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Recent Posts
- lockdown writing routines – a.k.a a cheer for the humble pear
- use a structured abstract to help write and revise
- meeting your readers’ expectations – a revision strategy
- a first draft in five minutes a day?
- writing for publication – finding an angle and an argument
- reading groups/journal clubs are a good idea
- help your inner ‘Creator’ and ‘Editor’ get along
- writing argument – it’s not (always) a contest
- academic writing choices – learning from blogging
- revise – by connecting academic reading with academic writing
- 2020 reflection – on book writing during the pandemic
- working up a first draft: a twelve step strategy
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Top Posts & Pages
- aims and objectives - what's the difference?
- writing a bio-note
- concluding the journal article
- blank and blind spots in empirical research
- I'm writing a journal article - what literatures do I choose?
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- I can't find anything written on my topic... really?
- connecting chapters/chapter conclusions
- why is writing a literature review such hard work? part one
- bad research questions
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Category Archives: thesis
a first draft in five minutes a day?
This is a brief post. It’s a brief post about a brief strategy which helps you to get started on writing that feels a bit – well – a bit boring. It’s the five minutes a day strategy. Boring? Yes … Continue reading
plan to write – a controlling purpose
At some point in the writing process, most writers develop a plan. Some writers may already have, before they plan, chunks of text or a crappy first draft that needs to be beaten into shape. Other writers begin with the … Continue reading
Posted in argument, controlling purpose, the point, thesis, Tiny Text
Tagged academic wriitng, argument, controlling purpose, outline, Pat Thomson, Tiny Text
3 Comments
tracking the path to research claims
All researchers make claims about their work. Remember the phrase staking a claim? That’s what we are actually doing when we claim something. We are metaphorically placing a marker in a field that we are prepared to stand on, stand … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, claim, claims, evidence, revision, revision strategy, thesis, thesis revision
Tagged argument, claims, evidence, Pat Thomson, revision, thesis
1 Comment
writing the thesis from the middle
This is a guest post from Dr Milena Popova, a rogue scholar and activist. They offer one-to-one academic tuition, and tweet as @elmyra. As I hit the start of the second year of my PhD, one of my supervisors casually … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, IMRAD, thesis
Tagged academic writing, IMRAD, Maria Popova, thesis, writing from the middle
15 Comments
oh no, it’s thesis hand-in limbo
It’s time to talk about the phenomenon of thesis limbo-land. That’s the unknown number of days between handing in and the examination. Handing in the thesis is both a triumph and exhausting. It’s no surprise that many people think of … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, hand-in limbo, handing in, phd defence, thesis, viva, wellbeing
Tagged handing in thesis, Pat Thomson, thesis, thesis lmbo, viva, wellbeing
4 Comments
a thesis (often) needs A Big Idea
Everyone knows that the thesis has to make a contribution. No probs. Well yes, there are actually probs. At the end of the research it can be hard to find one. Contribution, where is it? You’re exhausted from generating all … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, Big Idea, contribution, thesis
5 Comments
don’t give your thesis examiner a bad first impression
My hunch is that I’m a lot like most thesis examiners. When we get sent a thesis we often don’t plunge in straight away. We have a bit of a look around first. That’s not an unusual response to a … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, examiner, proofreading, thesis, thesis abstract
Tagged abstract, examiner, Pat Thomson, proofreading, reference list, thesis
5 Comments
mapping a text
I love a good map. I’m not talking about the satnav you have in your car, or its predecessor the street directory. Nor am I talking about the underground map I occasionally have to consult when I’m down in London. … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, book writing, mapping, thesis
Tagged argument, book, mapping, Pat Thomson, thesis
7 Comments
counting down to #thesis completion
Many PhDers are under pressure to complete their research and thesis within set time frames. In the UK where I work, studentships are generally only for three years with a fourth unpaid year of ‘thesis pending’. This roughly equates to: … Continue reading
tiny texts – small is powerful
I work a lot with tiny texts. Abstracts. Storyboards. Story threads. Lines of argument. Tiny texts are my academic writing tool of choice. If I had to abandon all the other writing strategies I have in my repertoire, this is … Continue reading
Posted in abstracts, academic writing, methods, methods chapter, research methods, thesis, Tiny Text
Tagged abstratc, argument, methods chapter, Pat Thomson, thesis, Tiny Text
6 Comments
