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Masters.Writing.Process.2013.ppt
- 1. The Writing Process – Master’s Thesis/Dissertation Dr. Tamara O’Connor Student Learning Development Student Counselling Service Trinity College Dublin
- 2. Learning Objectives • Focus on writing process • Explore strategies for starting and maintaining writing • Identify self-management strategies to aid process • Consider structure and outlining • Share strategies and experiences
- 3. Murray’s Model (2002) Social Interactions, discussion Support Psychological Motivation, goal setting, self-monitoring Rhetorical = Writing Regular writing “Snack” writing + “binge” writing
- 4. How to write a lot (Silvia 2007) Barriers: “I can’t find time to write” “I need to do some more analyses first” aka “I need to read a few more articles” “To write a lot I need a new computer...” “I’m waiting until I feel like it”
- 5. Self-management & Planning • Desires & Wants v.s Goals & Tasks • SMART goals
- 6. SMART Goal Setting • S = Specific • M = Measurable • A = Action • R = Realistic • T = Time-based
- 7. Self-management & Planning • Desires & Wants v.s Goals & Tasks • SMART goals • Planning tools – Timeline – Weekly
- 8. Possible Timeline Submit - 27 January 2011 Proposed draft deadlines: Draft 1 Draft 2 Final Revision Ch. 1 - Introduction Ch. 2 - Literature Review Ch. 3 - Methods Ch. 4 - Findings Interviews Ch. 5 - Findings Document/Inventory Ch. 6 - Discussion Ch. 7 - Conclusion Abstract
- 9. Overview – Gannt chart Months 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Topic Agreed Aims & Objectives Opening Sections Draft Outline Literature Review Method/ Approach Analysis/ Results Discussion/ Conclusions References Acknowledge Binding Submission to Tutor
- 10. Self-management & Planning • Desires & Wants v.s Goals & Tasks • SMART goals • Planning tools – Timeline – Weekly • Deadlines • Writing routine
- 11. Writing Strategies • Notebook/journal • Write to prompts • Freewriting • Generative writing • Writing Sandwich
- 12. Writing to prompts • What writing have I done and what would I like to do? • Where do my ideas come from? • How does what I read compare with my own views? • What I want to write about next is… • What do I want to write about next?
- 13. Freewriting • Writing for 5 minutes • Without stopping • In sentences • Private – no external reader • No structure needed • Topic related to your research • Like brainstorming in sentences
- 14. Generative writing • Writing for 5 minutes • Without stopping • In sentences • Focusing on one topic (maybe from your freewriting • To be read by someone else
- 15. Writing Sandwich • Writing – 10 minutes • Talking – 10 minutes • Writing – 10 minutes
- 16. Interactive reading & note taking • Collect notes not articles or books • How do you make notes? • Make use of bibliographic programme • “…your thoughts about others’ work” (Single 2010, p. 79) • Pre-Writing
- 17. What to make notes on – Big Picture – Big Point – Premise or Hypothesis – Data, sources, arguments – Theories or conceptual – Analytical or research methods – Results or analysis – Quotations – How it influences your research
- 18. Structure & Outlining • Mapping
- 21. Structure & Outlining • Mapping • One page outline – Generic thesis structure – Use table of contents feature • Allocate word count for each section • Design sub-sections • Write in layers
- 22. Writing in layers • Write a list of chapter headings • Write a sentence or two on contents of each chapter • Write lists of headings for each section in each chapter • Make notes for each heading on how you will develop the section • Write an introductory paragraph for each chapter • Write the word count, draft number and date at top of first page
- 23. Structure & Outlining • Mapping • One page outline – Generic thesis structure – Use table of contents feature • Allocate word count for each section • Design sub-sections • Write in layers • Focus statement
- 24. Focus Statements • A 1-4 sentence statement of your research in the first person, active voice • Must be concise, clear, compelling • Can help you decide a topic, not permanent! • It will be re-worked and it will evolve • It’s a tool!!
