Our GO-GN doctoral students might be interested in this article from Clinton Golding which offers concrete advice on the writing process. It’s entitled Advice for writing a thesis (based on what examiners do). A lot of it might seem like common sense, but it can be surprising how easy it is to lose sight of such things when you’re in the midst of it! The paper is accessibly written and practically minded…
In the article, ‘What examiners do: What thesis students should know’, we identified 11 things that thesis examiners do as they read and judge a thesis. But, we left a gap in the research: knowing this, What should thesis students do to write for their examiners? In this article, I fill the gap. The advice for thesis students is: first, treat your examiners as friends who want you to pass, and write calmly without agonising about getting it perfect. Aim to make your thesis reader-friendly, and do a thorough proofread to remove distracting errors. Identify the field(s) you will contribute to, and make your thesis interesting and convincing for examiners from this field. Write a draft, get feedback and use this to improve your thesis. Help your examiners to follow your train of thought: explain what you are doing and why, especially if your thesis differs from what they would expect. Convince your examiners that you have a sound interpretation of the literature, an important topic and an appropriate method, and that your conclusions make a significant, publishable contribution to your field. When you have submitted, expect lots of examiner comments, most of which can help you improve.
