Writing a Thesis

Contents:
What is the aim of a thesis?
The structure of your thesis
The contents of your thesis
How to write your thesis
Critically reviewing literature

What is the aim of a thesis?

A thesis, specifically, is the exploration of an idea, a principle, or a set of data
including documentation of all the steps gone through in that exploration.
It must have clearly stated aims, or contain a hypothesis that is to be tested by the
thesis.
In this respect, a thesis is different from a paper, such as would be written for a
journal. A thesis is a comprehensive exploration of a subject, and is often
bewilderingly verbose as a consequence, and contains many, many diagrams included
to illustrate the path taken by the thesis writer, or the data collected, or the results
obtained. A paper is concerned only with illustrating an important point, or some
interesting data, or a single major conclusion of the work undertaken. It is therefore
rather more condensed in writing style, and all extraneous and unimportant
information must be stripped away, or summarised in a few, clear and concise
diagrams. Bear this distinction in mind when you are creating papers from your thesis
material.
Theses usually contain all the available data, usually summarised somewhat in the
appendices, and describe the methods and progress of the exploration in detail.
They conclude, after a lengthy discussion which must incorporate all the alternative
explanations of the data and why they are not subscribed to by the author, and finish
with suggestions for further work on the subject or related subjects suggested by the
exploration process.

The structure of your thesis

University departments will all have specific (different) requirements about what
arrangement is required in their theses. This is especially the case when specific
declarations and title pages are required. For example, the IPE MSc individual project
thesis has the following requirements:
Title Page
Declaration
Acknowledgements
Summary (not more that 1 side of A4)

Introduction
Bulk of Report
Conclusions
Suggestions for further work
Figures and Tables (These may be included in the bulk of the report)
References
Appendices
The section labelled Bulk of Report is where the meaty bits of the thesis reside but
do not get the idea from this list that this should be one section. It should be
subdivided into a number or sections or (preferably) chapters, each with a purpose.
Chapter 1 Introduction
This chapter contains first the aims of the project. These aims should be stated simply,
but then related to why they are important. Write this part as soon as possible after
starting a project, so that you can keep them pinned to your wall to keep your mind
and your project on track.
The next part of the chapter generally contains a summary of previous work on the
subject a literature review. In geology theses this would be split into various
sections like this:
Regional geological setting including maps of the location
Global influences/setting (at the time in question) including timescale
versus stratigraphy diagrams
Previous work on the subject in question / geological unit studied / problem
being looked at etc
Summaries of previous work on any other relevant areas like timescales,
paleogeography, depositional environments, biostratigraphy
These sections should be largely written or at least researched before starting data
gathering, as it is often when researching these that potential pitfalls, problems, issues
etc are identified and can then be avoided (learning by others mistakes).
Chapter 2 Data
In this chapter the data sources used in the project are summarised. In many
geological theses this chapter turns into a stratigraphy chapter, where the stratigraphic
position and detailed descriptions of measured sections are described in loving detail.
This chapter gets written up as you acquire data, but concluded and rearranged many
times as the thesis develops. Often this can be converted into a paper: comparison of
blarg with blarg of the same age implications for correlation of x across y.
If the data is sourced from previous publications or multiple industry sources, it is
important to differentiate here clearly what data comes from which source, and what
data you have contributed, either your own fieldwork, or by combination of data from
various sources to create new maps/cross-sections/other datasets.
The reader is then referred to the appendices for comprehensive listings of data.
Chapter 3 Methods
Here you discuss the methods used in the project to analyse the data, prepare the
maps, and the process through which you have gone to reach your conclusions.
Often this chapter gets split up and put into the introduction chapter, and the
introductions to other relevant chapters, like chapter 2 and any chapter discussing
specific procedures. However it is essential to include a discussion of the methods
you have used to analyse your data results presented without description of how
they were obtained are worthless.

