Real Researchers - Writing & Dissertation Coaching

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Prewriting, draft writing, and rewriting of your thesis should overlap. As you prewrite, expand your notes into paragraphs and then use those notes and paragraphs to write drafts for that category (or paper section). You can revise while you work on other sections. #prewriting #draftwriting #rewriting #thesis #research

As you write these short rough drafts on individual sections of your thesis project, bring them in to discuss with your research adviser. You only need to polish them a little. Out of respect for your reader, check spelling and basic grammar. If you want to do more polishing and refining, that’s great and it will pay off later, but it’s not essential. These short papers and discussions will produce a better thesis, made up of stronger parts. #thesis #individualsections #thesisproject #paper

To illustrate how you can write small stand-alone papers as part of your larger thesis project, let’s consider the thesis on suburban transportation problems. The first two prewriting categories are: 1. Evidence that the problems are serious and increasing, and that particular counties are good examples of them; 2. Evidence that existing transportation policies are not working well, focusing on the three counties. Either topic (or the categories) would be a perfectly fine subject for a short paper. You can concentrate on category 2, which says that suburban transportation policies are ineffective and that the selected counties are good illustrations. If you had already assembled a fair amount of research materials on this research topic, there’s no reason why you can’t write a short paper on that topic alone, running perhaps two to five pages. #thesis #researchtopic #researchcategories

The most effective way to prewrite your research paper is to: ● Set up the main categories ● Line them up in order ● Sort evidence into the categories ● Expand on your evidence and start writing sentences and paragraphs for various categories—the more, the better This approach combines clear organization for the research paper as a whole (the capital Roman numerals) with lots of informal exploratory writing. #research #prewrite #researchpaper

It’s your responsibility to keep your thesis project on track. Your research adviser can help in many ways, but the ultimate responsibility is yours. When you need help, ask. #thesisproject #researchadviser

Instead of detailed outlining, try prewriting. Prewriting involves sorting through your book notes and comments, amplifying them with sentences and paragraphs, and then putting them in a logical sequence. #outlining #prewriting

Checklist: Thesis Argument ● Write a preliminary version of your main argument or “thesis statement” after you have completed background readings. ● Revise this argument as you continue researching and writing. ● Discuss your argument periodically with your adviser. ● Work toward a briefer, sharper statement of your argument (the elevator test). #thesisargument #research #writing

To develop a clear thesis statement, you’ll need to revise and update your paragraph as your research develops. You’ll need to discuss it with your research adviser. With revision, discussion, and research, your initial perspective can mature into your thesis argument. #thesisstatement #research

Write a preliminary version of your thesis argument after you’ve completed your background reading. The argument only needs to be a paragraph, or perhaps even a sentence, capturing your main idea. Even this preliminary version will guide your research. #writing #thesisargument #research #thesisproject