Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing论文:指导规划,研究和写作
By R. MURRAY THOMAS and DALE L. BRUBAKER4157-1利托马斯0045492草技巧
Traditionally in academia, the two main purposes of master's-degree and doctoral projects are (a) to provide graduate students guided practice in conducting and presenting research and (b) to make a contribution to the world's fund of knowledge or to improve the conduct of some activity.历来在学术界,主要有两个目的,硕士和博士的项目分别是:(一)提供研究生指导实践的开展和研究介绍(二)对社会作出贡献的世界基金知识或改进进行有些活动.
The practice aspect goes well beyond the demands of a typical term paper or individual-study assignment, since the aim is to equip students to do research and writing of respectable, publishable quality in the future.实践方面远远超出了需求,一个典型的文件或个人的学习任务,既然目的是教导学生做研究和写作的尊敬,publishable品质的未来.
The contribution-to-knowledge aspect is intended to make the student's study more than just a learning exercise by using this opportunity to produce valued information or to introduce a point of view not available before.贡献-知识方面是为了使学生的学习不仅仅是一个学习的过程,利用这个机会生产值信息或引进一个角度来看,以前得不到. This aspect is what usually distinguishes a master's thesis from a doctoral dissertation, in that the contribution of the dissertation is expected to be of greater magnitude than that of the thesis.在这方面有什么区别,通常的硕士论文,从博士论文在这贡献的论文,可望有更大的幅度超过了论文.
Sources of Guidance指导来源.
"If I'd known he'd be too busy to be of much help, I would have tried to find a better advisor.""如果我倒知道祂是太忙会有很大帮助,我曾试图寻找一个更好的顾问."
At the outset of your project, it is well to identify potential sources of help and to recognize the advantages and limitations of each.在开始你的项目,它并找出潜在的帮助和承认的优点和局限性,取长补短. Those sources of most value are usually academic advisors, fellow graduate students, experts outside of your own department or institution, you yourself, and the professional literature.这些消息的最大价值,通常学术顾问,研究员研究生专家之外,你自己的部门或者机构,你本人的专业文献.
ACADEMIC ADVISORS学术顾问
Policies for assigning faculty members to supervise students' thesis and dissertation projects can vary from one institution to another and even across departments within the same institution.政策指派老师监督学生论文的项目,可从一个机构到另一个甚至是跨部门的同一机构.
In some cases, the advisor who guides a student's general academic progress automatically becomes the supervisor of the candidate's work on the thesis or dissertation.在某些情况下,顾问指导者,学生的一般学术进展自动成为监候选人的工作论文或论文. Under such a policy, students are relieved of the responsibility of choosing a mentor, but they may unfortunately end up with less than optimal help.在此政策下,学生感到宽慰的责任选择一个导师,但他们可能不幸下场少于最优的帮助. In other cases, an academic advisor will not automatically be assigned, but he or she will be only one of a group of several faculty members from whom a student can choo se a guide.在其他情况下,一个学术顾问,也不会自动被指派但他或她将唯一的一组数学院的成员,其中一名学生可以choo硒的一项指导原则.
Under these circumstances, before students announce their choice of a mentor they can profitably collect several kinds of information about the professors who form the pool of potential advisors.在这种情况下,以前的学生宣布自己选择的导师,他们可以从中获利,收集了几种有关教授构成潜在的论争. Included among the sources of information are fellow students, the professors within the pool, other faculty members, secretaries, research assistants, and the professors' publications.列入信息来源是同学们,老师在池中,其他学院的成员,书记研究助理,并教授的刊物.
Institutions and departments can also differ in the number of faculty members assigned to supervise and evaluate a student's research.机构和部门,也可以有不同的教师人数,负责监督和评估学生的研究. One common pattern at the master's level is to have a three-member committee for each thesis, with the committee chairperson acting as the candidate's principal supervisor.一个共同的规律,在硕士一级的是有一个三人委员会,为每个论文该委员会代行候选人的首席主管. However, in colleges and universities with large numbers of master's degree students, the entire master's project may be directed and assessed by a single faculty member.然而,在高校大量的硕士学位的学生,整个硕士项目,可致电和分摊的单身教师. At the doctoral level, the supervising committee often consists of three to five professors.在博士生层次,监督委员会常常分为4时57分的教授.
