Tag Archives: conclusion

concluding well – part 2. on back rows and beautiful houses

Posted on February 21, 2022 by pat thomson

Imagine yourself in a theatre. You choose to sit in the back row. You are the author of the play to be performed, and you have crept into the stalls after the lights go down. It is opening night and … Continue reading →

Posted in conclusion, text work/identity work | Tagged conclusion, Pat Thomson, text work identity work | Leave a comment

“showing” and “telling” in the thesis

Posted on August 30, 2021 by pat thomson

The thesis must show and tell your examiner that its writer is ready to be called Dr. Yep. Dr (insert your surname here.) What do I mean by show and tell? Well, even if these are not the usual definitions, … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, audit trail, conclusion, introduction, literature reviews, methods, show and tell, thesis | Tagged academic writing, audit trail, conclusion, introduction, literature, methods, show and tell, thesis | 1 Comment

does a thesis conclusion have “recommendations”?

Posted on August 16, 2021 by pat thomson

I’ve seen many a thesis which concludes with a set of recommendations that arise from the research. This practice troubles me. I’ve got two basic concerns about putting recommendations in a thesis conclusion. My position may be a bit contentious … Continue reading →

Posted in conclusion, recommendations, thesis | Tagged conclusion, implications, Pat Thomson, recommendations, thesis | 1 Comment

concluding a paper

Posted on May 31, 2021 by pat thomson

Conclusions can be hard. There are a few big traps that conclusion writers can fall into. In order to avoid them, try the following three things. Deep breath. It’s good to be bold. The conclusion generally requires bigging up what … Continue reading →

Posted in conclusion, journal article, so what | Tagged conclusion, journal article, Pat Thomson, so what | 3 Comments

leave a good last impression – the thesis conclusion

Posted on January 29, 2018 by pat thomson

Writing the conclusion to the thesis is hard. It’s often done badly. And it’s something that doctoral researchers often get asked to do more work on. Not at all what they/you need. Writing a conclusion is important. The conclusion is … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, authority in writing, conclusion, distance, thesis | Tagged authoritative writing, authority, conclusion, distance, Pat Thomson, thesis | 1 Comment

boostering your introduction and conclusion

Posted on August 22, 2016 by pat thomson

Academic writing is known for its use of qualifiers – usually words which tone down the claims that are made. We academics know it is impossible/incredibly difficult to establish a generalisable result though research, and our writing signals this difficulty … Continue reading →

Posted in authority in writing | Tagged authority, boosters, conclusion, hedges, introduction, Ken Hyland, Pat Thomson | 3 Comments

is your research or your paper needed? #knowhow

Posted on August 5, 2015 by pat thomson

A successful research proposal or published academic paper or book almost always justifies its own existence. Omitting the reasoning that produced the bid, project paper or book can lead to bid failure and paper rejection. A research project In order … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, conclusion, introduction, research funding, research proposal, so what | Tagged book, conclusion, introduction, Pat Thomson, research proposal, research rationale | 1 Comment

writing course – the conclusion

Posted on February 10, 2015 by pat thomson

At last the end… but it’s not over yet. Finishing off a paper is always hard. Just when you’ve had about enough, you have to raise the energy and enthusiasm for more. The intellectual work you’ve been doing isn’t quite … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, conclusion, journal, so what | Tagged academic writing, conclusion, journal article, Pat Thomson | 3 Comments

conclusion mise-en-place. christmas present six

Posted on December 19, 2012 by pat thomson

Any of you who watch cooking programmes will know the cheffy talk about mise-en-place. It’s a term used to describe all the various kinds of preparation that need to be done in order to whip up something that can be … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, conclusion, contribution, implications of research, mise-en-place | Tagged conclusion, contribution, implications, literature, Pat Thomson | 19 Comments

what not to do in a thesis conclusion, part one: christmas present five

Posted on December 17, 2012 by pat thomson

The conclusion is one of the most important sections of the thesis, yet it is often done quite badly. This is not good because the conclusion is a key part of the text and thesis writers really need to spend … Continue reading →