如何撰寫(xiě)英文版碩士論文

1、How to Write Your Thesiscompiled by Kim Kastens, Stephanie Pfirman, Martin Stute, Bill Hahn, Dallas Abbott, and Chris ScholzI. Thesis structureTitle PageAbstractTable of ContentsList of FiguresII. Crosscutting Issues III. Editing Your Thesis What We Are Looking For Planning Ahead for Your Thesis Wri

2、ting for an Audience Skimming vs. ReadingCopy EditingContent EditingAvoiding AmbiguityList of TablesOrder of WritingThesis LengthWriting for an International AudienceIntroductionMethodsResultsDiscussionConclusions RecommendationsFigures and Tables Tying the Text to the DataGiving CreditFinal ThesisR

3、esourcesAcknowledgmentsReferencesAppendicesI. Thesis structureTitle PageTitle (in clud ing subtitle), author, i nstituti on, dep artme nt, date of delivery, research men tor, men tor's in stitutio nAbstractA good abstract explains in one line why the paper is imp orta nt. It the n goes on to giv

4、e a summary of your major results, p referably couched in nu mbers with error limits. The final senten ces ex plai n the major imp licati ons of your work. A good abstract is con cise, readable, and qua ntitative.*Len gth should be - 1-2 p aragra phs, app rox. 400 words.In formati on in title should

5、 not be rep eated.Be exp licit.Use nu mbers where approp riate.An swers to these questi ons should be found in the abstract:What did you do?Why did you do it? What questi on were you tryi ng to an swer? How did you do it? State methods.What did you lear n? State major results.Why does it matter? Poi

6、nt out at least one sig nifica nt imp licatio n..5.Table of Contents list all headi ngs and subhead ings with p age nu mbers indent subheadi ngs it will look someth ing like this:IntroductionYou can't write a good in troduct ion un til you know what the body of the paper says. Con sider w

7、riti ng the in troductory secti on(s) after you have compi eted the rest of the paper, rather tha n before.Be sure to in clude a hook at the begi nning of the in troducti on. This is a stateme nt of someth ing sufficie ntly in teresti ng to motivate your reader to read the rest of the pap er, it is

8、an imp orta nt/in teresti ng scie ntific p roblem that your paper either solves or addresses. You should draw the reader in and make them want to read the rest of the paper.The next paragraphs in the introduction should cite previous research in this area. It should cite those who had the idea or id

9、eas first, and should also cite those who have done the most recent and relevant work. You should then go on to explain why more work was necessary (your work, of course.)What else belongs in the introductory section(s) of your paper?.5.6.A statement of the goal of the paper: why the study wa

10、s undertaken, or why the paper was written. Do not repeat the abstract.Sufficient background information to allow the reader to understand the context and significance of the question you are trying to address.Proper acknowledgement of the previous work on which you are building. Sufficient referenc

11、es such that a reader could, by going to the library, achieve a sophisticated understanding of the context and significance of the question. Explain the scope of your work, what will and will not be included.A verbal "road map" or verbal "table of contents" guiding the reader to

12、what lies ahead.Is it obvious where introductory material ("old stuff") ends and your contribution ("new stuff") begins?2.3.4.Remember that this is not a review paper. We are looking for original work and interpretation/analysis by you. Break up the introduction section into logi

13、cal segments by using subheads.MethodsWhat belongs in the "methods" section of a scientific paper?.5.Information to allow the reader to assess the believability of your results. Information needed by another researcher to replicate your experiment. Description of your materials, pro

14、cedure, theory.Calculations, technique, procedure, equipment, and calibration plots. Limitations, assumptions, and range of validity.The methods section should answering the following questions and caveats:1.Could one accurately replicate the study (for example, all of the optional and adjustable pa

15、rameters on any sensors or instruments that were used to acquire the data)?Could another researcher accurately find and reoccupy the sampling stations or track lines?Is there enough information provided about any instruments used so that a functionally equivalent instrument could be used to repeat t

16、he experiment?If the data is in the public domain, could another researcher lay his or her handson the ide ntical data set?5.6.7.Could one rep licate any laboratory an alyses that were used?Could one rep licate any statistical an alyses?Could ano ther researcher app roximately rep licate the key alg

17、orithms of any compu ter software?Citati ons in this sect ion should be limited to data sources and refere nces of where to find more comp lete descri pti ons of p rocedures.Do not in clude descri pti ons of results.ResultsThe results are actual stateme nts of observati ons, in clud ing statistics,

18、tables and grap hs.In dicate in formatio n on range of variati on.Men ti on n egative results as well as p ositive. Do not interpret results - save that for the discussi on.Lay out the case as for a jury. P rese nt sufficie nt details so that others can draw their own inferen ces and con struct thei

19、r own explan ati ons.Use S.I. un its (m, s, kg, W, etc.) throughout the thesis.Break up your results into logical segme nts by using subheadsNote: Results vs. Discussion SectionsQuara nti ne your observati ons from your in terpretati ons. The writer must make it crystal clear to the reader which sta

