Structuring your dissertation

Unlocking the mystique of writing dissertations

Dr Cheryl Lange

Review

• What was relevant to you from last week’s session?

• Who has started their research already?

• Who has started writing already?

• Reminder: Your early reading is a way of helping you

– define your topic – what’s the aim of your research?– limit its scope– develop a tentative hypothesis/research question– think about your data collection method(s)

Evans, D & Gruba, P 2002 (2nd ed.) How to write a better thesis, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, pp. 13-15

Common thesis structure

1. Dissertation introduction

• Outline problem or background to area you want to investigate

• State aim – one aim

• Limit the scope

• Provide overview of dissertation

Outcome: Clarity about the purpose of your research

2. Background

• Position your study in terms of

– what has gone before– what is currently taking place– how research is being/has been conducted

• Consider including e.g.

– a brief historical review– a description of your study location

• Include

– a review of current theory/practice (literature review)

3. Your work

• State research question(s) or hypotheses

• Explain/describe the design of your experiments, surveys, questionnaires etc used to

– test your hypotheses– answer the questions posed in the background chapter.

• State why you choose these methods

• Discuss and analyse the results of your work.

4. Synthesis

Discuss

• the implications of your results

• your contribution to knowledge

Examine

• your results in comparison with earlier work

Evaluate

• model, method, experiment

Conclude by tying all of the above together –

Make sure your conclusions

– follow from your discussion and evaluation – correspond to your aim as stated in your introduction

General tips

Writing dissertation is a cyclical process

• Write early but

• review previously written work from time to time and

• make the necessary changes

Structuring chapters

• Begin each chapter with a introduction showing relevance to overall dissertation.

• Develop with logical elaborations, explanations and examples following on from stated aim.

• Finish with a conclusion which follows from argument in body of chapter and is congruent with stated aim of chapter.

Different disciplines, different structure?

• Despite dissertations from different disciplines requiring different procedures, often the structure is similar

Evans, D & Gruba, P 2002 (2nd ed.) How to write a better thesis, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, p.16

Writing a hypothesis

Distinguish

• your aim – what you are trying to achieve – put in the Introduction

from

• your hypothesis – a proposition that can be tested - put in Own work section

• Your hypothesis needs to be grounded in the research literature

Research question v hypothesis

A hypothesis derives from your research question e.g.

Question

• “What is the relationship between test anxiety and performance on complex cognitive tasks?” (what you want to find out)

Hypothesis

• Performance on complex cognitive tasks will be an inverted U-shaped function of the level of anxiety (a proposition that can be tested)

Hypothesis checklist

• Does it suggest the relationship between two variables?

• Does it specify the nature of the relationship?

• Does it imply the research design to be used to study the relationship?

• Does it indicate the population to be studied?

• Is if free of mention of specific measures/statistical tests?

• Is it free of unnecessary methodological detail?

Cone, JD, Foster, SL, 1996 Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields,

Washington, American Psychological Association, p. 41

Searching for answers?

What are your questions?

•Drop in 1pm - 2pm during semester teaching weeks Reid Library Mon, Wed, Thurs & Science Library Tues & Fri

•Individual consultations – make your appointment and submit your draft at least 2 days prior to when you want your consultation.

•Lunch time workshops

Contact detailsPhone: 6488 2423 - Student Support Reception www.studysmarter.uwa.edu.austudy.smarter@uwa.edu.aucheryl.lange@uwa.edu.au