There are many ways of writing a thesis or dissertation as there are combinations and permutations of faculty members and students. Keep the following points in mind:
- Well written proposals generally lead to well written theses and dissertations – spend appropriate effort on the proposal to avoid wasted effort during the write up.
- Memory fails – keep meticulous notes on materials and methods employed, the experimental conditions, and the results. Even better, periodically write up those notes into a form that can be used in the thesis or dissertation without major editing.
- Accidents happen – periodically back up all relevant notes (electronic and paper) and store the backup copies in a physically separate location from the originals.
- Clear technical writing is the result of hard labor by the author – develop good writing skills through written class assignments, so that those skills are available when the thesis or dissertation is being prepared.
External review of the thesis or dissertation by an outside peer is suggested. Contact the Thesis/Dissertation consultant early, so that your thesis or dissertation will meet format requirements.