Dissertation Writing Workshop

1
Dissertation Writing Workshop
Robert Blake SLDC Nicola Longden,
Communication Systems
2
WORKSHOP OUTLINE

• An overview of technical report writing structure
• Tailoring the report structure to your project
• Technical writing and referencing

3
WORKSHOP SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL (I)

• In addition to this main workshop presentation,
  there is a handout containing supplementary
  information
• This handout is split into 4 parts
• 1) What Lecturers are Looking for in Your
  Dissertation
• 2) Structure of sections before and after the
  main body of the dissertation
• 3) Technical writing reference information
• 4) Final checklists

4
WORKSHOP SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL (II)

• Parts 1 and 4 are stand alone and do not need to
  be read in conjunction with sections from the
  main presentation
• Part 2 should be read with the overview of
  technical report writing structure section of
  this presentation
• Part 3 should be read with the technical
  writing inc. references! section of this
  presentation

5
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DISSERTATION (I)
Your dissertation is your way to show what you
have achieved during your project This is the
only thing that will be assessed Bear in mind
that your dissertation will not only be read by
your project supervisor
6
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DISSERTATION (II)
You need to lead your readers through your
project from the idea and aims behind it, to what
you have done, and then to the conclusions you
can draw from your work You should include
discussion of solutions that you didnt choose
and explain why Do not be afraid to discuss what
went wrong but ensure that you provide reasons
for what happened
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WRITING FOR THE READER

• Before you start writing, think about who the
  readers will be. Who are you writing for?
• Then make sure you write in a manner level of
  detail appropriate for them
• Explain to your reader
• why what you did,
• what the outcome was
• Write concisely whilst explaining clearly.
• Write in good formal technical English that is
  clear, accurate reader friendly.

8

PART 1 AN OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL REPORT
WRITING STRUCTURE
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TECHNICAL REPORT STRUCTURE

• Well start with 2 questions
• What is the conventional format for technical
  reports?
• What are the main sections you expect to see in
  a technical report?

10
TECHNICAL REPORT STRUCTURE
Title page Abstract Contents list (inc. List of
figs, List of Tables, List of Acronyms) Glossary
Introduction Background Methods Results Discussio
n of results Conclusions/Future work /
Evaluation References Acknowledgements Appendices
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TECHNICAL REPORT STRUCTURE IMRAD C
The core sections of a technical report are
IMRaD Introduction
Methods Results Discussion
Or IMRaD C i.e. with the
addition of a Conclusion
12
IMRAD C DIAGRAM

• The diagram shows the shape of the IMRaD C
  structure
• Note how in the introduction the focus of the
  report is broad before focusing on your specific
  study
• The structure remains narrowly focused in the
  Methods Results but gradually broadens in the
  Discussion Conclusion

Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Conclusions and Further Work
13
SECTIONS BEFORE THE MAIN BODY OF THE REPORT

• Title (see slides 10-12 of supp. mat.)
• Abstract
• Table of Contents (see slide 13 of supp. mat.)
• Lists of Figures, Tables, Formulae and Acronyms
  (see slide 14 of supp. mat.)
• Glossary (see slide 15 of supp. mat.)
• NB You may be required to insert a declaration
  after the title page

14
THE ABSTRACT (I)

• This is one of the most difficult parts of the
  dissertation to write
• It should give your reader a brief but complete
  summary or overview of the entire dissertation
  from aims to conclusions
• From the abstract alone, your reader should know
  what you have done and found out
• It is the last thing that your write how can
  you write about your entire dissertation before
  you have finished it?

