Analyzing the Generic Structure of MA Theses and PhD Dissertation Titles in Applied Linguistics

کد مقاله : 1152-ELTCONF7.

نویسندگان

مسعود سعیدی *، فاطمه دیانت، مریم فرنیا دانشگاه پیام نور

چکیده مقاله

This study investigates the generic structure of MA thesis and PhD dissertation titles in Applied Linguistics produced in Iranian universities, with the aim of identifying culturally and institutionally shaped patterns in academic titling. A corpus of 100 titles (2014-2024) was analyzed using Dietz’s framework, which examines title length, structural style (single vs. multiple units), and syntactic composition. For multi-unit titles, Antony’s classification was applied to determine rhetorical relationships, focusing on five types: i.e., Name-Description, Description-Name, Topic-Description, Topic-Scope, and Topic-Model. Frequencies of each structural and rhetorical type were calculated and compared across MA and PhD levels. The results indicate significant differences between the two genres in terms of title length, preferred structural patterns, and rhetorical organization, leading to the rejection of all null hypotheses. PhD titles tended to employ more complex multi-unit structures and a wider range of rhetorical relations, whereas MA titles were generally shorter and more uniform in composition. By situating the analysis within the Iranian academic context, the study demonstrates how disciplinary expectations and institutional norms shape title-construction practices across qualification levels. These findings offer implications for academic writing instruction, supervisory practices, and future cross-disciplinary research on title conventions.

کلیدواژه ها

Generic Structure, Title, PhD Dissertation, MA thesis, Applied Linguistics, Academic writing.

وضعیت: پذیرفته شده مشروط