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

Thesis and disser tation writing websites
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Azuma, R.T. So long, and thanks for the Ph.D.! A computer science PhD
student’s guide to surviving graduate school. Everything he wishes he
had known when he started out. Very useful for students in engineering
fields in general, with humour added and the wisdom of hindsight.
Available online at:
(accessed 9 September 2006).
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Creating your thesis with Microsoft Word. Many of the features of MSWord can
help with managing and organizing a long document such as a thesis. This
Chapter 12 
Resources for thesis and
dissertation writing

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site provides a thesis template and tips on how to use those features of
Word that can help structure a thesis. Available online at: < http:// ist.
uwaterloo.ca/ew/thesis/Thesis_word.html> (accessed 7 September 2006).
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Getting started on your literature review. A useful overview for students in the
early stages of thesis writing. Available online at: unsw.edu.au/onlib/litrev.html> (accessed 8 September 2006).
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Levine, S.J. Writing and presenting your thesis or dissertation. A very compre-
hensive and accessible, easy-to-navigate site with a student focus, written
by an experienced supervisor. The emphasis is on strategies that will help
successful writing and completion. Much sound advice for the supervisor
too. Available online at:
(accessed 8 September 2006).
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PhD web – first thoughts to finished writing. A highly recommended web-
site. Its comprehensive ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ are an excellent
resource for student and supervisor as are the sections on managing the
different stages of the PhD. Good hyperlinks make the site easy to navi-
gate. Available online at:
(accessed 8 September 2006).
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Re-envisioning the PhD. This site, hosted by the University of Washington,
was the outcome of a funded project which looked at re-envisioning the
PhD to meet the societal needs of the twenty-first century. The section on
PhD resources provides a useful portal to lots of interesting links. Available
online at:
(accessed 9 September 2006).
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Resources for postgraduates. A useful portal with links to a wide range of
online resources on topics such as ‘What makes a good PhD’, ‘Choosing a
research topic’, ‘Organising your ideas’, and ‘Managing your time’.
Available online at: postgraduates/index.php> (accessed 9 September 2006).
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Thesis proposals: a brief guide. A concise handout on the topic for students
in the proposal writing stage. Available online at: edu.au/onlib/thesis.html> (accessed 9 September 2006).
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Wolfe, J. How to write a PhD thesis. Although initially written for PhD
students in physics, students from a range of scientific disciplines have
found this website’s tips on getting started and organized, finding a
structure and dividing the task into less formidable pieces a valuable
resource. Available online at: thesis.html#start> (accessed 9 September 2006).