15
THE ABSTRACT (II)

• Typically 100 to 200 words in length
• One paragraph
• Highly succinct
• Is not an introduction
• 1st section to be read, therefore important

16
THE CONTENTS PAGE (I)

• Needs to be self explanatory
• Gives a clear overview of structure
• Uses headings to guide the reader through the
  report structure
• Uses numbering, indentation, subheadings
  (especially in long reports).
• You can use automated features in MS Word to do
  this index, tables, cross reference, page
  numbers

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THE CONTENTS PAGE (II)
1 Introduction 1 1.1 Overview.
1 1.2 Aims. 3 2 Exercise 1
5 2.1 Method.... 5 2.2
Results.. 7 2.3 Analysis....
10
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THE CONTENTS PAGE (III)

• Your chapters, sections subsections should be
  numbered in the same way
• When you use figures you should also include a
  List of Figures with
• Figure number
• Figure caption / description
• Page number
• The same applies for tables

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SECTION NUMBERING
NB The section numbers that you list in the
table of contents should match the numbers given
to those sections in the main body of the
dissertation e.g. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1
Project Aims Numbering should start with
the Introduction and end with the Conclusion or
final chapter before References. Appendices
should be numbered independently
20
SECTIONS IN THE MAIN BODY OF THE REPORT

• Introduction
• Background
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions and Further Work

21
THE INTRODUCTION (I)

• This sets the scene for the dissertation, by
  introducing information needed to understand the
  rest of the dissertation
• It gives
• brief background to the study
• explains reasons for the work carried out
• briefly explains connections with previous work
  (referencing!)
• can include a time plan for your project

22
THE INTRODUCTION (II)

• At the end of the introduction
• explain your aims clearly
• introduce how you will address these
• explain briefly how the report is structured
  (signposting)

23
BACKGROUND
This provides the detailed information and
explanations needed to understand the rest of the
dissertation Youll explain connections with
previous work i.e. reviewing relevant technical
papers (referencing!) This is the section where
you will bring in any reading cite the work
youve read
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METHODS (I)

• Now detail the methods you used to address the
  aims you outlined in the introduction.
• Depending on your study, the methods may
  describe
• software or hardware design
• a model or simulation
• the production of a media artifact such as a
  video

25
METHODS (II)

• The aim of this section is to enable another
  researcher to repeat your methods so you need to
  explain to the reader
• How you designed the model
• Reasons for choices made e.g. certain functions
  of a software package you have usedThis section
  should also demonstrate that you are using
  standard technical procedures

26
RESULTS (I)
Presents the data or results i.e. data from the
simulation/ model experiment There is little
analysis here, unless you have a combined results
discussion chapter You need to consider the
most appropriate method of organising
presenting results
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RESULTS (II)

• Do not just include figures tables, ensure
  that
• the text provides
• a commentary guiding the reader through the
  figures tables
• refers to all of these e.g. figure 3.2
  illustrates as can be seen from figure 4.1

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RESULTS (III)

• Figures tables need to be well presented
• Carefully labelled
• Carefully numbered, e.g. Figure 3.2
• They must have a caption describing the data
  presented
• Figure axes must have clearly specified units
  when the data being presented has units
• Remember the reader will look at the figures
  tables only if directed to do so in the text.

29
DISCUSSION
In this section you interpret and analyse your
data or results, discussing the main findings of
your lab work or simulation Keep your
dissertation aims in mind If there are any
limitations of your study, state them. Broaden
the scope of your discussion to compare your
findings with those of earlier work i.e. link
back to to earlier sections
30
CONCLUSIONS (I)

• This section is short succinct
• State what you major conclusions are, referring
  back to your original aims. Have you achieved
  these aims?
• Highlight key features
• Discuss what advances you have made
• Most dissertations also include a Further Work
  or Recommendations section

31
CONCLUSIONS (II)
You should include an evaluation of both the
research you have conducted or the artefact you
have produced and the success of the project as a
whole
32
FURTHER WORK

• In your dissertation, an important subsection of
  the Conclusions is Further work.
• Given more time funding how would you overcome
  limitations (weaknesses) take the work further
• Youre demonstrating your wider technical
  theoretical awareness knowledge, discussing
  aspects you didnt have time for

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SECTIONS AFTER THE MAIN BODY OF THE REPORT

• Acknowledgements (see 17 of supp. mat.)
• References
• Appendices (see slides 18-19 of supp. mat.)

