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

Applications
1
Discuss the notion of ‘writer-responsible’ text with your student.
Ask them to reflect on their first language in terms of how writer-
responsible it might be and how this might impact on their
academic writing.
2
Ask your student to examine three recent theses in your field. Ask
them to consider the following:
●
Are they reader-friendly? If so, what features make them so?
●
How do the writers refer to themselves? Which style does your
student prefer and why?
●
How do they want to ‘sound’ when they write?

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writing. The social dimension provided by this type of instruction can be
almost as important as the writing instruction. For example, public discus-
sion of writing and anxiety can relieve an individual’s sense of isolation and
inadequacy.
Conclusion
This chapter has examined four issues which can affect the ability of the sec-
ond-language writer to successfully complete a thesis. Not all may appear
immediately relevant to writing but there is now a significant body of
research, some of it reported on in this chapter, that indicates that psycho-
affective, behavioural and social issues as well as issues of the self and identity
in a new language and culture can substantially influence a student’s capacity
to engage in and sustain writing over a lengthy period. Moreover, expecta-
tions about the relationship between writers and readers may vary across
languages and cultures and may need to be explicitly discussed. It is impor-
tant that the supervisor of the second-language student be aware of the
potential for these issues to impact on the production of the thesis.
54
Thesis writing in English as a second language

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Introduction
Research proposals are an example of what Swales (1996) calls ‘occluded’ gen-
res; that is, genres which are difficult for students to have to access to, but
play an important part in the students’ lives. In his book Successful
Dissertations and Theses, Madsen (1992: 51) writes that ‘the research proposal
is often the key element to the successful thesis and, as such, the most impor-
tant step in the whole process’. Meloy (1994: 31) presents a similar view,
saying that ‘proposal writing does not appear to be something that comes
naturally’ and that we learn not only by example but also by the reactions and
suggestions of our supervisors and our thesis committee members. The
process of writing a research proposal will, therefore, be examined in some
detail in this chapter. Topics covered will include choosing and focusing a
research topic, developing a research proposal, the structure and purpose of
research proposals, details to include in a research proposal, differences
between a master’s and a doctoral thesis, and different expectations across dif-
ferent areas of study.