How to Write a Thesis

"How to Write a Thesis can be read with profit by anyone who writes professionally, whether proposals, reports, monographs or a thesis. It is oriented to someone writing a PhD thesis, but has a lot to say about writing in general. It deals with the process of writing rather than detailed content, and is applicable regardless of discipline" SRA

"This is the book that all PhD supervisors and their students have been waiting for: the first comprehensive overview of the many different writing practices, and processes, involved in the production of a doctoral thesis. Crammed full of explanations, shortcuts and tips, this book demystifies academic writing in one fell swoop. Everyone who reads it will be massively enabled as a writer." Professor Lynne Pearce, Associate Dean for Postgraduate Teaching, University of Lancaster

"Rowena Murray's down-to-earth approach both recognises and relieves some of the agony of writing a PhD. The advice in this book is both practical and motivational; sometimes it's 'PhD-saving' too. By using Rowena Murray's techniques of regular snacking, instead of occasional bingeing, I managed to rescue my PhD from near-death at a time of work overload." Christine Sinclair, Part-time PhD student and lecturer in Educational Development, University of Paisley

This book evolved from fifteen years' experience of teaching thesis writing. The contents have been tried and tested with postgraduates and academics. Early chapters explore the ambiguities and subtleties of thesis writing in detail. Later chapters are more compact, listing steps in the writing process. All chapters provide examples to illustrate techniques and activities to progress writing.

When writing a thesis, students must be ready to develop new modes of writing. The harsh reality is that those who like to work to goals are likely to have to submit to floundering around, reconstructing their well laid plans, whilst those who hate to be driven by goals, or do not see the point of them, will have to submit to deadlines and milestones that may seem like millstones.

This book will help all students cope with the challenges inherent in writing a thesis.

Rowena Murray is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Academic Practice at the University of Strathclyde. She has developed a Thesis Writing course and has produced four videos: Thesis Writing, Research Supervision, The Viva and Writing for Publication. Rowena also runs consultancies on Writing for Publication for universities across the UK and overseas and for other institutions, such as healthcare trusts. She has published on aspects of academic writing.