thesis writing guide2010

8/8/2019 Thesis Writing Guide2010

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ThesisWritingGuide

TheWritingCenter

American

University

of

Beirut

ThisguidewascomposedfortheWritingCenterbyOlgaHabre,Fall2007.

ThisguidewasreformattedandupdatedbyEmilyCraigheadAbuatieh,Fall2010.


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CONTENTSHOWTOUSETHISMANUAL............................................................................................................3 CONTENTREQUIREMENTSFORTHESIS............................................................................................4 THEPROCESS:PREPARINGANDWRITINGTHETHESIS.....................................................................5 PREPARINGTOWRITETHETHESIS ..................................................................................................6BEREALISTIC ..........................................................................................................................................6

THEWRITINGPROCESS ............................................................................................................................6

CHOOSINGATOPIC.................................................................................................................................. 7

KEEPINGARESEARCHLOG ........................................................................................................................ 7

CONDUCTINGAPRELIMINARYSTUDY ..........................................................................................................7

SCHEDULING...........................................................................................................................................8

CHOOSINGACOMMITTEEANDADVISOR .....................................................................................................8

CHECKLISTBEFOREMOVINGON .................................................................................................................8

WRITINGTHEPROPOSAL ................................................................................................................9PURPOSEOFTHEPROPOSAL ...................................................................................................................... 9

TITLEOFTHEPROPOSAL ...........................................................................................................................9

WRITINGTHEPROPOSAL .......................................................................................................................... 9

BROWSINGSAMPLETHESES ...................................................................................................................... 9

WRITINGTHELITERATUREREVIEW .............................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................10

METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................10

PROPOSALMEETING ..............................................................................................................................10

WRITINGTHETHESIS.....................................................................................................................11 THERESULTSSECTION............................................................................................................................11

TABLESANDGRAPHS..............................................................................................................................11

THEDISCUSSIONSECTION .......................................................................................................................11

CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................11

WRITINGANABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................................11

FORMATTINGTHETHESIS .............................................................................................................12REVISING..............................................................................................................................................12

STYLE ..................................................................................................................................................12

ORGANIZATION .....................................................................................................................................12

CITATIONANDDOCUMENTATION .............................................................................................................12

AUBREQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................................12

COPYRIGHTINGYOURTHESIS........................................................................................................13 TIPSANDADVICE ..........................................................................................................................14THETHESISDEFENSE.....................................................................................................................15 OTHERHELPFULRESOURCES.........................................................................................................16 APPENDICES..................................................................................................................................17

APPENDIX1:THESISPROPOSALOUTLINES .................................................................................................17

APPENDIX2:SAMPLEPAGES ...................................................................................................................19


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HowtoUsethisManualWritinga thesiscanbebothadifficultandexciting task.Yet thecreativityof theproject,

thoroughnessof theresearch,and insightof theanalysisareonlypartof thework.Many

graduate

students

are

not

sure

how

to

begin,

what

to

put

into

a

thesis,

and

how

to

organize

the work. This booklet is a comprehensive guide to writing a thesis at the American

UniversityofBeirut. Although it isspecificallycateredtomasterstheses,thismanualcan

alsoserveasaguideforthosecompletingPh.D.dissertationsandotherwritingprojects.

Areyouhavingproblems thinkingofa topic?Checkout ThePreparationStage section.

Have you gotten started, but are having problems actually writing and organizing your

thesis?Takea lookatTheWritingStagesegment. Ifyouvedone thewritingbutarent

surewhatitshouldlooklike,youmaywanttoconsultTheFormattingStage.

Alongwithstepstowritingyourthesis,thishandbook introducesandexplainsthedefense

of

the

thesis

in

the

Submitting

and

Defending

section.

Guidance

from

your

advisor

is

essential,butyoullfindtheanswerstoyourbasicquestionsanduncertaintieshere.

DisclaimerThisguidewaswrittenfortheAUBWritingCenter,andisintendedasasupplement,notasa

substitute

for

AUBs

official

Thesis

Manualthe

university

guidelines

for

submitting

a

thesis,postedontheJafetLibrarywebsiteat:

http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/thesismanual.htm


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ContentRequirementsforThesisBlankpage RequiredTitlepage RequiredThesis

approval

page

Required

Thesisreleaseform Required

Acknowledgements Ifany

Abstract RequiredPreface Optional

Tableofcontents RequiredListoffigures/illustrations Ifany

Listoftables Ifany

Listofabbreviations Ifany

Glossary Ifany

PreliminaryPages

Dedication Ifany

Introduction

Literaturereview

Methodology

Results

Discussion

BodyofText

Conclusions

Required;

Organized

accordingto

conventionsof

specific

disciplines

Appendix Ifany

FootnotesandEndnotes Ifany

Bibliography/References/WorksCited RequiredEndPages

Index Ifany


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TheProcess:PreparingandWritingtheThesisWritinga thesis canbe complicated,but itdoesnthave tobe.Often,graduate students arenot

familiarwiththeprocessthatgoes intowritingandsubmittingathesis.Here isabasicoverviewof

whatstocome:1.Preparingforthethesismaytakeasmucheffortasthethesisitself.Itisimportantthatyouhavea

topicwhich isboth interesting toyou (youwillbespendinga lotof timeon it!)and realistic;you

shouldhaveanideaofwhatyouaregettingyourselfintobeforeyoustart.Preparationalsoinvolves

pickinganadvisorandacommitteeinfrontofwhomyouwilldefendyourthesis.

