Transcript PowerPoint
Hanson CTC Director,
College of Engineering
The X Factor: Confidence
“If you think you can’t, or you think you can, you’re
probably right.”
—Mark Twain
Writing is an incremental process; starting an informal
journal is a low-risk, high-return intellectual
investment.
Daily entries about your project add up to a tangible
collection of starting points and crucial insights.
“Leap into writing your Honors Thesis,
and the net will appear.”
—SC
Writing Makes Thinking Happen
“How can I know
what I mean until I
see what I say?”
—E.M. Forster
Writers achieve
coherence and
organization through a
process of drafts,
feedback, and revision.
There are no shortcuts
to a completed thesis.
Brainstorming:
Taking Ownership of Your Thesis
Write down at least three to five aspects of your research
that your readers need to know.
Can they all be connected? If not, can you minimize or
exclude the least important?
Is the story of your research experiences greater than
the sum of its parts?
The Basics
Introduction ― provide background and context for research and/or
experiments.
Literature Review ― describe gap in current knowledge and state
the aim of your thesis: how your work fits in.
Methods ― detail step-by-step record of how you achieved your
results.
Results and Discussion ― assert and discuss the significance of your
data.
Conclusion ― The meaning of it all: did you achieve your objectives?
If not, why? Where do we go from here?
Condense your thesis into an Abstract (it appears first but is written
last).
Three Signs of Excellence
Your thesis—
Demonstrates control of your materials
(precise descriptions and insightful analysis).
Is specific but selective (sticks to the major
themes of your research).
Conveys a sense of the future (establishes
your research as a starting point from which
you or others will continue).
Synchronize Your Story
Make sure that your thesis does not contradict
your advisor’s view of reality.
Avoid misrepresenting (over-hyping) your
achievements: no brag, just facts.
Clarity is All
Precise writing establishes your credibility as an engineer.
Therefore…
Scientific writing is a no-ambiguity zone:
Ambiguity (defined as “doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards
interpretation”) can often lead to serious misinterpretations.
Be vigilant in the battle against vagueness (for example, the
words some, about, approximately, almost).
Summary
Writing a successful thesis is a process that through
incubation (the day-to-day growth of your insights),
drafts, feedback, and revision—
Eliminates extraneous details.
Demonstrates your powers of organization and analysis.
Fosters self-confidence.
Prepares you for the challenges of advanced study.
Thank You
“What is written
without effort is read
without pleasure.”
Samuel Johnson