Tag Archives: claims

concluding well, part 1 – the big air problem

Posted on February 14, 2022 by pat thomson

Big air? Well yes, I have been sporadically watching the Winter Olympics. And if you have too, you’ll know that big air is the term used to describe events where a highly skilled and very brave person takes a big … Continue reading →

Posted in claims, conclusion, implications of research | Tagged big air, claims, conclusions, implications, Pat Thomson, So What Now What | 3 Comments

tracking the path to research claims

Posted on January 6, 2020 by pat thomson

All researchers make claims about their work. Remember the phrase staking a claim? That’s what we are actually doing when we claim something. We are metaphorically placing a marker in a field that we are prepared to stand on, stand … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, argument, claim, claims, evidence, revision, revision strategy, thesis, thesis revision | Tagged argument, claims, evidence, Pat Thomson, revision, thesis | 1 Comment

you’re so vague…

Posted on July 3, 2017 by pat thomson

It is important when writing about research to be specific. And by writing about research I mean writing about methods in a journal article, writing methods in a thesis or journal article, writing about research design in a research bid. … Continue reading →

Posted in claims, research design, results, vagueness | Tagged claims, imprecision, Pat Thomson, research design, research results, vagueness | 4 Comments

making authoritative claims

Posted on July 22, 2013 by pat thomson

Compared to – let’s say journalists for argument’s sake – we academics are generally a lot less prepared to say anything for absolute certain. Why do we do this? Do we simply love complexity and being vague? Well of course … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, authority in writing, claim, contribution, hedges | Tagged authoritative writing, claims, hedges, Pat Thomson | 8 Comments

managing readers’ and reviewers’ and examiners’ expectations

Posted on July 4, 2013 by pat thomson

I started thinking about the question of managing expectations during a recent trip to France. We stayed for some time in Aix-en-Provence. We’d chosen to be there because it seemed relatively central. But we were quite interested in the city’s … Continue reading →

Posted in claims, contribution, expectations, limitations | Tagged claims, contribution, expectations, limitations of research, Pat Thomson | 3 Comments

blank and blind spots in empirical research

Posted on July 27, 2012 by pat thomson

It is important when writing about research to get clear about the difference between research that is inadequate and research that is partial. There are two concepts that are helpful in deciding which of these is the case. They are: … Continue reading →