1、How to Write a Dissertation in English7.1 Abstracts7.2 Appendices7.3 AcknowledgementsQuestionsChapter 7Writing Abstracts,Appendices and Acknowledgements7.1 Abstracts7.1 Abstracts The abstract is usually placed before the introduction of a paper,but it is usually the last part of the paper to be writ
2、ten.All other sections of the paper should have been completed before the essential information can be selected and summarized.The abstract is a condensed version of a research paper that highlights the major points covered and provides readers with a brief preview of the content and scope of the wr
3、iting.It is formal and impersonal.The abstract is extremely important and useful because most readers start reading a paper from the abstract and they depend on the abstract to decide whether or not they should continue to read the entire paper.There are two typical types of abstracts:descriptive an
4、d informative.A descriptive abstract usually tells readers what information the paper contains,outlines the purpose,methods,and scope of the paper,and introduces the subject.An informative abstractHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstractscontains specific information from the
5、paper,includes the purpose,methods,and scope of the paper,and provides the results(findings),conclusions,and recommendations.Unless otherwise directed,researchers should always write informative abstracts.An effective abstract usually:1.uses one or more well developed paragraphs:these are unified,co
6、herent,concise,and able to stand alone;2.uses an introduction/body/conclusion structure which presents the article,paper,or reports purpose,results,conclusions,and recommendations in that order;3.follows strictly the chronology of the article,paper,or report;4.provides logical connections(or transit
7、ions)between the information included;5.adds no new information,but simply summarizes the report;6.is understandable to a wide audience;How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstracts7.oftentimes uses passive verbs to downplay the author and emphasize the information(Leo).Look at th
8、e following sample abstract from Language Testing.This article takes up some of the issues identified by Douglas(2000)as problematic for Language for Specific Purposes(LSP)testing,making reference to a number of performance-based instruments designed to assess the language proficiency of teachers or
9、 intending teachers.The instruments referred to include proficiency tests for teachers of Italian as a foreign language in Australia(Elder,1994)and for trainee teachers using a foreign language(in this case English)as medium for teaching school subjects such as mathematics and science in Australian
10、secondary schools(Elder,1993b;Viete,1998).The first problem addressed in the article has to do with specificity:how does oneHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstractsdefine the domain of teacher proficiency and is it distinguishable from other areas of professional competence o
11、r,indeed,from what is often referred to as“general”language proficiency?The second problem has to do with the vexed issue of authenticity:what constitutes appropriate task design on a teacher-specific instrument and to what extent can“teacher-like”language be elicited from candidates in the very art
12、ificial environment of a test?The third issue pertains to the role of nonlanguage factors(such as strategic competence or teaching skills)which may affect a candidats response to any appropriately contexutalized test-task and whether these factors can or should be assessed independently of the purel
13、y linguistic qualities of the test performance.All of these problems are about blurred boundaries,between and within real world domains of language use,between the test and the nontest situation,and between the components of ability or knowledge measured by the test.It is argued that these blurredHo
14、w to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstractsboundaries are an indication of the indeterminacy of LSP,as currently conceptualised,as an approach to test development(Elder 149).The above example consists of three paragraphs and is made up of 280 words.It includes such information as
15、purpose,method,scope of the paper(problems addressed),and conclusion.Passive voice(It is argued that.)is used to downplay the author and emphasize the conclusion.An abstract,especially one for journal articles,should be as brief and concise but informative as possible.Journal editors usually impose
16、a word limit for the abstract which authors can not exceed.For example,ELT Journal limits the words of an abstract to 100-200.Most abstracts of masters theses are confined to 200 words.In order to shorten an abstract to satisfy such word limit,researchers often focus on only two or three aspects,wit
17、h the emphasis placed on the results of the study.Therefore,information about theHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstractspurpose and method is presented first,followed by a summary of the most important results.Conclusions and recommendations may be included.The order of thes
18、e elements may appear as follows:1.purpose and method of the study;2.results;3.conclusions and recommendations if there are any.Because the abstract is short,concise,accurate,specific,informative and self-contained(i.e.,it makes sense alone without references to the main text),it puts high demand on
19、 the language,especially the use of verb tenses,tentative verbs,and modal auxiliaries.Generally speaking,the verb tenses in the abstract are directly related to those that have been used in the corresponding sections of the paper.For example,sentences of background information are usually written in
20、 the present tense;major activities are putHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstractsin the past tense or the present perfect tense;methodology is usually put in the past tense,results in the past tense,and conclusion in the present tense.e.g.This paper describes a reflective n
21、oticing activity in which pairs of adult learners of English for Academic Purposes transcribed their own performances of a routine classroom speaking task.Working collaboratively,they then discussed and edited the transcripts,making a large number of changes,which were overwhelmingly for the better.
