Northwestern Theological Seminary Thesis Dissertation Help
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georgetacaprarescuNorthwestern Theological Seminary Thesis Dissertation Help
Uploaded by
georgetacaprarescuNorthwestern Theological Seminary
Thesis / Dissertation Helps & Guidelines
SEMINARY STUDENT RESOURCE
Writing a Thesis or Dissertation
A thesis is a writing that offers results of original research of a position or proposition
that a person offers to maintain by argument. There are some important differences
between writing a thesis and writing a course paper. The advice given is for the purpose
of working and completing a thesis following certain guidelines.
Controlling The Content Of Your Topic
Topics can always be initially large, expanding our efforts to try to include too much
information. Here are some tips to remember when planning your thesis:
• Your topic should be broad enough to address an important issue, yet narrow
enough to address the issue thoroughly within the specifications given for the
completion of the thesis. The important thing is to know just about everything
about the topic you are writing about.
• Understand your limitations. Know and explore the resources necessary in order
to have an idea of what is required to complete the thesis.
• When you get into your research, your topic will only seem bigger. Your topic
can sometimes include a variety of issues and ideas, so control your focus in order
to stand by your idea for the thesis. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t
summarize your argument in a single paragraph, it is too big.
• Think about specific studies that you have taken in the past or would like to take
in the future in order to compliment your thesis.
Self Imposed Reading Assignments
You should concentrate on reading in the beginning as much about your topic as possible.
You will find that your topic will have a variety of different aspects, which you may find,
provide a variety of avenues you can take in your topic.
Pay close attention to the footnotes, they will provide a wealth of resource materials you
may not had considered.
Begin Writing While Researching
Write throughout your research process, taking notes as you read. Your reading should
include writing summaries or small reactions. Summaries and reactions will provide you
a wealth of information as you begin putting your thesis together. You will be able to
track you the source of your information in your notes.
The important thing to consider is that the research is part of your writing process. It will
allow for a series of questions to be confronted through your research in order to better
understand your topic. Remember, you should have completed a number of initial drafts
to your thesis before actually completing your final draft. These initial drafts should be
written while in your research stage of the thesis writing.
Organize Yourself Before Beginning Your Thesis
You should plan before jumping in and just beginning to write or research. Consider the
following:
• Create Due Dates throughout in order to account for your time
• Begin making a list of the books you need to read
• Articles and essays you may want to read
• Plan your argumentative goal for your thesis by writing points to consider and
how you will present them
• You may want to make each point a chapter in your thesis, breaking down the
process of the thesis into small papers on each chapter
Your Thesis Sentence
Give time to creating an effective sentence to your thesis by:
1. Making it a declarative written sentence and not a question.
2. Making sure it is argumentative. It should invite controversy.
3. Making it focused and functional. Don’t repeat yourself throughout the sentence.
4. It is relevant to the research
5. Emphasizes what is original, interesting, or unusual about your argument. It
should create interest.
Building Structure To Your Thesis
Your focus should be on creating outlines throughout your reading. Your outlines will
evolve as you continue your reading and new ideas begin you come at you. Once your
outline is established you may be able to separate the outlines into chapters making it
more manageable by allowing you to work on each chapter individually. Keep in mind
though, that all chapters should come together to present a unified work.
The Structured Text Of Your Thesis
The three major parts of your text are the opening, body, and conclusion.
• The Opening: The opening should clearly establish your topic and set limits on
the scope of your examination. The opening of a paper has three parts: definition
of the subject, a brief history of prior work in this subject area, and the expression
of your thesis.
• The Body: The body of your paper should feature a logical development of the
major points of your thesis. The primary concern should be to clarify and amplify
the topic as you defend your thesis with well thought out statements.
• The Closing: This represents your conclusion to your thesis. This is your
affirmation of your open and body.
Your Bibliography
After you complete your thesis, you should prepare a bibliography, listing the source
material that was actually used in the writing of your thesis. You should begin writing
bibliography cards for all references that could possibly be used in your topic. By paying
attention to the footnotes and bibliographies of your reading materials during research,
you can begin making up your cards for follow-up. Begin recording the following
information:
1. Author’s Name, followed by a period. Arrange the name in an inverted order,
surname first, for alphabetizing purposes. Provide the name in the fullest form
available, e.g., “Galloza, Michael J.,” not “Galloza, M. J.”
2. Title of the work, followed by a period. Enclose within quotations marks title of
articles, essays, chapters, sections, short poems, stories, and songs. Underline
titles of books, journals, pamphlets, newspapers, plays, movies, long poems, and
operas.
3. Publication information. For a book: the place, followed by a colon; the publisher,
followed by a comma; the date, followed by a period. For a journal article, the
name of the journal, followed by a comma; the volume number in Arabic
numerals; the date in parentheses, followed by a comma; the page(s), followed by
a period. Spell in full titles of periodicals, e.g., Journal of Higher Education, not J.
of Higher Ed.
4. Other items of documentation as necessary:
• Name of the editor or translator
• Edition used, whenever it is not the first
• Series number
• Number of volumes with this particular title
• Volume number if one of two or more
5. A personal note, at the bottom of the card, as to the type of material to be found in
this source or any special aspect it presents.
Bibliography Form – Books
Sample:
Wellman, Carl. Morals and Ethics. Glenview, Ill.:
Scott, Foresman, 1975.
However, if an author has two or more works in bibliography, do not repeat his or her
name with each work. Rather, insert a continuous, twelve-space line flush with the left
margin, followed by a period:
Sample:
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York:
Random House, 1959.
------------. To Be Young, Gifted and Black. Ed. Rob-
ert Nemiroff. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-
Hall, 1969.
A chapter or a part of a book, placed before the title, within quotation marks or
underlined, followed by a period:
Sample:
Elder, Lonne. “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men.” In New
Black Playwrights: An Anthology. Ed. William
Couch, Jr. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Univ.
Press, 1968.
Questions To Consider While Writing and Reviewing Your Thesis
• Is the argument and purpose still clear throughout the work?
• Is your introduction clear, providing background information, and plans and
presents your thesis to the reader?
• Are your major points covered in logical order?
• Are your major points presented with enough evidence and analysis?
• Is your transition clear throughout your work?
• Is your conclusion logical to your introduction and body of the work?