In the following paragraphs, we describe kinds of information to seek about potential advisers.在下面的段落中,我们描述的各种信息,寻求潜在的顾问. We then suggest useful sources of each kind.我们竟又有用来源每种.
(The rest of this book can be found at Questia's online libary by clicking here and searching for Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing By R. MURRAY THOMAS and DALE L. BRUBAKER)(其余的这本书可以发现questia的网上图书馆点击这里搜索论文:指导规划,研究和写作4157-1利托马斯0045492油菜技巧)
Kinds of Information to Collect各种资料收集
In learning about the professors in your pool of potential mentors, you will likely find it helpful to discover their (a) fields of interest and expertise, (b) style of advising, and (c) attitudes about appropriate research topics and methods of research.在得知老师您潜在的导师您会发现它有助于找出自己(a)感兴趣的领域和知识,(二)作风吉诺特及(三)态度和合适的研究课题和研究方法.
Fields of interest and expertise领域的兴趣和专长
Obviously, the closer an advisor's area of expertise is to your research problem, the better equipped she or he will be to identify difficulties you may encounter, recommend sources of information pertinent to your topic, and guide your choice of methods for gathering and interpreting data.显然,密切顾问,专长领域是你的研究问题,好装备他或她会找出你的困难,可能遇到的,推荐资料来源与你的课题,并指导你选择的方法,用于收集和解释数据. There are several ways to learn about faculty members' specializations--the titles and contents of classes they teach, their published books and articles, the topics of theses and dissertations produced under their guidance, other staff members' opinions, and other students' experiences with those faculty members.有几种方法,了解facultymembers'specializations--标题及内容,班级授课,他们出版的书籍和文章,专题论文制作其指导下,其他工作人员的意见,和其他学生的经验与师资水平.
The task of deciding how well a potential advisor's interests and skills suit your needs is likely easiest if you already have a specific research problem in mind, or at least if you have identified the general realm you hope to explore.的任务是决定如何以及潜在顾问的兴趣和能力符合你的需要,可能容易,如果你已经有了一个具体的研究问题出发,或者至少如果您已经确定一般的境界,希望你去发掘. If you have no inkling of the kind of topic on which your study will focus, then the next of our selection criteria--style of advising--may become your primary concern.如果你没有觉察什么样的话题,因为你们的研究将重点解决那么今后我们的选择标准--风格advising--可能会成为你的首要关注.
Style of advising风格咨询
Professors vary greatly in how they work with students on theses and dissertations.教授大不相同,它们如何工作和学生论文. Those at one end of a monitoring scale closely control each phase of the student's effort, in some cases dictating what is to be done at every step, then requiring the student to hand in each portion of material for evaluation and correction.那些在一端一个监测规模密切控制每个阶段学生的努力,在某些情况下听写所要做的每一个步骤,然后,要求学生掌握每一部分教材的评价和修改. Advisors at the opposite end of the scale tell students to work things out pretty much by themselves and to finish a complete draft of the project before handing it in for inspection.顾问在年底对面的规模告诉学生,工作起来相当靠自己来完成一个完整的草案项目之前交出武器的视察.
Advisors also vary in how available they are when students need them.顾问也不同,如何提供他们当学生需要它们. Some are frequently away from the campus.有些人常常远离校园. Some require students to make an appointment with a department secretary several days or weeks ahead of time in order to confer about the individual's research.有些要求学生约见部秘书几天或几周的时间,以便授予对个别问题的研究. Others allow students to drop by the office or to phone any time they need help.别人让学生下降了办事处或电话任何时候他们需要帮助. Some answer queries only in their office.有些解答疑问只在自己的办公室. Others permit students to phone them at home.别人允许学生手机在家.
Professors also differ in the way they offer advice and criticism.教授们也有不同的方式,他们所提供的意见和批评. Some are blunt about the shortcomings of a student's effort, perhaps derisive and abusive.有些生硬的缺点,学生的努力,也许嘲笑和辱骂. Others are direct in pointing out weaknesses in the candidate's work, but they do so in a kindly, understanding manner, recognizing that doing serious research is a new endeavor for the student and that mistakes along the way are not only expected but can function as valuable learning opportunities.别人都是直接指出缺点,在候选人的工作,但他们这样做是一种善意,通情达理,承认做认真的研究是一项新的事业,为学生和错误,沿途不只有预期,但可以作为宝贵的学习机会. Yet others are so cautious about potentially hurting a student's feelings that they are reluctant to point out weaknesses in the project and thereby fail to guide their advisees toward correcting the shortcomings of their efforts.还有一些项目是非常谨慎的潜在伤害学生的感情,他们都不愿指出弱点项目,因而未能引导他们走向advisees改正缺点的努力.