- 25. Example Focus Statement I’m interested in how teachers in HE can develop their students’ learning skills within the context of the subject. I will use a mixed methods approach based on a constructivist approach. I want to interview both first-year students and their teachers to get their view on what they did, how it was perceived, it they thought it was effective. I’ll also measure learning and study strategies before and after the teachers’ learning skills interventions. I hope the research will lead to recommendations on how teachers can help their students improve their learning and performance.
- 26. What is an argument? • Main claim or conclusion – What follows from other statements • Reasons or evidence – Statements that support conclusion
- 27. Building up your argument An alternative feminist approach suggests that women may stay in violent relationships even when they are not ‘weak’. [Claim/thesis] For these women a constituent of being a woman involves being there for their men and being able to maintain a relationship despite obstacles. [Evidence/explanation] These women tried to understand their violent partners and felt duty bound to cope the best way they could, for walking out would have been an admission of failure. [Further evidence/elaboration]
- 28. What? When? Who? Where? Topic / Issue How? Why? What if? Description Analysis Evaluation So What? What next? Model to generate critical thinking
- 29. Example Sample: Smith (1970) reported that bilbies come out at night and eat chocolates. Jones (1972) described the variety of beetles eaten by bilbies on their daytime trips. Wheeler (1974) reported that bilbies eat only apples. The writer asks questions of the text: • What is the conclusion about bilbies that can be drawn from these facts? • What is the common denominator? To rewrite, find the important point in the information and place it in a theme sentence in the beginning of the paragraph. What thoughts / new research / speculations do the data suggest? To rewrite, think of the implications of the literature and develop these ideas at the end of the paragraph.
- 30. Signposting your line of reasoning • Indicator words for claims – Therefore, thus, hence, so, as a result • Indicator words for reasons – Because, since, on account of, for, in view of, for the reason that • Tentative or ‘hedging’
- 31. Bodo Slotta, T.A. (2000) Phylogenetic analysis of Iliamna (Malvaceae) using the internal transcribed spacer region. Unpublished master’s thesis. Retrieved from http://www.uwc.ucf.edu on 8 Jun 2007. In large gene families with tandem repeats, as is the case for nrDNA, unequal crossing-over may be more important than gene conversion in the concerted evolution process (Li, 1997). For example, the number of repeats can fluctuate without having any adverse effects. With a larger number of repeats being exchanged, the rate of concerted evolution increases as well. Correspondingly, homogeneity increases as the number of repeats increases. Rate then increases as homogeneity among the copies increases, leading to a self-feeding repetition. As a result of this process, it is believed that nrDNA is found in up to thousands of copies in the nuclear genome (Baldwin et al., 1995).
- 32. Revision • At organisational level – Based on table of contents – Chapters and sections • At content level – Preview, smooth, review – Section by section • Targeted revision – Grammatical errors – Idiosyncrasies
- 33. Overcoming blocks? • Freewriting & Generative writing • Mind-mapping • Verbalise • Avoid perfectionism • Writing buddy • Seek support • Visualise completed thesis • Combine strategies
- 34. Tips for successful writing • Plan to write regularly • Make a time plan and stick to it • Write up section as soon as it’s ready • Stop writing at a point where you could go on – makes it easier to start next time! • Decide where and when best for you • Don’t write when exhausted • Seek support
- 35. Cresswell, J.W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers. Easterbrook, S. (2004). How theses get written: Some cool tips. [PDF Document] Retrieved from http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~sme/presentations /thesiswriting.pdf] Hart, C. (2005) Doing your masters dissertation. London: Sage. Murray, R. (2002). How to write a thesis. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Silvia, P.J. (2007). How to write a lot. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. Single, P.B.. (2010). Demystifying dissertation writing: A streamlined process from choice of topic to final text. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. REFERENCES
- 36. Our details • Website: http://student-learning.tcd.ie • Email: student.learning@tcd.ie • Facebook: facebook.com/sldtcd • Twitter: twitter.com/StudentLearnin1 • Phone: 01-8961407
Notes de l'éditeur
- Introduce self and purpose of workshop. Circulate attendance list. Go around group to introduce selves, area of research and stage in thesis writing process. Distribute slides and references. Focus on the process of writing, not content – supervisor best person for that – and several benefits to this. Strategies to use for starting and maintaining writing and we’ll practise some. Thesis is a big project , often long and work independently so need self-management. Also structure and outlining useful for the writing and also to help you visualise thesis but also very important for reader. Three core areas of thesis writing will cover today – writing , goal setting and creating structure strategies Writing activity: What I want to get out of this session is ...