2. Writing a thesis proposal is the first formal writing step in the process. The proposal cansometimes be the first three chapters of the thesis (the introduction, literature review and

methodology),orattheveryleast,theirbeginnings.Whenaproposalhasbeenwritten,aproposalmeeting,ordefense,takesplacebetweenyouandthecommitteemembers inordertoverifythat

yourresearchplanisacceptable.

3.After

the

research

or

experiment

has

been

thoroughly

completed,

the

remaining

sections

of

the

thesisneedtobecomposed.Theseareusuallydivided intotheresults,discussion,andconclusions

chapters.

4.Onceyouvewrittenthethesis,youwillneedtowriteanabstracttoaddtothebeginning.

5.With the important thoughtsonpaper, you should consider theformatting aspect ofwriting:

style,generalorganizationandothertechnicaldetailsofthethesis.Therearealsocertainuniversity

requirementsofpaper,size,andotherlogisticalfeaturesthatneedtobecompleted.

6.After the thesis iscomplete,youwillneedtosubmit thethesis toyouradvisorandcommittee

members in advance, to give them a chance to read it before your defense. The actual thesisdefenseisapresentationofyourwork,followedbyquestioningbythecommittee.

GeneralResourcesTheAssociationforSupportofGraduateStudentshttp://www.asgs.org/

FirstThoughtstoFinishedWritinghttp://www.sss.uq.edu.au/linkto/phdwriting/

WritingandPresentingyourThesisandDissertation,byS.JosephLevinehttp://learnerassociates.net/dissthes/

TheWritingCenter,UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html

WritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDaybyJoanBolker,availableinAUBJafetLibrary


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PreparingtoWritetheThesisWriting a thesis is different frommany of the previous things youmay have done because it is

almost entirely defined by you and you have the freedom to do research an area of your own

interest. Itisimportantforyoutohavealotofacademic,aswellasemotionalsupport,duringthis

time,whether

from

your

advisor,

your

fellow

Masters

or

Ph.D.

candidates,

or

others.

BeRealisticIt isessentialtoberealisticaboutwritingyour thesis.Thethesis isanacademicrequirement,and

muchofitspurposelies initsprocessandwhatyou learnfromit.Second,itis importanttorealize

howmuchtimeyouarewillingtospendonthisprojectandtoactaccordingly.Ifyouraimistohave

astudythat lastsforyearsandyouhavethemeansandwilltodo it,thenforgeahead! However,

thinktwicebeforejumping intoastudythatyouwillbeunabletocomplete. Itsalso importantto

haveatopicwhichisnarrowenoughtobemanageable.

TheWritingProcessNeedlesstosay,yourthesiswill involvea lotofwriting.Ifyouareunsureofyourskillsasawriter,

perhaps you should brush up on your knowledge of the writing process.Writing is more than

copyingdownwords.Therearecertainstepsthatmustbe followedtoensurethatyourwriting is

coherent and clear. An important idea to remember is thatwriting is a process; you should be

writing throughout theprocess,notjustwhen the timecomes to turn ina finishedproduct. Its

helpful to keepanotebookof ideasand roughdraftsathandandcontinuouslywritedown your

thoughts.

TheWriting Center at AUB is a good place to go if you need any kind of help inwriting, from

brainstorming,organizing,editing,ortutorials ingrammarandmechanics.Somewebsitesthatwill

helpyouinthewritingprocessare:

TheAUBWritingCenterhttp://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webwrite/index.html

WestHall,Room336

AUBextension3157

Email:[email protected]

TheOWL(OnlineWritingLab)atPurdueUniversityhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

WritingforChangebyAlanBarker,FirozeManil,andJudithCharltonhttp://www.idrc.ca/IMAGES/books/WFC_English/WFC_English/

TheWritingCenteratPrincetonUniversityhttp://webware.princeton.edu/sites/writing/writing_center/wcwritingresources.htm


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ChoosingaTopicThefirststepinanywritingprocessistochooseatopiconwhichtowrite.Ifyouarenotsureabout

howtostart,which is likelytobethecase,youshouldtrybrainstorming. Itsagood ideato read

relevantarticlesandbooksthatcoverthegeneralareaofyourstudy.Articlesareavailablethrough

AUBlibrariesathttp://olib.aub.edu.lb/cgibin/jl_w207.sh.Thenthinkofallpossibleideas,anddont

leaveanything

out;

you

never

know

how

one

idea

might

lead

to

another.

Dont letotherpeople interferewithyouoryour ideas inanegativeway.Afterall,thisresearch is

yours,soyoushouldbemakingallthedecisions.Beascreativeasyoucanbe,andmostimportantly,

write all your thoughtsdown.Whatmay seem like a doubtful ideaonemomentmay eventually

becomemoreandmorepromising.Writingdown ideashelpsyou to remember themandmakes

themmoreconcrete,somethingyoucanaddtoandbuildon.

