CAW LibGuides: Finishing a Thesis - Suggested To-Do List

This resource is intended for PGR students writing for (or planning ahead of) the submission of a doctoral thesis. It comprises a list of suggested tasks and priorities ahead of submission, and brief notes on preparing for your viva, corrections, and the emotional impact of submitting a thesis. This resource complements ‘Finishing a Thesis: Checklist of Thesis Features’.

Your goal is to produce a complete and coherent thesis which demonstrates the basis and argument of your research. Within this you will have many smaller goals. In the closing stages of writing your thesis, you will have to consider your writing goals and priorities, and you may have to make judicious use of your time which may result in completing some parts of your thesis to a lower standard than you would have liked (you can make a note and justify these choices in your viva). The following will assist you in determining your priorities:

1. Avoid asking for too much feedback. This will overload you with decisions.
2. Focus on argument, clarity, and consistency.
3. Move from big issues (e.g., missing parts) to small issues (e.g., inconsistent use of commas), and large chunks of text (i.e., chapters and paragraphs) to small chunks of text (i.e., sentences and citations).
4. You may find that you need to redraft your introduction and conclusion several times. You may find that you reserve drafting your conclusion until after you have edited most of the thesis.
5. Condense secondary material as much as possible, and bring your own arguments to the fore.
6. Avoid new research (make a note of this for your viva). Reading should be for:
   1. refining arguments,
   2. adding clarity or detail only where required,
   3. checking and revising direct quotations.

In addition to priorities, a few practical matters will help you to manage your workload and any anxieties as you write:

1. Save frequently and label drafts systematically – including the date and your editorial focus.
2. You are going to write, delete, move, and edit a lot of material.
3. The word count will fluctuate. Do not panic. Trust the process.
4. There will be mistakes. These are not a reflection of your ability
5. Be ruthless with your time and capacity: make decisions, act, move on.
6. Eat, sleep, take breaks, drink plenty.

From three to six months to submission, consider the below pre-reading tasks.

1. Access a similar thesis to your own as a model to follow:

https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/ (Coventry University),

https://ethos.bl.uk/SearchResults.do (British Library).

2. Secure access to all your primary source materials and main secondary sources.
3. Set key dates and expectations for submitting drafts to supervisors.
4. Confirm your final submission date with supervisors, family, and friends (ideally including a small buffer ahead of your maximum term date).
5. Merge all the parts of the thesis into one document (use subheadings or bookmarks to manage blocks of text).
6. Read and assess the entire thesis (and any feedback) in terms of its:
   1. Arguments and themes,
   2. Primary source material,
   3. Secondary source material,
   4. Engagement with these materials,
   5. Macro structure (chapters)
   6. Strengths and weaknesses,
   7. Missing parts,
   8. Incomplete parts,
   1. Draft parts,
   10. Parts ready for submission.
7. Re-read major secondary sources if necessary.

From three to six months before submission, consider the below pre-writing tasks.

1. Review and finalise your title.
2. Review and finalise your abstract.
3. Review and finalise your terms and concepts (particularly where they are innovations in your field or methodology).
4. Write a thorough, strict to do list and stick to it.
5. Confirm the expected format of your thesis including page layouts, citation style, bibliography, appendices, number of copies, binding, and acceptable digital formats.
6. Create or obtain a formatting guide or template which suits your purposes.

Refer to your title, abstract, formatting guide, and to-do list frequently during editing and proofreading. These will guide your decisions and priorities. You may wish to (or be required to) write an abstract or summary for each of your chapters. These can be a useful guide.

From two to four months to submission, view your thesis as blocks of text.  

This includes writing and deleting blocks rather than individual lines of text. Remove blocks of deleted material to a reserve document noting its original location and the date of removal. The following lists of suggested tasks progress from big editorial moves to small editorial moves:

1. Review chapter titles and subheadings in terms of the moves they indicate in your argument(s). It can be useful to review how the steps in your argument are presented in your contents list at this stage. 
2. Complete missing parts to a good or adequate standard (They need to be there. They do not need to be perfect at this stage).
3. Respond to supervisor feedback (you do not need to accept every suggestion at this stage).
4. Refocus your attention on the introduction, and introductions, transitions, and conclusions within chapters.
5. Review the most problematic parts starting with the largest.
6. Focus on the opening and closing lines of paragraphs and major transition points (before and after subheadings): avoid editing within paragraphs or sentences.

The following applies to your entire thesis. At this stage you may find you work through your thesis several times, or move rapidly between the introduction and content chapters:

1. Highlight your argument throughout including links to major secondary reading.
2. Remove excess material (bring out the argument) starting at the level of subsections and paragraphs.
3. Refine for clarity and concision including:
   1. Limiting your use of pronouns (she, they, this),
   2. Giving agency to subjects,
   3. Removing hanging clauses,
   4. Limiting your use of conjunctive adverbs (therefore, moreover, additionally, thus),
   5. Limiting your use of intensifiers (very, really, particularly).
4. Bring your voice to the fore: for example, in opening lines, transitions, following quotations, and in literature reviews (e.g., foreground your voice and remove secondary material to citations).
5. Return to and revise the introduction (you may wish to revisit your original proposal at this stage). Focus on:
   1. Refining your argument,
   2. Providing an exposition of parts,
   3. Justifying what is and is not in the thesis,
   4. Explaining inconsistencies.
6. Return to or compose the conclusion. You can discuss any omissions here in light of possible directions for future study.
7. Revise your thesis abstract in light of all the changes that you have made.

