Thesis and Essay Writing

A thesis is an extended written treatment of an issue, which demonstrates not only what you know about it but also how you construct an argument to answer it. Writing one is a complex process that requires knowledge and skills in a wide range of areas, including language, argumentation, essay structure, time management, and citation. But the good news is that there are tons of suggestions and tips. We have picked up a few in the following for your reference so that you can continue on your writing journey with more ease and confidence:

Write continually. Writing can help you clarify your thinking and, therefore, assist you with your research. Many of your ideas may not be clear and solid enough until you write them down. If you cannot turn your thoughts into solid ideas in words, this means you are still in an obvious bind and need more reading and thinking. Therefore, you are recommended to write early and continually instead of postponing it for the last stage.

Revise and rewrite. It is inevitable that your first draft will not be perfect. They need rephrasing, editing, and even rewriting. As Dr. Derek J. Brown puts it, “write in order to rewrite.” When you come back to your draft, you will refine your thoughts, adjust your research focus, and polish your writing. So, be ready for more than one draft before turning it into the final version.

No need to write in order. It may be easier to start with the chapter you find the easiest instead of the introduction. At the early stage of writing, you may have little idea of how to lay out the concrete structure of your chapters and get stuck on the introduction. It would therefore be more productive to start with the chapter the most comfortable to you and to come back later to the introduction when you feel ready.

Follow the thesis requirements of the university. In addition to the introduction, main body (chapters), and conclusion, you may need to prepare some other parts as required by the university. These include but are not limited to a cover page, committee page, abstract, preface, and table of contents. You also need to comply with the formatting rules set by the university. Only the theses written under all the requirements are accepted, so read them carefully well ahead of time.

Save your work. Back up your work on a regular basis. Save your work in more than one place, not only on a USB stick but also on a cloud-based service, such as Google Drive and OneDrive, so that you can retrieve your work from it even when you lose your USB stick.

There are much more suggestions and tips, in the library and online. Feel free to check them out!

Literature Review Writing

• University of Wisconsin – Madison: Information from their Writing Center about writing a literature review
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Information from their Writing Center about writing a literature review
• University of Toronto: The Literature Review

Essay Writing

• Acknowledging, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Sources: Guide from the University of Wisconsin to help students understand plagiarism and how to avoid it in thesis writing

Insights from Expert Educators

• Ph.D. Thesis Research: Where do I Start? by Don Davis, Columbia University
• Checklist for Writing Papers by Michael Kremer
• Working with supervisors from the University of Reading

How to write a research proposal

• Writing Your Research Proposal from London Metropolitan University
• Writing Thesis and Dissertation Proposals from Pennsylvania State University
• Writing a Thesis Proposal from the University of Sydney
• Writing a Research Proposal from Monash University
• Research Proposals Helpsheet from the University of Melbourne