This chapter is from the book
To Stimulate Thinking
Access a thesis or dissertation either in your university library or online that is concerned with a topic in your field. Ideally, it should be a topic you may want to address in your own work. Then respond to the following questions:
- What is the overall purpose of this thesis/dissertation? Where is the purpose stated?
- Examine the introductory section or first chapter. How much information is included in this section?
- Examine the structure of the thesis/dissertation as a whole. How many chapters does it have? How is the content divided?
- Look for the Review of the Literature. Is this in a separate chapter, or is it included in the introduction or first chapter? If so, is it used to justify the topic—to show that this thesis/dissertation addresses a critical issue in your discipline?
- What do you like about this thesis/dissertation? What elements can you adapt for your own work?
Share your responses with a writing group of other students who are working on a thesis/dissertation. What insights have you gained about a possible direction?