- Based on Rowena Murray’s book, How to Write a Thesis (2002) from research on writing process and experience. Three aspects to the process that need attending: Social aspect: Feedback;discussion with peers, free thinking – helps with the thinking/writing process. Mention idea of writers’ group. Support side of social aspect – not feel alone, motivational Psychological aspect: Motivation – long-term, infrequent rewards Overcoming procrastination Need to monitor, evaluate, regulate self Writing aspect: Primary focus of workshop though refer to other aspects as part of whole Regular, daily = snack writing Long-term, produce quantity, usually at certain points = binge writing Need to do both
- Another book on writing, this one aimed at academic staff (so you’re not alone!) and has some very useful tips. , esp. Around motivational struggles of writing. Paul Silvia argues that writing productively is all about actions and behaviours – these are some of the barriers to being able to write a lot: 1. Don’t ‘find time to write’ but ‘allot’ time to write (p. 12) – key is regular writing routine and there seems to be agreement on this point. We’ll come back to this. 2. Use scheduled time to do related tasks – but bad habits keep from writing also keep from prewriting “Any action that is instrumental in completing a writing project counts as writing” p.19 3. ?? 4. Irrational! Inspiration doesn’t just occur. Nearly all successful writers write regularly Which leads us to self-management (and self-control!!)
- Stages in the writing process. We have to change our desires and wants into constructive, manageable goals and tasks. Can do this as there are various stages in the writing process. Think in terms of targets and outputs. Goals should address Purpose of task Use writing verbs – review, summarise, evaluate, list, define Audience – who is your reader – don’t forget them! Scale and scope Number of workds How long will take Use SMART system for goals. Ex. = Do 5 min. writing practice today at 2pm. Or Define topic in 500 words. Give it 30 min. or Ask via email my supervisor if my topic is focused. Use next slide if applicable. Writing timetable – refer to planning tools (these came from Murray’s website but plenty others available or create own. Hard deadlines = fixed, non-moveable; next week! Soft deadlines = next year; flexible, moveable Create deadlines – drafts to supervisors, meetings with supervisors, meetings with study buddies etc. What is your experience with managing time, project, etc? This relates to creating structure for your thesis as can help you to structure your goals and time. At end of a writing session, describe what you’ll do next – use verbs.
- SMART is a useful framework for goal setting, especially study goals. See Moran (1997), p. 21 for more detail. S = Specific. The more specific the goal the more likely it will be achieved. So instead of telling yourself “I’ll do some statistics tomorrow night” try “I’ll do three problems on pg. 48 Wednesday at 7pm”. It’s a human thing, we tend to do things that are more specific. It’s fairly easy to put off something that is vague. It’s best to write it down but at the minimum start thinking in more specific terms. M = Measurable. This helps you to keep track of your progess (monitoring). So use numbers and times. For example, I will do 3 statistics problems this evening. If you only did 1 you didn’t reach your goal and may need to change approach. Use examples relevant to your discipline. A = Action. A number of action steps which lead you towards your goal. Example: Goal - I want a 2.1 on my essay: I will brainstorm ideas by . . . I will consult 3 primary sources I will . . . Not all study goals will require action steps. R = Realistic. Study goals need to be achievable given your resources so it is important they are feasible, if necessary check with someone else. Otherwise they may have the opposite effect. T = Time-based. We tend to use deadlines as a means to create pressure and get the job done. Make realistic commitments or deadlines ahead of schedule. Specific, measurable and realistic goals tend to lead to better effort and persistence. Make a commitment, I WILL not I’LL TRY. Write it down. We tend to do things we write down as opposed to say we’ll do. If necessary, build in rewards. Suggested steps include identifying goals, establishing priorities, applying SMART, and then reviewing progress and if necessary revising goals.