20、teme nts are observati on and which are in terpretati on .In most circumsta nces, this is best acco mp lished by p hysically sep arati ng stateme nts about new observati ons from stateme nts about the meaning or sig nifica nee of those observati ons. Alter natively, this goal can be acco mp lished b

21、y careful use of p hrases such as "I in fer ." vast bodies of geological literature became obsolete with the adve nt of plate tecto nics; the papers that survived are those in which observatio ns were p rese nted in sta nd-al one fashi on, un-m uddied by whatever ideas the author might hav

22、e had about the p rocesses that caused the observed phenomena.How do you do this?1. P hysical sep aratio n into differe nt sect ions or p aragra phs.2. Don't overlay interpretation on top of data in figures.3. Careful use of phrases such as "We infer that ".4. Don't worry if "

23、results" seem short.Why?1. Easier for your reader to absorb, frequent shifts of mental mode not required.2. Ensures that your work will endure in spite of shifting paradigms.DiscussionStart with a few sentences that summarize the most important results. The discussion section should be a brief

24、essay in itself, answering the following questions and caveats:..9.What are the major patterns in the observations? (Refer to spatial and temporal variations.)What are the relationships, trends and generalizations among the results?What are the exceptions to these patterns or generaliz

25、ations?What are the likely causes (mechanisms) underlying these patterns resulting predictions?Is there agreement or disagreement with previous work?Interpret results in terms of background laid out in the introduction - what is the relationship of the present results to the original question?What i

26、s the implication of the present results for other unanswered questions in earth sciences?Multiple hypotheses: There are usually several possible explanations for results. Be careful to consider all of these rather than simply pushing your favorite one. If you can eliminate all but one, that is grea

27、t, but often that is not possible with the data in hand. In that case you should give even treatment to the remaining possibilities, and try to indicate ways in which future work may lead to their discrimination.Avoid bandwagons: A special case of the above. Avoid jumping a currently fashionable poi

28、nt of view unless your results really do strongly support them.10. What are the things we now know or understand that we didn't know or understand before the present work?11. Include the evidence or line of reasoning supporting each interpretation.12. What is the significance of the present resu

29、lts: why should we care?This section should be rich in references to similar work and background needed to interpret results. However, interpretation/discussion section(s) are often too long and verbose. Is there material that does not contribute to one of the elements listed above? If so, this may

30、be material that you will want to consider deleting or moving. Break up the section into logical segments by using subheads.ConclusionsWhat is the stron gest and most imp orta nt stateme nt that you can make from your observati ons?If you met the reader at a meeti ng six mon ths from now, what do yo

31、u want them to remember about your paper?Refer back to p roblem p osed, and describe the con clusi ons that you reached from carry ing out this in vestigati on, summarize new observati ons, new interp retati ons, and new in sights that have resulted from the p rese nt work.In clude the broader imp l

32、icati ons of your results.Do not rep eat word for word the abstract, in troduct ion or discussi on.Recommendations Remedial action to solve the p roblem. Further research to fill in gaps in our un dersta nding. Directi ons for future in vestigati ons on this or related topics.AcknowledgmentsAdvisor(

33、s) and anyone who helped you:1. technically (including materials, supplies)2. intellectually (assistanee, advice)3. financially (for example, departmental support, travel grants)References*cite all ideas, concep ts, text, data that are not your ownif you make a stateme nt, back it up with your own d

34、ata or a refere nee all refere nces cited in the text must be listedcite sin gle-author refere nces by the surn ame of the author (followed by date of the p ublicati on in paren thesis)o . accordi ng to Hays (1994)o . popu lati on growth is one of the greatest en vir onmen tal concerns facing future

35、 gen erati ons (Hays, 1994).cite double-author refere nces by the surn ames of both authors (followed by date of the p ublicati on in paren thesis)o e.g. Sim pson and Hays (1994)cite more tha n double-author refere nces by the surn ame of the first author followed by et al. and the n the date of the

36、 p ublicati ono e.g. P firma n, Simpson and Hays would be:o Pfirman et al. (1994)do not use foot no teslist all refere nces cited in the text in alp habetical order using the follow ingformat for differe nt types of material: oHunt, S. (1966) Carbohydrate and amino acid compo siti on of the egg cap

37、sules of the whelk. Nature, 210, 436-437.Natio nal Ocea nic and Atmos pheric Admi nistrati on (1997) Com mon ly asked questi ons about ozone. htt p: /www .no aa.go v/p ublic- affairs/grou nders/ozo1.html, 9/27/97.Pfirma n, L., M. Stute, H.J. Sim pso n, and J. Hays (1996) Un dergraduate research at B

38、arnard and Columbia, Journal of Research, 11,213-214. P eche nik, J.A. (1987) A short guide to writi ng about biology. Harper Colli ns P ublishers, New York, 194 pp.P itelka, D.R., and F.M. Child (1964) Review of ciliary structure and function. In: Biochemistry and Physiology of Protozoa, Vol. 3 (S.

