英语学位论文写作CHAPTER14课件.ppt

1、How to Write a DissertationIn English Introduction14.1Working with your tutor14.2Submission14.3Evaluation criteria14.4Chapter 14Submission and EvaluationThe dissertation defence14.5Summary14.6Exercises14.714.1 IntroductionHow to write a dissertation in English The purpose of this chapter is to addre

2、ss a few issues that are indirectly related to the writing of the dissertation,which are also important in the whole process of completing your dissertation.We will start with the issue of working and negotiating with your tutor who not only helps you in the writing of the dissertation but is also t

3、he first person to evaluate your writing.We will then ask you to have a final look at the dissertation before it is submitted because once it is handed in,you will not have a chance to make any revision or modification.We will also talk about three criteria for evaluating your work,and finally we wi

4、ll describe the dissertation defence and give you a few pieces of advice.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.2 Working with your tutorHow to write a dissertation in English Whether you are writing a term paper,your dissertation,or thesis,you normally have a teacher who serves as your tutor or supervisor.

5、If you are writing a term paper for a course you take,usually it is the course teacher who is supposed to be your tutor.If you are writing a dissertation,you have a teacher who will help you during the process of your writing.The relationship between you and your tutor is very important.First of all

6、,you must understand the different roles you and your tutor play in this activity.You are expected to do the work,and your tutors responsibility is only to guide you and help you in one way or another.You are responsible for everything,from choosing a topic to doing the research and to completing th

7、e whole dissertation,although your tutor may help you in one way or another.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.2 Working with your tutorHow to write a dissertation in English Before you meet your tutor,you must be well-prepared.The following information may help:Planning your time well:Never over-estima

8、te your own ability.So give yourself at least two extra days.Having a topic in mind.You may have more than one topic for your research before you go to see your tutor.Knowing your research purpose(s).You must know the aim of your research,which is associated with the underlying research question(s).

9、Knowing how to do the research.You must have a rough idea of the process of doing academic research.Having read writings related to your research topic.You must have some ideas of the14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.2 Working with your tutorHow to write a dissertation in Englishresearch topic and the

10、research background.Learning the general overall structure of the dissertation.You must have a rough idea of the dissertation that you will write.For example,what are the essential elements that should be included in the dissertation?How much are you expected to write in eachcomponent?Giving your tu

11、tor multiple choices rather than blanks to be filled in by him.You should give your ideas,proposals and plans to your tutor to judge,evaluate,and comment on,instead of expecting your tutor to tell you what to do.You are expected to report to your tutor on the progress of your research.Keep him infor

12、med of your progress and the possible problems.Keep in touch with him during the process of doing research and writing.When you have completed the first draft,check14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.2 Working with your tutorHow to write a dissertation in Englishthe details(see Chapter 12)and try to avoi

13、d any errors including,spelling,spacing,sizes of fonts,numbering,etc.Make a good impression on the tutor.Remember,your tutor is the very first person who evaluates your dissertation.If he is not satisfied with your work,your dissertation is not likely to be accepted or given a high score.Your tutor

14、therefore has a very important role to play.Besides,you should learn to make good use of your tutor.Nowadays everybody is busy including your tutor.Thus,do not expect him to spend too much time on your work,and never expect him to re-write the dissertation for you.Some tutors may correct most or all

15、 of the language errors for the students,some will give detailed comments,but most of them will only give general comments,and a few will just tell the students their general impressions.After all,the dissertation is the students,not the tutors,because it is the student who will get the credit.There

16、fore knowing your tutor and14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.2 Working with your tutorHow to write a dissertation in Englishhis approach to helping students is also very important.Do not give your work to the tutor for comment or revision at the last minute,before the deadline.You must give the tutor a

17、 few days at least because your dissertation is not the only thing that he is required to do he may have other important things to do and consider during the same period of time.If you are not sure how much time your tutor needs for reading your work,simply ask him.Some tutors will expect their stud

18、ents to revise their dissertations several times before the final copies are completed.In that case,you need to work out a plan with your tutor.Before you give your work to the tutor,ask him whether he prefers a hardcopy or a soft copy,i.e.an electronic version.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.3 Submi

19、ssionHow to write a dissertation in EnglishWhen your tutor is pleased with the copy you have produced,you can think of submission.However,before you submit the dissertation to the department office,you must check the details,which are concerned with the requirements set out by the university regulat

20、ions.Most tutors will not check those details for you,although they are expected to know all the details.It is your own responsibility to check the details carefully.Once the work is submitted,it is too late to make any modifications because it is going through another stage the evaluation of your w

21、ork.Once you have the copies of the dissertation printed,have a final look at the whole dissertation by checking whether there are any pages missing,whether any section or chapter heading is the last line of the page(in which case it should be moved to the beginning of the following page)and whether

22、 the page numbers are correct.You still have the chance to make changes at this stage.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.4 Evaluation criteriaHow to write a dissertation in EnglishAs we pointed out earlier,your tutor is the very first person who is involved in evaluating your dissertation.If the dissert

23、ation is not good or good enough,many tutors would not agree that you submit the work to the university because the tutor has the responsibility of quality control.The comments on your dissertation given by your tutor have a very important role to play.In most cases,the tutors opinions will influenc

24、e the examiners in the committee.If your tutor is therefore not happy with your dissertation,you are not likely to achieve a high score.In some cases,your dissertation may not be accepted as a piece of work required by the degree that you are working for,which can lead to serious and complicated pro

