With extensive works of research–like a thesis–comes passion. It may be positive passion (think strong devotion to uncovering the truth or a genuine interest in your topic). It may be negative passion (think unmatched anger when your R code fails for the 11th time).
But in any case, I have found that powerful emotions are bound to accompany most all year-long efforts to derive meaning from mounds of data and translate months of research into a coherent paper. The advice I offer here is a reflection of the tips I wish I would have known before writing my thesis–tips that I am confident would have made my own emotional journey throughout this process much smoother.
(1) NARROWING YOUR RESEARCH ≄ NARROWING YOUR MAIN POINT
“You need to narrow the scope of your research.” I cannot count how many times I, and many of my thesis-writing peers, were told this throughout the process. Every time I was told this, I would revisit the drawing board and mull over ideas for how I could make my scope more focused while still being able to say what I wanted to say. I was passionate about the topic and I wanted to leave no rock unturned. It took me a while before I realized that… my ultimate research topic did not need to encompass every rock (evidence/idea) in order for me to turn the rocks over at some point in my paper.
Poor analogy aside – this is to say that there is room in your work for “honorable mentions.” So, I recommend not stressing too much about losing your main point when narrowing your focus; as writers, I think we all always find a way to send the message we were looking for.
(2) NOT ALL FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS SIGNIFY SKEPTICISM
Throughout this process, you are going to share your research with professors, advisors, experts, and peers. Most of them are going to ask questions. And if you are like me, you tend to read into things a little too liberally. I wasted a lot of time mulling over pieces of my data or my writing (that did not warrant mulling) simply because when someone questioned why I was doing what I was; I just assumed they were casting doubt. Needless to say, this was not the case. People ask questions for all sorts of reasons and you know your work better than anyone else!!
(3) IT IS OKAY IF A SOURCE SEEMS TO CONTRADICT YOUR FINAL ARGUMENT
This one goes hand and hand with “not wanting to leave any rock unturned.” You are passionate about your work and invested in the output of it. And it is good to be a diligent truth-seeker. However, to paraphrase my awesome thesis advisor, there comes a point when you have done your due diligence. If a source/evidence surfaces that makes you double-think the mounds of other sources you have proving your argument, it is not the end of the world and if anything can make an interesting addition to your paper.
You could add a section titled “Exceptions” and use it to discuss how the contradiction relates to your work. And even if you don’t add this section, you CAN move forward with your argument in good faith.
(4) YOUR THESIS JOURNEY WILL BE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF YOUR PEERS
Your progress does not need to align with that of your peers. The gravitas of your topic does not need to align with that of your peers. And your approach does not always need to align with that of your peers. You all are writing on different subjects, using different types of methodology, and possess diverse styles of working. It is beyond valuable to connect with your thesis-writing peers. However, make sure to remind yourself that this journey is a little bit different for everyone, and there is no need to stress if others seem to have done more or less.
Elizabeth Algeri wrote her thesis in the fall of 2022.
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