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

How long should the Introduction be?
Typically, the introductory chapter is one of the shorter chapters of the entire
thesis. The 45 thesis Introductions examined by Bunton (2002) averaged 17.4
pages in length with a good deal of disciplinary variation. He found that
Introductions from medicine were particularly long (29–45 pages) and that this
The thesis hourglass
Introduction
Literature
review
Methodology
results/findings
Discussion
Figure 6.1 The thesis hourglass 
Source: adapted from Atkinson and Curtis 1998: 52

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Writing the Introduction
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was because they included the substantial review of the literature. Where social
sciences and arts Introductions did this, they were also over 40 pages in length.
It appears, both from Bunton’s (2002) research and our own observations, that
certain humanities’ (arts) theses may not have separate literature review chap-
ters but that a review of the literature is conducted in the introductory chapter.
However, 32 of the Introductions examined by Bunton did not have more ref-
erences to the literature than any other of the thesis chapters. This finding
underlines one of the key differences between the research article and the thesis
mentioned above – the almost obligatory separate literature review chapter.
Application
One of the key aims of this section of our book is to help student and
supervisor develop a shared and accessible language for talking about
thesis writing to assist in raising awareness of the typical generic struc-
ture of the thesis. Our experience is that this is empowering for both
supervisor and student.
●
Ask your student to draw up a plan showing how their thesis would
or would not fit into the hourglass framework. If it does not fit into
the framework, ask them to explain why.
●
Show your student some examples of recent theses from your field
and ask them to assess the extent to which the ‘hourglass’ appears to
have been followed. We find it important to stress to students that
they do have choices in how they shape their theses.
●
Ask them to note whether the Introduction is ‘Chapter 1’ or stands
outside the chapter numbering system. If it is not Chapter 1, ask
them to reflect on why this might be so.
●
Ask students if they would like to use the same chapter titles as in
the thesis hourglass, or not. If not, ask them to explain why. We are
finding that in the humanities, in particular, and to some extent in
the social sciences, many thesis chapters do not have easily identifi-
able ‘literature review’ or ‘methodology’ chapters. Rather, chapters
tend to have catchy, evocative titles which refer to thesis themes.
●
Focus in particular on the role of the Introduction. Remind them
that all theses have introductory chapters. Introduce the notion of
creating a research space. Link this to the criteria for assessing a
PhD, one of which is a significant contribution to knowledge in the
chosen field. The establishment of a niche or gap in the research
territory is therefore crucial for the student.
●
Ask students to write a few sentences describing the ‘gap’ their
study will fill.

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Writing the Introduction