Hello, thesis writers! I commend you all for undertaking this intensive and rewarding endeavor. I hope that when you reflect back on your experience, you will feel proud of all that you’ve accomplished as an O’Neill Honors student. The thesis process isn’t simple by any means, but there are certainly ways you can make it easier and more enjoyable for yourself along the way.
One of the most impactful decisions you’ll make while writing your manuscript is who you’ll invite to serve as your external reader. Should you ask your favorite professor? Your thesis advisor’s best faculty friend? One of your assistant instructors? You did all the work to find your thesis advisor, but you might get stuck thinking of where to look for a second opinion. It can feel daunting to share your progress with someone outside of your immediate circle, but I promise that if you choose wisely, working with your external reader can transform your work in the best way.
My advice? Choose an external reader who will offer a new and different perspective from your faculty advisor.
For example, I wrote my thesis about the relationship between diversity on nonprofit boards and fundraising policies on boards. My thesis advisor was a Professor of Practice here in the O’Neill School. She and I worked together excellently, and she was always accessible when I had questions or was looking for guidance. As a professor of leadership and fundraising with decades of experience as a nonprofit practitioner, she helped me find relevant literature, questioned me about my research methods and analysis, and shared her perspective as a member of my target audience. Her feedback was incredibly valuable.
However, my advisor was the first to tell me that her strong suit was not in data analysis or statistics. Therefore, I was missing the perspective of a researcher in my analysis and revision process. To address this gap, I sought out an external reader who could offer such a perspective.
I found the perfect external reader for my thesis by doing a deep dive on literature in my subject. In doing so, I found someone who had actually written their dissertation using an earlier distribution of my exact survey dataset – how serendipitous! He had decades of experience not only in nonprofit studies, but also in academic research and analysis.
My external reader was very familiar with the peer review process, and he returned a comprehensive document of constructive feedback. Most notably, he had great insights into my data analysis and discussion that helped address the areas my thesis advisor felt less comfortable weighing in on.
You might find yourself in the opposite position – maybe your thesis advisor is a seasoned academic researcher and has been right with you every step of the way in your data analysis process. You may be writing for a target audience of seasoned academic scholars, in which case that kind of advisor would be perfect. If this is the case, I would recommend an external reader who can offer a more practical perspective and catch instances in which you use unclear jargon or have ideas that aren’t fleshed out clearly. By seeking out feedback from an external reader with a differing perspective from your advisor, you increase the likelihood that your completed manuscript will be of interest to many different voices in your field, scholar and practitioner alike.
Lucia Walker is a May 2025 graduate of the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs with a Bachelor of Science in Arts Management. Her honors thesis is titled “It’s Not Just About the Money: Examining the Diversity Conditions Under Which Nonprofit Boards Require Minimum Annual Gifts.” While a student at Indiana University, Lucia served as Student Manager for The Singing Hoosiers and Undergraduate Coordinator for O’Neill Student Leadership Programs. After graduation, Lucia will pursue graduate studies in Arts Administration and Business at the University of Cincinnati.
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