A thesis is a big document. A supervisor cannot be expected to read and review the whole thing at short notice, nor can they be expected to review it very many times. They can review, but not rewrite. The thesis must be the student’s work.
Establish a schedule, including:
- in what order chapters will be written
- when they will be given to the supervisor for review
- when they will be given back
- how often the supervisor is prepared to review them
- how the review will happen (eg occasional face-to-face meetings coupled with use of Word’s change-tracking tools).
Factor in fixed deadlines, such as intermediate reviews, conferences at which the research may be presented and times when experiments must be done (eg if the research uses major national facilities, these have fixed schedules, and experiments may have to wait 6 months or more).
Tips.
- Learn how to use change-tracking tools.
- Keep track of versions of each section – for example, do not modify sections while they are being reviewed by a supervisor; harmonising several drafts of the same content is troublesome.
- Ensure that both you and your supervisor are aware of the review schedule and expectations.
Expect the schedule to be flexible and to change, but do have one, and keep it up to date.
Did you know?
‘A goal without a plan is just a wish’ (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
‘No battle plan survives contact with the enemy’ (Helmuth von Moltke the Elder)
‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’ (Benjamin Franklin)
The ability to write acceptable English reasonably quickly is a tremendous asset to a student writing a thesis.
Tip. Students should assess the quality of their written English as early as possible and, if needed, factor in some time and opportunities to improve.
Some e-learning modules may be helpful.
