How to Write a Thesis (Mit Press)

I got this audible book to help me think about my dissertation proposal writing. I figure it can always be useful to be immersed in these process-based ideas to stay on target. This book was written over 30 years ago, and it is deeply relevant today. This is the kind of book that helps you think about your research while you're doing it, and the kind of book that any student undertaking a true social science research project can benefit from. There are many examples, and the reader does a good job of conveying the author's sense of humor and advisory comments. I am really glad I am listening to this on audible versus reading it because it just flows naturally and is fun to listen to.

Originally in Italian 1977, it was translated to English 1985 with some modifications to include the Chicago Manual of Style. It covers more than writing a thesis. The topics cover book research, bibliographical research, primary /secondary sources, writing style, avoiding plagiarism, content, quotes, paraphrases, tabled contents, margins, punctuations, the index card system Eco used. Eco frequently mentions the abbot Vallet inspiring him to research books, whom he included in his novel The Name of The Rose. abbot Vallet would later became his great mentor for academic humility for a book the abbot wrote in 1887. Umberto Eco a great academic and writer.

This is exactly the book I needed. And I couldn't be happier it was translated into English. Shipping was fast, and the book showed up in good condition.

Very few books on this topic are at all concerned with the mindset of the student as he/she writes, and this concern is the chief benefit of this book. Eco genuinely cared whether his students finished their theses, and how well they were equipped for their future lives. His tone is eminently practical; here is what you need to know to get through the process; here is what you should do; here is what you should not do. His tone can still be a bit too magisterial for the undergraduate (especially today's undergraduate), and in an internet age many of his paperwork procedures are quite out of date. I'm glad the book is still in print, and happy to own a copy, but I wouldn't call it essential.

Umberto Eco is not just a great writer, he is also a consummate academic in the best tradition of Humanist scholars. This is a scholarly but sensible treatise on what is otherwise a mysterious and confusing process made easy with detailed but easy to follow methods and tips and tricks. Even if you THINK you know how to write a thesis, you should buy this book. It will save you a great deal of heartache

This book is nothing short of brilliant. But what would one expect from Umberto Eco? It is an old, somewhat outdated, guide for students in Italian universities, who must, as undergraduates, produce a thesis. The book is a step by step guide in how to do this. I live in the United States where there is no such demand on undergraduates, and I am a high school English teacher. Yet I am in love with this book. Eco says that the researching and writing of an extended essay is an exercise in creativity and in exploration. Anyone who is interested in writing, particularly non-fiction, or who is in charge of student writers, from high school through graduate school, should add this to hen library--right alongside Fowler's, Strunk and White, and the OED. It is that good.

See the Robert Eaglestone review dated 19 March 2015 in THES. This is why I bought the book, and having read it, I fully agree with the positive commentary in that review. I have now ordered a copy for my university's library, and I'll recommend it to all of my research students. Eco's specific area of academic specialisation may be very different from yours, but that should not deter you from finding out more about this book: I am a researcher in finance and accounting and still found the book to be remarkably relevant.

Umberto Eco's instructional booklet on how to write a thesis is almost 40 years old, but was finally published in English translation. While much of the technology has changed (digital databases, Google,etc.) Eco's basic advice remains valuable. The basic approach to researching a topic, initiating a literature search, keeping track of your data, and compiling it into a sensible report remains the same. I enjoyed his many examples and his great dedication to making students understand what is involved.

Good Read

Sorry but the review above stating that this is a period piece and has limited usefulness today is misleading. This might be true for the everyday undergraduate who barely strays from core textbooks (and will look up a few articles online at a push) but for the serious undergraduate and all postgraduates and general researchers, this book is invaluable. It is the way I was taught how to do things back in the 90s (so not that long ago).Yes we are helped today by digital catalogues and online journals. However at the moment research on topics is still heavily book based. Eco's book may have things that might seem anachronistic (like indexing your gathered bibliographies in an index card system: which I have adapted anyway as you have something analogue and on hand) but his comments on how to come up with a topic and in particular his chapter on bibliographical research and how to write will be of use not only to postgrads faced with a dissertation or thesis but to the committed undergraduate who may be faced with an essay topic that might be a little obscure and who might have that initial moment of panic about how to research the subject. Eco in his "Bibliographical research" section offers advice to the working and hard pushed novice student who has left his research to the last minute. How many students fit into that book if they are honest. Stephen Fry gives an example of Eco's book in his latest volume of memoirs (unconsciously) when he talks about the books he read as a teenage that helped him come to terms with his sexuality. He read one book, noted down the bibliographies at the end, went to the catalogues and found more which led to more. It is a bit like a longer analogue version of following hotlinks on the internet and it is a skill that comes as second nature to any good researcher. The fact that this book is written with tall the style and wit that is typical of Eco (except in his latest novel Numero Zero: but that is another story) makes this book a definite 5 star recommendation for any keen and dedicated student along with "The Craft of Research": Booth, WIlliams and Colomb (Chicago University Press) 3rd ed 2008. Both are unstuffy and encouraging and actually make the process of research seem fun and rewarding rather than a drudge. That is exactly how it should be.

J'ai aimé la hauteur de vue, le recul, le pragmatisme, l'étendue de la culture. Je recommande ce livre aux gens désireux d'écrire une thèse ou de se libérer de ce désir.

Not very relevant for science students.

Buen libro y además estupendo regalo para quien está escribiendo precísamente una tesis, recomendable al 100% de amena lectura y facil comprensión