The semester you choose to write your honors thesis will be one of the most eye-opening semesters you experience at Indiana University. You are going to learn a lot about yourself and about the process of conducting and analyzing research. Before you enter the semester, there are probably a few things you should know.
- DO NOT procrastinate.
If you are like me and work best under pressure, now is the time to curb that habit. This is much easier said than done, as I have learned. I pocketed time everyday to write and everyday found myself saying ‘You know, I can probably get this all done tomorrow’. Time passes by much faster when you are writing your honors thesis, and you may find yourself rushing to finish your thesis two days before it is due if you’re not careful. For your own sake, actively work on not procrastinating and take Professor Bagetta’s advice on sticking to a writing schedule.
2. Ask for feedback on your writing from your advisor throughout the process.
I know it can be intimidating to send your rough drafts to your advisor, but for your sake, do it early and do it a few times throughout the semester. I waited until two weeks before the thesis due date to ask for feedback from my advisor and had to stress over fixing everything before it was due. Turns out it is possible to be completely off base on your literature review all semester, so don’t let that happen to you. Since your advisor is also the person grading your thesis, it is also helpful to get their feedback to understand what they’re expecting from you and the caliber of that research.
3. Find your data sources before the semester starts.
While professors will tell you that you don’t need to have your data till you begin writing your thesis, you need to make sure that you can collect or find the data you need to answer your research question. I know myself and a few others did not realize there was no data for the question they were researching and had to completely change directions with their topic. While this may seem obvious, sometimes data sources are not comparable like you think they are or they do not really describe the information you are looking for. Obviously you do not need to begin analyzing your data, but just make sure it’s there and it is what you need to answer your research question.
I know many of you will read this and roll your eyes at how obvious these suggestions seem, but these are all things I wish I would have followed throughout this process. A semester seems like a long time to write 25-30 pages, but this is probably not your only class and the semester goes very quickly. Follow the advice on this page, and the advice from your professors, and your thesis writing process will be smooth sailing.