buseco hdr workshop: writing the confirmation report - ms josephine hook
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BusEco HDR workshop:
Writing the Confirmation report Josephine Hook
Research & Learning Coordinator
Monash University Library, Caulfield
Image source: http://freelance-writing.lovetoknow.com/Companies_Hiring_Freelance_Academic_Writers
27 September 2012 BusEco HDR Workshops – Confirmation report
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Outline
1 Confirmation report – written & oral
2 Writing
3 Articulating research
What does a successful PhD student look
like?
What knowledge, understanding, skills,
behaviours and attitudes are required to
carry out excellent research?
Think about the attributes you need to
demonstrate in your confirmation report…
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4 domains
12 sub-domains
63 descriptors
Researcher Development Framework
www.vitae.ac.uk
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1 Confirmation report
Title of research report/thesis
Statement of the research problem(s)
i. introduction
ii. research question or hypothesis
iii. subsidiary questions
iv. review of relevant research and theory
The procedure
i. theoretical and conceptual framework
ii. analytical techniques and research design
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1 Confirmation report cont.
Timetable for completing research report/thesis &
detailed statement of progress to date
Brief bibliography
List of publications produced during probationary
candidature (if applicable)
http://www.monash.edu.au/migr/research-degrees/handbook/chapter-
three/3-9.html
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Purpose of confirmation process
For faculty
To assess whether you have a viable project
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Purpose of confirmation process
For you
To create a pause in the doctoral process – to take stock, to
review and to consolidate focus
To signal the end of the first phase of your candidature –
focus shifts from what you want to say to your readers‟
criteria – „exteriorising‟
To produce a structured piece of writing that articulates
your argument – knowing what the confirmation report
requires and adapting your thinking and writing accordingly
To gain feedback on your research from a wider audience
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2 Writing
What writing have you already done?
Developing a toolbox of skills – rather than waiting for an
„uprush of inspiration‟
What constitutes good writing practice and quality written
product?
– Learning through writing
– Quality through revision
– Regular writing develops fluency
Source: Murray p. 7
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Freewriting & generative writing
Freewriting Generative writing
Write for five minutes Write for five minutes
Without stopping Without stopping
In sentences In sentences
Topic – eg., “What is the „story‟ of
your thesis?”
Useful to revisit a topic from
freewriting
Private writing – no external
reader
Let someone else read it
No structure needed More structured
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DISCUSS SHARE
Brown’s eight questions
Who are the intended readers? (list 3-5 names)
What did I do? (50 words)
Why did I do it? (50 words)
What happened? (50 words)
What do the results mean in theory? (50 words)
What do the results mean in practice? (50 words)
What is the key benefit for readers? (25 words)
What remains unresolved? (no word limit)
Source: http://www.literaticlub.co.uk/writing/articles/write.html
27 September 2012 BusEco HDR Workshops – Confirmation report 11
What can you write about now?
My research question is…(50 words)
Researchers who have looked at this subject are…(50 words)
They argue that…(25 words)
Smith argues that…(25 words)
Brown argues that…(25 words)
Debate centres on the issue of…(25 words)
There is still work to be done on…(25 words)
My research is closest to that of X in that…(50 words)
My contribution will be…(50 words)
Source: Murray, p. 98
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What constitutes scholarly writing?
Students say: concise writing that follows a format; using
correct terminology
Supervisors say: making solid arguments supported by
empirical evidence and theory
Source: Murray p.3
“The synergy between hypothesis, theory and method is
absolutely central to the thesis‟s success”
Source: Lynne Pearce, How to Examine a Thesis, 2005, p. 74, in Murray p.14
The overall thrust of the thesis is the central research
question: “You define the question: you deliver the answer”
Source: Dunleavy p. 20
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3 Articulating your research
The research question/thesis/central argument
Shape your thesis question to showcase your findings, to
draw out their interest and significance – „guesstimating‟
your results and outcomes at the same time as formulating
the topic
Build in some „insurance‟ – what you can say and do if your
research does not go to plan
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Find the research questions in a thesis
Hard copies in the library
Online versions available through ARROW
(Monash) and TROVE (NLA – all theses
http://trove.nla.gov.au/)
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Gap spotting vs problematisation
Frame your thesis around an intellectual problem
Finding the problem provides you with an intellectual focus
– not enough to add to existing literature, or to fill gap
The idea of the French une problematique – translates
roughly to problematising your thesis question
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Five components of the intellectual
problem (Nozick):
1. A goal
2. The existing literature
3. Research methods to change the initial state
4. Constraints
5. Outcome
= a problem has been solved if the initial state has been
changed into an outcome that meets the goal without
breaching the constraints Source: Dunleavy p. 23
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Freewriting to develop research question/s
Spend 5 minutes writing about the problem that you hope
to answer in your research.
Question what you already know. How do you know this?
Are you sure about it? What other possibilities exist?
What questions do you have?
Other prompts for „freewriting‟:
What do you want to write about next?
How does the literature compare with your own views?
What are the questions you currently have about your
project?
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What makes a good research question?
It is CLEAR - easily understood and unambiguous
It is SPECIFIC - specified in such a way that it is clear what constitutes an
answer
It is ANSWERABLE - data be needed to answer the question is clear
It is RELEVANT - worthwhile and non-trivial and worthy of the effort to be
expended on answering it
It is APPROPRIATE - it relates to the problems or issues which interest
the researcher
AND where there is more than one research question:
The questions are RELATED to each other in a meaningful way to
ensure that the research is coherent
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Evaluate your research question
Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to
spark my own thoughts and opinions?
Is the question easily and fully researchable?
What type of information do I need to answer the research question?
Is the scope of this information reasonable?
Given the type and scope of the information that I need, is my question
too broad, too narrow, or okay?
What sources will have the type of information that I need to answer the
research question (journals, books, Internet resources, government
documents, people)?
Can I access these sources?
Given my answers to the above questions, do I have a good quality
research question that I actually will be able to answer by doing
research?
27 September 2012 BusEco HDR Workshops – Confirmation report 20
References
Patrick Dunleavy, Authoring a PhD: how to plan, draft, write, and finish a doctoral thesis
or dissertation, Palgrave Macmillan, UK, 2003
Rowena Murray, How to write a thesis, 2nd ed., Open University Press, Maidenhead,
2006
http://wms-
soros.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/NR/ANZAM/docs/Neil_Paulsen_DevelopResearchQuestions.pd
f
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Want to know more?
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Language and Learning Online
27 September 2012 23 BusEco HDR Workshops – Confirmation report
Librarians
• search for relevant resources for your assignment or research topic
• evaluate and manage your resources
• citing and referencing.
Learning skills advisers:
• Academic reading
• Academic writing
• Note-taking
• Study skills
• Oral communication
• Group work skills
• Exam Preparation
• Citing and Referencing
24
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Visit a Learning Skills Adviser
What do we do?
• Academic language
• Study methods / exam tips
• Reading strategies
• Effective note-taking
• Critical thinking
• Essay / report / thesis writing
• Writing for research projects
• Oral presentation skills
Drop-in sessions
Monday - Friday
12 pm - 2 pm
Monday, Wednesday
5 pm - 7 pm
Email a learning skills adviser
for an individual consultation
27 September 2012 BusEco HDR Workshops – Confirmation report
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