Chapter 1:Defining the Dissertation 1
1.1 Introductory remarks 1
1.2 Thesis,dissertation,paper 1
1.3 Summary and evaluation of information 3
1.4 The process of writing a dissertation 3
1.5 Summary 5
1.6 Exercises 6
Chapter 2:Basic Writing and Academic Writing 9
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 Basic writing 9
2.3 Academic writing 10
2.4 Style and mechanics 12
2.5 Important terms and concepts 14
2.6 Summary 14
2.7 Exercises 15
Chapter 3:Data,Analysis,and Research Paradigms 17
3.1 Introduction 17
3.2 Data collection 17
3.3 Analysis 19
3.4 Research paradigms 20
3.5 Types of research 22
3.6 Summary 24
3.7 Exercises 25
Chapter 4:Prewriting(1):Developing the Subject 27
4.1 Introduction 27
4.2 Managing your time 27
4.3 Locating your interest 28
4.4 Selecting a topic 29
4.5 Considering manageability and availability 30
4.6 Summary 31
4.7 Exercises 31
Chapter 5:Prewriting(2):Reading the Literature 33
5.1 Introduction 33
5.2 Familiarizing yourself with the background 33
5.3 Discovering existing studies 34
5.4 Reading the relevant literature 37
5.5 Taking notes 38
5.6 Discovering questions and problems 40
5.7 Focusing on your research 41
5.8 Preparing a working bibliography 41
5.9 Summary 43
5.10 Exercises 44
Chapter 6:Prewriting(3):Thesis Formulation and Research Questions 45
6.1 Introduction 45
6.2 The thesis statement 46
6.3 The research question 47
6.4 The research method 49
6.5 Summary 49
6.6 Exercises 50
Chapter 7:Prewriting(4):Conducting Primary Research—an Example 53
7.1 Introduction 53
7.2 Research interest and research aim 53
7.3 Thesis statement and research questions 54
7.4 Literature review 56
7.5 Research method and data collection 57
7.6 An example of data collection and data editing 58
7.7 Theoretical basis 60
7.8 Analysis 61
7.9 Summary 62
7.10 Exercises 62
Chapter 8:Writing(1):Elements of a Dissertation 67
8.1 Introduction 67
8.2 The macrostructure 67
8.3 The abstract 68
8.4 The introduction 70
8.5 The literature review 74
8.6 The theoretical framework 77
8.7 Research method and data 78
8.8 Analysis and discussion 80
8.9 The conclusion 81
8.10 Summary 84
8.11 Exercises 85
Chapter 9:Writing(2):Organizing Ideas 89
9.1 Introduction 89
9.2 The skeleton and the meat 89
9.3 The language of the elements of structure 90
9.4 Referring to previous studies 92
9.5 Re-organizing ideas 99
9.6 Advice on quoting 101
9.7 Advice on the choice ofreporting verbs 103
9.8 Summary 105
9.9 Exercises 105
Chapter 10:Writing(3):Writing and Revising 107
10.1 Introduction 107
10.2 Creating the overall plan 107
10.3 Outlines and section headings 108
10.4 The proportional suggestion 113
10.5 Developing the first draft and possible problems 114
10.6 Researching before writing 115
10.7 Revising the first draft 115
10.8 Summary 116
10.9 Exercises 117
Chapter 11:Writing(4):Avoiding Plagiarism 119
11.1 Introduction 119
11.2 Defining plagiarism 119
11.3 The temptation to plagiarize 120
11.4 The cost of plagiarism 121
11.5 Paraphrasing vs plagiarism 121
11.6 How to avoid plagiarism 123
11.7 Summary 126
11.8 Exercises 126
Chapter 12:Preparing the Final Draft 129
12.1 Introduction 129
12.2 Formatting the final draft 129
12.3 Checking the details 130
12.4 Summary 132
12.5 Exercises 132
Chapter 13:References and Appendixes 135
13.1 Introduction 135
13.2 The function of documenting sources 135
13.3 Different styles of referencing 136
13.4 References in the running text 137
13.5 References at the end of the dissertation 140
13.6 Appendixes 144
13.7 Summary 145
13.8 Exercises 145
Chapter 14:Submission and Evaluation 147
14.1 Introduction 147
14.2 Working with your tutor 147
14.3 Submission 149
14.4 Evaluation criteria 150
14.5 The dissertation defence 151
14.6 Summary 152
14.7 Exercises 152
Appendix 1:A Sample Paper in Chinese 153
Appendix 2:A Sample Paper for Further Analysis 165
Appendix 3:Suggested Answers to the Exercises 183
About the Authors 194