Check the rules and regulations before you startAlthough there is a lot more to postgraduate research than writing, your thesis or dissertation is undoubtedly the end-product. Your examiners will use it to judge the quality of your research – since they could not be there watching you, it is all they have to go on.
For many people, the writing of the thesis is a more daunting prospect than all the rest of the research put together. Yet writing a thesis need not be such a Herculean task if you follow these common-sense tips. (Note: the term ‘thesis’ is used here to cover both theses and dissertations.)
Check the rules and regulations before you start
Begin by obtaining and studying the regulations for your degree in your university. Most universities lay down detailed rules governing the length, organisation and presentation of theses. The detail may extend to such fine points as abbreviations, reference style, margins, spacing, typeface, type of paper and binding. Failure to follow these regulations could result in a delay in your thesis being examined.
Start writing early
It is usually best to start work on your thesis as early as possible. While it may be tempting to wait until all your experimental work is completed, this is rarely practical. It is preferable to write up individual experiments as you complete them. You can then amalgamate sections as appropriate when you get to the completion phase of your thesis. In any case, you will probably want to write papers for publication as your research progresses. You may also be required to submit regular progress reports.
Use reference-management software from day one
As described in Chapter 33, with reference-management software you only ever have to download or enter a reference once. This will make your life immeasurably easier from the very first day of your research, and greatly speed the writing of your thesis.
Be organised about storage of data, references and manuscripts
Writing your thesis will be much easier if you have swift access to everything you need. This applies to your raw data, references and previous draft manuscripts. While you may prefer to print out many or all references reviewed during your literature search, have a system for naming and storing all these documents electronically for easy retrieval. Depending on the software you choose, downloaded PDFs may be automatically named. You can link your database entries to PDF files, annotate PDFs and enter your own keywords for later searches relevant to your work.
Use ‘downtime’ to do some writing
There will be times when you are not able to get on with the practical side of your research. Perhaps you are waiting for an experiment to finish; maybe your equipment is out of service; maybe you are simply stuck for what to do next. You can use these ‘downtimes’ to write up your methods, results of completed experiments or parts of your introduction.
Plan carefully
As said elsewhere in this book, planning is the foundation of effective writing. Planning your thesis is a formidable task. Yet you can apply exactly the same rules to your thesis as you would to other major writing projects. Try approaches such as mind mapping or developing a document in outline view (Chapter 29).
Set a page budget and interim deadlines
As described in Chapter 29, for any big piece of writing, it is important to decide in advance approximately how long each section should be. You do not want to spend many hours polishing your introduction, only to find that it is far too long relative to the length of your other sections. You should also budget your time, so that you know you will be able to complete the writing painlessly in the hours, days or weeks available. For more information on setting page budgets and managing your time, see Chapters 29 and 31.
Decide on whether the ‘big paper’ or ‘mini-papers’ approach is appropriate
There are two main approaches to writing a thesis based on experimental work:
• like a single, gigantic paper, organised into the introduction, methods, results and discussion
• like a series of papers, with a global introduction and discussion drawing them all together.
Which you choose will depend on the type of research you have done, the regulations of your university and advice from your supervisor.
Look at other theses for ideas
It can be helpful to look at other people’s theses, especially those from your own department. Choose examples that you know were well received by the examiners. You can glean many useful ideas on organisation, layout and illustrations. However, be sure that any bright ideas you borrow from other theses meet the statutory requirements of your university.
Finish writing early
If starting writing early is a good idea, finishing early is an even better idea. You will need the remaining time to revise your draft, seek comments from your supervisor and colleagues, incorporate those comments, proofread your thesis, check references, get illustrations prepared and finally have your thesis printed and bound. You may even need to do some additional experimental work or statistical analyses to fill in any gaps that you noticed when writing up your results.
Get your supervisor’s input early
Once you have developed a plan for your thesis, check it out with your supervisor. Then, get your supervisor’s comments on each section as soon as it is completed. Finally, ask your supervisor to read through the whole thesis to make sure it hangs together. Obtaining comments in easy stages will:
• make sure that you have time to take advantage of any suggestions your supervisor may make regarding content, organisation or presentation
• improve the quality of your supervisor’s comments – the more time you allow, the more detailed and carefully considered their comments will be.
Prepare your figures in easy stages
You will probably have many graphs and charts in your thesis, and possibly photographs or other illustrations. It is a good idea to prepare these as you go along, to save a rush at the last minute. Preparing graphics and illustrations will always take you longer than you think.
Make sure you use a standard style for figures and tables
Unless your lab has a style guide, or your university guidelines stipulate a specific style, decide early on a standard style for details such as axes labels, units and abbreviations in figures and tables. Selecting a style you like from a journal can save you ‘inventing’ one. A journal’s Instructions to Authors for formatting tables and figures is usually comprehensive and can act as a convenient guide. Once selected, stick to a standard style. Check that it is compatible with university regulations.
Be obsessed with backups
When writing a thesis, your data are your most precious possession. Your second most precious possession is any writing in progress or completed. Make sure that you have up-to-date backups of both in case of disaster. Have backups stored in at least two places, preferably one cloud-based. That way, if the university or your home goes up in flames, or your computer is stolen, all is not lost.
Give your abstract and introduction an extra polish
The abstract and introduction are the first parts of your thesis the examiners will read. These parts of the thesis set the tone for everything that is to come. Just as a person makes an indelible impression on you in the first 30 seconds, a good abstract can ‘sell’ your thesis, whereas a bad one can put examiners off. Although examiners will conscientiously read every bit of your thesis, it is very hard to wipe out these first impressions. So make sure your thesis gives an excellent impression, starting on the first page.
Ask a friend to help with proofreading
As discussed in Chapter 20, it is impossible to find all the mistakes in your own work – you are just too close to it. Your supervisor will probably also find it difficult to spot mistakes in something so familiar, and is in any case more concerned with the scientific content. You need another ‘eye’ – perhaps a colleague or fellow student with a good eye for detail. Or you could press a partner or friend into service. You could offer a reward – perhaps a celebratory meal on completion of the thesis. Or you could simply offer to reciprocate by proofreading their thesis when the time comes.
Never trust hardware
Software is unlikely to let you down. Personal computers are usually fairly reliable, though networks may not be. But you would be well advised to plan for problems when it comes to printers and photocopiers; they always seem to break down or run out of consumables when you are in a hurry.
Allow plenty of time for printing and binding
Allow plenty of time for printing and binding your thesis. Universities often provide this service and you just need to email/upload the completed document, usually as a PDF. Alternatively, you may need to use an independent printing service. Whichever, allow sufficient time. Students often leave this last piece of the jigsaw to the last minute, horrified to find it will take 48 hours (or more) for printing and binding.