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Recommended Books

How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray "This book has become a trusted resource for students from a wide range of disciplinarybackgrounds. Not only does it take you through the steps and stages of thesis writing,but more importantly, it offers rich advice and support that helps build confidence,sets up effective writing habits and generates a positive orientation towards thecomplex task of thesis writing." Professor Sarah Moore, Associate Vice President Academic,University of Limerick, Ireland "I've found Rowena's shrewd and insightful suggestions for writing helpful, not onlyfor others but also for me." Peter Elbow, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA "This book is a brilliant resource for all doctoral students to help guide them through the completion of their doctoral thesis. The book develops students' confidence and motivates them to start the writing process." Emma Jackson,Second Year PhD Student, University of Worcester, UK Providing down-to-earth guidance to help students shape their theses, Rowena Murray offers valuable advice and practical tips and techniques. Useful summaries and checklists help students to stay on track or regain their way. Moving beyond the basics of thesis writing, the book introduces practical writing techniques such as freewriting, generative writing and binge writing. Issues such as working out the criteria for your thesis, writer's block, writing a literature review and making notes into a draft are also covered. New to this edition: New introduction by students - 'How I used this book' Update on doctoral skills set and Training Needs Analysis Extended treatment of plagiarism - and how to avoid it Expanded section on students' well-being Learning outcomes for each chapter

How to Write a Thesis by Umberto Eco; Geoff Farina; Francesco Erspamer; Caterina Mongiat Farina Umberto Eco's wise and witty guide to researching and writing a thesis, published in English for the first time. By the time Umberto Eco published his best-selling novel The Name of the Rose, he was one of Italy's most celebrated intellectuals, a distinguished academic and the author of influential works on semiotics. Some years before that, in 1977, Eco published a little book for his students, How to Write a Thesis, in which he offered useful advice on all the steps involved in researching and writing a thesis--from choosing a topic to organizing a work schedule to writing the final draft. Now in its twenty-third edition in Italy and translated into seventeen languages, How to Write a Thesis has become a classic. Remarkably, this is its first, long overdue publication in English. Eco's approach is anything but dry and academic. He not only offers practical advice but also considers larger questions about the value of the thesis-writing exercise. How to Write a Thesis is unlike any other writing manual. It reads like a novel. It is opinionated. It is frequently irreverent, sometimes polemical, and often hilarious. Eco advises students how to avoid "thesis neurosis" and he answers the important question "Must You Read Books?" He reminds students "You are not Proust" and "Write everything that comes into your head, but only in the first draft." Of course, there was no Internet in 1977, but Eco's index card research system offers important lessons about critical thinking and information curating for students of today who may be burdened by Big Data. How to Write a Thesis belongs on the bookshelves of students, teachers, writers, and Eco fans everywhere. Already a classic, it would fit nicely between two other classics: Strunk and White and The Name of the Rose. Contents The Definition and Purpose of a Thesis * Choosing the Topic * Conducting Research * The Work Plan and the Index Cards * Writing the Thesis * The Final Draft

Surviving Your Thesis by Suzan Burton (Editor); Peter Steane (Editor) From choosing a supervisor and topic to staying motivated, completing a research thesis is not an easy matter. Each stage represents a different challenge and many students struggle through without identifying the skills needed to make the most of their time. This wonderful resource for all doctoral and masters level students, explores the challenges and complexities of successfully engaging in the research process and thesis writing. Chapters include: choosing and working with a supervisor developing a research proposal motivating yourself choosing the right research method responding to criticism advice from the examiners preparing work for publication. This clear and practical guide, ideal for all doctoral and masters level students, takes readers from the very early stages of the process through to the final phase of examination and publication, using vignette examples to highlight key issues.

Writing the Literature Review by Sara Efrat Efron; Ruth Ravid This accessible text provides a roadmap for producing a high-quality literature review--an integral part of a successful thesis, dissertation, term paper, or grant proposal. Each step of searching for, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing prior studies is clearly explained and accompanied by user-friendly suggestions, organizational tips, vignettes, and examples of student work. Also featured are excerpts from peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods articles. This is the first book to focus on crafting different types of reviews (systematic, traditional-narrative, or hermeneutic-phenomenological) that reflect the writer's research question, methodological choices, and approaches to knowledge. It describes what all reviews have in common and highlights distinct characteristics of each type. The book includes dos and don'ts for evaluating studies and constructing an argument, and software suggestions for locating, organizing, and arranging sources.   Pedagogical Features *Checklists and "To Do" activities that break down key steps to take. *Boxed examples, graphics that organize and visually illustrate key concepts, and summary tables. *Group activities that invite students to further explore and apply the methods discussed in each chapter. *Detailed directions for using four different organizing strategies: synthesis matrix, summary table, mapping, and topic outline. *End-of-chapter summaries and "What's Next" sections. *Assessment matrices for reviewing and refining the completed literature review. Winner (First Place)--American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Nursing Research Category

Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation by Irene L. Clark A complete, step-by-step, practical overview of the process of writing successful theses and dissertations   Every year thousands of graduate students face the daunting-sometimes terrifying- challenge of writing a thesis or dissertation. But most of them have received little or no instruction on doing it well. This book shows them how in ways no other book does. It combines the practical guidance and theoretical understanding students need to complete their theses or dissertations with maximum insight and minimum stress. Drawing on her extensive research and experience advising hundreds of graduate students, Dr. Irene Clark presents a solid overview of the writing process. Clark shows how to apply innovative theories of process and genre and understand the writing process for what it is: your entrance into a conversation with the scholarly community that will determine your success or failure. This book offers useful strategies for each phase of the process, from choosing advisors and identifying topics through writing, revision, and review. Coverage includes   *  Getting started: overcoming procrastination and writer's block *  Understanding the genre of the thesis or dissertation *  Speaking the "language of the academy" *  Writing compelling proposals *  Developing and revising drafts *  Constructing effective literature reviews *  Working with tables, graphs, and other visual materials *  Working with advisors and dissertation committees *  Avoiding inadvertent plagiarism   Experience based, theoretically grounded, jargon free, and practical, Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation will help you become a more effective writer-and a more meaningful contributor to the scholarly conversation.   Preface xi Introduction: Writing a Thesis or Dissertation: An Overview of the Process xix   Chapter 1: Getting Started 1 Chapter 2: So What? Discovering Possibilities 17 Chapter 3: The Proposal as an Argument: A Genre Approach to the Proposal 33 Chapter 4: Mapping Texts: The Reading/Writing Connection 63 Chapter 5: Writing and Revising 83 Chapter 6: Writing the Literature Review 103 Chapter 7: Using Visual Materials 125 Chapter 8: The Advisor and Thesis/Dissertation Committee 139 Chapter 9: Working with Grammar and Style 155 Chapter 10: Practical Considerations 175   Index: 193  

Writing Your Thesis by Paul Oliver This new edition is designed to help postgraduate and research students with the process, preparation, writing and examination of their theses. Many students are able to design their programme of research and to collect the data, but they can find it more difficult to transform their data into a thesis. Using his extensive experience as a successful thesis supervisor, the author outlines: the purpose of the thesis and what it should achieve; strategies for organizing your work as you write your thesis; how to the incorporate a theoretical perspective; sound techniques of academic writing; how to benefit from your supervisors′ experience; what to do about publishing preliminary findings; and tips on preparing for the oral examination. This updated edition contains additional material on the writing of shorter doctoral theses; writing about ethical issues; presenting qualitative data, and developing strategies for an oral examination. The book is essential reading for students who are completing theses on ′taught′ Masters programmes, M.Phil. and Ph.D. students and for those working on the newer ′taught′ doctoral programmes.