Thefollowingwebsitesmayalsobehelpful:

"SomeThoughtsonDissertationProposalWriting,"byChrisM.,Goldehttp://chris.golde.org/filecabinet/disspropose.html

KeepingaResearchLogAfteryouhavesome ideaofwhatyouwanttodo,anotherhelpfulsuggestionmightbetokeepa

recordofrelevantorpotentiallyrelevantliterature.Thiswayitwillbeeasierforyoutoactuallyget

towriting.Youcanwritedownnamesofbooksandcitations,photocopyarticles,andorganizethem

accordingtocategories.

ForhelpwithresearchatAUB,youcanvisittheJafetLibraryandattendaThesisClinic:

http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/tclinics/tclinics.htm

Youcanalsocreateyourowndatabaseofelectronicresources(RefWorks)atAUB. Tolearnhowto

usethis

citation

software,

consider

scheduling

an

appointment

with

alibrary

specialist.

Youmayalsowanttoscheduleoneononeappointmentswithlibraryspecialiststohelpyoulocate

informationonyourtopicinallthelibrarysresources,includingprintandelectronicresources. To

fillouttheappointmentrequestformvisit:

http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/forms/instrform.html

ConductingaPreliminaryStudyIts issmart tohaveapreliminarystudy thatprecedesyourofficial research.Thiswillgiveyouan

ideaofwhatyourthesismightbe,howmuchtimeyouwillneed,orifyouliketheideaatall.Useit

asanexperimenttotestoutsomeideasyouhave.


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SchedulingKeepingascheduleisakeyaspectofwritingathesis.Creatingaroughtimelineorchecklistwillhelp

you focusondeadlines,universitydetermineddeadlinesand/orthoseyouveset foryourself. It is

alsohelpful toput this timeline inaplacewhereyouwillalways see it, inorder tobeconstantly

remindedofyourwork.

Youmightthinktoorganizeyourtimelineshouldintofivesections:

1. preparingforthethesis2. writingaproposal3. conductingresearch4. writingthethesis5. revisingthethesis

Giveyourselfenoughtimeforeachsectionandstayonschedule!

Thefollowingwebsitemaybehelpfultoyou:

TheWritingCenter,UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html

ChoosingaCommitteeandAdvisorChoosingacommitteeandadvisor isanothercrucial step in theprocessofpreparingyour thesis.

Whetheryoupickanadvisorfirstandthenchooseatopicwiththeirhelp,orpickatopicandthen

choose a suitable advisor, isup to you.Regardless, a good advisor canbe a veryuseful asset in

helpingtodirectyouthroughyourthesiswritingaswellastoguideandsupportyourideas.Agood

advisorwill have time to listen and respond thoughtfully. An advisory committee needs to be

chosenaswell; itsbesttopickpeoplewhoareencouragingofyour ideasandwillhelpyourather

thanharmyouduringyourwritinganddefense.

Checklistbeforemovingon1. AmIfamiliarwithresearchdonebyotherpeopleinmyfieldofresearch?2. DoIhaveaclearunderstandingofthestepsIwilltaketoconductmystudy?3. DoIhavetheabilitytogetthroughthestepsandcompletemystudy?4. AmImotivatedtogetthroughmyentireresearchstudy?

Ifyouansweredyestoallofthesequestions,thenyouareprobablyreadytomoveontothenext

stage:writingtheproposal!


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WritingtheProposalPurposeoftheProposalThepurposeofaproposalistoexplaintothecommitteeatyourproposalmeeting,thetype,scope,

andnatureofyourresearch.Theproposalisthefoundationofthethesis.

Writingaproposal isthefirstformalstep inwritingthethesis. It is importantnottorush intothis

beforeclearlydefiningyourideasandcompletingeachstepofthepreparationstageproperly.

TitleoftheProposalYourproposal should includeaworking title, that is,one thatmaybechanged later.Agood title

mentionsthemostimportantkeytermsinthebeginningandusesclear,unambiguousphrasing.

WritingtheProposalAproposaliswritteninfuturetenseandusuallyconsistsofthefirstthreechaptersofthethesis:the

introduction, literaturereviewandmethodology.Although it ishelpfultowritethefullchaptersat

this

point

and

not

pile

up

the

work,

many

people

do

not

actually

write

the

full

three

chapters.

A

solid

foundationforthechaptersissatisfactory.

BrowsingSampleThesesAgoodwaytostartwritingaproposalistoreadanexampleofonetogetanideaofwhatitshould

looklike.Youradvisorshouldhavesomeoldproposalsforyoutoexamineoryoucouldfindthemon

yourownattheAUBlibrariesusingthefollowinglink:

http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/how/find_thesis.pdf.

YoucanalsoaccessDigitalDissertationathttp://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/gateway.This isan

onlinedatabaseofthesescompleted intheUSandEuropewhichoffersa24pagepreviewofthe

thesisfor

free.

It

will

give

you

achance

to

see

what

topics

people

outside

of

Lebanon

are

writing

aboutaswellastheformatstheyusefortheirtheses.

WritingtheLiteratureReviewTheliteraturereviewallowsyoutoprocesstheavailableresearchrelatedtoyourtopic.Thisiswhere

your research log of relevant literature will come in handy. The literature review should be a

comprehensivereviewofalltheresearchthatsbeendoneinthefieldofyourstudy.Youshouldnot

simply summarize books and articles in your literature review, but insteadmention key issues,

researcherstheories,experiments,andproposedstudiesinthisfield.

