Abstract

This paper mainly sketches a course on Research Method and Thesis Writing. This paper focuses on the procedures employed in communication skills required in producing both the oral and the written reports. In addition to the presentation of a course syllabus, course outline, tentative schedule as well as the course content are also included.

As I observe the research method course offered in Taiwan colleges and universities does not receive the kind of emphasis as I see fit, I wish to share the following course syllabus so that it might be taken into consideration in future curricular planning. This one-semester course is designed with the upper level undergraduate students or graduate students in mind. It should be sufficient to provide the necessary writing and research tools needed in preparing a research paper or a thesis. Ideally, a course following this syllabus should meet two or three hours per week.

A course syllabus will look like the following:

Course description:

This course offers training in the fundamental techniques in research conducting, presentation and writing. Communication skills of both the oral and the written types will be introduced. Special emphasis is given to the procedures employed in writing an objective, well-organized research paper/thesis, the presentation of an oral report and the methods of research.

General objectives:

1. To equip the students with the skills and experience required for writing informational (e.g., summary, abstract, etc.) and analytical (e.g., research paper, thesis, etc.) reports.

2. To equip students with the communication techniques and skills for oral presentations of the report contents.

Specific objectives:

Upon completion of the course, the student will

1. define and clarify research problems;

2. conduct business research;

3. organize information;

4. analyze, synthesize, interpret, and present data under study;

5. write clearly, correctly, concisely, and objectively; and

6. give effective oral presentations of the research findings.

Course outline

1. Introduction to the course

2. Pre-writing process

A. Determining the problem

B. Expressing the problem statement (content, style, mechanics)

C. Analyzing the problem statement

a. Factors (aspects or components)

b. Hypothesis

D. Conducting the informal investigation

a. Talking about the problem

b. Library browsing and preliminary search

E. Writing the proposal

3. Conducting the formal investigation

A. Secondary sources (from the library and published sources)

B. Primary sources (observation, field work, questionnaire, etc.)

4. Writing the research paper or thesis

A. Length

B. Appearance

C. Language

D. Organization (Outline and transitions)

5. Using the "C's" of effective written communication

-- Completeness; Conciseness; Concreteness; Clarity; Correctness

6. Documenting the paper or thesis

A. Source identification

B. Bibliography

7. Illustrating the paper or thesis

8. Presenting orally the findings of the research

Tentative Schedule

Week 1 Introduction to the course

Week 2 Writing process and audience analysis

Weeks 3-4 Writing style

Weeks 5-6 Researching

Week 7 Documentation and the bibliography

Week 8 Arranging and interpreting information

Week 9 Summarizing

Week 10 Outlining

Week 11 Writing proposals

Week 12 Formatting

Week 13 Using visual aids

Week 14 Oral presentation preparation and skills

Week 15 Oral presentations

Course Content

Week 1 Orientation to the course.

1. Definition of a research paper/thesis.

2. Purposes of a research paper/thesis.

3. Characteristics of a research paper/thesis

4. Ethics related to conducting a research.

Week 2 The writing process.

1. An overview of he process: prewriting, writing, postwriting

(see also FIGURE 1 attached)

Preliminary Working Plan

Once you have decided your topic follow these steps:

1). Prepare a problem statement and factors

2). Conduct secondary/library research

3). Revise problem statement and factors

4). Prepare an annotated bibliography

5). Write a proposal or a working plan

6). Revise the proposal

7). Conduct primary/field research

8). Collect and analyze the data

9). Write a draft of the paper

10). Revise and edit the paper

2. Planning the document (see also WORKSHEET FOR PLANNING attached)

Problem statement and audience analysis

1). Clear statement of the problem and purpose of the study

2). Relevant factors of the study

3). Hypothetical context well developed

a. Reader's relationship to the writer

b. Reader's attitude towards the subject

c. Reader's technical level

d. What will the reader know after reading the paper?

e. What will the reader be able to do after reading the paper?

Week 3 Drafting and revising

(see also WORKSHEET FOR DRAFTING AND REVISING attached)

Drafting strategies

1. Prototyping: Construct a short document that contains all the key points that will appear in the longer version. You or someone else may review the document and suggest revisions or refinements.