25、blems.There are three basic ways of(criteria for)evaluating a dissertation.The first criterion is mechanical in nature.It is concerned with questions such as whether it meets the requirements set out in the university regulations,including the right length,the number14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.4

26、Evaluation criteriaHow to write a dissertation in Englishof words,etc.,whether it is the students own work,and very importantly whether there are any instances of plagiarism(see Chapter 11).If there is plagiarism,it will be very serious,and many people,including members of the examination committee

27、and heads of your department and other departments concerned at the university,will be involved in making a decision on your work.The second and third ways of evaluation are mainly concerned with the members of the examination committee of your dissertation.One way is to look at the content,the mean

28、ing,the idea,the arguments,etc.to see whether the dissertation has reached the level of a BA dissertation in terms of the content.From looking at the content,the examiners will see whether the student has the required knowledge and ability to do the research.The other way is to look at the form,the

29、expression and presentation of ideas or arguments,the use of language,etc.to see whether the student has written in an14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.4 Evaluation criteriaHow to write a dissertation in Englishacademic manner so that it meets the requirement of a dissertation.If you are clear about th

30、ese three ways of evaluation,then you must work hard to meet the requirements so that your final dissertation will be accepted by the examination committee.When the dissertation is going through the evaluation process,the procedure is serious and not under the control of any one person.It is therefo

31、re necessary for you to understand the importance of the process of evaluation.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.5 The dissertation defenceHow to write a dissertation in English In most universities in China,most(if not all)candidates go through the procedure of dissertation defence(论文答辩).In some unive

32、rsities,only those whose dissertations reach a certain standard are examined orally.Basically,the duration of a BA dissertation defence is about 30 minutes.The procedure involves the following steps:First,the candidate(the writer of the dissertation)gives a presentation of about 10 minutes to the ex

33、amination committee,after which the committee members ask questions related to the dissertation or any aspect of the research topic,and the candidate is required to answer these questions.Finally,the examination committee discusses and evaluates both the dissertation itself(as a product),and the ora

34、l examination,the candidates performance during the presentation and the question-answer interaction.In order to perform well in the defence process,the candidate must be familiar with what he has written in the dissertation.Besides,he must be able to answer,14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.5 The diss

35、ertation defenceHow to write a dissertation in Englishappropriately,all or most of the questions raised by the examiners.During the oral examination,the candidate must be able to understand(a)whether the examiner is making comments,suggestions or giving advice,(b)whether the examiner is asking quest

36、ions,or(c)whether the examiner is challenging and making negative comments on the points made in the dissertation.If he is making comments,he does not expect you to give any answers,and the only thing to do is to listen to him carefully and attentively and acknowledge your understanding of his comme

37、nts,e.g.by nodding and saying yes.If he is asking a question,you should try your best to answer the question.Look at the examiners and see if they are happy with your answers.Do not try to say any more if the examiners are already satisfied with your answer.Never try to impress the examiners by talk

38、ing a lot to show that you are knowledgeable.If the examiner is challenging your ideas or making very negative comments on the dissertation,you must14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.5 The dissertation defenceHow to write a dissertation in Englishbe very careful.First,try to understand the point(s)made

39、by the examiner and try to justify your points.Do not agree with everything he says at this stage,nor argue with him because you are not equal in terms of the power relationship.Some examiners may just make negative comments and let you go(pass),and others may want to see your reactions.Luckily,this

40、 kind of unhappy event does not often occur.Therefore if you should encounter this undesirable situation,keep calm and have a positive attitude.If you are asked to answer the questions or give your reactions,do so wisely and appropriately,and never try to“beat”the examiners in the dissertation defen

41、ce.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.6 SummaryHow to write a dissertation in English This chapter is not directly concerned with the writing of the dissertation,but it has raised a number of issues that are very important to the success of completing a dissertation.We advise the student to work with th

42、e tutor cooperatively because the tutor is not only the person who will guide you in your research and writing but also the very first person who evaluates your work.Working with your tutor is also a precious process in your university life,and working together happily in a cooperative manner will n

43、ot only facilitate the tough job of writing a dissertation but also add positive memories of your time at the university.In this chapter we have also discussed three basic ways of(criteria for)the evaluation of the students dissertation to remind him of how to meet the requirements for a dissertatio

44、n.We have also described the oral examination after the submission of the dissertation providing advice on how the candidate should cope with the situation wisely and appropriately.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.7Why is it important to work with your tutor in a cooperative way?14.7 ExercisesHow to write

45、 a dissertation in English114.114.214.314.414.514.614.7How can you make sure that the dissertation reaches the academiclevel that is required for the degree that you are working for?2KeysSuggested Answers to the ExercisesHow to write a dissertation in English 1.If you work with your tutor happily an

46、d cooperatively,you will be confident enough to finish the task.Even if you are a slow student,your tutor will be sympathetic and helpful if both of you work cooperatively.On the other hand,if you and your tutor do not work cooperatively he will be very critical and negative,and that will make thing

47、s very difficult for you.And as we indicate in the chapter,your tutor is the person who has a very important role to play in evaluating your work.2.If you read the completed BA dissertations in the library,you will have a rough idea of the academic level that needs to be achieved.Once you have read a few BA dissertations,you will know what sort of writing you are expected to do.14.114.214.314.414.514.614.7back