Module : Methodology of RESEARCH

PROJECTS(MORP)
Lecturer : Toufik KOUSSA
Level : Master 1 Civ & lit

General remarks :
Students are
1. Required to use the handouts handled before the holidays.
2. to direct any questions, as well as the answers of the activities to: mailto:
toufik75.koussa@hotmail.com

3. To use the form ( at the end of MAW lectures) to answer the activities. No other
form will be accepted

CONTENTS:
week1: THESIS STATEMENT (CONTINUED)
week2: BUILDING AN OUTLINE
week3: BUILDING AN OUTLINE (CONTINUED)
week4: DATA COLLECTION

APPENDIX
 week1: THESIS STATEMENT (CONTINUED)

THIS IS A RECAPITULATIVE LECTURE:

SO FAR WE SAID:

 A strong thesis should:

1. Answer a question

Example:

What is the relationship between exploitation and social justice in NGUGI’S Grain of
Wheat and Petals of Blood?

In their fight against the Capitalist dominions, the protagonists of both novels finish up
psychologically and physically abusing others as a task of their own self-abasement and
inadequate indulgence of human nature which eventually hampers social integrity.

2. Take a unique stance

Example:

Emma selects fantasy to compensate for reality which resulted to her self-destruction
while Jeanette discovers her sexual identity through the combination of both.

3. Act as a “road map”

Example:

The great depression influenced Americans of the South economically, socially, and
politically.

Your dissertation will tackle, in its first part , how Southern Americans were affected
economically, the second part will examinethe social implications, and the last part will discuss
the political effects.

 Types of thesis statements:

 Explanatory An essay in which you The Patriot army went to war against the British army in
explain something factual the Revolutionary War because of concerns over issues
to an audience of taxes, land, and independence.
  Analytical Breaks down something O’Connor inspires Tarwater with psychological
(like a text) to examine vehemence in the form of an identity crisis with the intention to
and understand it in a endorse acts of eradication through physical violence, eventually
particular way. leading to recognition and the realization of a self-identity.

Argumentative Makes a claim that is Due to social, economic, and ethical causes. The abolition
debatable. This can come of the death penalty in the US reveals the double faceted
in the form of an opinion, nature of democratic leaders.
a proposal, a cause-and-
effect statement, or a
particular interpretation.
The goal of an
argumentative paper is to
convince the reader that
your claim is legitimate
based on the evidence
provided in your paper.

To guarantee a strong thesis, ask the following questions:

Have I answered my research question or prompt?

Is my thesis readable, clear or is it wordy and ambiguous?

Have I taken a stand that others may oppose?
Is my thesis statement precise enough?

IS my thesis able to convince the reader that this topic is worthy of discussion?

Does my thesis act as a map for my dissertation?

week2: BUILDING AN OUTLINE( INTRODUCTION)

GENERAL REMARKS:
 There is no rule on how to construct an outline for a literature- Based dissertation or a
history- Based research (There is no rule guiding the researcher to which
approach is best)
 Although the organization of an outline is inflexible, the researcher
should not be a “slave” to the initial outline, as changes may occur the
way along the researching/writing process
 The IMRAD structure fits better other disciplines though it can be applied to a literature-
Based research or a history- Based dissertation.
 IT IS THE THESIS STATEMENT THAT DEFINES YOUR OUTLINE

Steps to Making the Outline

1. After limiting your topic and refining your thesis statement, sort out the different
variables (Elements) that your work is going to tackle
2. Decide about the type of paper you are going to write ( Analytical, Advocatory,
Comparative).
3. Construct your outline in a way that shows the link between the different elements and
the approach that is used.
4. Note that the approach is determined by the thesis statement (STEP2)

Outline Format

I. Topic
A. Main idea
1. Details that support the main idea
2. More details
a. Details that explain main idea
b. More details that include definitions of main idea
c. Reasons for main idea
d. Characteristics of main idea
B. Main idea
1. Details of explanation
2. Details of explanation
 II. Topic
A. Main idea
1. Supporting detail
2. Supporting detail
B. Main idea
1. Supporting detail
2. Supporting detail
III. Topic
A. Main idea
B. Main idea
1. Supporting detail
2. Supporting detail
3. Supporting detail
a. More information
b. More information
c. More information
i. Even more info
ii. Even more info
iii. Even more info

THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. There are many other ways to organize your outline

for further information consult the following site: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-

Outline-for-a-Research-Paper
week3: BUILDING AN OUTLINE (CONTINUED)

PRACTICE:
1. Analyse the following outlines in terms of coherence, flexibility, and approach
week4: DATA COLLECTION

Data collection, in the fields of literature and civilization, is smilar to writing the literature
review, in the other disciplines, notably Language sciences, as far the Department of English is
concerned. However, the data collected , in these two fiels, does not function as a literature
review. Rather, it serves as a help, support, and a back up for the arguments along the whole
dissertation.

Procedure:
1. Recognize what sort of thoughts you have to record

 Focus your way to deal with the point before you start definite research. you will have
the option to scrutinize through important thoughts.

 Examine the frequently known realities about your point, and become mindful of the
scope of reasoning and conclusions drawn.

 Check your class notes and reading material and inspect reference books or other
reference works like articles, dissertations, and journals.

 attempt at making a primer look at the subtopics you would hope to discover in your
scrutinizing. These will direct your consideration and may prove to be useful as names
for notes.

 Pick a segment or edge that intrigues you, maybe one on which there is as of now some
debate.

 plan your examination question. It ought to consider thinking just as social occasion of
data. You may even need to write down a provisional theory articulation as a starter
answer to your inquiry.

At that point you will realize what to search for in your examination of the sourses: realities and
hypotheses that help answer your inquiry, and others' conclusions about whether explicit
answers are acceptable ones.
2. Try not to record unreasonably

 Your dissertation must be your very own outflow thinking, not interwoven of acquired
thoughts(Apatchwork). Accordingly, plan to have an “exploration time” in
understanding your sources and coordinating them into your own reasoning. Your note
cards will record just thoughts that are applicable to your emphasis on the subject.

 Try not to change/paraphrase accurate words just when the thoughts are significantly
stated or shockingly communicated; you may use them as citations in your exposition.

 Know how to paraphrase/ summarise ideas in your own words. Be careful, Rewording
word by word is an exercise in futility.

 Pick the most significant thoughts and record them as marks or headings.

 Try not to rely upon underlining and featuring. Locate your own words for notes in the
note cards.

3. Mark your notes brilliantly

Regardless of whether you use cards or pages for note-taking, take notes in a way that takes
into account a future need to recheck the different notes.

 Promote a tendency for recording bibliographic data before taking the note itself . In
this way, you can rapidly distinguish each note by the writer's name and page number;
when you allude to sources in your work.
 Attempt to put notes on isolated cards or sheets. This will let you mark the subject of
each note. Not exclusively will that keep your notetaking focussed, however it will
likewise take into account gathering and incorporating thoughts later. It is particularly
fulfilling to rearrange notes and perceive how the conjunctions make new thoughts.

 Leave a room in your notes for remarks of your own—questions and responses as you
read, apprehensions and cross-references when you lookback at what you've composed.
These remarks can turn into a virtual first draft of your paper.
APPENDIX

IMRAD

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