Author Description

As a final year supervisor for twelve years on degree, masters, and PhD, I noticed time and time again students approach their thesis confused and unsure what is expected from them; and rightly so. What is involved in the write up of the final year thesis is not something students are introduced to during their studies. The structure, content, and format of a thesis are only understood by seeing good examples. A thesis is the largest assignment a student will ever likely to do and will resemble nothing they have ever done before. A final year thesis has to demonstrate academic structure, content and integrity, something that is not always presented clearly by supervisors. As a supervisor, I designed a handout to help and guide my students. This handout became very popular as students shared with their friends. After many years of editing and improving my notes, I decided to publish it as a booklet. Taking away the fear of the writing up and having the confidence that they can achieve it should hopefully help students focus instead on finding creative, challenging, and inspiring projects.