34
REFERENCES
We will look at referencing in detail later (from
slide 51) Briefly, if you use the work or ideas
of others, you must cite them in your
dissertation then list the full details in a
referenced list at the end
35
APPENDICES (I)

• Appendices can be very helpful way to make your
  dissertation easier to read and not swamp your
  reader with bulky data such as code full
  programmes
• Many readers of your dissertation may not read
  these sections certainly should not need to
  read them to follow your report.
• However, some readers will want to analyse your
  detailed results in greater depth e.g. to compare
  with their own findings.

36
APPENDICES (II)

• Examples of what should be contained in the
  Appendices
• Listing of code developed
• Scripts
• Interviews
• Story boards

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PART 2 Structuring Your Dissertation for Your
Study
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STRUCTURING YOUR DISSERTATION

• Remember to adapt the structure to suit the
  information you are presenting organise it more
  effectively.
• Use as many headings as you need
• Make sure the scope of each chapter or section
  is clearly defined by its title the
  introduction to that chapter.
• Make sure the layout is logical the work flows.

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BUILD PROJECT - POSSIBLE STRUCTURE FOR THE MAIN
BODY
Introduction Background Possible
Solutions Selected Solution (Method) Design Im
plementation Testing Results (if
applicable) Discussion of results (if
applicable) Conclusions / Future work /
Evaluation of artefact, inc. limitations
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RESEARCH PROJECT - POSSIBLE STRUCTURE
Introduction Background Literature
Review Research Findings (Method) Results (if
applicable) Discussion of results (if
applicable) Conclusions / Future work /
Evaluation of findings, inc. limitations
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STRUCTURING YOUR DISSERTATION MODIFYING SECTIONS

• Adapt the central chapters to help your reader
  to
• 1 understand what you did how you did it,
• 2 realise your understanding of the task
• 3 what could be taken further how

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STRUCTURING YOUR DISSERTATION

• As well as an IMRaD pattern, reports
  dissertations often have an underlying
  problem-solution pattern.
• In some types of dissertation, this is recursive
  (repeated) until a more effective solution is
  found
• SITUATION
• PROBLEM
• SOLUTION
• EVALUATION

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STRUCTURING YOUR DISSERTATION

44
STRUCTURING YOUR DISSERTATION MAKING IT FLOW

• Your dissertation will be a long document
• You need to ensure that it makes sense as a
  continuous document
• Techniques for this include sign-posting in your
  introduction and providing short introductions
  and summaries for each of the middle chapters of
  the report, such as the background, design or
  research chapters

45
STRUCTURING YOUR DISSERTATION MAKING IT FLOW

• Some of the main causes of lack of fluency in a
  dissertation are
• Assuming the reader has additional knowledge of
  your project
• Putting figures or tables in the report without
  referring to them

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PART 3 Technical Writing inc. Referencing!
47
TECHNICAL STYLE

• FORMAL OBJECTIVE STYLE
• Avoid I, We or You
• Don't use contracted verb forms can't
  doesnt, use cannot does not instead
• Write in formal rather than colloquial English.
  Avoid vague imprecise words stuff, things,
  loads, lots use words such as materials, issues,
  significant number/ large quantities

48
TECHNICAL STYLE

• FORMAL OBJECTIVE STYLE
• Avoid attitudinal words e.g. really, actually,
  great, magnificently.
• Choose formal words (Nouns verbs with Latin/
  Greek origins such as survey, examine, consult,
  rather than 2 part phrasal verbs, such as look
  about, look into, look up,

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TECHNICAL STYLE WRITING OBJECTIVELY

