Proof-readers: a key resource in the phd thesis writing process
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29197/cpu.v15i30.305Keywords:
drafts, proof-readers, academic writing, thesisAbstract
Accreditation of doctoral programs in most Latin American universities requires that students produce a written work based on their research: the doctoral thesis. Writing this type of text implies their involvement in specific social and discursive practices. In other words, to produce a successful doctoral thesis, students must learn the ways of doing and being in their disciplines. This learning happens, mainly, thanks to interactions with other people. This work analyzes the interactions that influence the process of writing a doctoral thesis. Specifically, the role of proof-readers (those readers who interact with early versions of the thesis and offer them feedback to improve the text) is analyzed with the aim of appraising their influence and contribution to the thesis writing process. This exploratory study was based on 20 in-depth interviews with doctoral students and recent graduates from the Education and Linguistics fields. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed by following a categorizing and contextualizing strategy and combining inductive and deductive processes. Results show that this resource is often used and highly valued by doctoral students as it enriches their writing process.
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