Guided Learning: Thesis writing
First determine your level for your thesis writing skills
Complete the self-assessment rubric Thesis writing to find out what your level is and to assess your progress. This self-assessment has been developed by the TU/e and serves as a guide for you as you work through the process of writing your thesis.
The first set of questions is intended to get you thinking about your thesis and what you have done so far or what you might still consider doing.
Now you can continue with the self-assessment rubric, which can be used in various ways: Use it as a guide to plan the structure of your overall thesis before you even start writing, as a checklist while writing, or it could serve as a tool/ checklist when you do the final edit of your writing.Take the assessment here.
Use these resources that accompany the self-assessment to view an example of each section in which structure and language is highlighted.
Example of a Discussion section
Read Becoming a Better Academic Writer for tips on how to get started and become a better writer
Use the content in the SkillsLab library to find other resources that you need.
Both the guided learning section as well as the Skills library can lead you to a vast range of resources for general academic writing as well as thesis writing at all levels. Search with these tabs: thesis writing, introduction section, methods (or any of the sections of a thesis) , tenses, use of sources, punctuation etc.
An example of an excellent resource to use while writing your thesis is The academic phrasebank. This website is organized according to the main sections of a research paper. The sections and the detail provided can be used simply to assist you in thinking about the content and organization of your own writing, while the phrases can easily be incorporated into your writing where appropriate.
Ask for guided peer review
Use the guided peer review tasks in the SkillsLab library to ask fellow students to review a piece of your writing. For feedback to be helpful, there are a couple of things to consider: Your writing improves when feedback is limited to only a few aspects per draft. Furthermore, your writing improves more quickly when you apply the feedback straight away, rather than waiting until the end of the writing process.
Remember, peer review is not only beneficial to receive but it is also beneficial to give; it teaches you to become a critical reader and ultimately, a better writer.
Finally, if you still can’t find the answer to your question, don’t hesitate to ask by contacting the Guild Leader for Academic Writing Skills.