Remember to refer to previous authors whose methods you are using, and to discuss
why one methods was used in preference to other available methods.
Chapter 4 to X Specific aspects
These chapters will contain aspects of the project, and will have titles specific to the
project. For example:
Correlation
Play maps
Paleogeography
Biostratigraphy
Cyclic sedimentation
Diagenesis
Modelling
Isotopic analysis
Each chapter contains within it an introduction (which may also explain the methods
used), the bulk of the data and analysis, a discussion, and a conclusion.
If multiple areas are being examined in a thesis, then often these chapters will be
devoted to describing each area in detail (removing the need from a single
stratigraphy chapter).
Chapter X1 Summary or Discussion
Now you take all the little threads of analysis and bring them together to discuss what
you have learned what will eventually be your conclusions. The reason this is a
separate chapter from the conclusions, is that here you have to introduce all the
previous workers ideas and show why your idea is the same/different/better with
your discussion clearly referencing other peoples ideas and clearly referring back to
the data presented in the bulk of the thesis.
It is this chapter where you will see the potential for papers each to present a
particular aspect of the discussion contained within this chapter, and then one to
present the final conclusion of the thesis (if appropriate).
Chapter X2 Conclusions
A list. Simply put conclusions, related directly to the aims of the thesis, and pointing
out the important implications of the work. Refer only to discussions within your
thesis, unless absolutely necessary do not refer to previous literature.
Chapter X3 Further Work
A list of the subjects or problems that this project has turned up, that could be solved
or worked on further. Often this can turn into a nice post-doc or job
Followed by references, and then appendices.
There is a main point to all of this a flow if you like. You need to have this order in
any scientific writing:
State the problem
Show how you are going to solve the problem
Describe the data you are going to use to solve the problem (these two could
be reversed)
Describe the results of the analysis
Discuss the results with reference to appropriate literature
Conclude
References

As long as you keep to this kind of order, the thesis will flow, and you will avoid
awkward arrangements of data interpretation data discussion that make theses
difficult to read.

The contents of your thesis

There are a few points I want to make with regards the writing within the thesis:
Separating fact from fiction:
It is important to clearly differentiate the observations, or data, which are
incontrovertible, from your interpretations, which is an opinion (and also from other
people interpretations which are also opinions). Thus it is essential when describing a
rock unit to describe it as a blue-grey silty mudstone with occasional lenticular
carbonaceous or sandy bodies rather than blue-grey lagoonal silty mudstone, which
is an interpretation. It is best to keep these as separate paragraphs, with subheadings
description and interpretation citing references for the interpretation as
appropriate.
Citing sources:
It is very important to adequately cite your sources. Not citing will open you up to a
charge of plagiarism.
When describing what someone thought, it is often useful to start the sentence with
the citation, as well as (or instead of) placing it at the end: Walters et al. (2004) came
to the conclusion that the blue-grey silty mudstone was deposited in a lagoonal
environment because. This makes the source of the ideas immediately clear, and
distinguishes your thoughts and conclusions from those of previous authors.
Does this meet my aims?
Relate what you write back to what the aims of the thesis were. Is what you are doing
part of your aims? Should perhaps you re-write your aims, or should you not be doing
what you are doing? Keep clear in your mind and in your writing why you are doing
this particular analysis / method / section

How to write your thesis

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of starting to write your thesis from day
one.
Firstly, it gives you a paper trail of the evolution of your aims and your thesis.
Secondly, although what you write at the beginning may never make it into the thesis
in its original form, cutting and pasting will save you time in the long run.
Thirdly, as you read papers on the subject, write a brief summary in the appropriate
section of your thesis file and you will be able to use that reference in the thesis
since you will not forget what it was about (and by the way, keep a reference database
use a referencing program, and make notes in that about how useful/not useful a
particular reference was).
Fourthly, give what you write to your supervisor, as they will correct the grammar,
spelling and layout as well as the ideas and be able to identify problems that have
occurred or are about to occur (as well as holes in data / analysis / conclusions). The

practice of writing and seeing what changes your supervisor wants will mean that
further writing becomes easier, making the whole process less painful.
You should early on attempt to find the university/departments rules on the spacing,
margins, fonts etc that you need to use, as well as the specific layout mentioned
previously (declarations, title pages etc). You should also attempt to lay hands on
some previous theses, to see what other people have done in terms of layout, length,
chapter arrangement and so on.
Importantly, you should get, read and make notes on the guidelines that the university
has on thesis writing, and the specific guidelines provided for the project level you
are working at (MSc, PhD etc).
From the first you should have an idea of the layout although this may go through
many iterations during the life of the thesis.
Personally I find it easier when writing a thesis, chapter or a paper to lay out the
subheadings that I think I will need, in the order I think they will go in, and make a
few notes under each heading about what I think will go there. This then turns into a
document with a minimum of effort (although often goes through multiple changes in
order and/or content).
It is usually best for a thesis to make each chapter a separate file on the computer.
This cuts down on eventual file size, and clunkyness of the application being used,
and also clearly separates the subject areas so writing does not get done in the wrong
area by mistake.
I prefer to put figures in the text but (especially with colour) often find it easier to
arrange matters so that figures take a full A4 page. Then in the text file leave a blank
page, and insert the figure later at printing or at the conversion to pdf stage.
Figures should be simple and as many diagrams to illustrate ideas as possible should
be included.

