Enjoy writing your science thesis or dissertation!: a step-by-step guide to planning and writing a thesis or dissertation for undergraduate and graduate science students

✍ Scribed by Fisher, Elizabeth; Holtom, Daniel; Thompson, Richard Charles

• Publisher: Imperial College Press
• Year: 2014
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 353
• Edition: Second edition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book is a step by step illustrated guide to planning and writing dissertations and theses for undergraduate and graduate science students. Topics covered include advice on writing each section of a thesis as well as general discussions on collecting and organizing references, keeping records, presenting data, interacting with a supervisor and avoiding academic misconduct. Recommendations about how to use word processors and other software packages effectively are included, as well as advice on the use of other resources. A concise summary of important points of English grammar is given, along with appendices listing frequently confused words and wordy phrases to avoid. Further appendices are provided, including one on SI units. The aim is to provide an easy-to-read guide that gives students practical advice about all aspects of writing a science thesis or dissertation, starting from writing a thesis plan and finishing with the viva and corrections to the thesis.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 6
What are the rules?......Page 16
1.2 Creating a Plan for Your Thesis or Dissertation......Page 17
Structure......Page 18
Get your information into a workable form......Page 20
How to start writing......Page 22
Your computer......Page 23
Your most important resource is yourself......Page 24
Planning and writing your Literature Review......Page 25
Planning and writing your Materials and Methods/ ExperimentalTechniques......Page 26
Planning and writing your Results......Page 27
Planning and writing your Discussion and Conclusion......Page 29
Planning and writing your Introduction......Page 30
The end......Page 31
Writing your Abstract......Page 32
Other people’s work......Page 33
The importance of good presentation......Page 34
Overall content......Page 35
Proofreading, binding and submission......Page 36
Supervision......Page 38
Use of English in scientific writing......Page 39
Key Points......Page 40
Managing your tasks......Page 42
Notebooks for keeping ideas and for information......Page 44
Making notes......Page 45
Textbooks, dictionaries, English-usage books and thesauruses......Page 46
The internet......Page 47
Building your own library of papers......Page 48
2.4 Copyright......Page 49
Guidelines for computer usage......Page 50
Saving your information......Page 51
Organising your work in folders or directories......Page 52
Learn to love your computer......Page 53
Giving one simple command to write something long and complicated......Page 54
Using a grammar-checker......Page 55
Word processing with mathematical symbols......Page 56
Reference database programs......Page 57
Data analysis and graphing programs......Page 58
Graphics and drawing programs......Page 59
Key Points......Page 60
3.1 References and Citations......Page 62
What to cite......Page 63
Problem references......Page 64
Copyright......Page 65
Start now! YES RIGHT NOW......Page 66
3.5 Formats for Citations and References......Page 68
The Harvard System of Referencing......Page 69
Numerical system......Page 70
References from journals......Page 71
Year of publication......Page 72
References from books......Page 73
Unpublished papers and talks......Page 75
Common Mistakes......Page 76
Key Points......Page 78
4.1 Read Around Your Subject from Day One......Page 80
4.2 Keep Notes from Your Reading......Page 81
4.3 Planning Your Literature Review......Page 82
4.4 Writing Your Literature Review......Page 84
Key Points......Page 85
Chapter 5 Planning and Writing Your Materials and Methods/Experimental Techniques......Page 86
A common error: Confusing Materials and Methods with Results......Page 88
5.2 Writing the Methods Section......Page 89
5.3 Writing the Materials Section......Page 92
5.4 Writing Conventions......Page 96
Including the details......Page 97
Specialised equipment......Page 98
Using kits......Page 100
Acknowledging other people if they helped you......Page 101
Reading what you have written......Page 102
Common Mistakes......Page 103
Key Points......Page 104
Chapter 6 Planning and Writing Your Results......Page 106
Clarify your aims......Page 107
Including other people’s data......Page 109
6.3 The Order in Which to Present Your Results......Page 110
6.4 How Many Results Chapters, What Titles and in Which Order?......Page 111
6.5 Writing Your Results Chapter......Page 112
Numbers and statistics......Page 113
6.6 Writing Style......Page 114
Common Mistakes......Page 115
Key Points......Page 116
7.1 Planning the Discussion......Page 118
The middle......Page 120
The end......Page 121
Figures, tables and appendices......Page 122
7.3 Writing the Conclusion......Page 123
Key Points......Page 124
8.1 Planning the Introduction......Page 126
8.2 The Beginning......Page 128
8.3 The Middle......Page 129
8.4 The End......Page 130
