Body of the Paper
• Non-Empirical
• This is an organized summary of the studies
  described in your selected articles. It is not
  just a listing of facts taken from journal
  articles. You need to pick the main points about
  your topic, then describe the evidence that
  supports or refutes each.
• Basic format of each section or paragraph is
  point-proof
• A point is a general issue or fact about the
  topic.
• The proof is a description of the study that
  supports (or refutes) that point.

35
Thesis Organization

• Body of the Paper
• Non-Empirical
• The proof consists of empirical evidence. This
  can be experimental, correlational, or
  observational. This does not include anecdotal
  evidence.
• Describe what was done, to whom, and what was the
  general result. Then discuss how that evidence
  supports the point you were making.
• Provide some critical analysis of the studies
• What are their strengths and weakness?
• What issues do they fail to address?

36
Thesis Organization

• Discussion/Conclusion
• Empirical
• Discussion
• Describe your findings in words rather than
  statistics.
• Discuss where your findings fit in the
  literature, including how your findings add to an
  understanding of the topic.
• Present the strengths and weaknesses of your
  study.
• Non-Empirical
• Conclusion
• Summarize the main points presented in the paper.
• Discusses the gaps in the literature.

37
Thesis Organization

• References page
• Begin this on a new page.
• All sources should be in APA format, and listed
  in alphabetical order by the first authors last
  names.
• Tables, Figure Captions, Figures and Appendices
  (Empirical thesis)
• Check with your supervisor about where to place
  these, as some may prefer you include tables and
  figures in the text.
• Formal APA format places these at the end of the
  paper, after the references.
• Regardless of where you are asked in to place
  these, make sure they are discussed in the text
  of your paper. Never have Tables and Figures
  anywhere in a paper without describing them in
  the Results section.

38
That is all she wrote!