Category Archives: thesis

the thesis discussion – making the move work

Posted on May 17, 2021 by pat thomson

This post comes back again at the discussion “chapter”. It seems you can never say too much about this tricky bit of the thesis. A caveat before I start. This post is written from a social science perspective and offers … Continue reading →

Posted in argument, discussion, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

required, desirable and delightful elements of academic writing

Posted on May 3, 2021 by pat thomson

This is the time of year that I run writing workshops and courses. And because I’m preoccupied with teaching, I’m also thinking about new and different strategies for authoring and revision. Authoring and revision strategies are inter-related – heuristics used … Continue reading →

Posted in examiner, Kano Analysis, revision, thesis | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

a first draft in five minutes a day?

Posted on February 8, 2021 by pat thomson

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 →

Posted in being stuck, boring writing, crappy first draft, pomodoro, speed writing, stuck points, tiny targets, writing to get unstuck | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

plan to write – a controlling purpose

Posted on November 30, 2020 by pat thomson

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 , , , , , | 3 Comments

tracking the path to research claims

Posted on January 6, 2020 by pat thomson

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 , , , , , | 1 Comment

writing the thesis from the middle

Posted on October 7, 2019 by pat thomson

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 , , , , | 15 Comments

oh no, it’s thesis hand-in limbo

Posted on September 9, 2019 by pat thomson

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 , , , , , | 4 Comments

a thesis (often) needs A Big Idea

Posted on June 10, 2019 by pat thomson

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

Posted on May 27, 2019 by pat thomson

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 , , , , , | 5 Comments

mapping a text

Posted on March 4, 2019 by pat thomson

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 , , , , | 7 Comments