2. Iterative development: Compose a draft and then make multiple revisions of it, each time focusing on only one element.

3. Spiral development: Develop the most difficult section first and then analyze and revise it. When that section is finished, compose the other, simpler sections.

Revising guidelines

1. State the purpose explicitly.

2. Structure your document hierarchically.

3. Write clear sentences (see Writing Style).

Helpful hints when you get stuck

1. Brainstorming: List every single item, relevant or not, you can think of about your topic.

2. Problem solving: Evaluate your current difficulty in terms of your planning decision and then use your original planning decision to devise a way to move forward.

3. Working on a different section.

4. Decide what you really want to say.

Week 4 Writing style (see also WORKSHEET FOR STYLE attached)

1. Choosing the right word

a. Accurate denotation and appropriate connotation

b. Short, familiar words

c. Reducing sexual bias in writing

2. Making your writing easy to read

a. Tighten your writing

b. Vary sentence length and sentence structure

c. Minimize technical jargon

d. Use active verbs

e. Use strong verbs

f. Use parallel structure

g. Use topic sentence

h. Use specific vivid words

Week 5 Secondary research

1. Published sources of information.

2. Data-base searching.

3. On-line searching.

4. Searching by indirect methods.

5. Taking notes.

Week 6 Primary research

1. Search through special sources.

2. Experimentation.

3. Observation.

4. Field work.

5. Survey: sampling, questionnaire, personal interview etc.

Week 7 Documentation and the bibliography

1. Quoting and paraphrasing.

2. Acknowledging a source of information: when and how.

3. Standard reference forms and bibliographic formats.

Week 8 Arranging and interpreting the data

1. Classify, edit and tabulate information collected via primary research.

2. Fundamentals of interpretations.

3. Fallacious interpretation procedures.

4. Orderly procedures in interpreting the data.

Week 9 Summarizing : writing summaries and abstracts

(see also the attached sheet of SUMMARIZING)

1. Definitions of summaries and abstracts.

2. Planning summaries:

A. Basic summarizing strategies.

B. Choose an organization.

C. Use the usual form. (see also attached)

Week 10 Outlining

1. Uses of outlines.

2. Types of outlines.

3. Planning and writing an outline.

Week 11 Proposal writing

Proposal guidelines

1. Authorization

2. Background information related to the study

3. Problem statement

4. Purpose of the study

5. Scope of analysis (factors)

6. Limitations and delimitations, if relevant

7. Methodology

8. Resources needed (estimate)

9. Time schedule (estimate)

10. A working Bibliography

11. Interview guide/ questionnaire, if applicable

Week 12 Formatting: physical presentation

1. Learn the elements of format: page layout, text features and mechanics etc.

2. Develop a style sheet (see WORKSHEET FOR A STYLE SHEET attached)

Week 13 Visual aids

1. The uses of visual aids.

2. Creating visual aids.

3. Discussing visual aids.

4. Referencing visual aids.

5. Guidelines for effective visual aids.

6. Types of visual aids (tables, line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts etc.)

Week 14 Oral presentation preparation

1. Delivery style (from notes, script, memory, draft etc.)

2. Opening and closing.

3. Visual aids.

4. An effective report of the research findings.

Oral presentation evaluation criteria

1. Verbal: Easy to hear and understand

A. Language

1. Pronunciation and intonation

2. vocabulary and syntax

3. Understanding and answering questions

B. Content

1. Coverage of the topic

2. Organization and logical development

2. Nonverbal

A. Kinetics

1. Eye contact

2. Facial expression

3. Posture and gestures

B. Paralanguage: voice, pause, fillers etc.

C. Appearance

D. Use of the time allowed

3. Miscellaneous

A. Visual Aids

B. Supplement materials (handouts etc.)

Week 15 Oral Presentation:

-- In-class practice based on the paper or thesis prepared for the course.

* All figures and worksheets attached at the end are taken from

Pauley, Steven E. & Daniel G. Riordan. Technical Report Writing Today. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.