How to Write a Thesis

安伯托‧艾可教你寫論文
 
安伯托‧艾可因為《玫瑰的名字》而聞名於世，成為義大利最知名的知識份子、學者以及語言學作家。但在此書出版之前，他曾經為了學生出過一本《如何寫論文》的小書。
 
在《如何寫論文》中，艾可針對研究以及寫作論文提供了實用的建議，從如何
選擇題目、擬定工作時程、到修潤完成稿子。本書的義大利版本已經出到第23版，並且翻譯成17種語言，已成為寫作書的經典，但卻是首度翻譯成英文版。
 
除了實用的建議之外，艾可並大談寫作論文的價值，使得本書不像一般的寫作手冊，反而是有如小說一般。

By the time Umberto Eco published his best-selling novel The Name of the Rose, he was one of Italy's most celebrated intellectuals, a distinguished academic and the author of influential works on semiotics. Some years before that, in 1977, Eco published a little book for his students, How to Write a Thesis, in which he offered useful advice on all the steps involved in researching and writing a thesis -- from choosing a topic to organizing a work schedule to writing the final draft. Now in its twenty-third edition in Italy and translated into seventeen languages, How to Write a Thesis has become a classic. Remarkably, this is its first, long overdue publication in English. Eco's approach is anything but dry and academic. He not only offers practical advice but also considers larger questions about the value of the thesis-writing exercise. How to Write a Thesis is unlike any other writing manual. It reads like a novel. It is opinionated. It is frequently irreverent, sometimes polemical, and often hilarious. Eco advises students how to avoid "thesis neurosis" and he answers the important question "Must You Read Books?" He reminds students "You are not Proust" and "Write everything that comes into your head, but only in the first draft." Of course, there was no Internet in 1977, but Eco's index card research system offers important lessons about critical thinking and information curating for students of today who may be burdened by Big Data. How to Write a Thesis belongs on the bookshelves of students, teachers, writers, and Eco fans everywhere. Already a classic, it would fit nicely between two other classics: Strunk and White and The Name of the Rose. This MIT Press edition will be available in three different cover colors. ContentsThe Definition and Purpose of a ThesisChoosing the TopicConducting ResearchThe Work Plan and the Index CardsWriting the ThesisThe Final Draft