What is a thesis?

Depends on your field of study. However, all honors theses have at least 2 things in common:  They are based on students' original research.  They take the form of a written manuscript, which presents the findings of that research.

Why write a thesis?  Satisfy your intellectual curiosity  Advance knowledge  Work closely with faculty mentors  Open windows into future professions  Preparation for graduate school  In the process, you learn:  How to research  How to write

How do I start?  Choose a topic  What makes a good topic?  Free Write

Brainstorming and Free Writing  Questions for basic brainstorming at the beginning of your project:  What do I already know about this topic? Why do I care about this topic? Why is this topic important to people other than myself? What more do I want to learn about this topic? What is the main question that I am trying to answer? Where can I look for additional information? How will my work inform my larger field of study? What's the main goal of my research project?

Brainstorming and Free Writing  Questions for Reflection Throughout Your Project:  What's my main argument? How has it changed since I began the project? What's the most important evidence that I have in support of my "big point"? What questions do my sources not answer? How does my case study inform or challenge my field writ large? Does my project reinforce or contradict noted scholars in my field? How? What is the most surprising finding of my research? What is the most frustrating part of this project? What is the most rewarding part of this project? What will be my work's most important contribution?

What next?  Write a table of contents  Logical structure of your thesis  Introduction  Background  Literature Review  Content Sections  Empirical results  Analysis  Conclusions and Future Work  Reference List  Appendices

What next?  Prepare your committee (if you have not already)  Make a timetable and set goals

Sample Timetable Early exploratory research and brainstorming Junior Year Basic statement of topic; coordinate tasks with advisor End of Junior Year Complete bulk of researchSummer / Early Fall Introduction DraftSeptember Chapter One DraftOctober Chapter Two DraftNovember Chapter Three DraftDecember Conclusion DraftJanuary RevisingFebruary-March Formatting and Final TouchesLate March Presentation and DefenseLate March, Early April

Drafting  Sort your “evidence” or research into analytical categories  Formulate working arguments for your entire thesis and individual chapters  Divide your thesis into manageable chunks  Just start! Even if it’s not at the beginning  Keep up the momentum!

Revising  Peter Elbow, in Writing with Power, suggests that writing is difficult because it requires two conflicting tasks: creating and criticizing  Don’t leave revising to the last minute!  Juggling feedback from multiple readers  Refine your argument  Cut and paste  Plug in holes in your evidence  Save time for the small stuff

Thesis Tips  Begin earlier rather than later  Read publications in your thesis area  Choose your thesis advisor and committee wisely  Make yourself accountable to someone other than yourself  Consistent production