How To Write A Thesis

Writing a thesis is like taking on a challenging mountain hike. It begins with anticipation and excitement, feels great once you hit your stride, and ends with a steep climb that has you wondering why this seemed like such a good idea when you started. Taking the right approach to each stage of writing your thesis makes the process easier.

Step One: Idea Development

When developing a thesis topic, pay attention to the unspoken questions that come up in the back of your mind as you read in your discipline.

Step Two: Research

While this stage often begins with great excitement, it can easily get lost among the piles of books required to adequately research what has already been done around the chosen topic. Look at internet articles, periodicals, and books in sets of ten to twenty at a time.

Step Three: Organizing Notes

Keep notes on note cards or print them out in such a way that they can easily be cut up; you will need more visual space for organization than any computer can provide. Take your notes and pull them together in a timeline that follows your line of reasoning.

Step Four: Drafting

Take your stack of notes and start crunching out pages.

Step Five: Revision

With the arc of your ideas in place, now it's time to refine. here you get picky about the details of grammar and clarity, hopefully with the help of effective notes from your adviser.

Step Six: Publication

Though you will be tired of climbing by now, check everything, especially the table of contents, appendices, and bibliography.

Start early with the right focus, and you will reach that spectacular view that comes at the end.

Taking the right approach to each stage of writing your thesis makes the process easier