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Writing your thesis

General titles

Thesis writing will vary from discipline to discipline, and talking with your supervisors is the best way to plan and structure your thesis.

Requirements on presentation, content and copyright of a thesis are the responsibility of the HDR student (as per the Higher Degree Research Student Supervision Policy RES 4.4.3). Formatting guidelines and how to address all the Table of Contents headings required for theses is provided in detail in the HDR Handbook.

You may also find the following links useful to search the library collection for:

HDR Handbook

Check the Bond HDR Handbook (available in the iLearn HDR Community site) for detailed information on: 

  • Copyright
  • Formatting
  • Data management
  • Intellectual property
  • Inclusion of publications 
  • Plagiarism

The HDR Community site in iLearn contains a copy of the HDR Handbook and several helpful guides and resources.

Go to > iLearn > HDR Student Community > HDR Handbook and Policies

Authorship and publications included in a thesis

A thesis may include one or a series of papers that have been prepared, submitted, or accepted for publication in a book or journal.

The student should normally be the principal author (that is, responsible for the intellectual content and most of the writing of the text) of any work included in the body of the thesis. Where any work has been jointly authored, a signature from the corresponding author is required to include the material in the body of the thesis. Co-authored work in which the student is a minor author (50% or less contribution) can only be used and referenced in the way common to any other research publication cited in the thesis.

When submitting your thesis, you will be required to confirm that:

(a) the work in the incorporated publications is your own, and
(b) your co-authors verify this and give permission for the nominated article to be included in the thesis.

Consult the Reproducing your own published articles in your thesis page for further information.

 

The Bond University Authorship Agreement Form 

The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research provides clear guidelines regarding the attribution of authorship. The Authorship Agreement Form is provided to assist Researchers in capturing authorship decisions around intended publications arising from joint work. It does not replace copyright or certification forms required by publishers.

Use the form to reflect all discussions, and to plan and record the authorship of research outputs with contributors.

Refer to the NHMRC and ARC guide on Authorship and access the Authorship Agreement Form below:

Web resources

Books

Cover art

Law Dissertations: A Step-By-Step Guide

Laura Lammasniemi
Provides all the guidance and information you need to complete and succeed in your LLB, LLM or law-related dissertation.

ISBN: 9781315282848
Publication Date: 2018

Law

An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology by Lorelle Burton

Lorelle Burton
Provides a thorough overview of academic writing in psychology.
ISBN: 0470800690
Publication Date: 2010
Shelf location: PE1429 .B87 2010 

Humanities
Social sciences

How to Publish Your PhD

Sarah Caro
Practical information and advice on choosing a publisher, revising your thesis, putting together a proposal, surviving the review process, negotiating a contract and working with your publisher's marketing department
ISBN: 9781412907910
Publication Date: 2009
Shelf location: Z286.S37 C37 2009 

Humanities
Social sciences

Writing a Built Environment Dissertation

Peter Farrell
Provides practical guidance to develop a good dissertation by mixing your practical strengths with more theoretical tools.
ISBN: 9781444328677
Publication Date: 2011
Shelf location: TH213.5 .F37 2011 

Sustainable development
Architecture

The dissertation

Iain Borden; Katerina Rüedi Ray

A complete guide to what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and the major pitfalls involved.
ISBN: 9780750668255
Publication Date: 2005

Sustainable development

Architecture

Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students

S. G. Naoum

Covers topic selection, research planning, data collection and methodology, structuring and writing the dissertation, and statistics.
ISBN: 9780415538442
Publication Date: 2013
Shelf location: LB2369 .N27 2013 

Sustainable development

Architecture

Mastering Your Business Dissertation

Robert Lomas
Offers a practical guide to conceiving, researching and writing a business or management dissertation.

ISBN: 9780203816158
Publication Date: 2013

Business

Essentials of Business Research

Jonathan Wilson
This textbook highlights each stage of the research process, guiding the reader through actionable steps and explicitly setting out how best to meet a supervisor's expectations.
ISBN: 9781446257326
Publication Date: 2014
Shelf location: HD30.4 .W55 2014 

Business

Business research : a practical guide for undergraduate & postgraduate students

Jill Collis; Roger Hussey

Details the entire research process, from reviewing the literature to writing up results, including the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, and new chapters on academic decision-making and preparing research proposals.
ISBN: 9780230301832
Publication Date: 2014

Business