Create a plan for your thesis

Your preliminary thesis structure might include:

• Rough ideas for the content of sections or chapters
• An imagined / targeted word count for each
• Possible chapter or section titles
• A short description of what each main section will include.

Activity: Outline a Table of Contents of your proposed thesis structure with major headings and sub-headings. These can change as you progress, but the regime of writing an imaginary Table of Contents can be motivating.

How you manage the task of undertaking a thesis depends in part on the type of thesis you aim to produce. A conventional thesis might require a period of experimentation before writing up results. A creative thesis has different requirements as does a PhD by publication. However, all theses require creating a large document. This is best done regularly and cumulatively, with the ability to reflect, rather than in one burst of frenzied activity towards the end of your candidature. This means planning.

Your writing will not follow a linear trajectory. Your writing may give rise to the need for more reading, which in turn influences what you write next, and so on. If your thesis involves data collection, then your collection and analysis may also inform both your reading and writing, and so the process goes.

Given this, a regular writing routine is preferable. Working on a thesis generally involves a combination of these tasks:

• Reading: finding, comprehending, organising, and collating literature
• Research: collecting and analysing data
• Writing: taking notes, brainstorming, writing section drafts, editing your writing
• Experimentation: carrying out empirical projects
• Meeting with supervisors: discussing your research and ideas; taking and incorporating feedback

Developing a plan that caters for these disparate tasks is important. This means creating a timeline.

Another factor to consider here is your level of writing fluency. If you do not feel confident in your academic writing style, seek advice from the university's support services early on. It is advisable to ascertain the effectiveness of your writing early in your candidature, so that you can plan around the services that are available to you. Check in with the Graduate Research School to see what is available when you commence. Contact the Learning Skills Advisors too. They are experts at helping students develop their academic literacy skills.

Constructing a timeline means planning for:
a) the entire project
b) the year ahead
c) the next few months, and
d) each day.

Consider:

• The overall 3-4 years it will take to produce the thesis: the key tasks and milestones, and when you hope to meet them
• The current year: a more detailed timeline outlining the tasks or milestones you hope to achieve
• The next few months: This requires understanding details of your present task. What do you need to do to deliver and when?
• The given week/day: Make your planning as specific as is useful to you. When you plan a day of work, include short breaks so that when you are at your desk you can focus, knowing that opportunities for rest are a given.

It is important to be realistic in your work plan. You can't spend all day, every day, doing only one of these tasks– it's all about maintaining a balance.

GANTT charts are a useful tool that you can use to map out when certain milestones in your project need to be met. The timelines can vary from annual goals, to smaller, weekly, or monthly goals. Templates are widely available online and are a useful way to keep you and your supervisor accountable.

Activity: Create a GANTT chart for each year of your project with the milestones listed, and an estimate of time it will take e.g., 'Carry out survey with Indonesian participants' (3 months), 'Set up the pressurised cannister for the X experiment' (4 days).

Manage time with your supervisor so you get the right support. Meet with your supervisor(s) regularly from the beginning of your research project. You may be meeting weekly or less frequently (fortnightly, or even monthly as you progress through your research). The important thing is that you have regularly scheduled times that are reliably available for both you and your supervisor.

Best practice is to submit what you've been working on in advance, or any materials or documents you wish to discuss. It's also useful to provide your supervisors with a list of questions or specific concerns you have before you meet. Send your supervisors an updated timeline that shows your progress to date as well as future plans for your research.