Thesewebsiteshelpspecificallyinwritingaliteraturereview:

"TheLiteratureReview:AFewTipsonConductingIt,UniversityofTorontohttp://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specifictypesofwriting/literaturereviewTheWritingCenter,UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillhttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html


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IntroductionThe introduction describes your thesis briefly. The introduction will include the background

information, theproblemyour studyaddresses,a rationale forwhyyour research isneeded,and

what you plan to research. You also need to state the research questions thatwill guide your

research.Theywilllinkbetweenyourresearchandpreviousresearch.

MethodologyThenyoucanmoveontothemethodologysectionofyourproposal.Methodologyshouldbechosen

carefully;considerallofyouroptionsbeforechoosinghowyouwillproceedwithyourexperimentor

analysis. Sometimes youwill even be able to use combinedmethodology or develop your own

instruments. Ifyouhavefinancialneedsforyourexperimentoranalysis,besuretobudgetforyour

methodology.

Themethodology sectiondescribeshowyour researchwillbeperformedand theprocessyougo

through. This includes the typeof researchmethodsaswell as a stepbystepdescriptionof the

research. You can alsodiscuss the differentmaterials and apparatuses youwilluse in the study,

includinganything

from

surveys

in

the

social

sciences,

to

raw

materials,

or

chemicals

and

equipment

inthehardsciences.Youwillalsoneedtodiscusstheparticipants ifrelevanttoyourstudy): how

youchoose them,onwhatbasis,who theyare,background information,etc.Discussinghowyou

plantoanalyzeyourdata isalso important.Youmayalsomentionwhenandwhereyourresearch

willbeconducted.

Eachdepartmentmayhavedifferentguidelines for this sectionof the thesis so it is important to

checkwith your advisor. InAppendix1 youwill find five sampleproposals fordifferent types of

studies.

ProposalMeetingOnce

you

have

finished

writing

athesis

proposal,

you

will

need

to

submit

one

to

the

deans

office,

as

wellastomembersofyourcommitteeforyourproposalmeeting.Planforyourmeetingwell;bythe

endoftheproposalmeeting,thecommitteeshouldfullyunderstandthatyouarereadytotakeon

thetaskofmovingforwardwithwellplannedresearch.


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WritingtheThesisAfter youhave finished theproposal and collecteddata, you shouldbeginwriting the thesis. Its

reasonabletostartwritingwhateverpartofthethesisyoufeelmostcomfortablewith.Youcanthen

movesectionsaroundandsequencethemasyouseefit. Atthispointyouwillneedtochangethe

tenseof

your

methodology

section

to

past

tense,

to

reflect

what

you

have

already

done.

You

may

needtoeditoraddtoyouroriginalproposalandmakeitintothethesis.

Theorganizationalformatprovidedinthismanualisasuggestedmeansoforganizingthethesis,but

isnotnecessarilyrequired foralldepartments.Remember,yourthesisadvisor is thegotoperson

foreverythingregardingyourthesis!

TheResultsSectionInthissection,youwillneedtostate theresultsofyourresearchwithoutdiscussingthem.There

maybegraphs,tables,figures,etc.,allofwhichyouneedtodescribe.Thissectionmaybeoptional

andvariesdependingonthedisciplineanddepartment.

TablesandGraphsMake sure you introduce anddescribe all graphs and figures in your text (youwill also need to

discusstheminthediscussionsection). Usesimilarwordingtodescribesimilargraphsforthesake

of clarity. At early stages in thewriting, keep the graphs simple or even handwritten.Creating

graphsonthecomputerwillonlytaketime,andmaynotbeusedormaybemodified;dontwaste

yourtimenowyoucanalwayscreatecomputergeneratedgraphsforthefinalproduct. Asection

inthepreliminarypagesshouldbededicatedtoalistoffiguresandgraphsinyourthesis.

TheDiscussionSectionIn the discussion section, youwill need to discuss the previouslymentioned results. You should

addressyourresearchquestionsandexplainhowyourresearchrelatestopreviousresearch.

ConclusionsIntheconclusionssection,makesure thatyouarediscussingoraddingsomethingnewabout the

research, and notjust restating the discussion chapter. Help the reader understand what your

researchmeansor implies.Writeabouthow thekey ideas inyour thesiscanbeapplied toother

fieldsofstudy.Sometimesthissectionisdonebestaftertakingabreakfromtherestofthethesis.

Beforeyoufinish,gobacktothebeginningofyourthesis,tothe introduction,andmakesurethat

everythingyousaidyouwouldcover iscompleted.Makesure thattheconcepts intheconclusion

arepresentedintheintroduction.Deliverwhatyoupromise!

WritinganAbstractAn

abstract

is

avery

brief

summary

of

the

main

points

of

your

research

that

will

be

placed

at

the

beginningofyourthesis.Itisimportanttoidentifytheresearchquestionsthatyoudealwithinyour

thesis. Makesureitcontainsthestatementoftheproblem,describesmethodsandprocedures,and

brieflyintroducestheresultsandconclusions.Thepurposeofanabstractistogiveotherresearchers

anideaofwhatyourthesisisabout.Givingtherightinformationinanabstractisimportantbecause

itwill informyourreadersaboutyourthesisquickly,allowingthemtodecidewhetherornot it is

relevantfortheirownresearch.Anabstractisusuallymaximumonepagelong,andoftenevenless.

Checkwithyourdepartmentfordetails.


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FormattingtheThesisRevisingRevisingisoftennotgiventheimportanceitdeserves.Makesureyoureviseyourthesisadequately

before submitting it.Revisioncanbeperformedonorganization, ideas,grammar,usage,etc.You

canget

help

from

aprofessional

editor

or

simply

have

peers

read

over

your

work.

The

AUB

Writing

Centerisagoodplacetogotohavesomeonereadyourwritingandhelpyoutorevisewhatyouve

written;afreshperspectiveisusuallyhelpfulingivingnewideasandrefiningoldones.

StyleThereisnospecificlengththatathesisneedstobe,buteachdepartmentmayhavespecifications;

youradvisorwillhelp youdecide thenumberofpages.All thesesneed tobewritten in English,

except theses in theArabicdepartment.Arabic thesiswriting stylesare the sameas theones for

English.Thepartsofthethesisthatrefertoresearchthathasalreadybeendoneshouldprobablybe

written inpasttense. Makesuretouseclearandunambiguouswords inyourwriting.Keepusing

thesametermsthroughouttorefertothesameconcept;itwillhelpkeepyourwritingclear.

Forspecific

questions

regarding

style,

contact

the

Archives

and

Special

Collections

Department

by

e

[email protected],orbytelephone(961)1350000ext.2609/10.

OrganizationThethesisshouldbedividedinto:preliminarypages,text,andendpages.Eachofthesepartsmaybe

dividedintosections.Acleartableofcontentsshouldexplaintheorganizationofthethesis.

CitationandDocumentationCitation isthedocumentingofothersourcesused inyourresearch.Differentdepartmentsrequire

differentcitationstyles.SomemayrequireAPA,othersMLA,stillotherstheChicagoorotherstyles.

Refertoyourdepartmentforinformationoncitationstyle.Ifnostyleisspecified,youshouldusethe

Turabianstyle.

References

on

how

to

use

these

styles

can

be

found

in

the

AUB

libraries

and

on

the

AUBWritingCenterwebsite.

AUBRequirementsTherearecertainrequirementsthatneedtobemet foryourthesistobeacceptedbyAUB.These

includesubmissiondeadlines,numberofcopies,size,paper,typeface,styleandform,organization,

andmuchmore.

Pleasevisitthefollowingwebsiteformoreinformationonthesissubmittingrequirements:

http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/thesismanual.htmDont

wait

until

the

last

minute

to

make

sure

your

thesis

is

formatted

correctly.

Visit

the

Archives

andSpecialCollections(ASC)DepartmentinJafetLibrary,fromMondaytoFriday,8:00am.to5:00

pmor contact themby email [email protected],orby telephone (961)1350000 ext.2609/10 for

questionsandcomments.Thisisalsotheplacetogoforthesissubmission.

Visitthefollowingsiteforquickguidelinesonformattingyourthesis:

http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/how/how.htm#11


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CopyrightingYourThesisAUBgivesstudentstocopyrighttheirthesesfortwoyears.

In the required release form at the beginning of the thesis, students can choose between two

options:

1.AuthorizetheAmericanUniversityofBeiruttosupplycopiesofmythesis/dissertation/projectto

librariesorindividualsuponrequest.

or

2. Do not authorize the American University of Beirut to supply copies of my

thesis/dissertation/projecttolibrariesorindividualsforaperiodoftwoyearsstartingwiththedate

ofthethesis/dissertation/projectdefense.


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TipsandAdvice(adaptedfromJoanBolkersWritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDay)

GettingStartedSometimesgettingstarted isthehardestpart.Hereafewtipstohelpyougetan ideaofwhatyou

wantto

do

1. Whenthinkingofathesistopic,thinkofwhathasinterestedyouinthepast,whatappealstoyou,andwhatyouwould liketoexplorefurther. Determinewhatkindofresearchothers

findinterestingandenjoyabletostudyandread.

2. Askforhelpfromyouradvisorandpeersandbeawareofwhatsourcesareavailableinyourfieldatthelibrary.Youradvisorcangiveyouhelpfulfeedbackonideasthatarefeasibleand

manageable,aswellasonesthatmaybetooextravagantandunrealistic.

3. Sometimesyoumaywanttopursueatopicthatishighlypopularatthemoment.Likewise,youmaywanttopursueanareaofresearchthat isrelativelynew,andthereforepossibly

contributesomething

new

and

exciting

to

the

field.

WhenYoureStuckSoyourewritingyourthesisanddoingfine,andthensuddenlyyougetwritersblock!Thefollowing

ideasmighthelpyougetoveryourwritersblock:

1. Takeabreak:maybeyoujustneeda15minute,orevenafewdaysbreak. Butdorespectyourdeadlines.

2. Make sure the goals you are setting for yourself are realistic. Having extremely highexpectationsforyourselfisoverwhelming.

3. Rereadwhatyouvewrittenalreadyandseeifanyinterestingpointsjumpoutatyou.Trytocommenton themand see if it takes you somewhere. Or look further into someof the

smallerconceptsyouvetalkedabout.Trytodigdeeperandseeifitwilltakeyouforward.