- Stages in the writing process. We have to change our desires and wants into constructive, manageable goals and tasks. Can do this as there are various stages in the writing process. Think in terms of targets and outputs. Goals should address Purpose of task Use writing verbs – review, summarise, evaluate, list, define Audience – who is your reader – don’t forget them! Scale and scope Number of workds How long will take Use SMART system for goals. Ex. = Do 5 min. writing practice today at 2pm. Or Define topic in 500 words. Give it 30 min. or Ask via email my supervisor if my topic is focused. Use next slide if applicable. Writing timetable – refer to planning tools (these came from Murray’s website but plenty others available or create own. Hard deadlines = fixed, non-moveable; next week! Soft deadlines = next year; flexible, moveable Create deadlines – drafts to supervisors, meetings with supervisors, meetings with study buddies etc. What is your experience with managing time, project, etc? This relates to creating structure for your thesis as can help you to structure your goals and time. At end of a writing session, describe what you’ll do next – use verbs.
- Here’s an example of a possible timeline for writing drafts and submitting them to your supervisor. Put estimated dates in the various columns. These will probably change but at least gives you a guide and an objective. And a DEADLINE!
- Milestones.! This is an example of a Gannt chart which comes from project management. For PhD the writing will probably take place over a longer period of time. It also shows that the writing is iterative, e.g. You will come back to the opening sections, you will need to revisit and update your literature review(s), etc. It’s also useful to use a weekly planner where you can list the various tasks and goals you have and when they might be done. Silvia stresses the importance of scheduling your writing (and also writing related tasks). In the attachments there’s an example of a weekly list (xxx) that separates out the various tasks. I like this because it shows you can be doing research AND writing at the same time!! You can create your own tools or use electronic versions. This was done in Excel.
- Stages in the writing process. We have to change our desires and wants into constructive, manageable goals and tasks. Can do this as there are various stages in the writing process. Think in terms of targets and outputs. Goals should address Purpose of task Use writing verbs – review, summarise, evaluate, list, define Audience – who is your reader – don’t forget them! Scale and scope Number of workds How long will take Use SMART system for goals. Ex. = Do 5 min. writing practice today at 2pm. Or Define topic in 500 words. Give it 30 min. or Ask via email my supervisor if my topic is focused. Use next slide if applicable. Writing timetable – refer to planning tools (these came from Murray’s website but plenty others available or create own. Hard deadlines = fixed, non-moveable; next week! Soft deadlines = next year; flexible, moveable Create deadlines – drafts to supervisors, meetings with supervisors, meetings with study buddies etc. What is your experience with managing time, project, etc? This relates to creating structure for your thesis as can help you to structure your goals and time. At end of a writing session, describe what you’ll do next – use verbs.
- Book/Journal: Can get you into the writing habit – 5 mniutes a day Way of keeping track of thoughts, ideas, references – they can occur anytime, anywhere Reflective purpose Other strategies include…cover now.
- These are examples of writing prompts. The activity we did was an example. Purpose is to stimulate writing and generate text. Also helps to reflect on writing practices. First one particularly good for getting a writing session started and put off procrastination Free & loose writing.