Consequently, you will likely find it useful to learn ahead of time about faculty members' styles of directing theses and dissertations--about how closely they monitor steps in the process, how available they are to offer help, and how skillfully they identify deficiencies and suggest solutions without unduly damaging students' egos.因此,你可能会发现,有必要提前学习时间约教职员风格的导演论文--约如何严密监测这些步骤的过程中,如何提供他们提供帮助,如何巧妙他们查明缺陷,并提出解决办法,避免伤害学生的自尊心.
Your best sources of information about advising styles are usually (a) fellow graduate students who are farther along than you are in the thesis or dissertation process and (b) other professors whom you know personally and who are willing to talk about their colleagues' modes of guidance.你最好的消息来源向风格通常(一)研究员研究生人沿着远高于你在论文或论文的过程及(二)其他教授谁你知道自己和谁愿意谈到同事之间的模式指导.
(The rest of this book can be found at Questia's online libary by clicking here and searching for Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing By R. MURRAY THOMAS and DALE L. BRUBAKER)(其余的这本书可以发现questia的网上图书馆点击这里搜索论文:指导规划,研究和写作4157-1利托马斯0045492油菜技巧)
Attitudes toward topics and methodology态度议题和方法论
Faculty members often disagree about what constitutes proper research.教职员往往不知道怎样才是正确的研究. Consequently, you might end up with an advisor whose notions of suitable research topics and methods of investigation are at odds with your own beliefs.因此,你可能落得一个顾问的观念合适的研究课题和调查方法有不睦你自己的信仰. Therefore, three types of information you may wish to seek are your potential advisors' views of (a) quantitative-versus-qualitative methods, (b) positivism-versuspostmodernism perspectives, and (c) basic-versus-applied research.因此,三种类型的信息,你不妨请你的潜在顾问团的意见(一)定量与定性方法,(二)实证--versuspostmodernism观点,以及(三)基本同步的应用研究.
Quantitative-versus-qualitative methods: As these terms are generally used, quantitative research involves amounts, which are usually cast in the form of statistics, but qualitative research does not involve amounts in any strict sense.定量与定性方法:这些词汇一般用来定量研究涉及的金额,通常演员的形式统计但定性研究,并不涉及金额在任何严格意义. Here are titles of projects that might be categorized under each type:这里所列的项目,可能被归类在每一类型:
Quantitative:数量:
Germany's Economic Growth, 1950-2000德国的经济增长,1950-2000
Rural and Urban Educational Achievement in Oregon农村和城市的教育成就,在俄勒冈
Amounts of Public and Private Finance for Welfare Programs数额公共和私人资金用于公益事业
Generational Height and Weight Comparisons--Japan and the USA代代相传的身高和体重比较--日本与美国
The Growth of Tourism--Florida and Alabama旅游业的增长--佛罗里达州和阿拉巴马
Short-Term Effects of Three Antidepressant Drugs短期影响的三个抗抑郁药物
Qualitative:定性:
The Philosophical Foundations of Psychoanalysis哲学基础的精神
Silverado--The History of a Frontier Townsilverado--历史的边城
A Theory of Political Participation一种理论的政治参与
One Week in the Life of a Deaf-Mute一周生活的聋哑
Judaic Foundations of Islamic Doctrinejudaic基金会回教教义
The Present-Day Relevance of William James's Pragmatism现今相关威廉詹姆斯的实用主义
Professors who locate themselves exclusively in the quantitative camp demand that students' research involve the compilation of data in the form of amounts.老教授发现自己完全是在定量阵营要求学生研究涉及的数据汇编在形式的数量. Hence, they reject historical chronicles, philosophical analyses, a line of logic leading to a conclusion, a comparison of the qualities of different societies, the detailed description of an individual's or group's style of life, and the like.因此,他们否定历史记载,哲学的分析,根据他们的逻辑,导致一个结论,比较品质的不同社会中,详细描述了个人或团体的生活方式而喜欢. Furthermore, adherents of quantitative studies sometimes prefer studies that focus on rather large numbers of people, schools, cities, or political constituencies so that broadly inclusive generalizations can be drawn from the research results.此外,信徒的定量研究,有时喜欢研究,集中而大量的人,学校,城市,或政治团体,使包罗广泛的概括,可以得出的研究成果. Such adherents thus disapprove of studies focusing on one autistic person (singlesubject research) or only a few subjects (three autistic children, two schools, four candidates for political office, five neighborhoods) whose results cannot, with confidence, be g eneralized to a wide range of people or events.这些信徒因此不赞成重点研究之一自闭症(singlesubjectresearch)或只有少数科目(三自闭症孩子,两所学校,四个候选人的政治办事处,5个居委会),其结果是不可以,充满自信,是G普遍化了各种各样的人或事件. Proponents of quantitative studies tend to prefer such research methods as controlled experiments and surveys that employ interviews, tests, systematic observations, questionnaires, and quantitative content analysis.倡议者定量的研究都倾向于这样的研究方法,为控制实验和调查,聘请面试,测验系统的观测,进行问卷调查和定量分析. (For arguments supporting the quantitative position, see the following references: Howell, 1997; Shavelson, 1996.)(支持论点的数量位置,见下列参考资料:howell,1997年;shavelson,1996).
