Category Archives: thesis warrant

the problem with gap talk

Posted on July 5, 2021 by pat thomson

Gap talk. You know, the “this research fills a gap in the literature” line. Most of us have made this statement at some point in our academic life. It’s the most common starter for journal papers, proposals and theses, according … Continue reading →

Posted in gap-spotting, research warrant, thesis warrant, warrant | Tagged academic writing, CARS, gap, gap talk, Pat Thomson, research warrant, warrant | 6 Comments

addressing ‘the gap’ in the field

Posted on March 11, 2019 by pat thomson

One of the conventions of academic life is the work of justification. To justify. To say why we are going to do what we are going to do. We regularly have to justify why we want to research something and … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, deficit positioning, gap-spotting, next step, research warrant, stance, thesis warrant, warrant, what if | Tagged gap-spotting, next step, Pat Thomson, warrant, what if | 8 Comments

thesis knowhow – “the contribution” can create coherence

Posted on April 2, 2018 by pat thomson

My Nordic colleagues often say that the thesis has to have a red thread, a line of argument that holds things together. So what’s this red thread? Think of the red thread as a sturdy rope that guides the reader … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, argument, coherence, contribution, thesis, thesis warrant | Tagged argument, coherence, contribution, Pat Thomson, red thread, thesis | 7 Comments

writing the thesis – work, moves and structure

Posted on January 8, 2018 by pat thomson

Before you start to wrestle your material into a thesis structure, it’s helpful to consider the work that the thesis has to do, and the moves that ensure the work is done. Once you understand the work and the moves, … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, argument, four thesis moves, structure, thesis, thesis warrant | Tagged argument, four thesis moves, Pat Thomson, thesis, thesis structure | 6 Comments

how an examiner reads a thesis

Posted on April 3, 2017 by pat thomson

About this time every year I post something about the reading habits of thesis examiners. At the risk of repeating myself – again – it is worth knowing what they/we examiners do when they/we receive that big fat tome the … Continue reading →

Posted in examiner, thesis, thesis abstract, thesis warrant, Uncategorized | Tagged examiner, Pat Thomson, thesis, thesis examiner | 10 Comments

the thesis introduction

Posted on June 2, 2014 by pat thomson

The old adage “first impressions count” really holds true when it comes to thesis introductions. After the title and the abstract, the introduction is the first thing the examiner sees. They/we do form an opinion – sometimes quite a strong … Continue reading →