Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language ─ A Handbook for Supervisors

Although foreign students have been common on US campuses for generations, their numbers have grown exponentially, especially in graduate research programs. As a result, supervisors of theses and dissertations must assume different responsibilities for many international students than they normally would with native English speakers, including being their grammar tutors and cultural coaches. Patridge (teaching English as a second language, U. of Sydney) and Starfield (linguistics, U. of New South Wales) stick with practical ways supervisors can help in each stage of the development of theses and dissertations, including understanding the unique language of academic writing, organizing research and presentation, being sensitive to social and cultural issues inherent in writing theses and dissertations, explaining the skills necessary to this level of study, sorting out mutual aspects, establishing necessary discipline, foreseeing the expectations of examiners and looking past the academic to the other pressures experienced by international students. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Brian Paltridge is Associate Dean (Graduate Studies), and Associate Professor in TESOL

Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Sydney, Australia

Susan Starfield is Director of The Learning Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia