So, you’re going to be writing a thesis. Maybe you’re reading this for one of the two thesis courses, or maybe you’re just a super in-the-know O’Neill undergrad student. Either way, good for you for doing your homework. I’m going to try to give you the best advice I have from my thesis writing experience. Full disclosure: I did not have a determined topic or adviser at the beginning of the semester in which my thesis was due. Whether you’re in a similar situation, or well ahead of where I was, you’ll be able to figure this out so don’t worry! Here’s my realest advice for thesis writing:
- Start early, communicate often
You’ve got to be able to communicate with your professor and your advisors. Don’t spend too much time overthinking emails or hesitating on whether you should contact someone. I guarantee most academics are not thinking about it as much as you are. In fact, it’s likely they won’t see or respond to your email at all. So, don’t waste your time worrying about the perfect wording for an email—just type it out, read it over, and send it. If you aren’t rude or over-demanding, most professors are more than willing to help. And if they’re not, it’s probably not because of the language you used in an email.
Similarly, communicate often once you have an advisor! If you have a meeting scheduled, but you can’t get your materials prepared, just let your advisor know. They may want to reschedule, or plan an extra meeting that week to touch-bases again. If your advisor says they’re going to send you something within 24 hrs, don’t be shy to email them after 32 and ask for an update. It doesn’t hurt, as long as you’re generally friendly with good intentions. (If you’re not, I don’t know why you’re reading this blog post.)
- Know your limits: focus on feasibility
Next, you’ve got to understand the limits of an undergraduate thesis. You don’t have a budget (besides any personal money you’re willing to contribute, which for me was $0), and you have other classes, jobs, and obligations that demand your time. Realistically, you probably can’t spend a lot of time collecting your own data (unless you’re using a Qualtrics survey or something like that). If you’re not sure on your specific topic but have a general idea, I’d focus on looking at what data is easily available for use. This will shape the kinds of analysis you’re able to do. Also, talk with your instructor and see if they have any suggestions for professors who might be willing to help further clarify your research. This is how I ended up connecting with my advisor, it absolutely saved my thesis. My advisor brought her subject-area expertise to my general topic, and it completely shifted the approach I took to my paper for the better.
- Don’t get lost in the sauce
When writing your paper, don’t get bogged down in a million different sources. Finding a method to organize your research will save you so much time. There’s no need to be overly fancy. I used a “dump-doc” where I put any links that I thought could potentially be helpful in future. I used the doc to copy-and-pasted quotes from articles at the beginning of my project, so I could easily search for key evidence, which was helpful. Whatever works for you, just find a method, and stick to it.
Similarly, using a citation-keeper website will also save you so much time. I’ve used a few now, and Zotero has been my favorite. I kept a running preliminary bibliography that I used for draft documents and then created a separate, final bibliography for my final thesis. Make sure to utilize the “magic wand” auto-tool (in the picture below). This allows you to easily cite documents using their URL, ISSN, and other identifiers. Make sure you double-check the inputs on your new citation as it’s not a perfect tool.
- Just do it
You’ve just got to sit down and write. I hate to say it, but that’s the only way you’ll ever get a thesis written. So, don’t overthink it! Just word vomit onto a document. If you need a fun beverage or snack to do it, get a fun beverage or snack. If you need to put on Jersey Shore or some other terrible TV show and multitask, just do it. If you need to lay in bed and slouch with the worst posture known to mankind, just do it. Nobody is judging you based on how you write, but they are grading you based on the writing you turn in. So, you just get something on paper! I guarantee if I hadn’t done all these things, sometimes at the same time, I would not have a thesis to submit.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Dorothy Reinhard is a graduating senior at Indiana University studying Public Policy Analysis and International Studies with a Certificate of Applied Research and Inquiry.
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