- Free writing is more forced – makes you get something down on paper. It is NOT about producing chapters rather to move you forward, to motivate. Helps build confidence and stop procrastination. More – refer to Murray, p. 87 Freewriting vs structured writing – p. 85. Bit of freedom if feel it doesn’t have to be handed into supervisor (give own examples)
- Differs from free writing – More focused Someone else might read it Useful for creating drafts Also for study buddies or writers’ groups Writing activity: Write for 5 minutes on more specific topic with view that this will be read by somebody else. Take a moment to think what you might write about. Perhaps from the freewriting exercise or some suggestions: What will I write about next? All the questions I currentlyhave about my study/research Why I have nothing to write about!
- Combination of writing and talking to stimulate further writing. Social, Psychological & Writing aspects combined Provides feedback. Another example: 5 min. writing – What have I done? 10 min. talking 10 min. writing on next topic in your outline 5 min. talking – define next modest writing sub-goal. Thesis not linear process. Writing to help clarify thinking. Combine freewriting, genrerative and structured writing. Food Metaphor: Snacking = get you going Binging = structured writing Overall daily regimen probably more productive than binges but every writer is different, you must experiment to see what works best for you. What are your experiences?
- Good to start with a summary of what your project is about in terms of initial outline. See next slide on Brown’s questions. Try to create strucutred outline (distribute generic thesis structure). Also good prompts for helping you to start writing these sections. Outline will evolve. Maybe even start with a more visual representation – mind map on poster paper. Try to become more detailed and allocate word count to sections (distribute outline handout). Expand sub-sections and even create sentences. Means can do freewriting in chunks (100 words) to get you started. Writing in layers – to slowly build up. See slide. Also, don’t necessarily have to write linear. Can start say Ch. 3 Methods (what did), come back to literature review (ongoing). Re-write introduction, etc.
- Good to start with a summary of what your project is about in terms of initial outline. See next slide on Brown’s questions. Try to create strucutred outline (distribute generic thesis structure). Also good prompts for helping you to start writing these sections. Outline will evolve. Maybe even start with a more visual representation – mind map on poster paper. Try to become more detailed and allocate word count to sections (distribute outline handout). Expand sub-sections and even create sentences. Means can do freewriting in chunks (100 words) to get you started. Writing in layers – to slowly build up. See slide. Also, don’t necessarily have to write linear. Can start say Ch. 3 Methods (what did), come back to literature review (ongoing). Re-write introduction, etc.
- Can actually open files (hard copy or computer) for each chapter/section – one for draft and one for notes to self. Snack approach. Writing activity: Create an outline for the next section you want to write about.
- Good to start with a summary of what your project is about in terms of initial outline. See next slide on Brown’s questions. Try to create strucutred outline (distribute generic thesis structure). Also good prompts for helping you to start writing these sections. Outline will evolve. Maybe even start with a more visual representation – mind map on poster paper. Try to become more detailed and allocate word count to sections (distribute outline handout). Expand sub-sections and even create sentences. Means can do freewriting in chunks (100 words) to get you started. Writing in layers – to slowly build up. See slide. Also, don’t necessarily have to write linear. Can start say Ch. 3 Methods (what did), come back to literature review (ongoing). Re-write introduction, etc.
- So developing argument is especially important for literature review and discussion. Usually a position is taken and use of evidence and sources to reason and persuade; while also pointing out counter views or arguments Opinion vs Argument? Opinions can form part of an argument if evidence and reasoning supplied “informed opinion” from your critical reading Let’s look at basic components, first simple example: Claim or conclusion statement = specific point of view and interpretation taken 2. Reasons/evidence to support it Argument composed of two kinds of statements
- Of course your arguments are going to be more complex! And have multiple arguments – it is important to recognise and not to be implicit!! Each paragraph should have: A particular point Explanation or elaboration Evidence or examples
- Use the CT model to help you interrogate the text for finding particular content
- This paragraph from a literature review of a thesis is an early draft and needs development
- Problems with writing. P. 162 Problem solving? What issues do you have? In summary: Benefits of snack and binge Get started strategies Structure critical – both for your sake and your readers’ sake Support – necessary!! Finally, what is your writing goal for this week?
- To summarise... Now, back to what you want to get out of session – what is your writing goal for this week?