5 Ways NOT to Construct an Argument
Much of the skill of academic writing lies in constructing a strong argument. This means establishing, supporting, and defending a position. It means being persuasive. But the readers you have […]
drafting
Making Life Easier for your Readers
Often, when writing a thesis (or paper, or presentation, etc.), we unconsciously adopt a writer-centric approach. By that I mean: we get so preoccupied with conveying all the information in […]
How I Structured My Doctoral Thesis in Format Two
Editor’s note: this article, published in 2020, makes reference to a previous edition of the AUT Postgraduate Handbook that is now out of date. The most recent edition can be […]
Getting Started Writing your Thesis and Beating Writer’s Block
Generally, when I sit down to write something new – whether that be my thesis or a blog post – it feels huge and daunting. I just don’t know how […]
The Emotional Journey of Getting Supervisor Feedback
I was recently reminded of a dark time in my PhD. A time when my illusions were shattered, and my hopes decimated. A time when I was elated to have […]
Throwback Thursday: Ideas for Structuring Your Thesis or Dissertation
This post by University of Auckland staff member Dr Ian Brailsford first appeared on Thesislink in May 2019. Links and Postgraduate Handbook references have been updated. My favourite Jorge Chan […]
Shut Up and Write: AKA How to Turn Nothing into Writing
I know it sounds too good to be true, but this method of working helps you to spit out pages of writing. Now, I didn’t say it was perfect writing, […]
Why Being Almost at the Word Count Doesn’t Mean You’re Almost Done
Last week we posted about when to let your thesis go; about how to know when it’s good enough and when you can finally release it to the world. It’s […]
Throwback Thursday: When to let your thesis go?
The actor/director Sir Kenneth Branagh was asked in an interview: how do you know a movie you’re directing is finished? After a moment’s pause he replied: you don’t, you abandon […]
Writing as a Not-Quite-Yet-Expert
It is incredibly tricky to nail the genre of thesis-writing. Books are written about it. Learning Advisors specialise in it. Almost all research students struggle with it to some extent […]
Upcoming PG Writing Workshops
The written thesis is its own unique genre. It is a kind of academic writing, but it’s different to undergraduate essay writing; and different to academic journal writing, too. Part […]
An English PhD-Holder Reviews Grammarly
I’ve been resistant to software text editing tools for a long time. Partly that’s because my PhD is in English, and editing text is something I already do reasonably well. […]