So, you’re about to start writing your thesis, eh? I remember when I first started my thesis. I had no clue what I was doing and didn’t even have a solid research question! Good times.
You’re about to embark on a hell of a journey. It’ll be tough, you’ll question yourself at every step, and you’ll probably even cry in bed. But once you have your completed thesis in your hand, and you reflect on the struggle that it took to get that sweet forty-ish page paper done, you’ll be proud of yourself.
But regardless, there are a few things that you might be able to learn from previous CARI researchers like me.
It’s okay if you don’t have your research question perfectly fleshed out.
But that just means that you’re going to have to work extra hard. I came in understanding the general area that my research was going to be in, but I had no where near anything that resembled a tangible and workable research question. I started out with an interest of the politics of emerging technologies and how that applies to artificial intelligence, and that eventually evolved into the problems and solutions of the international governance of AI. As you continue to work, you’ll eventually get closer and closer to your end research question. It’s just a matter of continuing to write, research, and think about your thesis. Try talking to your friends, your professors, and anyone who’s willing to listen about your thesis. This will give you an opportunity to try and communicate your ideas and organize them into a narrative structure. When we verbalize ideas, it activates a different part of your brain than when you’re thinking about it abstractly or in writing. Communicating your ideas verbally may also help you narrow down your question, or to create a better research question.
Ask Around Campus!
IU campus is filled with a bunch of professors, each of whom specialize in their area of study, including Professor Baggetta. Ask around and see who you can talk to about your thesis, Professor Baggetta and Professor Karaagac are great starting points. Even if your thesis is in the topic area your advisor does their research in, talking to other experts may help in bringing in some new ideas and perspectives that could help your paper. Also, don’t feel limited to campus, try sending out emails to experts outside of campus. Just make sure that when you’re going to go talk with a professor you don’t waste their time. They don’t have time to read your thirty-page rough draft, even if it’s really cool. Make a one-page summary of your paper’s main points and your research question to bring to them.
Work Hard, But Not Too Hard
You’ll probably end up getting into your flow state at some point, when it feels like you’re not even trying, and the words just appear on the paper. However, the opposite can also happen when you feel burnt out and you just can’t muster the effort to write. Burnout happens, and you should take care to avoid it. Give yourself ample breaks and don’t force yourself to write for hours on end without any breaks. When you do take breaks, try not to spend them browsing Reddit or Tumblr aimlessly, but rather try going on a walk or some stretches. Sometimes, you just won’t get anything done for an entire week, it happened to me. Don’t beat yourself up about it, instead…
Just Keep ̶S̶w̶i̶m̶m̶i̶n̶g̶ Writing
You’ll run into plenty of roadblocks, I know that I did. Every step along the way, I questioned myself and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to finish. I didn’t meet any of the deadlines throughout the semester. But, I did get my final manuscript in on time, and it was a paper that I was proud of. Just keep writing. Even when you’re not sure if you’re doing the right thing, just keep writing, something might be useful. I’m sure I threw away around twenty pages of writing throughout the entire process. But, a lot of the information and sources that I had used was incredibly helpful. Remember, just keep writing.
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