Enjoy Writing Your Science Thesis or Dissertation!

The following sections are included:

• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• University of West Cheam

You probably have more than enough reading to do and possibly very little time, so this chapter is a short guide to how to write a science thesis or dissertation, with information summarised under useful headings…

To work well you need to use all your resources efficiently. Your most important resource is yourself.

The following sections are included:

• References and Citations
• Using References
• Collect and Store Your References from Day One of Your Project
• The Final Text
• Formats for Citations and References
• How to Write the Full-Length Reference
• Common Mistakes
• Key Points

The following sections are included:

• Read Around Your Subject from Day One
• Keep Notes from Your Reading
• Planning Your Literature Review
• Writing Your Literature Review
• Common Mistakes
• Key Points

The aim of your Materials and Methods/Experimental Techniques chapter(s) is to produce a detailed recipe section for your experiments. By ‘Materials’ we mean the things you use for your experiments: reagents, theories and theoretical models, equations, simulation packages, plant or bacterial subjects, equipment, surveys, samples, existing data you are analysing, etc. By ‘Methods’ we mean the processes you use, whether experimental or theoretical…

In your Results chapter you are giving a brief outline of each experimental strategy (not a detailed protocol), then telling the reader exactly what happened and what you learnt. You are not giving detailed procedures, because these are already in your Materials and Methods/Experimental Techniques chapter…

In your Introduction you told the reader what you were going to do and explained the background to your research. In your Results you showed them what you had done and how you did it. Now in your Discussion you have to tell them what it all means: the relevance of your research and the conclusions that can be drawn from it. You should also outline future work that could be carried out…

Your thesis has to do more than simply supply the reader with data and a hint or two as to how you came to your conclusions. You have to take the reader firmly by the hand and guide them step by step through your experimental or theoretical research and the reasoning that brought you to your conclusions. The first step in that process is introducing them to your project, which is what your Introduction does…

The following sections are included:

• The Title of Your Thesis or Dissertation
• The Abstract of Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Common Mistakes
• Key Points

If you look at a recent thesis or dissertation in your field you will see that it does not simply start with page one of the Introduction. There will probably be an opening section made up of at least a Title Page and Table of Contents, which are there to help the reader navigate around the thesis or dissertation. You will need to include all or some of the following sections, and although there are usually no rules about the order in which they are presented, the layout below is often used…

In any scientific document it is normal to refer to other people's work. You may want to build on research carried out by other people, or compare your work to theirs, or even point out some errors. As we discussed in Chapter 3: Your References or Bibliography, you should always include a citation when you want to refer back to research by other people…

A manuscript that is clearly laid out will be far easier to read than one thrown down onto the paper in any which way. Good presentation shows that you have taken care over every aspect of your project: if your manuscript is laid out logically and consistently it will help both you and your examiners to take your work seriously. It will also be easier for you to spot any omissions or mistakes when you are checking your drafts. When you are planning and writing your dissertation or thesis, the quality of your layout is nearly as important as the organisation of your ideas. If you make a good job of the layout, your thesis will look like a truly professional document, which is exactly what you want to convey to the reader…

The following sections are included:

• Writing Numbers and Quantities
• Errors and Uncertainties
• Statistics
• Common Mistakes
• Key Points

Figures divide broadly into two types: illustrations and graphs. We use illustrations to give evidence that supports a statement in the text, or to help explain or clarify a written description (for example, a map, a photograph of a plant or a diagram of an experimental setup). We use graphs to display data in a pictorial or graphical format (for example, a plot showing rates of vegetative propagation in plants, a histogram of radioactive decay events or voltage signal as a function of time). We use tables to present large amounts of numerical or qualitative data in an easily readable form…

You have already put a lot of hard work into writing your dissertation or thesis. The final steps, printing, binding and submission, are fairly straightforward but still require close attention to detail. It is a shame to spoil an otherwise good text with mistakes in spelling, and layout that is badly thought out.

The following sections are included:

• Oral Examinations
• Preparing for Your Viva
• The Day of the Viva
• After the Viva
• Common Mistakes
• Key Points

Your supervisor is there to criticise your work on your thesis or dissertation constructively. Before starting on your project, particularly if you are an undergraduate, you might only have seen your supervisor from a distance, probably giving a lecture during which you could sit passively and either listen (or not listen) to what they had to say. Your dealings with them as a supervisor are completely different. You are an active partner in a two-way relationship. If you contribute little or nothing, your supervisor will have little or nothing to supervise. The longer and more complicated your project, the more important your relationship with your supervisor is. Like any relationship, both sides have responsibilities and need to communicate effectively with each other. Like any other relationship, there are probably going to be times when you don't get on with each other.

To convey your meaning to the reader you need a good command of English. Bad English is not only irritating to read, but can also affect the meaning of what you write. In this chapter we start by looking at the scientific style of writing and the conventions that are usually adopted. We then go on to consider grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. If you are seriously interested in, or worried about, your English, buy a good grammar book, a book on English usage, and a dictionary.

The following sections are included:

• Appendix 1: Easily Confused Words
• Appendix 2: Prefixes and Suffixes
• Appendix 3: Wordy Words and Phrases
• Appendix 4: Words that Cause Vagueness
• Appendix 5: Latin Words and Abbreviations
• Appendix 6: The Greek Alphabet
• Appendix 7: SI Units
• Index