THESIS

Bigbird1

Im currently studying rural and environmental science, this year i have a thesis to do, im really not sure wat to do it on,was thinking of looking at organic farming,how many words should it be and where can i get a layout to help me,or what other areas could i do it on

Thanks

Muckit

Bigbird1 wrote: »

how many words should it be

Do I look like your lecturer?

Red Sheds

Be a bit more original with the topic, Organic farming has been done to bits, on the layout and length agree with Muckit and visit the library

just do it

How about "the charade that is organic farming"?

J DEERE

Is it an undergraduate thesis or a masters? 8-9000 words for undergrad, 15-20,000 for masters. Look for an original topic, something which is relevant and of interest. Organic farming is too general. Any research you do on organic farming will need a comparison to a conventional farming system in order to highlight its benefits

Bizzum

You need to talk to your supervisor. He/She will answer most all your questions and guide you in a direction that interests you, and is suitable to base a thesis upon.
Organic Farming per se is way to vague. Pick something very specific and do it well!

blue5000

Bigbird1 wrote: »

Im currently studying rural and environmental science, this year i have a thesis to do, im really not sure wat to do it on,was thinking of looking at organic farming,how many words should it be and where can i get a layout to help me,or what other areas could i do it on

Thanks

I also like muckits answer;)

I suggest you write about 180-200,000 words, about 10 chapters, in the form of an easy to read light hearted book. It is the only way to make money out of organic farming.

Good luck with the thesis, coming on here is nearly as good a start as putting this in AFTER HOURS.

Muckit

Bigbird1 wrote: »

Im currently studying rural and environmental science, this year i have a thesis to do, im really not sure wat to do it on,was thinking of looking at organic farming,how many words should it be and where can i get a layout to help me,or what other areas could i do it on

Thanks

I'm sorry OP if I came across a little harsh with my first reply....... but seriously... come on, what did you expect? You are aspiring to becoming a college graduate..... well? Are you? If so, for F**K sake get it together 'man' and put some effort in! Nobody on here is going to write it for you.

Your lecturer or assigned tutor/supervisor is your first port of call. I don't care if you don't like him/her. Tough. He/she is assigned to you now and you are just going to have to make the most of the situation. I also suspect you should have already got a handout outlining the brief, layout requirements, research/writing standards expected etc etc... were you missing for that class.... hmm? :rolleyes:

I wish you all the best OP and sincerely hope that your finished thesis bears little resemblance to the slapdash effort you have put into writing your opening post.

Best of luck

Muckit

Bigbird1

ah now Muckit i came on boards with a quick post, sorry im not married to boards like some others, OK forget about how may words its meant to be, meeting with supervisors about it this week, but im just looking for peoples opinions who may of completed similar work in the past, thanks to the other posters who left some constructive comments.

as for looking at organic farming,i suppose it has been done to bits, but i could look more into "the charade that is organic farming"? as just do it said, maybe not use the same title, or the profits made from organic vs conventional.

Muckit

Bigbird1 wrote: »

"the charade that is organic farming"

It's a thesis you are writing, not a book! The main purpose of a thesis is to come to an educated conclusion after you have it researched, not before! What's the point in researching it if you've already come to a conclusion??

It would have been better if you had come on here and asked what farming subject farm and forestry boards posters think merits some more research.

I stick by what I've said in my previous posts.

Best of luck with your research.

I look forward to you posting back here with your findings.

Missent

Hi Bigbird

Have done some academic work in this area in the past. I agree with previous posters that a general topic of organic farming is too wide. Pick a more specific topic, e.g. Poultry Welfare, SACs, Nitrates, Environmental Schemes (REPS/AEOS) or something on the environmental aide, Water Framework Directive, SACs, Habitats Directive, etc. In the organics area, an interesting topic would be state aids for such farming. The dioxin crisis in Ireland has recently been covered successfully, for example.

The agricultural area is excellent for thesis work as it affords great possibilities for comparative studies. Contrast the approach taken in Ireland with those in regions of the UK or other EU Member States. Material can easily found on this on the EU website, in Agra Europe or Farmers' Journal, etc. Otherwise, academics are often interested in micro-approaches to specific issues, e,g, the effect of SACs or other environmental provisions in a particular county or district. You may need to approach your local farming or environmental groups re this.

As other posters have said, approach your supervisor but don't expect him/her to do all the work. Approach the meeting with a plan and be prepared to defend it. Finally, pick a topic which interests you. It'll make the hard slog much easier!

Hope this helps.

Grecco

Well if you really wanted to be clever why not do a thesis on the use or impact of Hydrocarbons in farming today or in the future.
This would give you plenty of scope to do background on there use today ie the amounts in use and they types being used, where and when etc; and then to go on and write about what may be the outcome of a change in supply or type of Hydrocarbons used in agriculture in the future.
This would cover everything from Fertilizers, diesels/oils etc to Future use of Bio fuels etc

I know how hard it is to find a topic for your own thesis so I hope this helps gets the ball rolling on idea generation.

As for the layout, they are pretty standard as in you could look at how another thesis was laid out and follow that method. You will have to use some referencing convention such as Harvard etc
Best of Luck

harry21

I've PM'ed you everything you need.

Bigbird1

harry21 wrote: »

I've PM'ed you everything you need.

harry21 i haven't received that yet if u could please sent it on again, thanks

Bigbird1

Missent wrote: »

Hi Bigbird

Have done some academic work in this area in the past. I agree with previous posters that a general topic of organic farming is too wide. Pick a more specific topic, e.g. Poultry Welfare, SACs, Nitrates, Environmental Schemes (REPS/AEOS) or something on the environmental aide, Water Framework Directive, SACs, Habitats Directive, etc. In the organics area, an interesting topic would be state aids for such farming. The dioxin crisis in Ireland has recently been covered successfully, for example.

The agricultural area is excellent for thesis work as it affords great possibilities for comparative studies. Contrast the approach taken in Ireland with those in regions of the UK or other EU Member States. Material can easily found on this on the EU website, in Agra Europe or Farmers' Journal, etc. Otherwise, academics are often interested in micro-approaches to specific issues, e,g, the effect of SACs or other environmental provisions in a particular county or district. You may need to approach your local farming or environmental groups re this.

As other posters have said, approach your supervisor but don't expect him/her to do all the work. Approach the meeting with a plan and be prepared to defend it. Finally, pick a topic which interests you. It'll make the hard slog much easier!

Hope this helps.

I was thinking of looking at the diversity of organic farms vs conventional farms. Taking two farms and looking at their profits, output, effects on the environment etc???

Missent

BigBird

Sorry for not replying to you sooner but Internet is crap round here. In my view, you're getting closer to a possible topic but it still looks too broad to me. By the time you've covered all regulatory and commercial aspects covering these two farms, you'll have written a large book!

I would suggest cutting down the comparison to environmental aspects or another topic and taking it from there. Also, try to formulate a basis for your supervisor as to why the two farms were chosen.

Good luck again.