22、These edited transcripts were passed on to the teacher,who made further corrections and reformulations,and then discussed the changes with the learners.Analysis of the process and product of these cycles of work suggests that collaborative transcribing and editing can encourage learners to focus on
23、form in their output in a relatively natural way.It also underlines the role of the teacher in this sort of post-task intervention,especially in the area of vocabulary(Lynch 124).How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 Abstracts In this example,major activities(transcribed their own p
24、erformances,discussed and edited the transcripts,these edited transcripts were passed on to,made further corrections,discussed the changes)are put in the past tense.The conclusion(Analysis of the process and product of these cycles of work suggests that collaborative transcribing and editing can enc
25、ourage learners to focus on form in their output in a relatively natural way.It also underlines the role of the teacher in this sort of post-task intervention,especially in the area of vocabulary.)is put in the present tense.How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 AbstractsCommon Prob
26、lemsPoor abstracts have some problems in common.These problems may include:1.They may be too detailed.A poor abstract is too detailed usually because it contains too many unnecessary details such as details about the methodology or details about the context of the research problem;2.Some important i
27、nformation may be left out.Because of the length constraints,researchers may leave out some important information;3.They may be too long.An abstract is too long because the author feels that everything is too important to be left out,or because he or she forgets the word limit;4.They may be too shor
28、t.A short abstract is not necessarily a good one.If the word limit is 200 and the submitted abstract is only 100 words,important information may have been left out.How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.1 AbstractsTips1.In writing the abstract,select important information such as purpo
29、se,methods,scope,results,conclusions,and recommendations from the paper.The headings,outline heads,table of contents,introduction and conclusion are useful sections;2.Copying sentences directly from the sections of the paper should be strictly avoided.Instead,synthesize the information in the major
30、sections into clear,concise statements;3.Avoid reference to other literatures;4.Avoid using the first person“I”or“we”although some researchers tend to use them nowadays;5.Begin the first sentence with the phrase“this paper”or“this study”;6.Use non-evaluative language;report rather than comment upon
31、the findings;7.Remember the word limit set by the instructors or by the journal editors.How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.2 Appendices7.2 Appendices An appendix(plural appendices or appendixes)is optional.The purpose of opening an appendix is to tuck discreetly any materials which
32、 are important but do not fit naturally in the text.The following materials are usually put in the appendix:1.questionnaires used to obtain data;2.sheets used in classroom observation;3.photocopied documents such as school textbooks,exam papers and syllabuses;4.other materials that are long and awkw
33、ard if put in the text.Note:1.All materials in an appendix must have been referred to in the text;2.Each document should be included in a separate appendix which should be numbered and titled and begin on a new page.How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.2 Appendicese.g.The following e
34、xample is from“A framework for second language vocabulary assessment”.AppendixesAnalyses of purpose for some well-known vocabulary testsAppendix 1 The Vocabulary Levels Test(Nation,1990)DESIGN A discrete,selective vocabulary test with the words presented in isolation.Input:A 90-item test,with eighte
35、en for each of five frequency levels.Items are presented in groups of three,together with six possible definitions.Expected response:Test takers select the definition that matches each of the target words.PURPOSE Inferences:Trait-definition of vocabulary(vocabulary size independent of contexts of us
