Supervisor and faculty/school support

 

It is acknowledged (29)__ a significant proportion of student learning and development is via a close working relationship (30)__ the student and his or her supervisory team (31)__ the continuing development of critical appraisal and writing skills through (32)__ iterative process involving the submission and review of work undertaken. Students should be encouraged to reflect (33)__ and acknowledge such development particularly through the annual training needs skills audit.

Where there is (34)__ identified need (35)__ training and development within a student’s subject specialism that support will be provided via the individual School or Faculty where the expertise should be readily available. Such needs may encompass gaps (36)__ subject knowledge, specialist computer software and detailed methodologies.

It is also seen as best practice that students are provided (37)__ the opportunity to present their research and network with other researchers in their field either internally at Faculty or School seminars or conferences or externally (38)__ attendance at specialist conferences. It is expected that during a typical students registration period that they would undertake either a poster or oral presentation annually.

 

A29.

1)

which

2)

that

3)

whose

4)

what

 

A30.

1)

between

2)

among

3)

amid

4)

amongst

 

A31.

1)

such

2)

so

3)

such a

4)

such as

 

A32.

1)

a

2)

an

3)

the

4)

–

 

A33.

1)

on

2)

at

3)

in

4)

for

 

A34.

1)

a

2)

an

3)

the

4)

–

 

A35.

1)

on

2)

at

3)

from

4)

for

 

A36.

1)

off

2)

on

3)

in

4)

with

 

A37.

1)

with

2)

in

3)

at

4)

by

 

A38.

1)

to

2)

via

3)

from

4)

while

 

Task 6.

Find a mistake in the underlined parts of the sentences given below.

 

A39.	Candidates are strongly encouraged to begin writing up as early as possibly, A B while still engaged in planning, data gathering and/or data analysis. C D

 

A40.	A major challenge in case study dissertations is connecting your own A B primary research or re-analysis with the broader theoretical themes and C empirical concerns of the existed literature. D

 

A41.	The complexity of a question can frequently hide unclear thoughts A B and lead for a confusing research process. C D

 

A42.	As much as you may like your topic, you may want to give it up A B at the start if you know you’re going to run over trouble finding C D information for your paper.

 

A43.	You’ll be spending a lot of time on a research paper, so it is A B particularly important to select a topic you really enjoy to work with. C D

 

A44.	An integral part of achieving this aim is the provision of a research A training programme what supports the student in the acquisition of B C skills and competencies necessary to develop as a professional D researcher in their subject field.

 

 

Task 7.

Study the text and choose the correct variant.

 

Research is a (45)__ part of university life and students are increasingly (46)__ with opportunities to engage in small-scale research projects. However, it is important that research is conducted in a (47)__ which is methodologically and ethically sound, so that research (48)__ can stand the test of peer-review and public scrutiny. Researchers must be able to justify the rationale for the methodology they have used and not simply use the method which is most (49)__.

If using quantitative methods, it is essential that the (50)__ is both large enough and representative of the population and that (51)__ drawn from the data are (52)__ and statistically significant. Qualitative methods, on the other hand, can give (53)__ insight into human behaviour but do not claim to produce results that can be extended to the rest of the population. Consequently, a mixed methods approach can (54)__ the strengths of different approaches and enhance the validity or research findings.

 

A45.	1)	marginal	3)	fundamental
2)	initial	4)	founding

 

A46.	1)	provided	3)	given
2)	supplied	4)	delivered

 

A47.	1)	kind	3)	sort
2)	style	4)	manner

 

A48.	1)	inputs	3)	products
2)	outputs	4)	turnout

 

A49.	1)	convenient	3)	comfortable
2)	skillful	4)	handy

 

A50.	1)	picture	3)	illustration
2)	sample	4)	instance

 

A51.	1)	end	3)	closing
2)	completion	4)	conclusions

 

A52.	1)	authentic	3)	impressive
2)	valid	4)	current

 

A53.	1)	powerful	3)	drastic
2)	awful	4)	mighty

 

A54.	1)	blend	3)	merge
2)	mix	4)	combine

 

Task 8.