4. Inthefuture,endyourwritingatapointthatwillbeeasytopickupagainthenexttimeyouwrite.Writebeforeyoudoanythingelse;giveitpriority.

5. Considermeetingwith a colleague orwriting center tutor to discuss your research andwhereyoumightproceedfromthispoint.

InterruptionsInterruptions can be anything from a failing hard drive on a computer, to lackofmotivation, to

gettingsick.

Thefollowingarethingsyoucandointhecaseofaneventbeyondyourcontrol:

1. Planoutwhatyoucanandcannotdoaboutthesituation.2. Askyourselfifthiswilldelayyourthesisorcauseyounevertofinishit.3. Dontpanic.

IMPORTANTNOTE:Always keephard copy versionsof your thesis! Periodically,printoutahard

copyofyourthesisandkeepitinasafeplace!


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TheThesisDefensePreparingfortheDefenseAlthoughthenamethesisdefensesounds likesomethingfrightening, it isactuallyjustameeting

whereyou

will

explain

your

thesis

and

answer

questions;

you

do

not

actually

need

to

defend

yourself. Trytoattendathesisdefensetoseeexactlywhatitislike.Ifthatisnotanoptioninyour

department,askothersthathavegonethroughittodescribetheexperienceandgivetheiradvice.

Discussresearchwithotherswhomaybring insight intoyourpaper.Thequestionstheyaskcould

helpyouseewhereyouhaveaproblem.

Itsbesttoonlyallowyouradvisortoreadyourthesisasyouarewrite it;sticktothesuggestions

he/shemakes. Its better not to give copies of your thesis to your committee before you have

finishedwriting. Youmay think thiswillhelp,but if twomembersof the committeedisagreeon

something,youmayhaveaproblempleasingeverybody.

Makesure

to

meet

with

your

advisor

to

discuss

how

to

prepare

for

your

defense.

DuringthedefenseItshelpfultorememberthatthethesisdefenseismeanttobecriticalofyourwork.Agoodruleof

thumb is toansweronlyquestions,andnotcomments. Answeringeverythingsaid inthedefense

willonlymakeyoufrustratedandwontbehelpful. Instead,calmlysaythankyou,writeanotefor

yourselftocheckoverthispointlater,andproceedwiththedefense.

Although itshardtodetachyourself fromsomethingyouveputsomuchwork into,thiswillsave

you time,energy,andemotions.Youmayalsowant to tape recordyourdefenseso thatyoucan

actuallylistentothecommentsandleavethenotetakingforlater.


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OtherHelpfulResourcesBolker,Joan.WritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDay.NewYork:HenryHoltand

Company,1998.(AvailableinJafetLibrary)

Gibaldi,Joseph.TheMLAStyleManualandGuidetoScholarlyPublishing.NewYork:Modern

LanguageAssociationofAmerica,1998.

Crews,KennethD.CopyrightLawandtheDoctoralDissertation:GuidelinestoYourLegalRightsand

Responsibilities.AnnArbor:UniversityMicrofilms,Inc.,1992.

Day,RobertA.HowtoWriteandPublishaScientificPaper.5thed.Boulder,Colorado:NetLibrary,

Inc.,2000.Electronicaccess:http://encompass.library.cornell.edu/cgi

bin/scripts/ebooks.cgi?bookid=7615.

Murray,Rowena.HowtoWriteaThesis.Philadelphia:OpenUniversityPress,2002.(Availablein

Reference

section

of

Jafet

Library)

PublicationManualoftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation.6thed.Washington,D.C.:American

PsychologicalAssociation, 2009.

Strunk,William,Jr.,andE.B.White.TheElementsofStyle.4thed.Boston:AllynandBacon,1999.

TheChicagoManualofStyle.15thed.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,2003.

Turabian,KateL.AManualforWritersofTermPapers,Theses,andDissertations.6thed.Chicago:

TheUniversityofChicagoPress,1996.

GraduatestudiesintheFAFS:http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~webfafs/pdf/graduate_manual.pdf

GraduatestudiesintheFEA:http://webfea

lb.fea.aub.edu.lb/ece/pages/public/Internal.aspx?tab=Static&Page=academics_graduate__manual


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APPENDICESAppendix1:ThesisProposalOutlines

ExampleOutlinesforFiveTypesofProposalsThe following five proposal outlines are modified from those listed by the Southern

Connecticut StateUniversity School ofGraduate Studies in their Revised Thesis Proposal

RequirementsandGuidelinesdatedMay1999.

