Revising your work

One of the least exciting - but more important - parts of writing your thesis is the revision process. After spending months writing your thesis, you will eventually grow to be very tired of looking at it. To revise well, though, you need to be able to look at your thesis with fresh eyes. Only be taking a break and getting some distance between you and your thesis will you be able to edit and proofread your work effectively.

Steps in the revision process

The objective here is to abandon your emotional commitment and switch to a reader's perspective.

1. Set your work aside for a day or more.
2. Think about the main points that you want to stay in the reader's mind.
3. Is all the material in the right sections?
4. Check for accuracy of data.
5. Read through, chapter by chapter.
6. Are any sections too long/brief?
7. Read each sentence carefully, reading aloud any parts you had trouble with or are unhappy about.
8. Check for clarity.
9. Spell-check your work, remembering that this will not pick up everything.
10. Check for remaining errors.
11. Ask a fellow student or other native speaker to read your work.

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