Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: a handbook for Supervisors

Application: writing an Abstract
Ask your student to use the analyses of the above two texts as a frame-
work for writing their own Abstract.
Table 11.1 Use of verb tenses in thesis and dissertation Abstracts
Summary of the thesis
Present simple
This thesis examines the articulations of gender, class, and race
in a specific sample of films from the 1930s to the 1990s.
Report of the research
Past simple
This study traced the development of the Women’s Sports 
Foundation (WSF) in Britain over its first eleven years of 
operation (1984–1994).
Present perfect
The WSF has moved away from philosophical origins 
influenced by radical feminism towards a closer alliance with 
the values and priorities of the sports establishment.