How to Write a Better Thesis

‘Research Methods’ 91 Let me give an example. Suppose your project concerns food wastage due to the limitations of distribution ...

92 7 Establishing Your Contribution had worked with for several months, she quickly found reasons why it might be unreliable. (T ...

Organization 93 this knowledge is the primary purpose of your thesis. This path, or chain of reason- ing, is the argument. In th ...

94 7 Establishing Your Contribution from your supervisor—to establish how your thesis should be arranged. For some topics it may ...

Summary of Chapter 7: Establishing Your Contribution 95 In the social sciences or humanities it may be necessary to describe bo ...

97 Chapter 8 Outcomes and Results In a typical thesis (or research paper), data and argument are used to build a case. That is, ...

98 8 Outcomes and Results each of the main chapters was built around a theorem and a proof. Another instance is a thesis in whic ...

From Data to Results 99 Jackie’s work was about food choices and its relationship to secondary education outcomes. Put simply, d ...

100 8 Outcomes and Results What ‘the Data’ Is Comprised of.................................................................. One ...

Presentation 101 Presentation In the previous chapters of your thesis you described the design of your work, ex- plaining how it ...

102 8 Outcomes and Results them in his thesis? If so, where—in this chapter, or relegated to an appendix? By now, you should be ...

Analysis 103 haste, and overconfidence—and a lack of willingness to listen to criticism—leading to difficulties later on. Analys ...

104 8 Outcomes and Results variable against every other possible variable in an effort to analyze the data. His readers were giv ...

Quantitative or Qualitative, Revisited 105 Development of a proposition or initial hypothesis, which is used to shape the gathe ...

106 8 Outcomes and Results Jorge’s case was relatively straightforward. He had a lot of data, and the tools to build a variety o ...

Reflection 107 in his thesis, where he had explored in detail how each case had linked into the framework of the novel—thus iden ...

108 8 Outcomes and Results Illustrations A typical results chapter consists of argument and narrative supported by illustra- tio ...

Illustrations 109 interpreted, and draw attention to features you wish the reader to note, even if you have discussed these in s ...

110 8 Outcomes and Results the blood of children in those cities against time in years. The two curves followed each other almos ...

Illustrations 111 they can read and write. That is not to say that these tools can’t be used better—but their default settings a ...