COMMON MISTAKES IN COMPOSING REPORTS

1. Too many spelling mistakes - use SPELLCHECK.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Inconsistency of notation - include a master nomenclature list. There should be a gap after a full stop or a comma. Failure to include titles in the reference list. Inadequate referencing. Left quotation marks are not the same as right quotation in TeX. Experiments should be reported in the past tense. For example: Length changes are analysed WRONG Length changes were analysed CORRECT 8. Abbreviations must be explained when first introduced. 9. Fig.\ 4.2 not Fig.4.2; Table 5.1 not Table.5.1 10. "Compared with" rather than "Compared to". 11.Plural of Datum is Data. These data are excellent.... 12.PROGRAMME of work as opposed to computer PROGRAM 13.All equations, tables, figures must be numbered. 14.Figures must not be too large, and should be included in the text rather than at the end of chapters. The font on scales and legends should be at least size 15 (Geneva) when the figure size is 1/3 of the page length. 15.Mathematical presentation must be in italics, both in the body of the text and in the equations. 16.Diagrams and tables should be included in the text rather than at the end of a chapter. 17.Mathematical notation is in italics whether it occurs in the text or in equations. Note that terms such as log, exp, sin are nevertheless in roman font even when in equations.

Thesis Writing Background

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What is a thesis? It addresses a very specific issue and describes what is known about that issue, what work the student has done to investigate or resolve it, and how that issue may play out in the future. Usually thesis topics are so specific that very few people in the world except the thesis writer herself could be considered an expert on them. Your thesis writing will make a contribution to the field about which you are writing, and in a larger sense, to all of human knowledge. A thesis is distinctively different from an undergraduate research report because it is so original. How Should I Write My Thesis? Like any good piece of writing, your thesis should be well organized, have a clear thesis paragraph, and be written in a simple, clear active voice. How To Structure Your Thesis The sections below apply to most, but not all, thesis projects. Your own thesis will use many of them, or some combination. Depending on your University and advisors policies, you will either be given a list of sections to use in your thesis writing or decide on your own. Regardless, here is a description of what is generally expected for the most common thesis sections. Title Page The format of your Title Page is specific to your university. You will always need to put your name, the date, the name of your university, and the title of your project. Abstract

The abstract is a short section that describes the issue or problem you are approaching, your results and conclusions, and the larger significance of your work. Table of Contents The table of contents is a neat list of chapters, headings, and subheadings, along with the page numbers where each begins. It should be numbered using the Roman Numeral system. Introduction The thesis introduction should explain why you have chosen to write about the particular issue or problem you are addressing. What significance does it have in the realm of science or humanity? Try to write from a teachers point of view, not a specialist who is speaking to another specialist. Although technical language is necessary and proper, people in related realms might read your thesis one day and you want your language to be somewhat user-friendly. You should also do your best to arouse the interest of your readers; this may be the only time during your thesis writing when you are permitted to employ a bit of creativity. Literature Review This section addresses what is known about the issue. You should write about the background, from where the problem arose, and how others have attempted to resolve the problem. It is normal to consult between 75 and 125 sources. Much of this information will come from the research you have done over the past couple of months and throughout the course of your graduate or post-graduate studies. For the exceptionally organized among us, the literature review section is the easiest part of the thesis writing process because it focuses on what you have been studying for the past three or four years. The Body Of Your Thesis When writing the body of your thesis, you must use more detail than you have ever used in any other writing, be it a

research paper or a journal article. Not only should you expound upon your findings more thoroughly, but you should describe exactly how you performed each experiment. Thesis writing can be challenging if one is not exceptionally organized and detail-oriented. How exactly you organize the body of your thesis writing depends upon the logic of your progression of thought as well as your own preferences. You might have to build upon a hypothesis, describing how you tested it and what your results were, concluding with some kind of solution that you have devised yourself. For that type of thesis writing, you might use the following headings: Theory, Material and Methods, First Problem, Second Problem, Third Problem, Possible Solution, Conclusion. Other types of thesis writing might require you to discuss various methods in subsequent chapters instead of one Materials and Methods section. Theory When deciding upon which pre-established theory to include in your thesis writing, note that not all researchers will be familiar with your theories unless they are quite famous. Do not present multiple pages of mathematical proofs or the like, and do not forget to summarize even semi-well known theories. Original theory is best, for it nearly always guarantees that you will write with both thoroughness and passion. Thesis writing has no place for cliffhangers: be clear about what you are claiming so that your readers can keep it in mind as they peruse your work. The Materials and Methods Section While many theses have a Materials and Methods section, humanities theses may not. If you are writing a scientific thesis, however, you will need to describe the ways in which you performed your experiments. This should be simple thesis writing for you; all it takes is a literal description of what was done. Make sure you are as comprehensive and adept as possible in detailing your techniques, for it is very likely that other people will test your experiment in the future.

Results and Discussion While these sections could easily be separated, it is common to combine them in your thesis writing, as their content tends to be interrelated. You may further break down this section into chapters based on subject. Be sure to discuss the premises of your experiment before listing the results. You should also mention the variables of the experiment, the value of standard deviations, and other applicable background information. Diagrams, graphs, and charts will be very useful in illustrating your results. The discussion part of this section should explain the meaning of your results, where they fit in the current literature concerning your issue, and whether they concur with or deviate from other experimenters work. The Conclusion The conclusion section is less detailed than the rest of your thesis, and requires a more literary sort of thesis writing. Remember that you have already told readers the conclusion of your research at the very beginning of your thesis, in the abstract. The difference between that description and the one in the conclusion section is that here you will be more specific, and also get into the possible limitations of your results. Keep in mind that definitive conclusions are not always the best finale for your work. Researchers will always have further questions; they will want to know which problems still exist, and which other problems arose from your investigation of the issue. References Use whichever format your field of study requires. Most likely this will be APA or MLA format. Only occasionally will you use the Chicago, Harvard, or Turabian styles in your thesis writing. Appendices Lastly, the appendices section is used for the extras that did not fit into the body of the thesis. These extras generally

would have disturbed the progression of the thesis, are overly technical, or are simply asides. Congratulations! You are now well-versed in the art of thesis writing. Naturally, engaging in the work itself is the best way to excel at thesis writing.