So you think you can write a thesis?

Having just finished my own master's thesis, I'd like to share some of my tips for having a smooth and successful graduate thesis-writing experience. The word "thesis" strikes fear and apprehension into the hearts of even the most confident graduate students. The prospect of such a long and important research paper is daunting, but should be approached as you would any research paper. Take the process one step at a time, leave yourself plenty of time to complete the work, and don't stress yourself out!



Artifice's Thesis-Writing Tips:

1. Pick a topic. One way to go about this is to use a research paper you've already written for another class as a jump-off point. Otherwise, it's OK to start with a broad topic. Don't be afraid to work on something that you really want to, even if you haven't done any previous research. The more interesting you find your topic to begin with, the less of a chore your thesis will be several months into it. As you begin to read and research, you will get ideas for how you might be able to specify the topic, where the material is lacking, and how you might be able to approach the topic differently.

2. Start researching early. Even if you don't end up using the material in the final copy, it never hurts to have a background in related material. That way you can be extra-confident about making your point. Getting an early start also helps you to pace yourself and really learn about whatever it is you're researching.

3. Use the resources available to you wisely. Your university or college's library has a treasure trove of online research options you probably didn't know even existed. Take advantage of any research workshops your librarian might offer, chances are that even if you think you're an internet-search pro, you'll discover something you never even thought to look for. Ditto for any public libraries. Don't be afraid to ask the librarians for help, most of them are happy to point you in the right direction or give you an idea for a different research direction.

4. Read footnotes and bibliography religiously. Any book you pick up that has anything remotely related to your topic will also have an extensive bibliography that will help broaden or specify your search. Some of the best and most interesting nuggets are buried in footnotes (I actually discovered the manuscript that ended up being my thesis topic at the end of a half-page footnote!).

Don't ignore these effortless research opportunities, there's a whole list of interesting books just waiting for you to look at! This also helps you to build a comprehensive idea of "previous scholarship" on your topic, which will be a central portion of your thesis.

5. Get citation software. Get it, use it, love it. I use EndNote, and I've heard that RefWorks is also a great option. These were both available as free downloads from my college's library website, so make sure to see if your school has a similar offer before spending the dough. As you're researching, enter every book/article/website you look at, no exceptions. Not only will you build an impressive library of citations, but your library is then searchable by author, title, keyword, etc.

EndNote has a cite-while-you-write feature that makes moving the data into a word document really easy, and has a multitude of formatting options based on your citation preferences.

6. Cite early, cite often. My trick for taking notes is to put page numbers down right then and there. I've never had to go searching for a citation 4 months after the fact, and having page numbers available without the book handy (common for closed-stack libraries) made citations much easier.

When you start writing, start citing (just a little rhyming thesis-writing maxim). Even if you over-cite or end up cutting out or moving things around, if the citation is already there, cleaning them up is a breeze.

7. Start writing. Everyone works in a different order, but in a thesis-situation, an all-nighter, a pot of coffee, and frantic last-minute research won't cut it. I found that beginning to write as soon as I had an idea of what I wanted to say made the overall task much less daunting.

I first created a long outline of what I wanted to cover, and a rough idea of how I wanted to break up the information. Then I just started writing. From there, the more I wrote, the more the information sort of divided itself and logical breaks for chapters/sections were revealed. Don't worry about length, specific organization, or perfectly polished grammar to begin with, you will edit (over and over and over again) for these types of issues.

8. Communicate with your adviser. You should have a clear idea of what your adviser expects of you over the course of the thesis. Do they want to see your draft in pieces, or all at once? Will you set specific dates for when certain chapters should be finished? These are some issues that should be worked out with your adviser in the early stages of thesis-writing, so that both of you know exactly what to expect along the way.

9. Edit. edit. edit. Once you have a draft that you're happy with, it helps to enlist the help of your fellow grad students for editing. Not only will you get feedback from them regarding clarity and flow, but the more new sets of eyes as you can get on your grammar and sentence structure (we all have weird little writing quirks that we can't pick out and fix for ourselves!), the better.

I'd also recommend your college or university's writing center. Normally staffed by extremely helpful English grad students, even if you're convinced you're the greatest and most compelling writer to ever write a thesis, they can help you polish and clarify.

10. Be prepared for and open to criticism. Take your adviser's and editors' comments and suggestions seriously. Be prepared to go back to the library and re-research some areas of your thesis, or do some new research to supplement and clarify your main points.

If someone says they don't understand something you wrote, don't take it personally, it may just need to be reworded. No first draft (or even second, third or fourth) is perfect! Outside criticism and editing is what will make your thesis the best it can be in the end.

11. Don't forget the little things. Pay attention to instructions from your department or adviser regarding formatting, any images, type of paper, number of copies to be submitted, etc. It sounds mundane and obvious, but making sure that these little details are correct will eliminate possible headaches and make the process of submitting your final copy much smoother.

12. Be informed and submit confidently. Be aware of official deadlines and any final paperwork that should accompany the thesis. This might include an official approval form signed by your adviser or the department, a binding fee, or anything else your department requests. Make sure that you understand these requirements and have them prepared in advance.

Congratulations, you've just written a thesis!