36、e).Item level:Knowledge of a common meaning of each of a sample of high-frequencyHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.2 Appendiceswords.Test level:The estimated size of the learners vocabulary,based on the proportion of the words known at different frequency levels.Uses:Instructional
37、:A classroom test intended to assist teachers to design suitable vocabulary learning programs for their students.Research:Intended to measure vocabulary size for various kinds of L2 vocabulary research.Impacts:Relatively low stakes test for the learners.It may encourage the teaching and learning of
38、words in isolation,and may lead students to focus on the particular words tested.How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.2 AppendicesAppendix 2The Lexical Frequency Profile(LFP)(Laufer and Nation,1995)DESIGN A discrete,comprehensive vocabulary test,involving the use of words by test-tak
39、ers in a written text that they compose themselves.Input:A short prompt on a controversial topic of general interest.Expected response:The test-takers write a composition of 300-350 words in one hour,giving their opinion about the topic.Scoring:The correctly used word forms written by each test-take
40、r are lemmatized and classified by a computer program into four frequency levels:First 1000 most frequent words;second 1000 words;University Word List;and words outside the three lists.The profile consists of the percentages of the total word forms that belong to each frequency level.PURPOSE Inferen
41、ces:Trait definition of vocabulary(the specific topic or genre of the writing hasHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.2 Appendicesno particular significance for the assessment).Test level:The ability to produce words correctly in written composition.Higher percentages of lower freque
42、ncy words are considered to represent larger vocabulary size and a higher level of proficiency in the language.Uses:Research:A measure of the lexical richness of ESL student writing for investigating its development over time as the result of instruction.Impacts:The scope of impact may depend on whe
43、ther the test-takers compose by pen-and-paper or on a computer.The latter case simplifies the processing of the LFP considerably and that,together with the objectivity of the measure,may encourage wider use for instructional purposes(Read and Chapelle 26-27).How to Write a Dissertation in English7.1
44、7.27.3QCon7.3 Acknowledgements7.3 Acknowledgements In most cases,it is almost impossible to write an academic research paper without referring to related literature or without any help.Acknowledgements help researchers to extend thanks and indebtedness to people who have helped during the research.T
45、hese people may include the supervisors,colleagues,peer students,funding or sponsoring associations or institutions,etc.Therefore,acknowledgements are an important part of a research paper although it is optional.e.g.Acknowledgements On the completion of my thesis,I should like to express my deepest
46、 gratitude to all those whose kindness and advice have made this work possible.I am greatly indebted to my tutor Professor Liu Jianbo who gave me valuableHow to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.3 Acknowledgementsinstructions,and urged me to begin my research work as soon as possible.His
47、 effective advice,shrewd comments and quick corrections have kept the thesis in the right direction.I am grateful to Professor Chen Zhian,Professor Li Li,Professor Liu Jiarong and Professor Zhou Rong of the School of Foreign Languages of Southwest China Normal University.They have improved me in lan
48、guage and in research methodology and have shown me into the fascinating world of English literature and western culture.My gratitude is to my husband Dr.Guo Yingjian who constantly encouraged me when I felt frustrated with this dissertation.I am grateful for his constructive suggestions and careful
49、 reading of the manuscript(Hao i).Acknowledgements can appear independently on a separate page or can be blended into the introduction or preface,or they can appear as an endnote.How to Write a Dissertation in English7.17.27.3QCon7.3 Acknowledgements The following example appears as an endnote:I wou
50、ld like to thank Jan Cooper,Robert Fanuzzi,Laura May Grayson,Robert Iltis,Amy Kaplan,Wendy Kozol,Whitney Pape,Paula Richman,Sandy Zagarell,and especially the late Henry Mayer for their thoughtful responses,encouragement,and friendship;and Avi Steinberg,my unstinting Radcliffe Junior Research partner