ANOUTLINEOFANINVESTIGATIVEOREXPERIMENTALSTUDYA. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction

1. Statementofpurpose(s)2.

Literature

review

Relationship

of

study

to

related

research

and

analysis

of

pertinentresearch

3. StatementofneedorrelevanceofthestudyD. Methodology

1. Experimentaldesign(includemethodsandmaterials)

2. Subjectstobeused,ifappropriate

3. Measures used (surveys, interviews, psychological instruments, protocols,etcetera)

4. PlanfortheanalysisofdataE. ListofReferences

ANOUTLINE

OF

A

DESCRIPTIVE

OR

HISTORICAL

STUDY

A. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction

1. Statementofpurpose(s)2. Literature review Relationship of study to related research and analysis of

pertinentresearch

3. StatementofneedorrelevanceofthestudyD. Methodology

1. Researchplan2. Proposedchapterdevelopmentwithdiscussionofmajorsubheadings

E. ListofReferences


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ANOUTLINEOFANINTERPRETIVE,ANALYTICALORCRITICALSTUDYA. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction

1. Summaryoftheargumentanditssignificanceasacontributiontoknowledge2. Reviewofthecriticismandscholarlyliteratureonthesubject

D. MethodologyDescriptionoftheanalytical,critical,or interpretativemethodsandthetheoreticalapproachesthatwillbeused

E. ListofReferences

ANOUTLINEOFACREATIVESTUDY*A. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction

1. A clear, concise description of the nature and themes of the final creativeproduct

2.An

explanation

of

why

a

creative

thesis

was

chosen

and

why

the

specific

form

andgenrewereselected

D. MethodologyAbriefdiscussionofthemajorelementsofthecraftthatwillbeusedandhowthey

willbeusedtoachievecertainaimsoreffects.

E. ListofReferences*Examplesofresearchcreativemethods:ArtProject,MusicRecital,orCurriculumDevelopment

ANOUTLINEOFAQUALITATIVESTUDY*A. TitleofproposedthesisB. AbstractoptionalC. Introduction

1. Statement of purpose and/or a description of the phenomenon to be studiedincludingitssignificancetothefieldofstudyandresearchquestions.

2. Review of relevant research as appropriate to methodology used (includeresearcher'sperspective)

A. Methodology1. Sampleselection2. Datagatheringtechnique3. Dataanalysismethods4. Limitations5. Ethicalconsiderations

E. ListofReferences

*Examples of research using qualitative methods: phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded

theory,philosophicalinvestigations

adaptedfrom

http://www.tamucommerce.edu/honors/documents/Thesis_Proposal_Guidelines.doc


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Appendix2:SamplePages

BlankPage


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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT

THESIS/DISSERTATION FULL TITLE

by

STUDENT FULL NAME

A thesis

submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Artsto the Department of English

of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

at the American University of Beirut

Beirut, Lebanon

Month Year


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THESIS/DISSERTATION FULL TITLE

by

STUDENT FULL NAME

Approved by:

[Signature]

______________________________________________________________________

[Dr. Full Name, rank] Advisor

[Department]

(as listed in AUB Catalogue of current year)

[Signature]

______________________________________________________________________

[Dr. Full Name, rank] Member of Committee

[Department]

[Signature]

______________________________________________________________________

[Dr. Full Name, rank] Member of Committee[Department]

Date of thesis/dissertation defense: [Month Day, Year]


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PROJECT FULL TITLE

by

STUDENT FULL NAME

Approved by:

[Signature]

______________________________________________________________________

[Dr. Full Name, rank] First Reader

[Department]

(as listed in AUB Catalogue of current year)

[Signature]

______________________________________________________________________

[Dr. Full Name, rank] Second Reader

[Department]

Date of project presentation: [Month Day, Year]


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THESIS/DISSERTATION/PROJECT RELEASE FORM

I, [Name of Student in full]

authorize the American University of Beirut to supply copies of my

thesis/dissertation/project to libraries or individuals upon request.

do not authorize the American University of Beirut to supply copies of my

thesis/dissertation/project to libraries or individuals for a period of two years starting

with the date of the thesis/dissertation/project defense.

Signature

Date

(Check whichever wording is applicable)N.B. This form is signed when submitting the thesis to the Archives Librarian.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks are for Mrs. Diana Abi Said, Miss Mona Al-Sayed for their great helpin the computer work and for Mr. Mohammed Naja for his assistance in the technical work.

My recognition and gratitude are addressed to INRA-FRANCE (Institut National de

Recherche Agronomique) for its financial support and for providing tomato seeds, and to

Debbaneh Frres company for providing the greenhouse and tomato seeds.


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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF

Rami Ali Dalloul for Master of ScienceMajor: Poultry Science

Title: National Salmonella Surveillance in Poultry Breeders: Antimicrobial

Susceptibility, Virulence, and Molecular Studies

Salmonella organisms were isolated from chicken breeding farms of four provinces

of Lebanon. Twelve out of 800 samples collected in the surveillance were positive forSalmonella. The biochemical characters of the 12 Salmonella isolates from chicken breeding

farms were matching with the genus Salmonella. The somatic and flagellar antigens of the 12

Salmonella isolates were identified and compared to Kauffman-White-Scheme for

Salmonella serotypes. Seven isolates were S. blegdam and the other five isolates were S.

paratyphi B var odense.

The antimicrobial resistance pattern of Salmonella isolates from chickens were

compared to isolates of the same serotype from humans. Among the 9 antimicrobial agents

tested in vitro for effectiveness against Salmonella isolates, only gentamicin and polymyxin

B were 100% effective against chicken and human isolates. There was variation in the

effectiveness of the other antimicrobial agents against Salmonella of chickens versus those of

humans.

S. blegdam was highly virulent in day-old chicks in comparison to S. paratyphiB

var odense and the reference S. typhimurium.

Using the Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis technique, the

protein profiles ofS. paratyphi B var odense from chickens showed a similar banding pattern.

