Writing the Dissertation Proposal

Mise en place. It is a French phrase that is used in the professional cooking world and it means “(putting) everything in place.” The mise en place of a professional kitchen is its philosophy and system. It is used interchangeably as both a noun (setting up the ingredients) and a verb (the process of preparing to act). It is also a good way to think about starting to write the thesis or dissertation.

In the previous entry, I went over some tips and guidelines for avoiding “hit and run” quotations. As promised, in this second part I will demonstrate how you can put these tips into practice.

Let us first imagine a scenario in which we are writing an essay arguing that Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution are not threatening to Christian beliefs.

We come across an essay, “Was Charles Darwin and Atheist?” by John van Wyhe, which argues that Darwin may not have been as much an atheist as people sometimes think, and we want to use it to support our argument.

One of the biggest problems I encounter in student papers is the “hit and run” quotation, in which the words of another author suddenly appear without warning and then just as suddenly disappear. Plunking a random quotation into your essay might satisfy assignment requirements, but the end result is both confusing and boring to read. I plan to address this problem in two parts: Part 1 will provide some tips on avoiding “hit and run” quotations; Part 2 will demonstrate these tips through examples.

In this series, we will attempt to provide general information that should apply to most graduate students, particularly in the United States and Canada. While there are some differences in terminology between the UK and the US, most everything else applies on both sides of the Atlantic.

In this series, we will attempt to provide general information that should apply to most graduate students, particularly in the United States. While there are some differences in terminology between the UK and the US, most everything else applies on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Thesis vs the Dissertation

In the United States, a thesis is the final research paper for the master’s degree. It showcases research the scholar has undertaken and demonstrates their knowledge of their chosen major. A dissertation, on the other hand, must contribute something original, or something previously undiscovered, to the field of study.

Introduction

Perhaps you received a graded paper with instructions not to use the passive voice, and are not entirely sure what that means. Oftentimes, professors – especially those in the humanities – prefer that students use active voice almost exclusively to passive. In short, active and passive voice have to do with the relationship between subject, action, and object in a sentence.

Both ways, the meaning of the sentence remains essentially the same, but the difference in emphasis can lead to slightly different interpretations.