Thesis and Dissertation Writing
in a Second Language
The changing demographics of higher education in conjunction with imperatives of greater
accountability and increasing support for research students mean that many supervisors find
themselves challenged by the task of guiding non-native-speaker students to completion.
Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language is a practical guide containing useful
real-life examples. Tasks in each unit are designed for supervisors to use with their students to
help them develop the skills and understanding necessary for successful thesis and dissertation
writing.
Each unit of the book focuses on a particular aspect of thesis and dissertation writing and
the research and supervision process, including:
● aspects of language use particular to thesis and dissertation writing;
● typical chapter structures and organization;
● social and cultural expectations particular to writing a thesis or dissertation;
● what is expected of students in this kind of writing and at this level of study;
● expectations of students and supervisors in the supervision and thesis writing process;
● disciplinary differences in thesis writing;
● what examiners expect of theses and dissertations written in English-medium universities;
● insights into barriers faced by non-native-speaking students studying for a research degree.
Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language is the ideal guide for all supervisors working
with non-native-speaker students writing a thesis or dissertation in English. This accessible
text provides guidelines to facilitate successful writing using tasks which encourage students
to apply the points covered in each unit to their own situation.
Brian Paltridge is Associate Professor of TESOL at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Sue Starfield is Director of the Learning Centre, and a Visiting Fellow in the Department of
Linguistics, University of New South Wales. They both have extensive experience in working
with students writing a thesis or dissertation in English as their second language.
Thesis and Dissertation
Writing in a Second Language
A handbook for supervisors
Brian Paltridge and Sue Starfield
First published 2007 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park,Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2007 Brian Paltridge and Sue Starfield
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known
or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Paltridge, Brian.
Thesis and dissertation writing in a second language : a handbook for
supervisors / Brian Paltridge and Sue Starfield.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-415-37170-4 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-415-37173-5 (pbk. : alk.
paper) 1. Dissertations,Academic--Authorship. 2.Academic writing. 3. English
language--Study and teaching--Foreign speakers. I. Starfield, Sue, 1952- II.Title.
LB2369.P353 2007
808'.042--dc22
2006038301
ISBN10: 0–415–37170–8 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–37173–2 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–96081–5 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–37170–4 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–37173–5 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–96081–3 (ebk)
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
ISBN 0-203-96081-5 Master e-book ISBNContents
List of illustrations vi
Acknowledgements viii
1 Introduction 1
2 Working with second-language speakers of English 22
3 Thesis writing in English as a second language 43
4 Writing a research proposal 55
5 The overall shape of theses and dissertations 66
6 Writing the Introduction 82
7 Writing the background chapters 99
8 Writing the Methodology chapter 114
9 Writing the Results chapter 134
10 Writing Discussions and Conclusions 145
11 Writing the Abstract and Acknowledgements 155
12 Resources for thesis and dissertation writing 163
Appendix 168
References 175
Index 185Illustrations
Figures
1.1 Text and context in academic writing 18
2.1 Interrelationships between level of English language
proficiency and research status 24
2.2 The role perception scale 38
3.1 A simplified model of the writing process 46
3.2 A more realistic model of the writing process 47
3.3 The reciprocal relationship of writing and thinking 47
6.1 The thesis hourglass 84
8.1 Visual map of typical components of a Methodology chapter 123
9.1 Making claims: some examples of hedging 143
Tables
1.1 The social and cultural context of theses and dissertations 8
1.2 Attitudes to knowledge, approaches to learning and different
levels of study 9
1.3 Characteristics of high and low quality theses 19
4.1 Purpose of each section of a research proposal 61
6.1 Typical moves in thesis Introductions 83
7.1 Degrees and the nature of the literature review 100
7.2 Steps and strategies for writing a literature review 104
7.3 Typical tenses used in the literature review 109
7.4 Choices of tense and reasons for their use 109
7.5 Linguistic strategies for commenting on previous research 111
7.6 Techniques for paraphrasing and summarizing 112
9.1 Typical elements in reporting Results sections of theses 135
10.1 Stance and engagement strategies 149
10.2 The typical structure of thesis-oriented Conclusions 152
10.3 Reporting, commenting and suggesting in the
Conclusions section 153Illustrations vii
11.1 Use of verb tenses in thesis and dissertation Abstracts 159
11.2 Moves in Acknowledgements sections 161
Boxes
2.1 Dai’s story 34
5.1 A ‘simple’ traditional thesis 68
5.2 A ‘complex’ traditional thesis 69
5.3 A topic-based thesis 71
5.4 A compilation of research articles presented as a PhD thesis 72
5.5 Summary of thesis types and their typical organizational
structures 73
5.6 Typical content of individual chapters 76
6.1 Language patterns in Move 3c 90
6.2 Extract from Introduction of a PhD thesis in physics 92
6.3 Extract from Introduction of a PhD thesis in history 95
7.1 Sample literature review chapters 102
8.1 Extract from table of contents of a thesis by compilation 115
8.2 Extract from table of contents of a PhD thesis in linguistics 116
8.3 Extract from table of contents of a PhD thesis in sociology 117
8.4 Extract from Research Design chapter of a PhD
thesis in history 118
8.5 Extract from Methodology chapter of a PhD thesis 120
8.6 Example of justification of unit of analysis 121
8.7 Description and evaluation of data sources 124
8.8 Extract from Materials and Methods section of a PhD
thesis in marine biology 125
8.9 Account of how data were processed from a PhD
thesis in marine biology 127
8.10 Use of impersonal language in data analysis section
of a PhD thesis in marine biology 128
8.11 Writer’s representation of herself as researcher in a PhD
thesis in linguistics 130
8.12 Extract from Methodology chapter of a PhD thesis
in which writer explicitly discusses the role of the researcher 131
9.1 Extract from Move 1 in Findings chapter of a PhD
thesis in history 136
9.2 Extract from a PhD thesis in engineering illustrating Move 1 138
9.3 Extract from a PhD thesis in history showing Move 2 139
9.4 Extract from an engineering thesis showing use of Move 2 140
9.5 Extract from Move 3 of Findings chapter of a history thesis 142
9.6 Move 3 showing hedging in an engineering thesis 143
11.1 Analysis of a PhD thesis abstract 156This book is the result of many years of teaching, talking and thinking about
thesis and dissertation writing with our students, colleagues, friends and
families. We thank them all. We would also like to acknowledge the many
doctoral and master’s students whose theses have contributed extracts to this
book. Specifically we would like to thank Dwight Atkinson, Diane Belcher,
Chris Casanave, Andy Curtis, Tony Dudley-Evans, Chris Feak, Liz Hamp-
Lyons, Alan Hirvela, Cynthia Nelson, Louise Ravelli and John Swales for
their interest, support and inspiration; Tracey-Lee Downey for her help with
illustrations; our anonymous reviewers as well as Philip Mudd at
RoutledgeFalmer for his support for our project and Lucy Wainwright, also
at RoutledgeFalmer, for seeing our project through to completion.
Being able to develop and teach our courses in thesis and dissertation writing
has been and continues to be a rewarding experience for us both. From what
our students tell us, they find the courses very helpful with the development of |
