Dissertation workshop

Dissertation workshop

With Esther

It had some informative stuff, but like most of our contextual studies it tended to draw on and on and on...so it goes I suppose :) 

Academic practice

·      Structure

·      Content

·      Referencing and citations (Harvard)

·      Plagiarism and how to avoid it

·      Presentation and formatting

Remember to pace yourself and make sure you have time to fully create your essay

A dissertation must have …

·      Title

·      Abstract

·      Table of contents and if relevant table of figures (images)

o   Introduction

o   A clear discussion that uses:

o   Relevant examples

o   Relevant literature

o   Properly referenced

o   Synthesis of examples ideas and evidence

·      Conclusion

·      Bibliography

·      Subsections are useful

·      Images are useful

Make sure you discussion is clear, that is one of the reasons that you are asked to write an abstract.

Make sure that all your examples are relevant to your title

What is an abstract?

A summary of the entire discussion AFTER it has been completed

It is not a proposal but a statement

Maybe like telling someone they are going for a walk

What does an introduction do?

It sets out the main argument and direction of the essay it is like giving the reader a map for the walk.

A dissertation does not only describe an example. It must also,

·      Synthesize

·      Analyze

·      Explain

·      Make connections

What do you want to say?

Don’t over describe.

Why are you describing this? What are you trying to explain with this description?

Content

·      Theory: a tool to help you understand and explain

·      Examples: that illustrate of demonstrate

·      Arguments: use theory and examples to build a discussion

Useful sources to include:

Collins Jane & Andrew Nisbet (eds.) 2010. Theater and performance desing: a reader in scenography, London: Routeldge.

Tyson Lois 2006. Critical theory today: a user freiendly guide. New York: Routledge

A Conclusion is …

·      Made up of all the parts and demonstrates where you have arrived at the end of your “walk”

·      The accumulative out come of the points along the way

·      Demonstrates the development of your discussion

·      It should not include new points: they go in the essay

Sentences paragraphs and using source material…

Analyse, compare, synthesize, evaluate, apply, and justify…

What is a sentence… a complete sentence must make sense on its own, but its meaning is expanded within the paragraph

What is a paragraph… it should contain a POINT, an EXAMPLE, an EXPLANATION.

How to use source material..

·      Summarize

·      Analyze the idea to say something else

·      Direct quotes

·      Larger direct quotes

If you use a large quote, then you need to discuss your quotation and touch on what the relevant points are. What does it demonstrate? Why did you put it there?

Do not make big claims without having support for them

Use sources to justify your point

Different types of sources,

Images

Productions

Designs

Interviews

Reviews

Stories

Films

Plays

All help to identify your subject

Academic books

Academic journals

Help to analyze your subject

How to use your images successfully…

·      What is it for?

·      To illustrate a point?

·      To demonstrate a point?

·      What is the difference?

·      USE all images in the discussion

Reference all images and include a table of images

Berger John 1972. Ways of seeing. Lodon: BBC; Penguin

Referencing reminder

·      What, why, and when?

·      Harvard to demonstrate and link to source (and avoid plagiarism) all the time…

Avoiding plafiarism is simple

Reference the source of all information you use. You must do this:

Everytime you quote

Every time you paraphrase of summarise

Every time you express and idea that has been informed by someone else

Every time you mention the work of opinion of some one else

Plagiarism.org/index

HARVARD SYSTEM

·      In text citations (author, date: page number)

o   After every quote paraphrase summary reference to someone else’s idea

·      Bibliography at the end of the document

o   Author (Ed). (date). Titles. publication details (where, what company). Ed is only if it is edited

Citation in the essay: (Brook, 1968:XX)

Website. Find the author,

• Author/identifying label (date). Title. Organization. Web Address. [access date]

Presentation and formatting

·      Present a bibliography

·      Paragraphs

·      Accurate spelling

o   Common errors

·      Accurate punctuation

o   Common errors

·      How to…

o   Margins, page numbers, font size and other important aesthetic details

·      Common errors:

·      Their/there

·      Affect/effect

·      Where/were

·      It’s/its

Apostrophes and how to use them…

Contractions: it’s (it is), doesn’t (does not) etc. Do not use contractions write out in full

Possession: one woman’s hat; sarah’s house

Sloppy stuff get rid of “ings”

Instead state the subject state your argument (present your perspective)

Unnecessary stuff…

·      Book titles

·      Peoples first names or titles

·      Biographical details

·      Over description

Process:

·      Dissertations

·      Start with a working title-question

·      Research plan write research more

·      Reorganize replan rewrite

·      Rewrite edit proof read

·      Check bibliography and all references and citations

·      You now have an answer/discussion. Not a question.

·      Make sure the title and abstract make a statement

Formatting

·      Font times new roman, or arial 12 point

·      Double space

·      2.5 to 3.5 cm (1”-1.5”) on all 4 sides of pages

·      Page numbers (from first page of written text) and your name on every page

·      Bound in a plastic folder

·      3x hard copies (one in color, if applicable) plus 1 disk (supply one awesome copy and two copies that meet the format)

Turnitinßplagiarism cite

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