UrgentEssays.co.uk » Thesis http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:41:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Inserting References in a Thesis: Endnotes,Footnotes and Parenthetical References http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/dissertation/thesis http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/dissertation/thesis#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:08:39 +0000 Tina http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/?p=388 The references we make in writing a thesis or a research paper are cited in the form of list of works cited or references option at the end of the thesis. There are other forms of citations like footnotes, endnotes and bracketed references that are also used. These references are made in-between the text for detailed information. The three standard methods of in-between text citation are discussed below:

Footnotes: As the name suggest, footnotes are the references that occur at the bottom of page two double spaces below the text. The citation is made on the page where the reference occurs. This method is the most formal and is generally used for lengthy academic dissertations like masters dissertation, doctoral thesis or a book. The format of the footnotes differs from the works cites list in the following ways:

a) The author’s name occurs in the usual order, in contrast to the works cited where the surname proceeds the initial name.
b) The date place of publication are enclosed in a bracket and the reference is divided by commas.

Endnotes: Almost all the notes made in the Research paper or at the end of chapters of the thesisare endnotes. Endnotes appears at the end of the text, always on a new page numbered in sequence with the preceding page. They are best for shorter assignments like class assignments, coursework or term papers. To add endnotes to your research paper, align the title Notes at the center of the page one inch from the top. Enter the references used in the research paper in the format similar to the one used in footnotes.

Parenthetical References: Parenthetical references are citations made in a bracket in a research paper wherever the reference words, ideas or facts appear. The borrowed material used in writing a research paper needs to be cited right at the end of a quotation. It also helps the reader to find the bibliographic entry used in the paper. The citation in parenthesis is a shorthand of the bibliographic entry. The Format in which it is used is as follows:

1. If the paragraph containing the borrowed/reference material specifies the author’s name, the parenthesis will include, the name of the book and the page number separated by a comma.
2. If the paragraph containing the borrowed/reference material specifies the title of the work then the parenthesis will include, the name of the author(last name only) and the page number.
3. If the paragraph containing the borrowed/reference material specifies the author and the title of the work then the parenthesis will only include the page number.
4. The future reference to a similar work can have a short hand of the text.

Though the format of the bibliography and the in between source citation is different yet they share a similar purpose. The use of source citation in between the text refers to the bibliography which can be used by the readers of dissertations and research proposals for further details of the sources used.

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]]> http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/dissertation/thesis/feed 0 Research Techniques for Writing a Thesis http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/thesis/writing-a-thesis http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/thesis/writing-a-thesis#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:59:29 +0000 Tina http://urgentessays.co.uk/blog/?p=346 Large research projects like writing a doctoral thesis or a masters dissertation are painfully slow as there are large time gaps between significant developments in the course of selecting a topic, researching and writing. Such research assignments require rigorous and comprehensive research at different levels and stages before finally understanding and producing a work worth a thesis or a dissertation.

In this process students and research scholars are at constant danger of losing track of amount and gravity of research conducted throughout. If you are writing your masters dissertation or a thesis and are not aware of the research techniques to be followed or are careless about it, you may not be able to use your research in your writing effectively or at worst, you may commit accidental plagiarism.

So what are the research methodologies  and how they should be followed to avoid plagiarism. Let us find out.

a) Research begins and evolves with a definite direction which comes from one’s own understanding, interest and ideas. No matter how concrete or technical your research is, there must always be a room for creativity. Keep a note of your ideas and their development. Also, you must make best use of your prior knowledge on the subject as it helps in creative and effective research reading.

b) Begin with your reading list assigned to you by your supervisor. The reading list decides the course of your research and thus you must be particular and conscious of the books you select and the order in which they should be read. Many books require a certain level of understanding and prior knowledge to be fully comprehended. Broadly classifying, primary books are read before Secondary texts but in a few cases, it is essential to read the secondary texts along with the primary for better understanding of the latter.

c) The responsibility of a researcher is not only to investigate a topic from varied sources but to read and from his/her own perception and view point from what is referred and read. To be able to contribute something to the field of one’s study, though indirectly, the scholar has to read, absorb, and reproduce something of his own. It could be a new perspective, a new structure or newer and clearer understanding of a text.

d) You must take notes effectively and carefully. Keep note of the all the important information of the book you refer. Some if the important information to be noted is name of the book, author, publisher, date and place of publication, and other information like library from where you issued the book(for future reference) etc.

e) Discussion is considered as an effective and fruitful research technique. A constructive discussion with co-workers, fellow students and relatives widens your understanding of a particular topic as it opens their ideas which also act as stimulus to your own dissertation ideas.

These research techniques are not necessarily restricted to large research projects like writing a thesis but can be applied to any form of essay writing like class assignments, Sociology or English coursework.

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