The Art Of Revising Your PhD Thesis

You may be able to write a decent first draft ,but this draft will not be as good as the second draft,and your second draft won’t be as good as your third draft.I usually write many drafts of my thesis because I am not satisfied with what I have written only 1 and 2.I write my first drafts as quickly as possible, to get my ideas down.But these first drafts ,I’ve found always need substantial revision .I want to change the language here and there, find the “right” word in certain cases, or change the organisation.I have the most fun making revision for I’m making revision , I feel that I am functioning creatively .Let me offer some suggestions to follow while revising or correcting your PhD thesis

Put your word processed draft aside for a while:It’s not a good idea to not look at your first draft for a couple of days after you have finished it .When you are involved in the text, your mind is wrapped in that you can’t recognize problems or mistakes you’ve made .So put the draft aside and later ,when your mind is fresh start working on it .

Check for spelling and typing errors: Usually writers make typing or spelling errors.Always use your spell checker,keeping in mind that even a spell checker will miss words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly.Spell checkers can generally not tell that “you’re” should have been your , for instance ,or that “to” should have been “too”.Also check that you’ve not made errors in copying quotations.It’s easy to spell a name or leave out words.Leaving out a word can change the meaning of quotations,so you should be especially careful when quoting other works.

Use the word count feature in a word processing program: Sometimes, as you are writing a book for a publisher, you are given specific word count for your texts. Check the number the words you have written after you’ve finished revising your work to make sure that you’ve written too little or, as it often happens too much.Every book contract I have signed has included the number of words required.You can also use the word count program to compare the lengths of sections or chapters to determine whether the work is balanced.

Change the language you’ve used:This is the common problems in revisions ,for usually you can find better language and what you’ve put down in your first draft.Since your language conveys your ideas ,when you change the language you are also clarifying your thinking .Sometimes just changing a single word profoundly affects your readers interpretation of what you’ve written.

Check for punctuation errors: When you’re writing your first draft,and your mind is racing and thinking about different things in a time,it is easy to make punctuation errors .The newer word processing programs often call your attention to punctuation errors when you use the spell checker and grammar checker function ,but you still need to review your drafts to find these errors

Change the organization of your text: After you’ve finished your first draft ,you may find that some material you’ve written in one section belongs somewhere else.Sometimes what we write doesn’t fit perfectly into our outlines , and we need to rearrange segments to make material more coherent.

Insert new subheads and remove superfluous ones:It’s a good idea to add subheads to let your reader know what topic you’ll be writing about in a section of your text.When revising, often you need to add more subheads or need to modify the existing one. Each time you work on a new draft, you should review the subheads to make sure making on cue your readers to your discussion.

 Check your citations and references:You should always check over the quoted material to make sure you haven’t left out any words or missed out any line.Check for mistakes in your list of references,including the names of author, titles of articles and books you have used and the publication dates and publisher information.Also, you should review your work for missing citations or reference information.

Use good format to facilitate information:If you are revising on your printouts ,format the margins so there is enough space to write there,insert new material and write notes during the revising process .It is difficult to read long lines of type on a page because eyes get tired.So leave substantial margins on the each side of the page,not only because it will be easier on your eyes when you write,but also because it will facilitate revising and rewriting.