Once all the above tasks or any tasks which will impact on your wordcount are completed, check your final word count and consider adjustments if necessary. For example, add or remove one paragraph from the introduction or conclusion (reserve small scale adjustments for proofreading). Refer to your reserve document of deletions at this stage.

From one to two months to submission is the time to consider proofreading and formatting tasks.

1. Check for consistent use and spelling of terms throughout.
2. Check all spelling, punctuation, and grammar (for accuracy and consistency) including:
   1. Full stops,
   2. Commas (clauses, lists, and conjunctions),
   3. Colons and semicolons (particularly in lists and citations),
   4. Subject verb agreement,
   5. Spelling of proper names.
3. Check all references and citations for accuracy and formatting (including references to appendices).
4. Check all citation of images, appendices, and materials for accuracy and consistency.
5. Finalise your bibliography.
6. Check formatting (pay attention to paragraph indents and spacing, page breaks, and indented quotations).
7. Check pagination throughout including appendices.

Once all the above tasks are completed, finalise the contents list (Word will populate a contents list for you).

• Duplication of content.
• Repetition of ideas, evidence, or quotations in more than one location.
• Unexplained contradictions.
• Digressions.
• Hallucinated (merged), lost, incomplete, or inaccurate citations and sources.
• Conflation of terms.
• Confusion of homophones and similarly spelled words (over-reliance on spellchecker).

• Reserve at least one full day for final checks and one full day for submission.
• Check the submission process (including acceptable digital formats) in advance and ideally with a supervisor or reliable friend.
• Take screen grabs of all submission pages and identification numbers.

It can be tempting to over prepare for your viva. Whilst you should prepare, you should not pre-empt every eventuality. Your supervisors will be able to advise you on the likely topics and format of your viva in accordance with your discipline. In general, the examiners will consider:

• Your authorship of the thesis
• Your processes and methods (including how you came to choose your topic) and how do you justify your method.
• Your contribution to knowledge (your impact)
• What is unique, innovative, or special about your research (the gap)?

In preparation for your viva, consider:

• Reading through your thesis once (after a break).
• Reviewing your primary material (evidence).
• Reviewing major secondary sources (summary reading).
• Establishing the bigger picture of your research and its impact.
• Discussing the strengths, weaknesses, and merits of your thesis with supervisors and academic friends (this could be a mock viva).
• Formulating questions you would like to ask your assessors (e.g., regarding careers, publications, and future directions).
• Preparing a small list (one page) of notes for the viva.

On the day:

• Let your assessors take the lead.
• Give honest and well-considered answers (i.e., do not rush to answer and be willing to admit errors or omissions).
• Enjoy the opportunity to talk candidly and at length about your research.

Assessors will frequently request corrections. These may range from a few proofing errors to major structural or methodological changes. Your supervisor will be able to advise you on how best to approach corrections.

Corrections are not a personal questioning of your ability or integrity, yet their imposition can be unsettling. To manage this process, consider:

1. Set your own date ahead of schedule and avoid over-problematising corrections (often corrections require less time than the time given).
2. Follow the instructions you have been given. Do not make additional changes (though you may wish to make notes for future changes in advance of publication).
3. Produce a document noting the corrections you have made (Check with your supervisor or assessor regarding the format of this document).

Finalising a thesis is all about coming to terms with what your thesis is now and what it needs to be to reach an acceptable standard. Your supervisors can offer you a wealth of advice, but it is not their thesis, and they have a different investment in your project; you may find that you stop seeking feedback or that you reject some of your supervisors’ feedback. Take ownership of your thesis, your time scale, and your abilities. There will be opportunities down the line for further research, corrections, adaptations, publishing, and so on (and you should make note of these as you see them), but these are not your focus, and you should remind yourself of the location of your thesis at the beginning of your academic career.

It is an emotional process, and alongside relief, joy, and achievement (or even excitement and ambition) you may feel a sense of loss, disorientation, or isolation during or after submission. These highs and lows can leave you in need of grounding. You can prepare for this by, for instance:

• Arranging a short holiday or break after submission,
• Setting aside a goal for after submission,
• Taking up a new hobby or fitness activity (or reviving a former activity),
• Volunteering or working part-time
• Arranging for a friend or relative to visit you,
• Organising a celebration.

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing, including critical writing and argument structure. To view all available workshops and book online, visit: https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw  

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome   

To find who your subject Academic Liaison Librarian is, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/ALL    

Guide to Referencing: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/referencing