How much theory to include......Page 131
Relate your theoretical section to your experiments......Page 132
8.6 Writing Your Introduction......Page 133
Plagiarism......Page 134
Common Mistakes......Page 135
Key Points......Page 136
9.1 The Title of Your Thesis or Dissertation......Page 138
REPRODUCTION RITUALS OF NORTHERN LANDFISH IN A PROTECTED ZONE......Page 139
The length of your Abstract......Page 140
Writing your Abstract......Page 141
Common Mistakes......Page 142
Key Points......Page 143
Chapter 10 The Other Bits......Page 144
10.1 Title Page......Page 145
10.4 Table of Contents......Page 148
10.6 List of Abbreviations......Page 149
10.8 Appendices......Page 150
Common Mistakes......Page 151
Key Points......Page 152
11.1 Being Part of a Team......Page 154
11.2 Plagiarism......Page 156
11.3 Copyright......Page 158
Key Points......Page 159
Chapter 12 Layout......Page 160
Fonts......Page 161
Line spacing......Page 163
Inserting page numbers......Page 164
Aligning to margins......Page 165
Indenting......Page 166
Using different margins and indents......Page 167
Format......Page 168
Numbering: The title, headings and sub-headings......Page 170
Bullet points......Page 171
12.5 Mathematical Equations......Page 172
Common Mistakes......Page 174
Endnote......Page 175
Quantities......Page 176
Random errors and systematic errors......Page 179
Error calculations......Page 180
How to write errors......Page 181
13.3 Statistics......Page 182
χ2 test ( chi-square test)......Page 183
Student’s t-test1......Page 184
Statistics software packages......Page 185
Key Points......Page 187
14.1 Basic Principles......Page 188
Size......Page 189
Other people’s figures and tables......Page 191
Original photographs and scanned images......Page 192
14.3 Annotating Figures......Page 193
Labelling items in a figure......Page 194
Composite figures......Page 197
Figure legends......Page 198
14.4 Figures: Graphs......Page 199
Creating graphs......Page 200
Annotating graphs......Page 202
Line graphs......Page 203
Scatter graphs......Page 204
Pie charts......Page 205
Contour plots......Page 207
Working with multiple datasets on one graph......Page 208
Creating tables......Page 209
Table layout......Page 210
Annotating tables......Page 211
Footnotes for tables......Page 212
Including additional figures and tables on a CD or DVD......Page 213
Key Points......Page 215
Know your submission date......Page 218
Advance organisation......Page 219
15.2 Proofreading......Page 220
15.3 Printing Your Dissertation or Thesis......Page 222
Binding......Page 223
15.4 Submitting Your Thesis......Page 224
Common Mistakes......Page 225
Key Points......Page 226
16.1 Oral Examinations......Page 228
What to expect in the viva......Page 229
Make a list of errors......Page 230
Know your References......Page 231
Know your examiners......Page 232
16.3 The Day of the Viva......Page 233
In the viva......Page 235
16.4 After the Viva......Page 236
Common Mistakes......Page 237
Key Points......Page 238
Your role......Page 240
Second supervisors and thesis committees......Page 241
17.2 Reviewing Drafts of Your Thesis or Dissertation......Page 242
17.3 Problems with Supervisors......Page 244
Common Mistakes......Page 246
Key Points......Page 247
18.1 Scientific Writing Style......Page 248
Headings and titles......Page 249
Which voice and person to use......Page 250
Which tense to use......Page 251
Make sure your writing flows......Page 252
Wordiness......Page 253
Vagueness......Page 255
Deflating your argument......Page 256
Capitalisation......Page 257
Adjectives and nouns derived from names......Page 258
Sections of text......Page 259
Definitions......Page 260
Laws......Page 261
Misuse of words......Page 262
Numbers......Page 263
Referring to people......Page 264
SI units......Page 265
Grammar......Page 266
Sentences......Page 267
Sentence length......Page 268
Relative clauses......Page 269
Unnecessary changes of tense or voice in mid-sentence......Page 270
Verbs and subjects that do not agree......Page 271
Not completing comparisons......Page 273
Dangling participles......Page 274
18.5 Punctuation......Page 275
The full stop......Page 276
The full stop in abbreviations and contractions......Page 277
Full stops in titles and headings......Page 278
The comma......Page 279
Commas and conjunctions......Page 280
Commas with introductory or inserted words and phrases......Page 282
Commas with if clauses and when clauses......Page 283
Inserting words, phrases or clauses into sentences......Page 284
The colon......Page 285
The apostrophe......Page 287
Inverted commas......Page 288
Brackets......Page 289
Dashes and hyphens......Page 290
The en-dash......Page 291
The em-dash......Page 292
The hyphen......Page 293
Accents......Page 295
Comma splices......Page 296
Common Mistakes......Page 297
Key Points......Page 298
Appendix 1: Easily Confused Words......Page 300
Appendix 2: Prefixes and Suffixes......Page 316
Appendix 3: Wordy Words and Phrases......Page 320
Appendix 4: Words that Cause Vagueness......Page 328
Appendix 5: Latin Words and Abbreviations......Page 332
Appendix 6: The Greek Alphabet......Page 340
Appendix 7: SI Units......Page 342
Index......Page 348

✦ Subjects

Language;Writing