How to create a strong doctoral thesis in 5 steps
A doctoral thesis is an important assignment that shows how well students understand and present written concepts. While the process may involve a number of steps, there are 5 basic steps to keep in mind to put the project into realistic perspective. Whether you have a limited amount of time or you want to start your project as soon as it gets assigned to you, the following steps can help you understand what is necessary and how to get started.
- Study guidelines carefully. Your guidelines not only tell you how to complete your assignment, but they help you understand what to expect. As you read guidelines you may want to underline or highlight specifics to help you remember them. Pay attention to length, sections required, deadline and formatting details. Ask questions for clarity and write down your answers with your guidelines for easier reference.
- Select an intriguing topic. A strong doctoral thesis will have a strong topic. Select something you feel you can be an expert about. You may know information on this subject matter through personal experience or you feel you can get unique viewpoints based on research you plan to conduct. As you select your topic make a list of resources you will use to help you write your paper.
- Create an outline to help you detail talking points. An outline is an important writing tool to help you organize and structure your paper. You are able to provide insight for your topic based on how you break up your thesis. This helps you look at your assignment in smaller parts so you can focus on each section. Your talking points will be discussed further as you collect evidence through research. This specific attention to detail will help you produce high quality content.
- Conduct research and start your rough draft. Research your topic and good notes. Think about information others may not know and what you think will make your thesis interesting. Think about your reading audience as you take notes. Use a variety of sources as you collect data. Use your outline to help you take notes along with notecards. Take this information to help you start your rough draft.
- Revise and finalize your content. After writing your rough draft, go back over your content and start finalizing it. Improve paragraph and sentence structure. Edit, proofread and check for spelling errors.