Writing Thesis/Research Paper

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. New York:

Harper Collins College Publishers, 1993.
• Miller, John I. and Bruce J. Taylor. The Thesis Writer’s
Handbook. Oregon: Alcove Publishing Company, 1987.
• Roth, Audrey J. The Research Paper – Form and Content.
California: Wadsworth Publishing Company Inc., 1996.
 INTRODUCTION

DISTINGUISHING RESEARCH PAPERS

• Research Papers for General Purposes as Assignment
• Thesis for Master Degree
• Doctoral Dissertation for Doctor Degree

DEFINITION OF A RESEARCH PAPER/THESIS

It is a synthesis of your discoveries about a topic and your
evaluation of these discoveries
WHAT A RESEARCH PAPER IS NOT
2. A summary of an article or book is not a research paper.
3. The ideas of other repeated uncritically do not make a research
paper.
4. A group of quotations, no matter how skillfully put together, is
not a research paper.
5. Unsubstantiated personal opinion does not constitute a research
paper.
6. Copying another person’s work without acknowledging it,
whether the work is published or unpublished, professional or
amateur, is not a research; it is plagiarism.
 FIVE STEPS FOR A THESIS

Choosing
the Topic

Collecting
Information

Recording
Information

Organizing
Materials

Writing
Figure 2: Five Steps for a the Thesis
 Step 1

Choosing
the Topic

Figure 3: Choosing the Topic

CHOOSING A TOPIC
There are three kinds of research topics:
3. Assigned Topics chosen by a professor and given to you.
4. Field-of-Study Topics decided upon you, provided the subject is
related to the course in which the paper is assigned.
5. Free-Choice Topics in which you are free to investigate any
subject you choose.

TOPICS TO AVOID
8. Do not reuse a paper you have written at an earlier time for
another instructor/professor.
9. Any topic on which someone else has done your work for you is
unacceptable.
10.If the subject you choose permits you to find all the information
needed in just one source, you have not made a wise topic
selection
1. Avoid choosing a subject to which your conclusions are
irrelevant.
2. Do not start work on any subject you believe will not hold your
interest during the time it takes to complete a paper.
3. Be wary of choosing a “neutral” subject, one which you cannot
express an attitude toward, unless you plan no more than a
simple, factual report.
4. A highly controversial subject is not always unsuitable, but you
should undertake research on such topic only if you are sure it
will meet with your professor’s approval.
 Step 2

Collecting
Information

Figure 3: Collecting Information

 CHAPTER 2
COLLECTING INFORMATION
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION
• The Card Catalog. The library card catalog is a series of long
drawers containing 3 x 5 cards. An alphabetical notation on the
outside of each one shows its contents, and tabs among the cards
inside help you to locate cards. The catalog contains at least
three cards for each book in the library:
• One headed by the author’s name
• One headed by the book title
• One headed by the subject
• Periodical Indexes. The most popular place to seek information
is in periodicals.
• Additional Sources of Information:
• Interviews
• A questionnaire
• A questionnaire
• Reports and pamphlets
• Audio-visual materials
• Internet Websites
• The interlibrary loan
• Specialized library collections
 Step 3

Recording
Information

Figure 4: Recording Information

 CHAPTER 3
RECORDING INFORMATION

RECORDING INFORMATION
2. Evaluation source materials
3. Taking notes
• Write legibly (able to read):
- Take notes on 4 x 6 cards or, if your writing is very large,
on 5 x 8 cards.
- Take notes in ink.
- Write on only one side of a card.
- Put only on idea on a card.
- Use whatever abbreviations you find convenient.
• Be accurate:
- Be accurate in your reading.
- Distinguish carefully between fact and opinion
- Take any kinds of notes you need.
- Follow the conventional mechanics of writing when you take
notes.
3. Be Complete
 Step 4

Organizing
Materials

Figure 5: Organizing Materials

 CHAPTER 4
ORGANIZING MATERIALS

Examining and evaluating your note cards will have three results:
1. The controlling idea, the attitude you take toward your subject, will
evolve. From this evolution you will develop a thesis statement for your
paper.
2. The emphasis you wish to make in your paper will become evident,
usually by a concentration of notes representing certain aspects of your
topic.
3. Almost as a consequence of the first two, you will discover your material
lends itself to some kind of orderly or logical arrangement of ideas.

When you have decided upon these three elements, you are ready to write a
thesis statement and develop an outline for your paper.
THE THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis statement summarizes the viewpoint you will take in your paper or
summarizes the propositions you will present. In short, it states your theme.
Depending on the length of your paper, the statement may range from one to
several sentences long.

By the time you have gathered and evaluated your material, you will have
decided what you are going to say in your paper; the thesis idea will have been
formed in your mind. It is advisable now to put it into writing so that you can
actually see the words. You may want to revise the phrasing a few times, in
order to crystallize your ideas and make them more precise.

One function of the thesis statement is to give unity to your paper; it helps you
tie together what may otherwise have been random thoughts. Its second function
is to assure coherence. A thesis statement in front of you will serve as a measure
for every-thing you write in either the outline or the finished paper.
METHODS OF ORGANIZATION
Sometimes the organization of your information is dictated by the
subject, but usually you must choose a way of presenting it. The
most effective presentation follows a logical pattern which will
guide your reader to the same understanding of your material you
have already reached. Here are some methods of organizing ideas
for research papers:
1. Time
2. Known to unknown; simple to complex
3. Comparison and contrast
4. General to particular
5. Particular to general
6. Problem to solution; question to answer
7. Cause to effect; effect to cause
OUTLINE

WRONG: I. Economic
A. Boycotts
II. Physical
A. Sit-ins
B. Bus ride
C. Marches
RIGHT: I. Economic Action: Boycotts
II. Physical
A. Sit-ins
B. Bus ride
C. Marches