The lecture I am preparing for today is on how to write a Masters Thesis. The lecture is in part a discussion on how to structure a thesis and what parts need to be there (and which things not to include) but the lecture also contains practical elements such as how to plan your time and being prepared to be sick to death with your own work. Recent additions to this lecture include a larger focus on plagiarism and how to avoid it â?? or at least not to get caught.
Aside from the plagiarism part many of the students become reasonably fascinated with their essay as a cultural artifact rather than a scientific report. This means that they tend to become more poetic and flowery in their language and presentation. In some creative cases students try to rework their essays to a fictional whodunit format. Trying to create an air of suspense rather than telling the reader from the go that this is scientific report â?? no surprises, not too much esthetic work, just keep it simple and straightforward.
Many students have not read a thesis before they try to create on of their own â?? this leads to a slight problem since they do not really know what the end product is. In addition to this they often get confused about who their readers are. The latter is particularly common when they are collaborating with industry and they feel a need to produce something that their industrial partners find acceptable.
Then there is the whole area of argumentation that seems at times to be totally misunderstood. I usually recommend Anthony Weston’s Rulebook for Arguments (the second edition used to be online but I cannot find it) and for those who cannot read there is always the amusing Monty Python “Argument sketch”
So I guess that I have my hands full after lunchâ?¦