Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation

A complete, step-by-step, practical overview of the process of writing successful theses and dissertations   Every year thousands of graduate students face the dauntingsometimes terrifying challenge of writing a thesis or dissertation. But most of them have received little or no instruction on doing it well. This book shows them how in ways no other book does. It combines the practical guidance and theoretical understanding students need to complete their theses or dissertations with maximum insight and minimum stress. Drawing on her extensive research and experience advising hundreds of graduate students, Dr. Irene Clark presents a solid overview of the writing process. Clark shows how to apply innovative theories of process and genre and understand the writing process for what it is: your entrance into a conversation with the scholarly community that will determine your success or failure. This book offers useful strategies for each phase of the process, from choosing advisors and identifying topics through writing, revision, and review. Coverage includes     Getting started: overcoming procrastination and writers block   Understanding the genre of the thesis or dissertation   Speaking the language of the academy   Writing compelling proposals   Developing and revising drafts   Constructing effective literature reviews   Working with tables, graphs, and other visual materials   Working with advisors and dissertation committees   Avoiding inadvertent plagiarism   Experience based, theoretically grounded, jargon free, and practical, Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation will help you become a more effective writerand a more meaningful contributor to the scholarly conversation.   Preface xi Introduction: Writing a Thesis or Dissertation: An Overview of the Process xix   Chapter 1: Getting Started 1 Chapter 2: So What? Discovering Possibilities 17 Chapter 3: The Proposal as an Argument: A Genre Approach to the Proposal 33 Chapter 4: Mapping Texts: The Reading/Writing Connection 63 Chapter 5: Writing and Revising 83 Chapter 6: Writing the Literature Review 103 Chapter 7: Using Visual Materials 125 Chapter 8: The Advisor and Thesis/Dissertation Committee 139 Chapter 9: Working with Grammar and Style 155 Chapter 10: Practical Considerations 175   Index: 193