ABSTRACT
Many second-language students are unaware of the recent evolution of thesis and dissertation types and the options this provides for them. There is, for example, an increasing number of qualitative and ‘non-traditional’ theses and dissertations being written. These present particular challenges in terms of how they should be written, as do theses and dissertations by publication. This chapter provides supervisors with examples of thesis and dissertation types, advice on guiding students with the overall structure of the thesis or dissertation, and the drafting of chapter outlines. It also introduces the concept of metatext, or ‘text about the text’, a key organizational tool for managing extended texts and for helping the reader follow the organization of the text.