In contrast, professors who subscribe strictly to qualitative methodology tend to belittle research that involves what they may refer to as "no more than number crunching" which they feel oversimplifies complex causes, dehumanizes evidence, and fails to recognize individual differences among people, among environments, and among events.相比之下,教授认购严格定性方法往往贬低研究,涉及到什么可以称为"无人数较啃",他们认为过分复杂的原因,妖证据和不承认个别差异人,其中环境,而其中的事件. Advocates of qualitative studies tend to favor such research techniques as historical and philosophical analyses, descriptive observation, case studies, ethnography, and hermeneutics.提倡定性研究倾向于这种研究技术的历史和哲学分析,描述观察,案例研究ethnography,诠释学. (For rationales supporting the qualitative stance, see: Bogdan & Knopp, 1992; Denzin & Lincoln, 1994.)(rationales支持定性的立场,见:波格丹&knopp,1992年;归纳与林肯,1994年).
There are, in addition to the foregoing two polar positions, a great many faculty members who will accept a wide array of research approaches, quantitative and qualitative alike.还有,除上述两个极阵地不少学院成员将接受一系列的研究方法,定量和定性一样. We would count ourselves among their number because, in our opinion, the quantitative-versus-qualitative controversy is really off target.我们将我们自己之间的数目,因为我们认为,定量与定性的争论,实在脱靶. The issue, in our minds, should not be: Are quantitative methods better than qualitative, or vice versa?这个问题,在我们的脑海中,不应:定量分析方法比定性,反之亦然? Instead, the issue should be: Which approach-quantitative, qualitative, or some combination of both--will be the most suitable for answering the particular research question being asked?相反,这一问题应该是:该方法定量定性分析,或者两者兼而有之--将是最适合回答具体的研究问题,被问? This point of view, which respects the contributions that can be made by all sorts of methods, is the one we espouse throughout this book.就这点来看,这方面的贡献,可以通过各种方式,是我们奉行本书中.
However, to be practical about your own situation as a student pursuing a degree in a particular department, what we as the authors of this book believe about the quantitative-qualitative debate is really not important.不过,要切实把自己的情况作为学生修读学位在某一处,我们作为作家的这本书相信对定量定性辩论其实并不重要. What is important is how well your own beliefs match those of the advisors with whom you might conduct your research.最重要的是如何完善自己的信仰媲美的顾问与谁你也许你的行为研究. Thus, a useful twofold question to ask is: Which research methodologies do the potential members of my research-project committee prefer or even accept?因此,一个有用的双重要问的问题是:其中研究方法上做了潜在的各位研究项目委员会的喜欢甚至接受? And how well do my own preferences match the opinions of those professors?如何做好自己的喜好与意见,这些教授? In effect, establishing a good match promotes efficiency, effectiveness, and goodwill in your work with advisors.实际上,建立一个良好的比赛有助于提高效率,效益和商誉,在你们的工作与咨询顾问.
The rest of this book can be found at Questia's online libary by clicking here and searching for Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing By R. MURRAY THOMAS and DALE L. BRUBAKER其余的这本书可以发现questia的网上图书馆点击这里搜索论文:指导规划,研究和写作4157-1利托马斯0045492草技巧