The protein profiles ofS. moscow from chickens showed similarity to isolates from humans.

The protein profile ofS. blegdam from chickens and humans were similar. A clear difference

in banding patterns was present in some S.typhimurium isolates from chickens and humans

showed similarity in protein profiles.


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CONTENTS (A)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .. v

ABSTRACT... vi

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xii

LIST OF TABLES.. xiii

Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION. 1

II. THE INTERNET ..4

A. Definition of the Internet 4

B. History of the Internet 4

C. Ownership and Control of the Internet .. 5

D. Applications of the Internet 5

1. E-Mail 5

2. Usenet. 6

3. The World Wide Web 6

a. Definition of the World Wide Web 6

b. History and Evolution of the World Wide Web. 6

c. Role of the World Wide Web in the Growth of the

Internet.... 7

III. INTERNET ADVERTISING.. 11

A. Definition of the Internet Advertising 11

B. Models of Internet Advertising... 12

1. The Text-Based Advertising Model .. 12

a. Email Advertising. 12

b. Newgroups Sponsorships..... 14

2. The Multimedia-Based Advertising Model.... 14

a. Web Sites Content Sponsorships.. 14


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CONTENTS (B)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSv

ABSTRACT vi

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xi

LIST OF TABLES... xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS....

xiv

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION. 1

1.1. Thesis Objective . 1

1.2. Thesis Significance . 5

1.3. Thesis Organization .... 5

2. LITERATURE REVIEW... 6

2.1. Oxide-Coated Sands. 6

2.2. Effect of coating on The Sands Properties . 7

2.2.1. pH of Point of Zero Charge 8

2.2.2. Specific Surface Area of Filter Media ... 9

2.2.3. Iron Content ... 9

2.2.4. Zeta Potential . 9

2.3. Performance of Coated Sands . 14

2.3.1. Filtering Capacity 14

2.3.2. Adsorptive Capacity of IOCS. 17

2.3.2.1. Adsorptive Characteristics.. 17

2.3.2.2. Adsorbing Capability of IOCS ... 20


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2.3.4. Removal of Certain Metals of Concern.. 24

2.3.4.1. Complexed Metal Ions. 24

2.3.4.2. Chromium Removals... 25

2.4. Mechanism of Adsorption 26

2.5. Factors Affecting the Performance of Coated Sands... 30

2.5.1. pH and Temperature 30

2.5.1.1. Crystallinity.... 30

2.5.1.2. Adsorbing Capability. 33

2.5.2. Type of Support Media... 34

2.5.2.1. Comparative Evaluation of The Media...

Properties... 34

2.5.2.1.1. Morphology and Mineralogy... 34

2.5.3. Metal salt used in coating 36

2.6. Sand Coating Techniques.... 39

2.6.1. Using pre-Formed Flocs.. 39

2.6.2. Batch Mixing of Sand, Salt, and Base 39

3. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGIES... 41

3.1. Choice of the Coating Material ... 41

3.1.1. Kind of Metal.. 41

3.1.3. Source of Iron.. 42

3.2. Sand Coating Procedure... 43

3.2.1. Support Media. 43

3.2.2. Sand Preparation. 44

3.2.3. Sand Coating... 44

4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

48

Appendix

1. SOURCE CODE. 50

2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS.. 52

BIBLIOGRAPHY 54


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ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure Page

1. Frictional performance of groups of test sections constructed with

limestone rock asphalt aggregates............................................ 9

2. Non-linear behavior of lightweight source places in the cold region... 30

3. Frictional performance of high quality limestone......................... 33

4. Frictional performance of low quality limestone.......................... 34

5. Frictional performance of limestone rock asphalt......................... 36

6. Frictional performance of low quality siliceous gravel................... 39

7. Frictional performance of high quality siliceous gravel.................. 50

8. The correlation of PV with the PVMSS interaction term................ 54

9. The correlation of MSS with the PVMSS interaction..................... 75

10. PV values for low soundness and varying soundness aggregates....... 86

11. Service life versus PV of low soundness loss aggregates placed in the

warm region at ADT=750.................................................... 101


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TABLES

Table Page

3.1. Statistical results with ranges of significant and related variables for

the general models.............................................................. 8

3.2. Statistical results with ranges of significant and related variables for

the individual aggregate models.............................................. 20

5.1. Three-variable general model: polish value (PV) limits for sound

aggregates placed in the warm region....................................... 52

5.2. Three-variable general model: polish value (PV) limits for sound

aggregates placed in the cold region ........................................ 60

5.3. Three-variable general model: aggregates with varying soundness

losses placed in the warm region............................................. 73

5.4. Three-variable general model: aggregates with varying soundness

losses placed in the cold region............................................... 103

5.5. Three-variable with INRD model: INRD, PV, and LA limits for

aggregates placed in the warm region....................................... 109

5.6. Three-variable with INRD model: INRD, PV, and LA limits for

aggregates placed in the cold region......................................... 129


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TitlepageinArabic

)(


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SampleofTextPagewithsubheadings,bulletsanddashes:http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/app13.rtf

Thesis/Dissertationtemplate:http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/thesis.rtf

Projecttemplate:http://staff.aub.edu.lb/~webjafet/researchassistance/thesismanual/project.rtf

thesis writing guide2010

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