Top Ten Tips for Good Thesis Writing

When it comes to thesis writing, some students rely on custom thesis writing service, other write on their own, but in this business every word counts. Especially if you happen to be an undergrad who wants to make a rock solid paper worthy of academic praise, you may want to know the right approach towards writing your thesis.

Still, you can never deny the fact writing such a great thesis require understanding and applying the principles of academic writing. But more than just knowing about proper grammar and composition, you also need to understand what makes a thesis or a dissertation strong.

Anyone can tell you that thesis writing requires a lot of complex stuff to pull off. But whether you are still an undergraduate student or a professional who is pursuing his or her PhD, the same challenges in thesis writing can still be encountered all throughout.

To work your way around this, you have to apply the following tips that will make your thesis shine with professionalism and academic integrity.

1. Learn about the instructions first. Of course, before you set out composing your thesis, you need to understand the requirements set by your college and by your thesis instructor. Rules on the format of your thesis as well as the citation style required by the institution are important; otherwise, you would find yourself wasting time and energy revising your output.
2. Formulate your introduction last. Your introduction always serves as the window to the total thought and content of your thesis. Therefore, it should be written last to fully condense your thesis’ content. Moreover, writing your thesis at the end together with the conclusion allows you to prepare readers for what your paper has in store for them.
3. Work by chapters. From what you can understand from your basic English composition classes, any piece of literature follows a set structure. From short stories to persuasive essays, it has always been a principle that you should write your thesis chronologically. It has to have a beginning, a middle and an end. But reading literature (and an academic one at that) is far different from writing one. In particular, thesis writing is about analysing each part of your thesis and determine whether it fits the whole idea or prevailing theme of your argument. It is then best for you to work on your thesis chapter by chapter rather than flowing right down to the conclusion.
4. Don’t be too technical. We all know that it has always been a mortal sin to incorporate literary devices into academic writing. But do you know that you can still make a professional paper without making it less bland? All you have to do is to use the right words and the right literary devices that jibe with the topic of your thesis. You may still need to be objective throughout, but it does help if you put some flair into your writing.
5. Familiarize in-text citation styles. In-text citations add a certain amount of authority in your paper. Especially if you directly or indirectly quote distinguished figures in your area of specialization, in-text citations show just how serious you are in your field of study. It is only a matter of knowing the citation styles required by your college and your thesis advisers. Whether it’s MLA and APA, you should abide by the rules of proper academic citing.
6. Never be too mild with drafts. Part of thesis writing is the frustration you often get from writing drafts. But you should realize by now that academic writing is serious business. Informational accuracy and academic integrity are the prime principles to follow. After all, doing a sloppily composed thesis will get you in trouble with the dean, so it actually pays to waste a lot of paper perfecting your argument (no disrespect to environmentalists).
7. Meet with your adviser from time to time. Expert opinion is what you need in order to come up with an academic paper with content as sturdy as a piece of bamboo in a typhoon. Coordination with your thesis advisers is the key for you to be on the right track in composing your thesis. Have a lot of free time until the next class? Meet with your professors and subject your paper to merciless (yet insightful) scrutiny.
8. Use the active voice. Academic writing is all about frankness. Nothing really good comes out of “beating around the bush” with technical terms and circular arguments. Get to the point and avoid the use of the passive voice except for certain parts where they are needed.
9. Use index cards. Gathering your sources can be a bit messy. You can go around this problem by using index cards. After all, using index cards allows you to structure your bibliography effectively and guarantees that not one source gets unmentioned.
10. Take a “leave” after writing a paragraph. Allowing yourself some free time away from writing your thesis allows you to look at it with a new perspective, allowing you to do some serious revisions and strengthen your argument. So, try to take a “vacation” the moment you are done with writing a paragraph. Your rejuvenated self will do what it takes to improve your writing.