YouAlberta
Believe me, I know how hard it is to start a thesis. I’m currently working on my Masters thesis, although I haven’t braved that blank Word document yet, and I wrote an undergraduate honors thesis a few years ago. It’s tough, I get it, so I’ve compiled a few tips to help anyone starting a thesis-writing journey!
1. Remember that you don’t have to start writing right away.
Take time to formulate your ideas, plan how you want to organize your thesis, do tons of research, and then brave the blank document.
2. I hate starting with a blank document so I recommend writing an outline.
If you plan everything out and write an outline in which you organize your thoughts, arguments, quotations etc., it’ll make it much easier to start writing.
3. Talk to your supervisor to see if they have any advice.
I had no idea how to start my thesis, specifically for my Masters, and my supervisor had lots of great advice and ideas. I also recommend talking to students farther along in your program, I find they often have great advice!
4. Write, write, write.
Remember that the first draft is just that. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or even good, it just has to be done. You can edit your heart out later.
5. Summarize
My supervisor suggested that for every book or article I read, I write a small summary with key points and save it as a word doc so that I can easily reference it later. I swear that advice has been a lifesaver when it comes to quickly figuring out who argued what and where!
6. Work with friends!
I find that having someone to sit with in silence and keep you accountable really helps. During this pandemic I’ve been Facetiming with friends rather than sitting in a cafe. Even though I prefer going to Remedy and working, hanging out with friends digitally and working on my thesis has really helped keep me motivated.
7. Take breaks.
Remember that taking time to yourself is important too.
8. Talk to your supervisor
If you’re struggling to get materials for your thesis, since we’re in a pandemic and getting materials can be a bit difficult, I highly recommend talking to your supervisor. In my experience, my supervisor ended up having some of the books I needed for my research! I would also recommend reaching out to the library staff as they are incredibly helpful and wonderful people and are especially happy to help researchers during this crazy pandemic!
I know that writing a thesis is tough, but remember that you can do this!