Thesis and Dissertation Development

3 lessons · 75 min

What you will learn

• Plan a long project chapter by chapter
• Work productively with a supervisor
• Keep the argument coherent across chapters

Lessons

• 1. Planning the whole
• 2. Working with your supervisor
• 3. Coherence across chapters

Planning the whole

Structures vary by country, institution and discipline — not every thesis has five chapters. Start from your regulations and an approved recent thesis in your department.

Write a one-paragraph summary of each chapter early. If the paragraphs do not tell one story, fix the plan before writing thousands of words.

Example

In many UK universities “dissertation” means a master’s project and “thesis” a PhD; in the US it is often the reverse.

Exercise

Use the chapter planning worksheet to write one paragraph per chapter.