39、H. Hut ner, editor), Academic P ress, New York, 131-198.Sambrotto, R. (1997) lecture no tes, En vir onmen tal Data An alysis, Barnard College, Oct 2, 1997.Stute, M., J.F. Clark, P. Schlosser, W.S. Broecker, and G. Bonani (1995) A high altitude con ti nen tal p aleote mp erature record derived from n

40、 oble gases dissolved in groun dwater from the San Jua n Bas in, New Mexico. Quat. Res., 43, 209-220.New York Times (1/15/00) P CBs in the Hudson still a n issue, A2. it is acce ptable to put the in itials of the in dividual authors beh ind their last names, e.g. Pfirma n, L., Stute, M., Sim pso n,

41、H.J., and Hays, J (1996) Un dergraduate research atApp endices*In clude all your data in the appen dix.Refere nee data/materials not easily available (theses are used as a resource by the dep artme nt and other stude nts).Tables (where more tha n 1-2 p ages).Calculati ons (where more tha n 1-2 p age

42、s).You may in clude a key article as appen dix.If you con sulted a large nu mber of refere nces but did not cite all of them, you might want to in clude a list of additi onal resource material, etc.List of equipment used for an exp erime nt or details of comp licated p rocedures. Note: Figures and t

43、ables, in clud ing cap tio ns, should be embedded in the text and not in an appen dix, uni ess they are more tha n 1-2 p ages and are not critical to your argume nt.II. Crosscutting IssuesWhat Are We Looking For?We are look ing for a critical an alysis. We want you to an swer a scie ntific questi on

44、 or hypo thesis. We would like you to gather evide nee - from various sources - to allow youto make interpretations and judgments. Your approach/methods should be carefully designed to come to closure. Your results should be clearly defined and discussed in the context of your topic. Relevant litera

45、ture should be cited. You should place your analysis in a broader context, and highlight the implications (regional, global, etc.) of your work. We are looking for a well-reasoned line of argument, from your initial question, compilation of relevant evidence, setting data in a general/universal cont

46、ext, and finally making a judgment based on your analysis. Your thesis should be clearly written and in the format described below.Planning Ahead for Your ThesisIf at all possible, start your thesis research during the summer between your junior and senior year - or even earlier - with an internship

47、, etc. . then work on filling in background material and lab work during the fall so that you're prepared to write and present your research during the spring . The best strategy is to pick a project that you are interested in, but also that a faculty member or other professional is working on.

48、This person will become your research mentor and this gives you someone to talk with and get background material from. If you're unsure about the selection of a project, let us know and we'll try to connect you with someone.If you wait too long to write things up, you'll not have time to

49、 finish.Writing for an AudienceWho is your audience?.5.7.8.Researchers working in analogous field areas elsewhere in the world (i.e. other strike-slip faults, other deep sea fans).Researchers working in your field area, but with different techniques. Researchers working on the same interval o

50、f geologic time elsewhere in the world.All other researchers using the same technique you have used .If your study encompasses an active process, researchers working on the same process in the ancient record.Conversely, if your study is based on the rock record, people studying modem analogs.People

51、writing a synthesis paper on important new developments in your field. People applying earth science to societal problems (i.e. earthquake hazard reduction, climate warming) who will try to understand your paper.Potential reviewers of your ms. or your thesis committee.6.9.Skimming vs. ReadingBecause

52、 of the literature explosion, papers more skimmed than read. Skimming involves reading the abstract, and looking at the figures and figure captions. Therefore, you should construct your paper so that it can be understood by skimming, i.e., the conclusions, as written in your abstract, can be underst

53、ood by study of the figures and captions. The text fills out the details for the more interested reader.Order of WritingYour thesis is not written in the same order as it is presented in. The following givesyou one idea how to proceed..5.First organize your paper as a logical argument before

54、you begin writingMake your figures to illustrate your argument (think skimming)The main sections are: background to the argument (intro); describing the information to be used in the argument, and making points about them (observations), connecting the points regarding the info (analysis), summing u

55、p (conclusions).outline the main elements: sections, and subsectionsBegin writing, choosing options in the following hierarchy - paragraphs, sentences, and words.Here is another approach..Write up a preliminary version of the background section first. This will serve as the basis for the intr

56、oduction in your final paper.As you collect data, write up the methods section. It is much easier to do this right after you have collected the data. Be sure to include a description of the research equipment and relevant calibration plots.When you have some data, start making plots and tables of th

57、e data. These will help you to visualize the data and to see gaps in your data collection. If time permits, you should go back and fill in the gaps. You are finished when you have a set of plots that show a definite trend (or lack of a trend). Be sure to make adequate statistical tests of your resul

58、ts.Once you have a complete set of plots and statistical tests, arrange the plots and tables in a logical order. Write figure captions for the plots and tables. As much as possible, the captions should stand alone in explaining the plots and tables. Many scientists read only the abstract, figures, figure captions, tables, table captions, and conclusions of a paper. Be sure that your figu