10 Mistakes to Avoid when Writing your Thesis or Dissertation

A Master’s Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation is the final research paper of your education and provides the opportunity for you to share your knowledge.  Writing your thesis or dissertation can be a daunting task, especially to those who aren’t big on writing papers in the first place.

As an editor, I see many mistakes in theses and dissertations that are easily avoidable. To help you write and strong paper and avoid common errors, I’ve compiled a list of 10 common mistakes students make when writing their final paper.

1.      Not Reading the Guidelines – Guidelines were written for a reason—use them! Each University has a specific set of guidelines by which you should write your thesis or dissertation.  Make sure you check with your university for the appropriate guidelines that you should use.

 

 

2.      Not Planning: Some people swear they can write a good paper without planning it first.  But planning first will help you write a great paper. By planning first your research will be easier, writing in sections will be more manageable, and your paper will be easier to read.

 

 

3.      Wrong Format – The style in which you write your paper (APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual) differs significantly by discipline. Make sure you know which one to use and follow it!

 

 

4.      Not being Critical – Your professor isn’t interested in reading redundant research.  They want to know your thoughts, comparisons, and analyses of previous research and your own.

 

 

5.      Forgetting the Abstract: The abstract is a brief, usually one page, overview of your paper.  It gives your readers an idea of what they can expect to find in your paper.

 

 

6.      Skipping Proofreading – This is a crucial part of the writing process!  The last thing you want to do is irritate your professor with unnecessary spelling errors and typos!

 

 

7.      Word Count – A common mistake is for students to write too much or too little.  Make sure you are within range if the required word count.

 

 

8.      Dedication/Acknowledgements are single-spaced – If you choose to write a dedication or acknowledgement for your thesis/dissertation, make sure it is double-spaced.

 

 

9.      First Page of each Chapter is missing a page number- Every page in the main body of your paper must include a page number.

 

10.  Contents Page doesn’t Match Body page Numbers:  It may seem irrelevant, but imagine how irritating it could be to flip through a paper for five minutes trying to find a certain section because the table of contents was incorrect.  Make sure your page numbers and titles match up.