Stating the Problem, Motivating the Study

Stating the Problem, Motivating the Study
Narrative One way to think of the role of structure, and signposting, is as a kind of guide that walks readers along a road from what they did know (past knowledge) to what they should know (a knowledge frontier). When you write a thesis, it can be helpful to reflect on what you knew—and how you thought—when you began your work. This earlier ‘you’ is the person you are writing for. The story, or narrative, that takes the reader along the road should be as straightforward as you can make it. That is, you may think to yourself: I have had to fumble, and explore, and make mistakes to get here, but I am now writing the guidebook that helps the next person to painlessly come to the same point of view and the same knowledge
A key element to good writing is to clearly understand what the writing is meant to achieve. In my view, the twin concepts of narrative and audience—what you are trying to say, and who you are saying it to—are the most important lessons a writer can learn. Look for the structure behind the material you are describing, and don’t confuse narrative with structure. The narrative concerns how you want the reader’s thoughts to develop as they read the thesis. The structure is how the material is organized to create a narrative.