Thesis and dissertation guidance

Keeping your dissertation on track

Postgraduate research succeeds with a plan, regular writing and clear responses to your supervisor.

1. 1Agree the scope earlyA focused research question saves months. Agree it with your supervisor before collecting data.
2. 2Write a little every weekRegular writing, even a few pages, keeps momentum and makes feedback easier to handle.
3. 3Keep references organised from day oneUse a reference manager such as Mendeley or Zotero so your citations stay consistent.
4. 4Handle corrections systematicallyList every comment, decide how to address it and note where you changed the text. It makes resubmission faster.
5. 5Prepare for the defencePractise explaining your problem, methods, findings and contribution in a few minutes, and answering questions on your choices.