Choose the appropriate remark in an answer to the suggested stimulus remark.

 

A55.	You have to work long hours in a job like that, I suppose.
	1)	Haven’t I?
2)	I imagine so.
3)	As a matter of fact, I do.
4)	Nothing at all.

 

Task 9.

Choose the stimulus remark compatible with the suggested responsive remark.

 

A56.	No problem.
	1)	It’s a serious problem, isn’t it?
2)	I think you are facing a problem.
3)	It has taken much time to solve this problem.
4)	Could I just say a few words before we start the general discussion.

 

Task 10.

Read the question. Choose one of the given variants.

 

A57.	What do you have to do to become a successful researcher?
	1)	Let complexity be your guide.
2)	Never be proven wrong.
3)	Try to work as closely as possible at the boundary of your abilities.
4)	Don’t be distracted by comments of others.

 

Task 11.

Read the text. Then choose the best suitable title to each passage.

 

A58.

Being a good researcher involves more than “merely” coming up with brilliant ideas and implementing them. Most researchers spend the majority of their time reading papers, discussing ideas with colleagues, writing and revising papers, staring blankly into space – and, of course, having brilliant ideas and implementing them. Keeping a journal of your research activities and ideas is very useful. Write down speculations, interesting problems, possible solutions, random ideas, references to look up, notes on papers you’ve read, outlines of papers to write, and interesting quotes. Read back through it periodically. You'll notice that the bits of random thoughts start to come together and form a pattern, often turning into a research project or even a thesis topic. I was surprised, looking back through my journal as I was finishing up my thesis, how early and often similar ideas had cropped up in my thinking, and how they gradually evolved into a dissertation. 4

 

A59.

At times, particularly in the “middle years,” it can be very hard to maintain a positive attitude and stay interested. Many postgraduate students suffer from insecurity, anxiety, and even boredom. First of all, realize that these are normal feelings. Try to find a sympathetic ear – another postgraduate student, your advisor, or a friend outside of university. Next, try to identify why you’re having trouble and identify concrete steps that you can take to improve the situation. To stay focused and motivated, it often helps to have organized activities to force you to manage your time and to do something every day. Setting up regular meetings with your advisor, attending seminars, or even extracurricular activities such as sports or music can help you to maintain a regular schedule. 3

 

A60.

Finding the right scientific supervisor can help you immeasurably in successfully completing a thesis. You should ideally have selected the schools you applied to by identifying faculty members you’d like to work with. If not, start looking around as early as possible. Of course, the ideal scientific supervisor will be in the area you’re interested in working in, and will actively be doing high-quality research and be involved in and respected by the research community. 1

 

A61.

Doing a master’s project is often a good idea and if you want to do your Ph.D. dissertation on, choosing a master’s project that will lead into the dissertation is wise: you will get a head start on the Ph.D., or may decide that you’re not interested in pursuing the topic after all. A good source of ideas for master’s projects (and sometimes for dissertation topics) is the future work section of papers you’re interested in. Generally speaking, a good Ph.D. thesis topic is interesting to you, to your advisor, and to the research community. If you pick a topic that you’re not truly interested in simply because it’s your advisor’s pet area, it will be difficult to stay focused and motivated – and you may be left hanging if your advisor moves on to a different research area before you finish. 4

 

A62.

Postgraduate students often think that the thesis happens in two distinct phases: doing the research, and writing the dissertation. This may be the case for some students, but more often, these phases overlap and interact with one another. Sometimes it’s difficult to formalize an idea well enough to test and prove it until you’ve written it up; the results of your tests often require you to make changes that mean that you have to go back and rewrite parts of the thesis; and the process of developing and testing your ideas is almost never complete (there’s always more that you could do) so that many postgraduate students end up “doing research” right up until the day or two before the thesis is turned in. 2

 

A63.

