Master's and doctoral students often have unnecessary difficulty with the technical requirements of constructing a research proposal, writing a thesis and submitting it for examination. Students can expect expert supervision in conducting their research and drawing conclusions, but the responsibility for presenting their work in the correct way and in accordance with accepted conventions is theirs alone. This guide has been developed in response to both student's and supervisors' needs. The step-by-step discussion of the entire thesis undertaking spells out information for students that academics often take for granted, and that students often struggle to access on their own.
Developing and submitting a research proposal: Thinking about the research proposal; putting the research proposal together. Negotiating and sustaining the supervision and thesis writing process: Getting off to a good start; working with focus; developing academic discernment. Preparing the thesis for examination: Some information about the parts of the thesis; general advice about writing and presenting a thesis. What a thesis is and what it is not; a checklist for research proposals; examples of a well-constructed (abridged) proposal for a theoretical study and empirical investigation; worksheet for choosing and refining your topic; list of some theoretical positions; examples of a well-constructed and a less satisfactory literature review; research methods and sources; some criteria for judging Master's and Doctoral theses; example of a contract entered into between student and supervisor; some practical suggestions for thesis writing; blocks to critical engagement; example of a title page, abstract, declaration, contents page of a theoretical study and of an empirical study, an endnotes page; administrative process and checklist for submission of theses.
