Course Topics
The core topics of the module will cover: - developing a research plan - identifying a gap in the research and addressing it - defining a problem and formulating research questions - selecting appropriate academic sources - critical thinking - types of theses and the general structure of a thesis: organising a thesis into sections and chapters - writing an introduction - writing literature reviews - in-text citations and referencing - writing the methodology chapter - discussing and presenting data; graphs and tables - discussing results, implications and conclusions - writing the abstract and the acknowledgments - compiling a list of references

Teaching format
Lectures, class discussions, pair and group work, exercises, dissertation/thesis analysis samples, workshops, autonomous study, and writing.

Educational objectives
Students will learn specific research and writing skills related to the writing of academic thesis and will feel more prepared to write their own thesis in English. They will learn how to develop a research plan, how to sequence information into sections/chapters, how to approach writing specific sections such as the literature review, and how to identify and use the linguistic features of academic discourse. Knowledge and understanding - have an understanding of how to develop a research plan, the necessity of identifying a gap in research, defining a problem and formulating research questions - develop an understanding of the structure of an academic thesis in English and the linguistic structures associated with different sections Applying knowledge and understanding - be able to develop a research plan, identify gaps in research, define problems and formulate a research question - plan an academic thesis - produce linguistically appropriate writing for an academic thesis Making judgements - be able to make informed decisions about appropriate lexis and structure when producing (parts of) a thesis - be able to produce an appropriate research plan - be able to design an appropriate thesis structure Communication skills - consider audience when writing - summarise others’ ideas - successfully communicate own ideas, opinions, research data and conclusions in an appropriate way Learning skills - know how to refer to other academic texts as sources of language for their own writing - acquire the skills necessary to produce a written thesis in English autonomously

Assessment
Formative: portfolio of tasks completed during the course Summative: oral exam discussing selected written work

Evaluation criteria
Formative: adequate completion of tasks carried out during the course and evidence of reflection and progression. Summative: i) organisation and cohesion, accuracy of grammar and lexis and appropriacy of register and format of selected written work; ii) ability to reflect on written work and plans for the research and writing of one’s own academic dissertation/thesis

Required readings

Materials will be provided during the course, according to students’ needs. Students may wish to consult the titles in the ‘supplementary readings’ below.

Supplementary readings

Bailey, S. (2017). Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. Routledge.

Cottrell, S. (2014). Dissertations and Project Reports. Macmillan International.

Paltridge, B. (2019). Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors. Routledge.

Turabian, K. (2018). A Manual for Writers. University of Chicago Press.

How to Write a Dissertation, available from:

https://www.routledge.com/go/how-to-write-a-dissertation-freebook/reward

Further information
Lecture slides, online resources, exam assessment criteria, and the tasks for the portfolio will be made available on the OLE platform.