To be successful at research, it is essential that you learn to cope with criticism, and even that you actively seek it out. Learn to listen to valid, constructive criticism and to ignore destructive, pointless criticism (after finding any pearls of wisdom that may be buried in it). In order to get feedback, you have to present your ideas. Write up what you’re working on, even if you’re not ready to write a full conference or journal paper, and show it to people. Give presentations at seminar series at your university, at conferences, and at other universities and research labs when you get the chance. Your advisor should help you find appropriate forums to present your work and ideas. Many fields have informal workshops that are ideal for presenting work in progress. 3

 

 

Choose the titles A58-A60 from the given below (1-4). One title is odd.

1)	Looking for High-quality Research Assistance
2)	Think Positive and Be Motivated
3)	Getting to the Thesis
4)	The Daily Grind

 

Choose the titles A61-63 from the given bellow (1-4). One title is odd.

 

1)	Writing a Thesis Proposal
2)	There is Always Place for Improvement
3)	Stay Open: Present and Discuss your Ideas
4)	Make the Right Decision

 

Part B

 

Task 1.

Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line. There is an example at the beginning.

 

PRÉCIS OR SUMMARY

 

A précis or summary is an encapsulation (0)of someone’s writing or ideas. It can be used (B1) for readers if you include high-quality summaries of academic (B2) texts in your own academic writing (B3), as we all have a limited (B4) time to access all the information (B5) that’s available. It is a constant source of delight in academic life to speculate whether an author has actually (B6) read a text they are talking about, or someone’s précis, or even someone else’s description (B7) of that précis. Summaries may not always follow a direct line through what they’re summarizing – if you want to summarize (B8) someone else’s ideas in a few sentences, it might make more sense if you begin with their conclusion (B9), and work back to the argument (B10) they use to develop that conclusion.

ENCAPSULATE USE ACADEMY WRITE LIMIT INFORM   ACTUAL   DESCRIBE   SUM   CONCLUDE ARGUE

 

Task 2.

Read the text (B11-B12). Write down two odd words from each sentence in the order they are given in the text.

 

B11.	Writing a dissertation is hard work but it should also be rewarding, because it represents individual academic achievement of a kind that may make it as a difference to your field of enquiry. it as

 

B12.	In a short, always, take a few steps in the beginning to make sure of that your topic will be relatively easy to research over the days and weeks to come. a of

 

Task 3.

Read the text. Fill in the gaps with only one suitable word. The first letter of each missing word is given.

 

JOURNAL ARTICLES

 

Journal articles are one of the common currencies¹ of the academic writing (B13). They’re where new research is provided (B14), and where the debates and ideas at the center of any discipline are put f… (B15). It’s great to think about journal publication at any stage of your academic journey, but it’s perhaps more common in postgraduate studies.

It’s hard to say how long (B16) a journal article should be, as there (B17) is huge variation between disciplines and journals. It’s also important to be aware (B18) of the different kinds of articles that exist – some offer neutral reports of primary research, or (B19) are provocative contributions that stimulate discussion, others still summarize the state of play in a field and where future research could go. Different journals may prefer different types of articles, so it’s important to know your audience.

Given these differences in what journal articles (B20) are and do, it’s essential to pay close attention (B21) to the information the journal provides about what’s expected. In particular, they’re likely to have a style guide, offering information (B22) about all sorts of fine details, how the submitted article should be referenced, to whether single or double quotation marks should be used. Getting these small details right is essential in helping the journal take your submitted article seriously.

 

¹common currencies – standard ways in which something is done; in this instance, how academics carry on conversations with one another.

 

Task 4.

Translate into English sentence fragments given in brackets.

 

B23.	It is vitally important that you learn how to solve all the kinds of problems you may encounter.

 

B24.	Giving feedback to other postgraduate students is useful for many reasons.

 

B25.	When you meet someone new and they ask you what you’re working on, seize theopportunity.

 

Test 3

Part A

 

Task 1.

Read the text. Then study the statements after the text and mark them as true (T) or false (F).