Notes from:
SCHOLARLY WRITING: A CASE STUDY

I found this very useful, a good way to organise and confirm what I know, and correct my assumptions about writing a thesis. Good guidelines to follow, ones that I will often review to as I develop my future writing.

1. The first topic you come upon should be narrowed down three or four times. We are writing a small thesis, not a book. Choose a realistic scope, for the time available, and for my own existing knowledge base.
2. Begin with many ideas, and eliminate possibilities.
3. Establish a topic, decided and appropriately narrowed down.
4. Go to the library early.
5. Group notes in categories of idea to keep order and ease of understanding, always record the source, as you work, not later.
6. Place brackets around a significant thought of your own.
7. Make sense of the topic as you go, develop your statement as you proceed through research. Identify relevant topics and discard the non-relevant.
8. You will begin to understand and find more order your topics, sub-topics and supporting material. Look for gaps in data and weak spots. Assess for balance and proportion.
9. Gather first-class material.
10. No paper should ever be handed in before you have revised it. In order for the revision process to be effective, you should put the paper away for a week or to before coming back to it. Spot the rough portions and REVISE, REVISE, REVISE. Check that the facts are understandable and supported by details and examples. Make sure the organisation of the paper is clear and paragraphs in logical order. Check consistency in style. Check mechanics of spelling etc…make sure that each major topic leads off with a general statement, a topic sentence. Re-word each main topic if necessary. Correct spelling. Don’t rip the books in the library, it doesn’t sound nice.

Good writers don’t put down everything that is interesting, icebergs reveal only one eighth of their magnificence!

Bibliography:

Anderson, Jonathan; Poole, Millicent. Thesis and Assignment Writing, 1994