• Personal pronouns, I particularly you, are
  rarely used in technical writing, where an
  objective or impersonal style is standard.
• You can use the passive, despite advice from the
  MS Word grammar spelling checker, just be
  careful as overuse can make reading your work
  heavy going for the reader.
• Slides 21 to 26 in part 3 of the supplementary
  material give you an number of ways of writing in
  an impersonal rather than subjective style

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EXAMPLE OF TECHNICAL STYLE

• 6.7 Summary
• At the end of this chapter, the following
  conclusions are made.
•        It is possible to construct trellis
  structures to meet the requirements in a
  quasi-synchronous adder channel. These trellises
• are modified versions of the synchronous cases
  and have improved the reliability of composite
  codewords.
•       A price paid for the improvement of the
  individual user is a reduction in the sum rate.
• In an M-choose T scenario, the
  identification process based on metric
  accumulation is shown to be reliable when using
  the modified decoders catering for each
  quasi-synchronous set

51
GRAPHICAL PRESENTATION

• Use tables figures to present information
  clearly economically
• Write clear, self-explanatory figure legends
  labelled axes clearly labelled with values
  clearly identified
• Make sure tables figures are referred to in
  text, and meaning interpretation are covered
• For further help, see the Bates college website
  http//abacus.bates.edu/ganderso/biology/resource
  s/writing/HTWtablefigs.html

52
GRAPHICAL PRESENTATION EXAMPLE

• Figure 3.1 illustrates the bit error rate
  performance of QAM, QPSK and BPSK modulation
  schemes when used in communication systems with 8
  users. As can be seen, the performance of QPSK
  and BPSK are almost identical. The performance of
  QAM when compared to these modulation schemes is
  worse as more bits will be received in error at
  every signal to noise ratio.

Figure 3.1 Bit Error Rates of Modulation Schemes
for 8 User Systems
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BRINGING OTHER SCIENTISTS RESULTS INTO YOUR
WRITING

• Looking at the list below what are the most
  important reasons for citing other scientists?
• To show that we have knowledge of the field
• To provide an overview of the current state of
  the field
• To show where our work fits in with current
  understanding in the field
• To review other studies critically
• To highlight a gap in the field
• To justify the work we have done
• To support the work we have done
• To make theories on the basis of other
  scientists findings.

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CITATION REFERRING TO OTHER WRITERS IN THE MAIN
BODY OF YOUR REPORT (I)

• You can do this by rephrasing in your own words,
  either summarising or paraphrasing and adding a
  reference to the source.
• You can refer to the source in 2 ways
• 1) Paraphrase the idea, then give the surname of
  the author year of publication in brackets or
  reference number e.g.
• Statistical analysis can be used to demonstrate
  Berridge 2002 or 2
• This method emphasises the study.

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CITATION REFERRING TO OTHER WRITERS IN THE MAIN
BODY OF YOUR REPORT (II)

• 2) Begin the sentence with the authors surname
  year of publication in brackets e.g.
• Berridge 2002 or 2 has demonstrated that
  statistical analysis can be used
• This method emphasises the author you are citing.
• NB Direct quotation acknowledgement is rarely
  used

56
INTEGRATING SOURCES INTO YOUR REPORT

• When referring other studies, they need to be
  integrated into your report.
• You need to use your writing style, your voice,
  rather than patching together the disconnected
  styles of other researchers.
• So when you refer to another writer, you should
  begin end in your own impersonal voice, with
  the middle part consisting of paraphrase or
  summary of the source
• The language that you use when citing other work
  will show your judgement of the work you are
  reviewing.
• A list of verbs you can use to report other
  scientists ideas is given in the supplementary
  material on slide 34

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BRINGING IN THE WORK OF OTHER SCIENTISTS
REFERENCES

• References should list all the sources (books,
  journal, webs material etc) that you have used in
  the text.
• Do not include common knowledge
  http//owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_
  plagiar.html
• There are 2 main methods of listing references
• 1. in alphabetical order i.e. sorted by surname
  (Harvard)
• 2. In numerical ordering of appearance in the
  body of the dissertation
• See http//www.uefap.co.uk/writing/writfram.htm

