First impressions are said to influence important future events like your job opportunities and relationships. Likewise, the first impression that your proposal creates is very important. Think of the proposal document that you need to complete when you apply for masters or PhD acceptance. The document has guidelines on content, formatting and referencing. It also …
Be a Star student. Make a great first impression. Read More »
Doing a thesis or dissertation isn’t easy. Academia may be a new world for you. There are lots of things to learn, lots of work to do and deadlines to meet. You have a supervisor, advisor, or lecturer, but many other students around you also need their attention. So why not stand out? Be an …
The end of October was thesis submission time for many postgraduate students. And last week was the week before submission time for several other students (schools usually take a few days for admin). Some of these students were genuinely out of time, having extended their stay as long as their schools allowed. They simply had …
Imagine a golden thread that runs through your thesis, from start to finish. It weaves your argument through theory and literature, linking your research questions, your conceptual framework, your methodology and analytic framework, and finally, your skilful answers to the research questions. This is the coveted golden thread of your thesis. Let’s think more about …
In the methodology chapter, the focus of the thesis is different from the previous chapters. In Chapter 1, you described mainly the problem and purpose of your research, the key debates in the associated literature, and the knowledge gap. In Chapter 2, you reviewed the relevant literature and arrived at your conceptual framework. But Chapter …
The KEY to Writing a Successful Methodology Chapter in Your Thesis Read More »
If you’re writing your thesis or dissertation, it is a very good idea to know about applying Word’s Styles to your headers. It may be a bit intimidating to begin using styles, but you will bless yourself forever if you take the plunge! In fact, you can’t not use them – here’s why… …
Are you using tables in your thesis or dissertation? Here are 10 tips. The first nine are rules or guidelines from the APA 7 manual. The last one is my own. Tip 1: Tables should be aligned with the left margin, rather than centred. Tip 2: The table number and heading should be …
As a student, you know how stressful it is to write your thesis or dissertation. But you’re not the only one involved in this huge exercise. Spare a thought for your supervisor(s) and examiners. They have to read your document. And they’re probably stressed too! A very smart move on your part is to make …
Signposting in your thesis – your examiners will Love You for it! Read More »
At this time of year, many students are in the process of finishing their dissertations or theses. Now is the time to examine your research document from start to finish. Perhaps the most overlooked issue in dissertations and theses is that the theoretical or conceptual framework is not followed throughout the document. So often, the framework …
What is the most OVERLOOKED issue in dissertations and theses? Read More »
Over the past few weeks, I’ve read a few dissertations in their draft forms. They had several challenges in common. Let’s examine five mistakes they made, and how to fix them. 1. The dissertations took several pages to describe the characteristics of their participants. Each demographic was described in detail with an accompanying table and …
5 Essentials to GET RIGHT in your Dissertation or Thesis Read More »