Timetable your work make sure you leave enough lee-way to not panic if the printer
breaks down just when you want to print:

Critically Reviewing Literature

A common complaint of academic staff, especially those supervising newly graduated
students, is the perceived inability of those students to critically analyse the literature.
This is of course largely because these students have not been taught to do so, in fact
most education up to this point has involved having students accept and absorb any
literature presented to them. As a result, most early student literature reviews fail to
distinguish academically rigorous sources of data or information from those sources
that are unreliable.
Students need to be shown that questioning written work is OK, and even then they
need to be given a certain amount of training in how to assess the reliability of
literature. They also need to be encouraged to think about linkages between different
work and also the interpretation of what they are reading perhaps especially to keep
notes of what they read, what they thought of it and relevance/summary information.
Smallbone and Quinton (2004)
A way of thinking about whether a paper is academically rigorous or not, is
summarized in three words: Validity, reliability and generalization.
Is the work valid (data collection, questions asked, answers obtained etc), is it reliable
(can it be replicated and is it internally consistent) and can general conclusions really
be extrapolated from the work?

A quick look at some criteria for literature review grading adapted from Smallbone
and Quinton (2004):
Criteria
Use of literature/evidence of reading
A Grade
Has developed and justified argument using own ideas based on a
wide range of sources which have been thoroughly analysed for
validity and reliability and generalization, applied to the argument and
discussed.
B+ Grade
Able to critically appraise the literature for validity and reliability and
generalization, theory for argument gained from a variety of sources,
developing own ideas in the process.
B Grade
Clear evidence and application of readings relevant to the subject,
uses indicative texts identified, little or no analysis of texts used.
C Grade
Literature is presented uncritically in a purely descriptive way and
indicates limitations of understanding.
Refer/Fail
Either no evidence of literature being consulted or irrelevant to the
assignment set.
However, this is no use if students have no idea how to critically analyse literature:
Deconstruction of Literature for Critical Analysis:
Adapted from Smallbone and Quinton 2004
What to look at:
Date of research being reported are the results current?
Authors credentials
Data collection methods (appropriate, fair, random sampling, enough samples,
representative, method bias discussed, analysis used etc).
Style:
Is it constructed clearly?
Can you follow arguments through to a logical conclusion?
Does the use of tables, charts, diagrams or figures add value to the conclusions
or explanations?
Analysis:
What is the central issue dealt with in the paper?
What assumptions have been made firstly in the underlying theory behind
the issue dealt with in the paper (background assumptions) and secondly in
the general applicability (generalization) of the results.
What evidence supports these assumptions?
In what ways is this article similar/different to others you have read?
Reflection:
How do you respond to what the author is saying, and how they are saying it?
How do you rate this article? Content, style and readability?
How does it relate to other concepts you have come across?
Does it point to further research?
Is it relevant to your current project/research/problem?
It is only through learning to critically read other peoples published work that
students will learn to write good papers, and conduct good research themselves
Source for Smallbone and Quinton (2004) paper:
http://www.ejbrm.com/vol2/v2-i2/vol2-issue2-art11-smallbone.pdf

Resources and advice:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/thesis.html
Student Contract (or what your supervisor expects):
I undertake to:
attend library information sessions
attend courses run by the university on researching and writing theses
meet regularly with my supervisor, providing reports on my progress
bring any difficulty I have with methodology, time, resources, subject,
research or personal matters to my supervisors attention between these
meetings if they seem to threaten my progress.
to attend social and research meetings with other students in the department,
discussing my work with the group
to prepare and give a departmental seminar on my work
(complete literature review on x or submit proposal for my project by or
complete Chapter 3 by or submit progress report by)
contact the research office about small grants or travel awards available
http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/writing/thesis/thesis-intro.htm
http://www.grad.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Resources/Just_for_Postgrads/Ma
naging_your_research/Writing_up_your_PhD_thesis/p!ejFpgXm
http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/courses/thesis.html
http://www.learnerassociates.net/dissthes/
HW guides
http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/resources/postgradcodeofpractice(updatedfeb06).pdf
http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/pgrinfo.php
http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/pgr_thesis.php