黑料不打烊

For students:听

Create a timeline with tentative deadlines to ensure the thesis/dissertation is done on time

Developing a realistic timeline with deadlines well in advance of submission can help increase motivation and avoid some of the stressful moments that often accompany this stage of the program. For instance, as students, you may generally underestimate the time it takes to:听

• make the final changes suggested by the supervisor(s);听

• rigorously proof-read their final draft, and check citations and referencing; and

• format the final document.

It helps to finish writing early enough to be able to then step back and critique the thesis/dissertation as a whole. To be able to stand back and look at the work from someone else's perspective is the key to successful revision, a process in which all dedicated writers vigorously engage. To finish on time, try to:听

• Write early and regularly: Beginning to write early in the graduate degree, such as creating summaries of articles you have read, can help provide content for the dissertation and develop a habit of regular writing.
  听
• Break the thesis/dissertation into chunks: Thinking of the thesis/dissertation in terms of chapters or sections a supervisor can review can make it feel more manageable.
  听

In the last few months prior to submission of the thesis/dissertation, many supervisors have also found it useful to create a timetable with students regarding their availability for reading and commenting on thesis/dissertation chapters. Students often overlook supervisors' other commitments, or don't know of them, and may be disappointed when the supervisor cannot read the drafts as rapidly as they had assumed.听

听

Write with your audience in mind

As thesis or dissertation is your way to communicate with specific readers 鈥� your supervisor, the examiner, and scholars in your field. Yet in the writing process, you may be so immersed in sorting out your ideas that you forget that your audience may not be as familiar with your project as you and your supervisor(s) are.

Remember that the examiners have not been privy to the development of a student鈥檚 research over time. Before reading the dissertation, they are unlikely to know the:

• 鈥渨hat鈥� (i.e., research focus), 鈥渨hy鈥� (i.e., purpose, objectives and aims of the research), 鈥漢ow鈥� (i.e., methods or procedures) and "so what鈥� (i.e., implications, why they matter, and the overall argument);

• particular meanings that students have assigned to certain terms, concepts, or theories;

• decision-making lying behind the organization of the dissertation;

• focus, objectives and arguments of the overall dissertation and those of individual chapters.
  听

Form writing groups to get feedback from peers

Writing a thesis or dissertation can be isolating and lonely. So it might be a good idea to form a writing feedback group, and meet regularly with your friends and peers who are also going through the same process. You can review each other's work and provide constructive feedback (using, for instance, the questions immediately above).

Graphos offers multiple ways to connect with peers as you write your thesis or dissertation

听

For supervisors: What help can you offer?

听