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WEB SOURCES IN THE REFERENCE LIST ALPHABETICAL
SYSTEM

• Curtis, P.S. (2003) UMBS Forest Carbon Cycle
  Research. UMBS research. Ameriflux network. UMBS
  data access. http//cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ftp/amerifl
  ux/data/us-sites/preliminary-data/UMBS (data
  accessed on February 14, 2003)
• Wofsy, S.C. and J. W. Munger (2003), Harvard
  University. Atmospheric Sciences. Forest and
  Atmospheric Measurements. Data exchange. NIGEC
  data archive. http//www-as.harvard.edu/data/nigec
  -data.html (accessed on June 23, 2003)

59
WEB SOURCES IN THE REFERENCE LIST NUMERICAL
SYSTEM

• 1 Curtis, P.S. UMBS Forest Carbon Cycle
  Research. UMBS research. Ameriflux network. UMBS
  data access. http//cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/ftp/amerifl
  ux/data/us-sites/preliminary-data/UMBS (data
  accessed on February 14, 2003)
• 2 Wofsy, S.C. and J. W. Munger, Harvard
  University. Atmospheric Sciences. Forest and
  Atmospheric Measurements. Data exchange. NIGEC
  data archive. http//www-as.harvard.edu/data/nigec
  -data.html (accessed on June 23, 2003)

60
CITING MATERIALS FROM THE WEB

• Extra care is needed when citing articles from
  the web due to their transient nature
• In the body of the dissertation, only give the
  endnote numbered.
• Make a permanent copy on cd of any journal
  article accessed on the web PDF

61
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

• Plagiarism means using other writers ideas,
  words or frameworks without acknowledgement. It
  means that you are falsely claiming that the work
  is your own. This can range from copying whole
  papers, paragraphs, sentences or phrases without
  acknowledgement to merely changing a word or two
  within a sentence.

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AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
63

WHICH OF THESE IS PLAGIARISM?

• 1. Copying a paragraph verbatim from a source
  without any acknowledgement.
• 2. Copying a paragraph and making small changes -
  e.g. replacing a few verbs, replacing an
  adjective with a synonym acknowledgement in the
  bibliography.
• 3. Cutting and pasting a paragraph by using
  sentences of the original but omitting one or two
  and putting one or two in a different order, no
  quotation marks with an in-text acknowledgement
  plus bibliography.
• 4. Composing a paragraph by taking short phrases
  from a number of sources and putting them
  together using words of your own to make a
  coherent whole with an in-text acknowledgement
  bibliography.
• 5. Paraphrasing a paragraph by rewriting with
  substantial changes in language and organisation
  the new version will also have changes in the
  amount of detail used and the examples cited
  citing in bibliography.
• 6. Quoting a paragraph by placing it in block
  format with the source cited in text
  bibliography.
• Carroll J. 2000 Teaching News November, 2000.
  Based on an exercise in Academic Writing for
  Graduate Students by Swales and Feale, University
  of Michigan, 1993 on http//www.ilt.ac.uk/resourc
  es/Jcarroll.htm Accessed 12/05/2003

64

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

• Ensure that you are using effective paraphrasing
  and summary skills. See
• http//www.uefap.co.uk/writing/writfram.htm
• or for help with paraphrase see
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/
  r_paraphr.html

65

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

• There is no point for you to plagiarise in your
  final dissertation.
• Being able to integrate and use the work of
  others in your work is a highly important skill
  that you need to demonstrate. You can only
  demonstrate this if you reference the work that
  you have used
• You are not expected to know everything, there
  is no shame in needing to reference the work of
  others. In fact, used selectively it can
  demonstrate your knowledge and hard work
• If you are found to be plagiarising work in your
  dissertation you can fail the project