Writing a thesis - two part online course

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, you will:

• Have developed an initial detailed outline of your thesis for discussion with your supervisor
• Have planned a writing schedule that considers your writing speed and style
• Feel ready to write a rough draft of your thesis
• Be confident in revising your own writing for clarity, simplicity, and completeness and in applying feedback.

Self-enrol now to start Part 1 with this link. 

Please note that enrolling on Canvas does not automatically book you onto a live session. Live session booking links are made available in Canvas once you have completed the Part 1 materials, by following the instructions in the videos.

Part 2 dates for Hilary term 2025: 27 January 13:00 - 14:30 and 5 March 13:00 - 14:30 (booking through the Part 1 Canvas space).

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This two-part course consists of a self-study Canvas course, supported by live sessions for exercises, discussion, and questions.

PART 1:

Part 1 is delivered online using Canvas. We’ll cover how to plan, write, and revise your thesis. The course consists of short pre-recorded videos supported by examples and suggested exercises, drawing on your research thus far.

Please allow around 3 hours to watch the videos and at least another 3 hours to complete the exercises. Depending on how far along you are in your DPhil journey, you may wish to dedicate much more time than this, to use the prompts and exercises to fully develop your thesis outline and writing plan. 

Module 1: Planning the thesis

• Defining the aim of thesis, versus other things you have written before
• Figuring out your overall message
• Possible thesis structures
• Plotting your chapters to support your message
• Gathering the information you need before you start writing
• Communicating with your supervisor about how and when to request feedback

Module 2: Writing the thesis

• Creating a writing timetable
• Strategies for writing and overcoming pain points
• Tips for specific chapters and their sections
• Suggested IT training to help with writing a thesis

Module 3: Polishing the thesis

• Editing your work from rough draft to simple, clear, and complete final thesis
• Strategies for requesting, coping with, and incorporating feedback

PART 2:

Once you have completed the self-study in Part 1, you can choose to attend a Part 2 live session. These are optional! 

The live session will not repeat the information in Part 1. Instead, we will use this time for discussion, guided exercises, and to answer your submitted questions. You can choose whether to join using audio and visual, just audio, or text chat.

Please make sure you read all of the sections below relating to how the course will work, the surveys and attendance certificates.

PARTICIPANT NUMBERS

Part 1: Unlimited, via self-enrolment.

Part 2: Maximum 40 participants per live session.

ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATE ON SURVEY COMPLETION

It is now a requirement that you complete the three short questions in the survey you receive after attending the course. Once you have submitted the survey, you will be sent an email with a link to your attendance certificate. This is to ensure we receive the feedback we need to evaluate and improve our courses. Survey results are downloaded and stored anonymously.